Selling a boat from far far away ......

[cloggieboots]

That is exactly how we think about it, we much rather see an honest boat, you know what you get and what can be done than not knowing what is underneath the 'new'. With this boat of this age I tend to think ; if nothing has happend yet, it ain't going to happen anymore
I'm planning to take her into clear water and take a look. wood, new upholstery and polishing is being worked on and with my test sail I'm planning to check all equipment, shouldn't be a problem I think cause he was 72 and didn't want to be caught out crossing from Venezuela to here.

Thanks for the tip of time limit, that would not have crossed my mind at all and I'll arrange for a speedboat from which pictures can be taken while under sail. Thanks for all those wonderful tips !!

CB

[camaraderie]

Cloggie...EBay is the #2 seller of boats now. Given your situation that might beworth a try. HelloSailor is correct about blister boats and your boat is probably one of them...if not already dealt with and corrected:

"Sometime during the Uniflite operation, between hull numbers 120 and 249, resin mixtures were changed to include a fire-retardant additive. Although conclusive proof was never established, there was a high correlation between the fire-retardant additive and the blisters that later developed on boats between those hull numbers. Blisters developed on most (but not all) of the boats produced between 1976 and 1981. Lots of those “blister” boats are out there with happy owners. Blistered boats represent great dollar value, but may also require costly repairs."

Thinking about your situation...is the boat in Luperon? You will proably be a lot better off if you can get it somewhere that has decent access to parts/repairs and is easier for people to come look at her. There is no easy way to the DR and no way to inspect a boat and have her properly surveyed there. My immediate instinct is to get her to Tortola but that is a lot of windward work for a boat that has been sitting and is in unknown condition especially with regard to engine and fuel. You might be better off bringing her into the Bahamas on a nice reach for work...perhaps Georgetown or Marsh Harbor. Before leaving the DR...the fuel tanks should be thoroughly drained cleaned and fuel polished and filters replaced and engines tested offshore in advance of departure date as this is where most boats that have been sitting in the tropics come to grief.
Good luck!

[cardiacpaul]

give the folks at valiant a call, i'm pretty sure they'd give you a run down on anything they may know about that particular boat.

if you need the # pm me

[hellosailor]

Cpaul, good idea, if nothing else the Valiant factory might know who specializes in brokering them, which could make for an easier sale. Apparently most of the interiors were semi-custom if requested, so if the factory can give you layout plans for that particular boat, or tell you what any of the custom options were--that's going to make it easier to sell. Well worth a call.

From the PS review they mention blistering up to 1984 but also that there's a question about whether it was the resin, or something about the layup which varied with each hull. Either way, an inspection issue but not a stopper.

Apparently Continental flies from the US (Newark NJ) directly to the DR, when they're not busy keeping folks on the runway for six hours. Most of the other carriers do a Miami-San Juan PR- DR run or something similar requiring 2-3 aircraft changes though. (Continental, UGH.)

What Cam says about the fuel tanks is dead on. Crud in the fuel tank can ruin your day, not to mention, ruin a sea trial. Since the boat may be sitting for weeks or months once it has been put on sale, make sure the tanks are filled and storage additive is put in them--to keep the tanks clean.

These days, I think a full fuel tank is probably a real bonus on a boat, it's like playing the futures market and we all know that's only going one way with diesel.