"DSK" wrote in message
...
Skip Gundlach wrote:

....offering a
lowball on a Gulfstar 44 which looked like it could work. That deal
never
panned out, as it wasn't countered other than verbally to the effect of
'when you're serious, come back and we'll talk about it.'.

Just as well. The times we tried to open negotiations with owner/sellers
that
wanted too much money, it turned out for the best.

In the interests of brevity (who, me?!?), I didn't mention that the type is
off our list, now, because I hit (soft top, though) everywhere on the boat,
and can't stand in the separate shower, even in the little cubby space of
the caprail, in the master, at all. That aside, that's a well-equipped
example, at a reasonable price, of that type. Since there were some
compromises on the type, we didn't pursue it in order to let the listing
marinate for a while. Things have a way of working out...

...... Sort of an
interesting story on that boat that we learned about in talking with the
owner of the canal house behind which it's tied while the owners have
been
off it for 3 years, and it's shown at fortydays.org, for those
interested in
it. This boat is a backup at this point, as Lydia's high on curb
appeal,
and this needs a bit of polish.

You pay extra for 'curb appeal' and if all the boat needs is clean &
polish,
then it ould be a better deal. Hard to tell about it's condition &
equipment
from th web page though.

Here's the YW listing:
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...92&slim=ywpbs&

That one is clearly my favorite, as it shouldn't take nearly as much to
bring it up to snuff as the difference between list and the other boat's
list. However, we're hopeful of getting the other rehabbed one
substantially under list, and the seller of the first isn't budging, it
seems, so the difference level might be shorter in reality. Point of
reference is that the GS was at 55% of list, and this one is at 72.6% of
list. Lot better chance of making this one happen, I think, and from what
we see on the market, this is - while in the high end - substantially more
boat than any we've seen, of any type, let alone the M46s. Still, the
'cruising boat' - as we call it - is a good candidate for upgrade, as it,
too, is in relatively good nick and very reasonably priced relative to the
others available.


..... It's now owned by an
attorney who somehow had connections with the family or the deceased.
We
don't now know the relationship, or if there's some partnership or other
financial personal interest in play here, but it's *not* in an estate,
if it
ever was.

AA-OO-GA warning warning
This sounds like a burn deal in the making. Prudence would suggest putting
this

She's not part of the team yet, but I'd like to meet her :{))

boat at the bottom of the priority list, unless it's significantly cheaper
*and*
you get your own big-gun lawyer to deal with the selling lawyer. Unless
you want
him to pocket a lot of your money and then take you to lunch after your
court
appearance....

Heh. That was a metaphor (what's a metaphor? It's for...) - we'll be
dealing with the broker. It's one of the earlier posts' referenced 'high
priced spread' - but even that's relative. The M46 original-owner-from-new
and my (buyer's) broker agreed that you could take this boat to the flea
market and part it out and get most of your money back. That was being
facetious, of course, but it's a *very* unusual boat, particularly for 1980.

I've got the prior Morgan Yachts Service Manager for the entire production
run and several years beyond (and also QC manager for a goodly part of it)
lined up as surveyor. Not only does he know how they were made, and has
surveyed umpteen of them, he also climbs the mast and inspects the head
rigging with a magnifiying glass. No deal until that survey and suitable
wringing out in sea trial. My broker's also the owner of a dive and
cleaning service, and I'll have him dive the boat before we agree to a
survey, so as to have a heads-up about the condition of the bottom, though
all we've heard about suggest these boats are very resistant to blistering.
Everything so far suggests just a stroke of bad fortune for the owner, who
did much more than I would have in prep to leave.

It's been a long trip, and I'm blessed to have been able to do the
research
and travel I've done. Short of having a boat already in mind that you
know
will work for you, and is everything you want it to be (accepting that
my
height added inconceivably to the challenge), I can't imagine how anyone
who's employed could do this in less than half a lifetime.

Easy- most people pick a boat far more casually with a lot less data &
logic
input. Which makes sense, because the more logicallly you look at it, the
less
reason to buy a boat in the first place. However it sounds like you have
covered
all the bases and are going to have a great boat (whichever one it ends up
being).

Heh. It won't be for lack of looking and being reasonably picky :{))

L8R

Skip and Lydia, changing sigs below, as we seem to have figuratively cast
off the bowlines....

--
"And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a clear
night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you are
quite alone on a great, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in the
general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the
surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as self-sufficient
as you thought you were. Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought, and one
that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be greatly
appreciated by your friends."- James S. Pitkin