Just a wondering ;;; is spring a bad time to be searching for a sailboat?
It seems as if the sellers will say anything to get a potential buyer to
drive to the boat. Buyer: "what is the condition of the boat" ?
Seller: "it is very clean, well maintained, ready to go"

The BOAT: 25 years of bottom paint, the topsides look like crap, the deck
is in need of a paint job, hardware has never been rebed, rigging is
original, standing rigging is original, sails are so old they are yellow,
the cushions are so old they have lost all their cush, the boat is dirty,
the bright work is awful, the galley is dirty and smelly, the engine is
beyond description as it looks like it may go at any time, the wiring is
original, the plumbing is original and smelly, the electronics consist of
loran ,,, and the boat is in need of everything. The PRICE IS ABOUT WHAT IT
WOULD BE IF THE BOAT WAS IN PERFECT CONDITION.

Took a look at a couple of boat in the last two weeks.... long drive for the
above.

Is there a spring frenzy which drives the sellers to lie?

When does the ,, as in what date ,,, does the seller start to realize that
the old junk boat is just that .. JUNK.

Then, when is a good time to start looking for a boat? Wait till after
summer starts and then call the sellers?

Or put off the whole search and wait till the end of summer and fall.

There sure are a bunch of junk boats on the market.

Jasper ,,

Jasper Windvane wrote:

Just a wondering ;;; is spring a bad time to be searching for a sailboat?
It seems as if the sellers will say anything to get a potential buyer to
drive to the boat. Buyer: "what is the condition of the boat" ?
Seller: "it is very clean, well maintained, ready to go"

The BOAT: 25 years of bottom paint, the topsides look like crap, the deck
is in need of a paint job, hardware has never been rebed, rigging is
original, standing rigging is original, sails are so old they are yellow,
the cushions are so old they have lost all their cush, the boat is dirty,
the bright work is awful, the galley is dirty and smelly, the engine is
beyond description as it looks like it may go at any time, the wiring is
original, the plumbing is original and smelly, the electronics consist of
loran ,,, and the boat is in need of everything. The PRICE IS ABOUT WHAT IT
WOULD BE IF THE BOAT WAS IN PERFECT CONDITION.

Took a look at a couple of boat in the last two weeks.... long drive for the
above.

Is there a spring frenzy which drives the sellers to lie?

When does the ,, as in what date ,,, does the seller start to realize that
the old junk boat is just that .. JUNK.

Then, when is a good time to start looking for a boat? Wait till after
summer starts and then call the sellers?

Or put off the whole search and wait till the end of summer and fall.

There sure are a bunch of junk boats on the market.

Jasper ,,


My advice is;
Keep track of how much money you can come up with, if the right deal
comes along. Be ready, but not in a hurry.

Walk around the marinas, look in Yachtworld, talk to people. When a
likely candidate comes along, have it surveyed, be there, learn what the
surveyor looks for. Don't buy that boat.

Keep looking. When the right boat comes along you will know it.

Don't be in a hurry. Looking for a boat is a lot of fun. And a great
reason to take a trip.

There is no "right time."

When I bought my trawler, there were three boats in the running, all
three were good value for the dollar. They all turned up at the same
time. But not when I started looking.

Jim wrote:
Jasper Windvane wrote:

Just a wondering ;;; is spring a bad time to be searching for a
sailboat? It seems as if the sellers will say anything to get a
potential buyer to drive to the boat. Buyer: "what is the
condition of the boat" ?
Seller: "it is very clean, well maintained, ready to go"

The BOAT: 25 years of bottom paint, the topsides look like crap,
the deck is in need of a paint job, hardware has never been rebed,
rigging is original, standing rigging is original, sails are so old
they are yellow, the cushions are so old they have lost all their
cush, the boat is dirty, the bright work is awful, the galley is
dirty and smelly, the engine is beyond description as it looks like
it may go at any time, the wiring is original, the plumbing is
original and smelly, the electronics consist of loran ,,, and the
boat is in need of everything. The PRICE IS ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD BE
IF THE BOAT WAS IN PERFECT CONDITION.

Took a look at a couple of boat in the last two weeks.... long drive
for the above.

Is there a spring frenzy which drives the sellers to lie?

When does the ,, as in what date ,,, does the seller start to
realize that the old junk boat is just that .. JUNK.

