First Purchase Advice

[Pau Hana]

We had a boat for sale down here- Knowledgeable buyer came to check it out. Talked a good talk, good enough for broker to let him stay on the boat overnight with survey the next day. Well, some time during the night the guy found the liquor stash and helped himself to a considerable amount. Now properly drunk, he fell off the boat between the boat and the dock. Tried to climb up oyster and barnacle covered piles and cut himself to shreds. Finally got out of the water and into the boat. Bled all over. Apparently had trouble sleeping, so he tried different bunks and sofas, bleeding on all. Stumbling around, knocked all sorts of things over, breaking fixtures, etc. 7am broker and surveyor show up to a disaster. Guy was still drunk and incoherent. Survey day was canceled. Boat damage in several thousands. Later, guy wanted his deposit back and was talking about suing for his injuries. Broker and owner were so mad they threatened to "go mafia" on him. Last I heard, the guy lost his deposit and crawled back under a rock somewhere.

I rest my case.

 

[jukesy]

We had a boat for sale down here- Knowledgeable buyer came to check it out. Talked a good talk, good enough for broker to let him stay on the boat overnight with survey the next day. Well, some time during the night the guy found the liquor stash and helped himself to a considerable amount. Now properly drunk, he fell off the boat between the boat and the dock. Tried to climb up oyster and barnacle covered piles and cut himself to shreds. Finally got out of the water and into the boat. Bled all over. Apparently had trouble sleeping, so he tried different bunks and sofas, bleeding on all. Stumbling around, knocked all sorts of things over, breaking fixtures, etc. 7am broker and surveyor show up to a disaster. Guy was still drunk and incoherent. Survey day was canceled. Boat damage in several thousands. Later, guy wanted his deposit back and was talking about suing for his injuries. Broker and owner were so mad they threatened to "go mafia" on him. Last I heard, the guy lost his deposit and crawled back under a rock somewhere.

"We had a boat for sale" and you "Heard he lost the deposit" which is it ? Did you get to keep the deposit or not? Getting to keep a deposit over a few bloody sheets and some lost liquor sounds like a win to me.

 

[gwkiwi]

I rest my case.

I also would never let a potential buyer spend the night on my boat or in my home until closing had occurred. If they walked they walked I have sold two of my own boats in the past three years and have provided continued service to one of the buyers if they had questions. The other never called although that boat was like new.

On the other side I would never request to spend the night on another's boat, there are always problems when you buy a new boat all you can do is mitigate the potential to the best of your ability and don't buy outside your budget so that you can't afford to move it.

My current boat which we have owned for just over a year is working great and last night was my first night in 4 months and travel through 5 states not sleeping on her it was kinda weird, but good to sleep in a bed that didn't move with the wind and tide.

 

[Ski in NC]

"We had a boat for sale" and you "Heard he lost the deposit" which is it ? Did you get to keep the deposit or not? Getting to keep a deposit over a few bloody sheets and some lost liquor sounds like a win to me.

I was a little sloppy in my phrasing: I was not an owner of the boat, the "we" referred to the local group of owners that I associate with. I should have typed "A local..".