HONEY, I THINK I FOUND A BOAT

8 Nov 13 (Greg)

Kandahar, Afghanistan

 Near Stocking Island, Exumas - 2006

“Honey, I think I found us a boat.”

“Yeah, ……yeah sure.”

“No, really…. this time I think I really did.”

“Yeah, OK, whatever.”

That may not be how the conversation really went, but, if the truth be known, I bet that was what she was thinking.  Dahleen had lived with/put up with me boat shopping for nearly 2 years.  We had found nothing that really met our needs/wants/desires.  Well, I guess we had found a few that met our needs, but not our wants. 

As I have stated before, boat buying is a series of compromises and adjustments.  Unless you are rich and buying a new boat custom-ordered, you are going to compromise to some extent.  A few weeks ago we made a pretty big compromise by deciding to go from buying a 50’ Beneteau to a 46’ (that decision was the subject of an earlier post).  But, even with that we were expecting to make other compromises concerning the equipment and condition we wanted in a boat.  Well, I think I found a boat……no, really….I think I did.

• Classic main sail…….check
• Not a shoal draft…….check
• Yanmar 76 hp turbo diesel…..…check
• Low engine hours……..check (367)
• Freshwater boat……..check
• A/C installed……..check
• Upgraded/updated electronics………check
• New sails (genoa and main)……..check
• An assortment of headsails (with snuffers)…….check

This boat has ALL of our needs and almost ALL of our wants.  The price is a little higher than the average market price, but it has tons of almost new equipment to compensate.  We will see how the negotiations go.  There is no doubt the boat is worth what the seller is asking (based on equipment and engine hours), but the more money we save on boat-buying the more money we have available for the refit that we will need to do (solar panels, radar, wind gen, SSB, etc).

The selling broker seems very honest and forthcoming, and has been very responsive and helpful to this point.  He responds almost immediately to our emails and has done everything we have asked of him, to this point.  (We have ditched our buyers broker since every single boat that might have been a possibility for us, was found by us….no help from him at all.

Wish us luck, more to follow.