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Having just spent a few months on a successful boat hunt in the USA I feel that the situation out here is much better than the UK when I bought a boat there I quickly came to the conclusion that
"There are liars, dammed liars and people selling boats" in the UK.
If the boat is listed by a broker at no time did I feel that a broker WHO HAD ACTUALLY SEEN THE BOAT tried to mislead me. Do be aware of the multiple listing jobs where the broker is relying on some one elses view of the boat.
But you may have to ask the right questions, ones like
has it ever sunk? Three boats that I was interested in had been under water!
has there ever been a major hull repair? More common than you might think esp in the charter industry. I have a pic somewhere of a Moorings 51 missing the first 2 feet of the bow. Sleepy delivery crew found St Lucia the hard way! It was out on charter a month later.
do you have dated evidence of the standing rigging being replaced?
are those the true engine hours?
It is common for brokers to suggest that the boat is antifouled if it is on the hard, it "shows" better they say.
Get Caseys book on how to check a boat yourself, money well spent. Have a checklist and take lots of pics. This is really important esp if you look at a number of similar boats as it can be hard a month later to remember which was which.
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