I'm curious to hear stories about how folks knocked down the price on
their new boat, particularly anything creative or innovative (buying
used or stripping off options doesn't count). Anyone find any good
sources of information or do anything clever? Thanks.

"Mainshipman" wrote:

I'm curious to hear stories about how folks knocked down the price on
their new boat, particularly anything creative or innovative (buying
used or stripping off options doesn't count). Anyone find any good
sources of information or do anything clever? Thanks.

New as in new, or new as in new-to-you?

We've never bought a new boat, and don't want to. We were at the boat
show in Annapolis a couple of years ago and a small man went up on the
cabin tip of a new sailboat that was for sale there. I could see the
cabin top flex under him. And he was a SMALL man, not tall and not
heavy.

When we've bought used boats (which I think counts) we didn't do
anything clever. We knew what we could spend, we knew what we wanted
and we knew what was a reasonable price for what we wanted. So when
we found something that was pretty close, we offered a price lower
than the asking price, but not so low as to be insulting, and after a
couple of times back and forth, the offer was accepted and we bought
the boat after a survey.


grandma Rosalie

S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD
CSY 44 WO #156
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/id1.html

On 3 Feb 2006 14:02:36 -0800, "Mainshipman"
wrote:

Anyone find any good
sources of information or do anything clever?

I looked for a rainbow and then followed it to the end. And lo, there
was a pot of gold.

Jeez. Everyone is a cynic...

Sneak up in the middle of the night and steal the dam thing.


"Mainshipman" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm curious to hear stories about how folks knocked down the price on
their new boat, particularly anything creative or innovative (buying
used or stripping off options doesn't count). Anyone find any good
sources of information or do anything clever? Thanks.

"Thomas Wentworth" wrote in news:Fw1Gf.4170$iU2.1385
@trndny07:

Sneak up in the middle of the night and steal the dam thing.



They did that in Charleston to a big Beneteau! Had a great vacation and
just left it at the dock in the Bahamas when they were done with it.....

Ray --

I'm not the guy at the DEA's liquidation sale either, though maybe
someday (dreams of windfall die hard). By the way, I hope you write for
a living. You definitly have the gift.

I'm curious to hear stories about how folks knocked down the
price on
their new boat, particularly anything creative or innovative

I wrote up a list of the things I wanted in a boat, and put a
dollar value beside each item. The first thing was an inside
shower, the second a solid hull, a windlass and so on. I made
copies, and checked off every item for each boat I looked at.
Then I could compare the boats on the basis of the bottom
line. I fell in love with almost every boat I looked at, and
those sheets saved me from getting caught by some awful
clunkers. I looked for my boat for 14 months. If you're
going to buy a $35,000 boat, you've got to be prepared to
trundle down to Trinidad and the BVI and England to look. And
go to Carnival...

This is my experience, I will never again go to a (spit!)
broker for anything. For a boat, I would look on the net and
keep my eyes open.

After six months of looking, you can get a feel of what to
offer. The asking price has nothing to do with anything for
you, perhaps because you've been looking hard at dozens of
boats and the seller has only the experience of setting the
price on one. If you're interested, you carefully nicely
offer what the boat's worth to you, and remember that you too
have things to offer like the money in the bank and a fast
close with a bank draft. Don't look at it being half or 90% of
the selling price, that has nothing to do with anything. The
seller should reply nicely with a counter offer. Then you can
decide what you want to do. The very worst the seller can do
is say 'No!!!' to you, with 3 exclamation marks, and only a
lightweight would do that and you've learned what he's all
about for free.
--
Joe

Joe Kovacs
SV Sea Breeze

Joe Kovacs wrote:
I'm curious to hear stories about how folks knocked down the

price on

their new boat, particularly anything creative or innovative

Used boats only:

#1 boat, a Fortune 30 - paid close to the asking price because we were
in love with it and didn't want it to get away. We were Idiots.

#2 boat San Juan 24 - asking was $5500, offered $3500 to start. Paid
$4200. Bought it in a partnership, sold my 1/2 for $2500 about 1 yr
later. Something wrong about making a bit of money on a boat sale

#3 boat 40' catamaran - initial asking price (for 1 yr) was $129K.
Ignored it. Price dropped to $109K. Ignored it but starting to feel
interested. Price dropped again in 6 months to $89K. Inspected,
offered $50K. Broker waves hand in disgust etc. but submits offer.
Settled on $57.5K, later reduced to $55K after survey. Think we got a
good deal.

All prices in CDN $ by the way.

Lessons learned:

Don't fall in love. It's just a boat and there are lots out there.

Find a neglected boat (#2 & #3).

Cosmetics are important to the majority of buyers who have trouble
seeing past the moss on the ropes and mildew on the inside. A weekend
with a scrub brush can be worth lots of $.

Be willing to walk away.

Offer a low offer if it has been on the market for a long time. You
never know the circumstances of the owner. Don't bother about
"insulting" the owner. Chances are you'll never meet. You can always
raise an offer, but it's tough to go back if you start high

Evan Gatehouse

Mainshipman wrote:
I'm curious to hear stories about how folks knocked down the price on
their new boat, particularly anything creative or innovative (buying
used or stripping off options doesn't count). Anyone find any good
sources of information or do anything clever? Thanks.

Throw a lowball at every possibility. You'll get a bite sooner than you
think.