Out of state/cross country winter boat buying

[satirelounge]

Like many of us, I think I've found what I've been looking for a couple of thousand miles away. From reading many threads here and on other boards, I've come across a few opinions. Short background, my first boat was purchased locally in the spring and was much less of a spend. Though there was a survey and sea-trial, it was a straight forward process. Now we've found a boat we want- I've been aboard and sailed a sister ship/model (not this exact year, but close). I've read that my best price leverage is actually before I travel to see the boat. But I've also read (which I completely agree with) is that it's a dicey game to make offers on boats you ain't seen. I guess I can't really fathom making an offer, albeit one contingent on survey and sea-trial, without my own rough inspection. I've read that the offer could be contingent on my "personal" inspection. I've read that folks use professional "pre-surveys" to gain some comfort for remote offers. If my remote- sight unseen- offer were accepted and I forked over 10%, what are my chances of being able to back-out (with my money? Upon personal inspection? Professional survey? Sea trial? Oil test? This boat is has been on the hard for 2 maybe 3 years and I think I sense some reluctance to commission and launch for a sea trial, which gives me even less comfort with the situation. Of course, it is winter! I'm kind of stuck. I think I've found the right boat, but can't decide if I should just book a flight, view the boat and then try to race through an offer, survey, re-commisioning, sea trial -all the while racking up motel bills. Or can I reasonably start the process remotely? Is that just asking for trouble?
Many thanks-

[emoney]

I see this question, or something similar a lot it seems like, and I think it's because we all
tend to "overthink" things. Sounds like you already know where the problems can potentially
lie, so proceed accordingly. When it comes to things like, "getting my money back", that's
as simple as "what arrangements were made in the initial contract?". You can put whatever
you'd like in an "offer" and the seller has the right to agree or not. Keep in mind that the
laws of the State where the boat lies, i.e. where the owner is, governs the transaction.
There's been several successful long-distance transactions take place and there's no reason
yours can't be the same.

However, don't be naive and make sure you're talking to a valid person that actually owns
the boat to begin with, have a phone conversation or two with him, have him/her send
you as many photos as he/she is capable of taking (I'd also ask for video) and then go
from them. Be up front and honest and expect the same in return. Basically, put the
entire process into a certain number of "stages". If it passes "Stage 1", then proceed to
"Stage 2", etc. etc. etc.

[BarryL]

Hey,

A few points:
-There is a list somewhere on this site of people who have volunteered to look at local boats for fellow sailnetters. Maybe you can have someone take a look at the boat for you and see if it is as presented, or perhaps just a piece of junk
-Is the boat being sold by the owner or by a broker? If it's a broker, he should abide by the broker rules regarding contracts, deposits, etc. If that is the case, then you shouldn't have any problems getting your money back if you don't like the boat.
Additionally, if there is a broker representing the boat, then you can do some research on the brokers reputation - good, bad, or ?

Finally, a short personal story - I bought my current boat site unseen. Well, not really, but I found it on Yachtworld and agreed to buy it without seeing it. It was late in the season (November) so I called the broker and was honest with him. I told that if the boat was as presented, and we could come to an agreement on price, I would buy the boat. We went round a few times, but then agreed to the price. I drove about 4 hours to see the boat with my own eyes. It wasn't quite as nice as I hoped, but nice enough to continue with the deal: survey the next week including a sea trial. I closed on the boat the first week in December and sailed her home over two days.

So, it CAN work, but it's certainly not as easy as finding a boat an hour away.

Regarding winter, IMHO boats in cold climates just don't really sell in winter. Of course there are exceptions, but the owner has no real incentive to sell the boat now, when escrow is involved, etc.

Good luck,
Barry