Then, when is a good time to start looking for a boat? Wait till
after summer starts and then call the sellers?

Or put off the whole search and wait till the end of summer and fall.

There sure are a bunch of junk boats on the market.

Jasper ,,


My advice is;
Keep track of how much money you can come up with, if the right deal
comes along. Be ready, but not in a hurry.

Walk around the marinas, look in Yachtworld, talk to people. When a
likely candidate comes along, have it surveyed, be there, learn what
the surveyor looks for. Don't buy that boat.

Keep looking. When the right boat comes along you will know it.

Don't be in a hurry. Looking for a boat is a lot of fun. And a great
reason to take a trip.

There is no "right time."

When I bought my trawler, there were three boats in the running, all
three were good value for the dollar. They all turned up at the same
time. But not when I started looking.

You could save yourself a lot of mileage by asking for photos (digital of
course) of various aspects of the boat. If the seller won't oblige, stay
clear!

Jasper Windvane wrote:
Just a wondering ;;; is spring a bad time to be searching for a sailboat?
It seems as if the sellers will say anything to get a potential buyer to
drive to the boat. Buyer: "what is the condition of the boat" ?
Seller: "it is very clean, well maintained, ready to go"

The BOAT: 25 years of bottom paint, the topsides look like crap, the deck
is in need of a paint job, hardware has never been rebed, rigging is
original, standing rigging is original, sails are so old they are yellow,
the cushions are so old they have lost all their cush, the boat is dirty,
the bright work is awful, the galley is dirty and smelly, the engine is
beyond description as it looks like it may go at any time, the wiring is
original, the plumbing is original and smelly, the electronics consist of
loran ,,, and the boat is in need of everything. The PRICE IS ABOUT WHAT IT
WOULD BE IF THE BOAT WAS IN PERFECT CONDITION.

Took a look at a couple of boat in the last two weeks.... long drive for the
above.

Is there a spring frenzy which drives the sellers to lie?

When does the ,, as in what date ,,, does the seller start to realize that
the old junk boat is just that .. JUNK.

Then, when is a good time to start looking for a boat? Wait till after
summer starts and then call the sellers?

Or put off the whole search and wait till the end of summer and fall.

There sure are a bunch of junk boats on the market.

Jasper ,,


You might pay a bit more in the spring...but you get an additional
summers use. I'd insist that the seller send me a number of photographs
of the boat before driving any distance. After all, hotels & gas aren't
cheap anymore. I'd also try to line up a couple more boats for sale in
the same general direction in the hope one was worthwhile.
I did this two years ago when I drove 4500 km round trip to buy my sailboat.

Jasper Windvane wrote:
[snip]

my limited experience so far has been that boats have to be one of the
easiest things in the world to get a good deal on. they don't serve a
useful function except for recreation, they depreciate extremely fast,
they cost their owners money every day they sit unused, they
deteriorate fast, they're the first "desperation asset" someone wants
to sell when their financial circumstances change (or they divorce),
etc, etc. my feeling about boat buying so far is that if you can't get
a good deal on a boat then you aren't likely to get a good deal on
anything. in a lot of ways it seems like buying a boat is best viewed
as an act of mercy, and i'm confident that upon closing a deal on a
used boat the seller's thanks would be most heartfelt and genuine, i'm
sure they walk away thinking "thank god that's over with". like they
say, it's a hole in the water into which you toss money ... and they
also say that once you've paid for the boat it's when the costs START,
not when they end. few things cost like a boat that isn't being used
.... insurance, storage, maintenance, security, etc, etc ... it's just
sitting out there, costing money, every day, non stop, and until you
can get rid of it the costs never end, and the value keeps falling,
rapidly, and there are a nearly infinite number of other owners that
are fighting to sell too. it's not like a house you can rent, or a car
you can drive to work ... it's just sitting there, useless, in the sun,
costing money. i think you'd have to have nerves of the strongest
steel to stand in front of a potential buyer and haggle when selling a
boat, to keep a straight face during the sale instead of dropping to
your knees begging them to cut your losses and give you some money to
walk away with. as a buyer using the typical "buyer's tricks" like
pretending you aren't that interested, etc, seems unnecessarily cruel
given the seller's position. only a really sadistic person would
torture the seller of a boat like that ... the same kind of person who
kicks at dogs, makes fun of handicapped people, and taunts democrats
with election losses.

