The Buying Process

Deciding on what type of sailing you want to do will dictate what kind of boat you should be looking for. In each and every article we read, and seminars attended (both in person and online), it was always; what type of sailing do you want to do. Do you want to sail the Caribbean, do ocean, high latitudes? And why? Really, why?

Our decision was that yes we want to tour the Caribbean but we also want to do ocean passages - visit the likes of Europe and go even higher to Scotland, the Shetland Islands, the Orkneys and beyond. Maybe even the Northern Passage if our experience and time allow.

With those parameters in mind, we set our sights on boats built for that sole purpose - often referred to "Blue Water" sailboats. What makes them different a Caribbean or coastal sailboat? They are built tougher with larger tankage (fuel and water) amongst other things.

As we didn't quite know where or what to start looking at, we hired a consultant - John Neal from Mahina Sailing. His services included helping us decide what we wanted to do and help direct us towards some boat manufacturers based on our budget and goals. In addition, he made us aware that time is of the essence as I'm (Jean) no spring chicken and that we should look be looking for a boat that will not take a lot of time to refit and that just the process of searching, selecting, surveying and closing on a boat can take the better part of a year. And once you've bought a boat, you're not sailing the next day, as there will always be some kind of refitting to do, and time getting to know your new boat - as in going for day sails etc. and more importantly, getting used to living with your partner in close quarters 24/7.

With a budget set, size and age range determined - we were given the names of a few manufacturers to look at and referred to a couple of yacht brokers - the latter - as we found out - is just as important as all the other steps in the purchasing process. More to come on this.

Based on the above, John suggested looking at boats built post 2000 and in the 40 to 50 ft range. The suggested manufacturers were Halberg Rassy, Nayad and aluminum hull boats such as Ovni, Allures and Garcia.

With those parameters we started looking on Yachtworld everyday - where boats are bought and sold, similar to relator.ca, and other websites. In time we found a few boats that were of interest, sharing them with John and our broker (Pete McGonagle from Swiftsure Yachts). Their feedback on our first crop was invaluable as it help us in knowing what to look for and what we should stay away from.

Our first serious kick at the can was a 2014 Allures in Maryland, US. It ticked off all of our boxes and was priced well within our budget. Unfortunately after further investigation, it was found to have some serious pitting in the bilge and the cost to repair would be significant. Our next option was a 2000 Garcia in the Netherlands. Christine was in love - the boat looked amazing - unpainted, raw metal hull, red mast and boom. It was priced a little high but in the end, the fit and finish didn't meet with our specifications.

Our next find was a 2018 Allure in Türkiye. It was slightly above our price range but with no major refitting required due to its young age, we decided to put on offer on her. The offer was rejected and we were just to far apart in price to make a go of it.

Within a few days of the offer being rejected, I had a serious bicycle accident which left me with a 3 months recovery period. At the three month mark I was given the green light from the doctors (go forth and live your life!), and that same day we got a call from our broker advising that the seller from Türkiye had reconsidered our offer and was willing to accept it. We thought SUCCESS! Almost 8 months had passed and we were on our way to buying our sailboat. As the boat was so far away, our broker suggested getting a pre-survey done to get a better feeling for the boat. A pre-survey is a surface inspection, ensuring there are no major surprises, but much less in-depth than a full survey. The report came back pretty clean and were ready to move onto the next step. We formalized the offer. We now had a contract on a boat.

Then the curve ball came. Our broker reached out and said he was contacted by a customer of his who was listing his boat and that we should take a serious look at it. He sent us pictures - the boat looked awesome. We forwarded the info to our consultant and he advised us that we "need" to get on this boat as soon as possible and to seriously consider it. A quick trip to Long Island, NY was made and we then understood why both our broker and John were so enamored with this boat and was within our price range.

Negotiating the price was no easy process as the boat was not even officially "for sale", so the owner had- what we deemed - a unrealistic expectation on pricing, considering her age and the level of refit that had been done. They were also in no hurry to sell. It all made for a long drawn out back and forth to agree on a price. All this even before a survey was done.

The Survey! As Sea Fire is a steel boat, we were told that the insurance company would probable require a hull sounding test to measure hull thickness. We queried our broker if this would be required and they were non comital about it, saying the underwriter may require it based on the results of the survey. Which would then require a second haul out. It was decided to get an ultrasonic scan anyways, if anything for our own piece of mind. Finding a surveyor who does ultra sonic scans was not easy - every surveyor on Long Island was contacted and only 2 were found and only 1 was available. Obstacle 1 overcome, obstacle 2 was much more difficult. As we were looking at doing the survey at the end of November or early December, every marina with a lift was busy hauling out boats for the winter. We finally found one that would accommodate us during the crews lunch break - at a cost!

Survey done and the list of things to do were not that long. The surveyor was quite impressed with the boat and the lack of deficiencies.

Next step was to re-negotiate the price as the standing rigging needed to be replaced. They should be done every 10-15 years and Sea Fire's was original from 2001! As the rigging is a performance grade and made of stainless steel rod, very few rigging companies are set up for that type of work. From those that were we got some eye watering quotes. In the end we found a rigging company close to Greenport, NY (where the boat was located) who would do the job for a reasonable price. With quote in hand, we re-submitted a new offer. The owner was not having it. He dug in his heels and refused to budge, Our broker spun his magic and we finally agreed on a new price.

WE HAVE A BOAT!

(Note to self: just like a house, the longer a boat is for sale, the more anxious its owner will be to sell)