It's unbelievable to me how people can let boats get so destroyed...The boat I looked at was posted on craigslist...1986 Catalina 27 with a Universal Diesel that needs some "TLC" because of being on land for 6 years....They were asking $5000...I'm pretty young and don't have a ton of money, but sailing is in my blood and am willing to put some work into it, to get it on the water...I pull up to the house where the boat is and I got pretty excited...nice looking Cataliina....That's just filthy on the outside from 6 New England winters...I meet the owner and we climb on board...Nice Edson wheel...Winches are in great shape...All deck hardware looks good...Now here's where it get's interesting....The owner opens up the companionway and mildew galore, i see a puddle of water under the v berth, can't even open the door to the head because of the humidity...Maybe all the wood inside is salvageable? Certainly needs a good sanding....Mold everywhere...
We weren't able to get the engine to crank or do anything on shore power (battery's were totally dead after 6 years) so the status of the engine is totally unknown...I hadn't expected it to start with 6 year old fuel, but knowing that it wasn't siezed would make it worth the risk...
So I left disappointed, but knowing that taking a power washer to the whole damn boat and doing a lot of scrubbing would take care of much of the cosmetic issues I decided to make a low ball offer this morning...
The owner has health issues which is why it has been out of the water for so long...I'd say 90% of anybody looking at the boat will see the interior and turn away immediately...So, knowing that i'm willing to put in the elbow grease, i replied to our email chain with a $1000 dollar as-is offer...Keep in mind, they were only asking 5k to begin with...There are a ton of unknowns with this boat...I'm sure i can make it cosmetically appealing, so even if i get stuck with the engine being junk, i'm sure i can dump the boat for $2k with a good clean up...I see them going for 10-15k in good condition...Is this a good gamble?
We weren't able to get the engine to crank or do anything on shore power (battery's were totally dead after 6 years) so the status of the engine is totally unknown...I hadn't expected it to start with 6 year old fuel, but knowing that it wasn't siezed would make it worth the risk...
So I left disappointed, but knowing that taking a power washer to the whole damn boat and doing a lot of scrubbing would take care of much of the cosmetic issues I decided to make a low ball offer this morning...
The owner has health issues which is why it has been out of the water for so long...I'd say 90% of anybody looking at the boat will see the interior and turn away immediately...So, knowing that i'm willing to put in the elbow grease, i replied to our email chain with a $1000 dollar as-is offer...Keep in mind, they were only asking 5k to begin with...There are a ton of unknowns with this boat...I'm sure i can make it cosmetically appealing, so even if i get stuck with the engine being junk, i'm sure i can dump the boat for $2k with a good clean up...I see them going for 10-15k in good condition...Is this a good gamble?