purple_stars wrote:
Jasper Windvane wrote:
[snip]

my limited experience so far has been that boats have to be one of the
easiest things in the world to get a good deal on. they don't serve a
useful function except for recreation, they depreciate extremely fast,
they cost their owners money every day they sit unused, they
deteriorate fast, they're the first "desperation asset" someone wants
to sell when their financial circumstances change (or they divorce),
etc, etc. my feeling about boat buying so far is that if you can't get
a good deal on a boat then you aren't likely to get a good deal on
anything. in a lot of ways it seems like buying a boat is best viewed
as an act of mercy, and i'm confident that upon closing a deal on a
used boat the seller's thanks would be most heartfelt and genuine, i'm
sure they walk away thinking "thank god that's over with". like they
say, it's a hole in the water into which you toss money ... and they
also say that once you've paid for the boat it's when the costs START,
not when they end. few things cost like a boat that isn't being used
... insurance, storage, maintenance, security, etc, etc ... it's just
sitting out there, costing money, every day, non stop, and until you
can get rid of it the costs never end, and the value keeps falling,
rapidly, and there are a nearly infinite number of other owners that
are fighting to sell too. it's not like a house you can rent, or a car
you can drive to work ... it's just sitting there, useless, in the sun,
costing money. i think you'd have to have nerves of the strongest
steel to stand in front of a potential buyer and haggle when selling a
boat, to keep a straight face during the sale instead of dropping to
your knees begging them to cut your losses and give you some money to
walk away with. as a buyer using the typical "buyer's tricks" like
pretending you aren't that interested, etc, seems unnecessarily cruel
given the seller's position. only a really sadistic person would
torture the seller of a boat like that ... the same kind of person who
kicks at dogs, makes fun of handicapped people, and taunts democrats
with election losses.


You're ignoring that irrational powerful urge that comes over people
when they see a boat they like/love. Some might throw caution to the
wind and decide they need a particular boat at any price.

purple_stars wrote:

Jasper Windvane wrote:
[snip]

my limited experience so far has been that boats have to be one of the
easiest things in the world to get a good deal on.

Wrong, boats are very easy to get a bad deal on. You can buy a lot of
boats that aren't worth the money (or effort) to make it functional,
sometimes, any function.

Want to buy an old wooden Chris Craft? You can get a lot of GREAT deals.

But most will never be a boat.

Jim wrote:
purple_stars wrote:

Jasper Windvane wrote:
[snip]

my limited experience so far has been that boats have to be one of the
easiest things in the world to get a good deal on.

Wrong, boats are very easy to get a bad deal on. You can buy a lot of
boats that aren't worth the money (or effort) to make it functional,
sometimes, any function.

Want to buy an old wooden Chris Craft? You can get a lot of GREAT deals.

But most will never be a boat.

i never said lowest price = best deal, you did.

the definition of "good deal" is getting the highest value/quality for
the money.

purple_stars wrote:
Jim wrote:

purple_stars wrote:


Jasper Windvane wrote:
[snip]

my limited experience so far has been that boats have to be one of the
easiest things in the world to get a good deal on.

Wrong, boats are very easy to get a bad deal on. You can buy a lot of
boats that aren't worth the money (or effort) to make it functional,
sometimes, any function.

Want to buy an old wooden Chris Craft? You can get a lot of GREAT deals.

But most will never be a boat.


i never said lowest price = best deal, you did.

the definition of "good deal" is getting the highest value/quality for
the money.

I re-read my posts. I can't find where I said lowest price = best deal.
I would never say that, anyway. It's not true.

A free boat can be the most expensive kind.

purple_stars wrote:

Jim wrote:

purple_stars wrote:


Jasper Windvane wrote:
[snip]

my limited experience so far has been that boats have to be one of the
easiest things in the world to get a good deal on.

Wrong, boats are very easy to get a bad deal on. You can buy a lot of
boats that aren't worth the money (or effort) to make it functional,
sometimes, any function.

Want to buy an old wooden Chris Craft? You can get a lot of GREAT deals.

But most will never be a boat.


i never said lowest price = best deal, you did.

the definition of "good deal" is getting the highest value/quality for
the money.

Just so we don't argue about something we agree on, you are right about
value.

The original question was, "When is the best time?" My answer was, when
the boat (in your words) with the highest value/quality for the money
comes along.