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just bought my first boat

2K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  sailingdog 
#1 ·
I first hatched my liveaboard scheme about two years ago. I've been looking for boats since early this spring. Had one false start where the owner and I couldn't agree on a price. I finally found one I really like (I think even more than the other one I put an offer on), put an offer on it, and it was accepted... I just got the signed contract today.

She's a 1979 Gulfstar 37. She appears to be in excellent shape: original gelcoat looks practically new, the teak has been well cared for, new sails, rebuilt engine with 390 hours, new upholstery, all lazarettes/bilge/engine compartment/etc are spotless. Sadly, I don't have any pics (I don't think I'm allowed to re-post the ones from the listing). The survey/sea trial is scheduled for Friday, so hopefully I'll snap a few pics then! I hope the survey goes well, I can't wait to bring her to her (my) new home!
 
#5 ·
Congrats.
 
#6 ·
Congratulations, but keep telling yourself that the signed contract simply allows you to have a survey done. Be hyper critical at this point and use everything the surveyor finds as a renegotiating point.

I hope the survey and sea trial go really well.
 
#8 ·
.......Be hyper critical at this point and use everything the surveyor finds as a renegotiating point.......
Really? I keep my boat in excellent condition, but I hope no one with that attitude ever makes an offer on her.

Clearly, if there are unidentified problems, you should negotiate to fix them. However, a surveyor is going to tell you that a 30 yr old boat is 30 years old. You shouldn't negotiate what was clearly the condition you saw when you made your offer, only something that was not evident. Further, a good surveyor will recommend maintenance that has nothing to do with a fault. It isn't all for negotiation. For example, I had a surveyor identified a hose going through a hole and recommended chafe protection. Glad he did. No actual chafing at the survey. Wasn't a negotiating point.

Hey, I should go check to see if I ever did that.

Best of luck.
 
#7 ·
Good year, good size. My first was a '79 Endeavour 37. She'd been loved over by a couple swallowing the hook. Look over the survey carefully and have fun on the sea trial. I don't remember much about my sea trial - I was too busy grinning and thinking of those warm climates, crystal clear waters, and the adventure - other than boat sailed better than I did. ;)
 
#11 · (Edited)
By popular demand, I have pics! The survey was performed on Friday and I was able to snap a few. The surveyor said it was the best Gulfstar 37 he's ever seen. There is zero water intrusion into the hull, and only one tiny spot on the deck with minimally elevated moisture readings -- but that section still passed the hammer test, etc. Engine performed like a champ. She sailed beautifully. We had about 11kt winds (that's what the yacht club said; the anemometer on board doesn't work) and we were doing 6.5kts.





You can find additional pics, including a few of the interior, at my website.

The only real problems were: a slightly rotten bulkhead due to a chainplate leak, 2 shrouds that need replacing, masthead light doesn't work (trips the breaker, so probably more than needing a new bulb), and the anemometer doesn't spin. The surveyor also strongly recommended I strip the bottom and put on a barrier coat, to prevent blisters since I'll be leaving it in the water year round, which this boat hasn't experienced before.

St Anna: her current name is Cadence, but I'm going to change it. The name I like best is Laissez Faire. I like the double meaning of "laid back" which seems particularly appropriate for a sailboat, and also I am a staunch free market proponent. I came up with the name myself, but there are currently 18 documented vessels with that name, one of which with a home port of Boston... I'm not sure I should risk the confusion. Maybe I'll go with something else.

Edit: why didn't my pics show up correctly? I followed the instructions from the "steps to post pics" thread, except I used my own web space instead of photobucket to host them (that shouldn't make a difference). Ideas on how I can fix it?
 
#14 ·
RXBOT: yes, that is what it means. The most accurate translation is "let it be", which is where I was getting the laid back sentiment from.

SJ34: To me, at least, the pics don't appear in the post, they're just links. I thought that by using the "insert picture" button it would display the pics in the post... that's what the instruction thread said it would do. And thanks :)
 
#15 ·
Probably because of the PHP scri_pt you're using to show them.
 
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