On Dec 17, 6:24�am, "Eisboch" wrote:
A sea trial, hauling, survey and re-launch is scheduled for Wednesday on the
Navigator "weather permitting".

I haven't been down to the marina for a week due to two snowstorms up here..
I suspect the back basin (which is brackish water) is iced over, although
probably just on the surface. �I am not sure about the inner harbor,
although it has frozen enough to walk on in past winters.

Forecast is for rain/snow on Wednesday although it may just be showers.

I am leaning towards canceling the event and, assuming the buyer is still
interested in the boat closer to spring, doing it then. �He wants to leave
the boat at it's current slip at my marina for the remainder of the winter
anyway.

I've been debating this in my head all morning. �Obviously both brokers
involved want to forge ahead, influenced by commissions. �The buyer doesn't
want to move the boat until spring anyway and, if the sale is consummated,
the closing won't be until the first week of January at the earliest.

Since I've never used the boat as an ice breaker I don't know the risks
involved. �Frankly I don't have any experience of, or have even heard of
doing sea trials and surveys in the middle of winter, especially if it's
snowing/raining/icy.

It dawned on me that if something happens due to weather or ice, the risk is
totally on us. �The buyer can say, "Gee, that's too bad", �and head for
home.

Anybody do this before?

Eisboch

If you're looking for an excuse to kill the deal, "We're too iced over
for a sea trial and haulout" is about as effective as you could hope
to find.

If the area seaward of your slip is ice free *and* you want to
continue with the sale you should do the sea trial. Accepting a
refundable deposit to "hold the boat until we can complete the sale in
the spring" simply gives the buyer a yardstick by which he can measure
other offers as he continues to shop, as is normally the case.
Maybe he or she "just wants to be sure that's the best deal out
there", but the shopping will usually continue, deposit or not. Your
boat is tied up on a strong "maybe", and all the buyer need do to get
his deposit back in full is pronounce the eventual sea trial or survey
results "unsatisfactory". The buyer doesn't even need a good or valid
reason, as "satisfaction" is a subjective value.

If a haul out is impossible due to weather conditions, you might
suggest that your buyer hire a diver to inspect the underside of the
boat.
The diver can take photos of struts, props, rudders, and check for
slop in the cutless bearing. The diver can take close up photos of
random sections of the hull to allow the surveyor to render an opinion
regarding the presence or nature of any blistering.

A diver isn't a substitute for hauling and tapping the hull, but if
the rest of the vessel passes survey wtih flying colors an eager buyer
might accept a photo-survey performed by a diver rather than wait
until the spring thaw to complete the deal.