"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
...


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.

-------------------------------------

It looks like we've resolved the issues. A concern of mine (besides ice)
was doing an aggressive sea trial
in Buzzard's Bay in the winter, especially since the Navigator has not been
fully exercised in a while. I wanted to do this with a local mechanic who I
respect just to make sure everything worked and to fix anything that didn't
before we sold the boat. I think a proper sea trial is essential to both the
buyer and seller. I had some major maintenance work and fuel system
additions done last August, but never got around to running the bananas out
of the boat. Too preoccupied with Mrs.E.'s GB last summer.

The buyer and his broker have agreed to move forward, with the understanding
that the extent and duration of the sea trial will be at my sole discretion.
One issue that I was unaware of until today is that the buyer will have a
certified Volvo tech present as part of the survey team, so I feel a little
better.

Apparently ice is not an issue yet. A film develops in the back slip area
overnight, but it is more like slush and won't pose any problem.
So, as it stands right now, a full survey, including hauling, and a sea
trial, the extent of which is up to me, is on for Wednesday.

Eisboch