Dufour 35 in Muskegon, MI. Or, Why don't brokers want to sell boats?

Eurotrash007 · #1 (**permalink**) 02-23-2011

Anyone know anything about this, who might own it, for example?

1979 Dufour 35 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

I find myself once again in the position of being genuinely interested in a boat but having a hard time actually getting to see it. "Owner wants sold" announces the listing, in red, over and over. Well, then, it might help if the broker didn't brush off prospective purchasers.

bljones · #2 (**permalink**) 02-23-2011

How did you get brushed off? Did he not respond to an email?
Did you call the broker, or did you simply send him an email that very well may have gotten caught in a spam filter? How long ago did you attempt to contact him?

Eurotrash007 · #3 (**permalink**) 02-23-2011

I've emailed him back and forth a few times and ran into him in the flesh at a show last weekend. We had lovely weather up here last week, unfortunately he couldn't do it. I then arranged for Monday, but it snowed more than he liked. Fair enough. Today I suggested Friday, but he's tied up with a hockey game that day.

Again, fair enough. I suppose. At no time has he suggested an alternate time or date, though, and I'm not used to chasing people in order to give them large cheques.

olson34 · #4 (**permalink**) 02-23-2011

Maybe the ad verbiage is accurate.... "owner wants it sold".... not the broker.

Also, keep in mind that for every hard-working diligent broker there are at least two others that are just there to pick the low hanging fruit whenever they need a commission to support their bar bill or golfing habit.
I know some excellent brokers over the years, but have run across a lot of the other kind as well.
It's an odd business.

L

ps: when and if you do go aboard, see if the original monogrammed dinnerware, silverware, and towels are still there! Dufour marketing was way cool in the 70's.

Eurotrash007 · #5 (**permalink**) 02-23-2011

I think all businesses are odd, once one has some experience of them. In the meantime, of course, there's a chap with an O'Day 30 on the other side of the state who's bending over backwards to make appointments, email photos and PDFs, etc.

But I like the Dufour *more*!

thehardaground · #6 (**permalink**) 02-23-2011

One of the boats I previously looked at had a broker that didn't seem to like to respond to potential buyers. Did some searching and obtained the owner's email and asked them instead.

Eurotrash007 · #7 (**permalink**) 02-23-2011

Finding the owner is rather my point. How'd you go about it?

mitiempo · #8 (**permalink**) 02-23-2011

If the boat is documented and you know the name of the boat you can search here Office of Science and Technology

The other option is to talk to other owners whose boats are near this boat to see if they know the owner. The marina office may help. And many boats have a phone number posted in a port, as I do, in case of an emergency.

Hope this helps.

paulk · #9 (**permalink**) 02-24-2011

The broker may also know that the boat in question is a trash heap, despite what the ad says or the owner thinks. Maybe there are squirrel nests and a funky smell from leaking diesel. It may be a three-hour drive away, covered with snow so you can't see the deck (or anything below, because it's too dark). The hatches and locks may be frozen shut and take 45 minutes to open. If he's been paying to advertise this boat and has taken time to show it before, his overall costs may end up netting him less than $100 -- if the boat goes for the asking price. Going to his kid's hockey game is sounding better and better.

bljones · #10 (**permalink**) 02-24-2011

It's February.
In Michigan.
Weather happens.
Suggesting an alternate time or date? Go back to the first three sentences in this post
Also, be as clear and assertive with the broker as you are being with us. Call him today and tell him that you are buying a boat this month- does he want to sell one?