Junk on eBay

[TheFrog]

Although I am not in the position I want to be to buy a boat right now, I browse listings from time-to-time. There are always horror stories as to what is out there on eBay. Lately I have seen a couple which were presented in a way that is initially glowing but when the details are read - watch out. My favorite today is 1983-SOVEREL-33-Racing-Sloop
"She is a very interesting racing sloop with a little work and parts, she will make a great boat."

So what is a "little work" - broken mast, broken rudder, missing keel, engine needs a rebuild, hole in the hull, and no sails!

I do have to give the seller credit for listing the faults in the ad, but he really should be paying someone else to take this hull off his hands.

[teshannon]

Someone may very well buy it as a parts boat. I see no problem listing it as long as it is accurately described.

[sailingdog]

$1800, which is the minimum bid, is awfully high for the remains of a boat that has to be carted away and then disposed of. This boat has no mast, probably no rigging, a broken rudder, a holed hull, and no keel. IMHO, it is only a parts boat, and that is assuming this guy didn't strip the valuable parts like the winches and such from it already. It says in the ad:

Some small damages or small parts maybe missing.

Is a winch a small part when it comes to a 33' sailboat...it very well may be.

What is also interesting is that the seller has several other boats for sale, and been on e-bay for almost four years, but has NO POSITIVE BUYER FEEDBACK. Almost all of his feedback is from people he bought from, except for the one negative feedback from a buyer.

My guess is that this guy went around dredging up a lot of hurricane damaged salvage boats and is trying to sell them at what I consider grossly overinflated prices.

[Boasun]

Just remember SD that one man's junk is another man's challenge. So there might be a DIYer out there who will want to totally refurbished/rebuild/overhaul that boat. Then take throught the C&D canal and be run down by a barge.
Me? I don't want to or ever will do that type of crazyness.

[sailingdog]

IMHO, it isn't a boat... it doesn't have a keel... buying a keel, the sails, the spars and rigging is probably worth twice what the finished boat would be worth when finished.

[RickQuann]

Zero bids tells the story. Ebay has it's share of junk, but every now and then you can find a diamond in the rough.

[TheFrog]

SD,

I thought that you preferred boats without lead mines?

[sailingdog]

I do...but for someone to try and sell this as a project boat... that takes a pretty serious lack of conscience and ethics IMHO.

[h16Sailor]

Sailboats --Projects --and some with no damage

same phone #

[thesnort]

Now the keel is missing, there a small hole about your size of your foot, below the water line, easy repair (

I'm glad he's got a sense of humour.