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After you purchase your boat...?

2K views 12 replies 12 participants last post by  celenoglu 
#1 ·
After one carefully evaluates and finally selects a boat, performs a survey, the defects are either corrected or adjusted in the sales price and the deal is done...then what? You now have a boat, most likely far from your anticipated marina/storage yard. How soon do you have to move it from the marina where you purchased it? Given that it is a boat new to you, with what I am sure are unforseen problems, how do you have the confidence to sail it to a new location when you are still trying to figure out its idiosyncrasies?

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
I think the idea is that all of that care and caution in selecting the boat and having it surveyed are supposed to give you that confidence.

If, after all of that evaluation and subsequent repair, you're still afraid to leave the dock, you might want to reconsider your choice of hobby. ;)

In the risk-analysis calculation, you do your best to mitigate the unknown risks. Assuming all inspections and survey support safely sailing the boat to it's new home, you try to mitigate the unknowns by doing things like filing a float plan, perhaps having someone convoy with you in another boat, carrying extra PFD's or a liferaft, upgrading to SOLAS flares, or perhaps hiring an experienced skipper to help you deliver the boat.

You can't possibly anticipate everything though. Sailing inherently contains some level of risk.
 
#3 ·
after being where you are, several boats ago....You negotiate with the current marina (where the boat is) to allow you a few days to get things shipshape or you may have to move to an interim marina or dock, this all depends on the PO relationship with them. Then you need to make plans to move the boat to your home marina....likely one of three ways, you do it yourself, you have friends who will help/do it for you, or you enlist a paid captain to do it for you.

If there are any "A" items that your insurance wants repaired immediately, you need to speak with them to make sure that you are insured if you move the boat, else you need some more time at the current location to make those "required" repairs.

Now get your safety gear, spares, tools, fuel, food and water and move on out.

Best of luck. I seldom sail the boat home, unless I know that I have a good engine/fuel/trans/etc, and motor conservatively until I get a feel for the boat, and how she handles.
 
#4 ·
I took a buddy of mine who has over 20 years sailing experience, most of it single-handing, and we went up to the marina where the boat was located, loaded her up and sailed her 50 miles over two days down to the marina where I now keep her. My wife dropped us off and then picked us up the next day.

This was about a week after taking ownership of the boat, and having been taken out on her by the seller for a day and having him familiarize me with everything.

The guy I bought the boat from did better than that, though - he told me that when he bought her, he had someone drive him over to Maryland, where the boat was for sale. He liked it, bought it, hopped on board and sailed it back to Virginia's Northern Neck, which is where it was when I bought it.

He had paid the slip up through the end of the month, and he cleared it with the marina owner that it was ok to leave it there for a week or two until I moved it.

Just check with the marina and see what they're amenable to.
 
#5 ·
how do you have the confidence to sail it to a new location when you are still trying to figure out its idiosyncrasies?

Thanks!
We've had our boat two years and we're still figuring things out. Don't expect it all to come to you on one sail.

For your first sail to your home port, what everyone else said and have all your safety gear, life jackets, etc. and know how to drop anchor in an emergency and call for help.

We took delivery of our boat in Annapolis. We had never sailed out of a congested area like that so I chose the biggest sailboat heading out of the harbor and fell in behind it until we reached the Bay.

One of the best investments I made was unlimited towing. I bought it the day before we were to bring her home. I think it was $150 or close to it. We can get towed from out in the Atlantic back to our slip if needed. We used it once (not on our first sail) and would have had an $800 bill.

Otherwise, choose a day with a good forecast and just do it!
 
#7 ·
One of the best investments I made was unlimited towing.
+1

Should have mentioned that. Based on the recommendations of at least two experienced sailors I know, I went ahead and bought the Boat U.S. unlimited towing. You have to wait 30 days before you use it, so plan ahead. But for about $130/year, one tow is all it takes to be well worth it.
 
