[eherlihy]

NCC320,

Thank you for that post. I had hoped that someone would present the buyer's side of this.

It may seem that I'm angry, but I'm not. I am frustrated that I wasted two days, and 1 night in a hotel so that I could see this neglected vessel. He assumed that I would make an offer, and then was rude to me when I told him why I did not. A year later, he still owns a boat that he doesn't use, and I am still looking for a boat.

You are absolutely right that this 81 year old does not need to sell the boat to me or anyone else. I don't have to give this guy my hard earned money either. We are not talking about the national debt here. The difference between what I actually offered and what he is asking for the boat is less than $10K. This vessel is less than 35 feet, and 21 years old. However, I agree with RythmDoctor's observation that this, and several other, FSBO are not priced realistically. Perhaps they would sell if they were? I believe that the fact that this boat languishes is proof of that.

Also with a brand new boat, I would assume that everything works as it should, and will do so for some time. You have recourse if it doesn't through either the dealer, or manufacturer. On a 5 year old boat, I suspect that many of these checks would not be necessary. However, with a 20 year old USED boat, what you see is what you get. Buyer's need to be cautious. If you didn't allow me to: check for voids in the laminated hull or deck (by tapping with a phenolic hammer), check for moisture with a meter, look at the chain plates, or for check suspected rotted wood, on a 20 year old boat, I would suspect that you were hiding something.