#6 ·
The storage fee's may be paid up through X amount of days. You can find that out esily enough before closing the deal. You may have to bite the bullet and pay the storage fee or transient dockage fee until you are ready to move the boat... or, depending on wether it is a private sale or a sale through a broker, you may be able to negotiate the fees as part of the purchase.
I strongly suggest a couple of shake down sails prior to departing to your home waters. We did the exact same thing when we bought. The boat was laying more than 600 Miles from our home. The drive was only about 4 hours; the sail was longer because we had to go the long way up and over the state of Michigan. We would drive over every weekend in Spring to do the boat work, than we launched and did weekend sails for three weeks before departing. The marina gave us as much time as we needed to get comfortable with the boat. The broker had a relationship with the marina and it all worked out great for us.
 
#8 ·
Hello,

As usual for SaiNet, you have received good advice.

Much of what you decide will depend on how far you need to move the boat. When I bought my Newport 28, I needed to move the boat 35 miles from Mamaroneck NY to Mt. Sinai NY. It's a very easy trip. Anyway, how hard could it be? So, I closed on the boat, took a few hours unloading / loading gear, then climbed aboard and sailed home. I took my older brother and a few of his kids as crew and then we left. That trip was one of the best sails I have ever had. The weather was great and the boat worked perfectly.

The next boat I bought was in Newport RI and it was december. Too late in the year to make it in one day, much further than before, etc. This time I decided to hire a delivery captain to assist. We did the trip in two days and it worked out ok.

Barry
 
#9 ·
When we bought our boat, I needed to move it from Arnold, MA above Annapolis to Solomons, a distance of over 50 nautical miles. Since I didn’t have the tow vehicle to do that, I asked the non-profit from which I bought it to give me a hand. Two of their volunteers and I motored it (didn’t want to spend over 13 hours tacking down the Chesapeake) in one day to the marina in Solomons. While nothing occurred that I couldn’t have handled -- kind of -- I certainly didn’t have the confidence to get it there alone.

Once the repairs were completed in May, my son and I motored and sailed it across the Patuxent to its current marina. I figured after motoring it south with people who knew what they were doing, much of the time with me steering, I was ready, and it turns out that was the case.

Sometimes, you just have to “jump in”… once you’ve at least figured out how deep the water is. And the adventures for us have continued just fine.:)
 
#10 ·
if you are that unsure, you also have the option to truck it to your new marina then take all the time you need to get prepared. This is probably the most expensive of the options mentioned.

If you are new to sailing another thought would be to hire an instructor rather than a delivery captain to help with the move. Might involve some pre departure study/coursework.

How long has the boat sat unused? That has a big impact on how confident I am the boat will make the trip. If a long time, has the fuel been replaced? If diesel has the tank been recently cleaned? If in the water, has the prop been recently cleaned? If you have an engine failure, can you sail into your destination? (location not your skill level)

Lastly, we have all been there. After careful evaluation and thorough preparation, at some point you just have do it.
 
#11 ·
We did it, so can you!

First time boat owners, we. Safety gear and 2 experienced sailing friends the first leg (1 day), then on our own for the second leg (2 days), all under motor. It wad an adventure that teaches you a lot about your boat along the way to your home port. Good luck!
 
#12 ·
I had the previous owner come with my on my maiden voyage. We had to go through the Ballard Locks in Seattle. While I had done this on my smaller boat, I was a bit hesitant to do it by myself on the bigger bought. All came through unscathed. He thanked me for the chance to be on his boat for his "final" voyage. All good advice above. If in doubt ask for some help.
 
#13 ·
Check the survey report, make sure you repair everything be repaired immediately. That is what survey reports are for. Safety of the boat should be checked before the transfer. It is never a good idea to transfer the boat to your location and try to repair her in your home land.

If you cannot sail in your area with the current condition of the boat, you should not try to transfer it. The distance will be much more and failures are more prone to happen
 
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