By Gregg Nestor
Over the years, I have found that the classifieds of the various sailing publications can be both informative and entertaining. While I’m not actively looking for another sailboat, I do like to keep current with the used sailboat market. That’s what I’ve told the First Mate. Also, I just plain enjoy reading about sailboats.
Having spent many years in a corporate marketing department, I’ve had my share of experience in accentuating the positive, while downplaying, if not ignoring the negative. If it weren’t for us wordsmiths, many products would have never been sold. I’m not saying that we out and out fibbed; we just worded things in a more favorable way.
With that said, let’s get back to the subject at hand, the classifieds. I’m sure that you have noticed that the ads are peppered with all sorts of abbreviations and terms unique to sailboats. Once you’ve figured out what S/D, R/F, GPS, and RDF are, to name a few, you’ll be well on your way to deciphering the classifieds, right? Wrong! It’s those easily understood, plain English phrases that can sometimes throw you off.
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"Sometimes the sail inventory is nothing more than the working sails and a set of worn out originals." |
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To demonstrate what I mean, as well as to possibly help you in your perusal of the classifieds, I offer the following phrases as potential ‘misspeak’ candidates. All of these where were taken from actual ads.
If it’s a board boat like a Sunfish, a daysailer, or maybe even a small keelboat like a Catalina 22, the phrase Good Starter Boat may be taken literally. However, when attached to something pushing 30 feet, you can bet it’s ‘long in the tooth,' has been sailed hard, and is pretty tired inside and out. I heard this phrase uttered by a broker in conjunction with almost every boat on his lot. I suspect he was trying to upgrade the sale or at least get me ready for that next boat, even though I hadn’t bought the first one yet.
The phrase Lots of Sails or Large Sail Inventoryis often noted in ads for boats with racing pedigrees. Most cruising boats don’t usually emphasize this point. (If anything, ads for cruising boats may list specific sails.) Sometimes the sail inventory is nothing more than the working sails and a set of worn out originals. An acquaintance of mine once looked at a boat that advertised a nine-sail inventory. After going over a few of the sails and asking repeated questions, it was determined that only two sails were for the boat. The other seven sails were from other boats and would require loft work before or even if they could be used.
It is not unusual to see ads for older boats with the phrase
Freshly Painted. I still would want to know why, with what, and by whom. A newer boat that has been repainted is suspect and a candidate for many questions and a close examination. I know of a two-year-old boat that was painted red, just because the owner liked the color. He’s a fireman. Unfortunately, the job was done by him and his three kids. Kind'a like Tom Sawyer and white washing the fence. It looks good from a distance—a long distance. The owner of a five-year-old ketch said he had the boat painted to improve it cosmetically. A survey revealed that the cosmetic treatment was his way of saying extensive hull repair work.
Five-Layer Epoxy Bottom Wow! Couldn’t they get it right the previous four other times? Is the blistering problem that bad? Maybe the owner/seller is just super cautious! Unless you’re just curious, it might be best to pass this one by.
Every time that I see the words Customized Interior, I recall a boat that I briefly looked at three years ago. Rainbow-colored shag carpeting throughout (sole, walls, and ceiling), plaid cushions, a beaded curtain dividing the cabin from the v-berth, and to finish things off, an eight-track complete with over 50 tapes! Jimmy Hendrix would have felt right at home. The point to remember here is that not everyone’s carpentry skills or decorative tastes are first rate.
There are many valid reasons why an owner may elect to have his boat Professionally Maintained—lack of time, lack of ability, uniqueness of the craft, absentee ownership to name a few. This is not unusual with larger sailboats. However, it is a little unique when the boat is much smaller, say a 30-year-old trailersailer. I once talked with the owner who was selling his 1979 Paceship. To him, professionally maintained meant that at the beginning of the season, the marina painted the bottom and launched the boat. At the season’s end, they hauled it out, pressure washed the bottom, and covered it with a tarp. Anything else that needed attention was done with the help of his fellow club members or was jotted down on a ‘to-do’ list (which came with the boat)! A boat that has been truly professionally maintained and comes with a documented maintenance history is a real plus, both for the buyer and the seller.
To a salt-water sailor, the phrase Fresh-Water Boat may not mean too much. However, the fact remains that a fresh-water boat will usually command a slightly better price than its salt-water identical twin. As a Great Lakes sailor, one would assume that all locally advertised boats are fresh-water boats. Not so! The various interconnecting waterways coupled with today’s mobile society can mean the Bahamas in the winter, and Lake Champlain in the summer.
Let’s talk price. It seems to me that there are four classic ways a seller addresses this in his ad.
· $XXXX.XX FIRM More often than not there’s no negotiating room here. Unless you uncover something which can adversely effect the price, this is the seller’s bottom dollar.
· ASKING $XXXX.XX Usually, this means there’s some negotiating room here. An acquaintance of ours just bought an S-2 8.0 for close to half of the asking price!
· Must Sell/Anxious to Sell While you may think that there’s plenty of negotiating room here, the seller may just be trying to entice you. Then again a divorce, job relocation, illness, or some other circumstances may be responsible. One of the members at the sailing club got his boat for close to one quarter of its value just because the seller’s wife was tired of looking at it in the backyard
· (no price listed) Either the boat is expensive, overpriced, or the seller thinks that once you call he can make the sale. I don’t know about you, but unless I’m interested in that model boat and like the rest of the ad, I just move on down the page. It is a buyer’s market.
Unless the boat is some type of vintage classic, the phrase
Completely Restored has very little positive sales impact. While some plain old, everyday, garden variety sailboat has been lovingly put back to better than showroom condition, restoration will not significantly increase the selling price. Looking at it from another angle: how do you define restoration? Cosmetic coating of bottom
paint over an untreated blistered hull? Applications of sail tape where a sewing machine is more appropriate?
Many Upgrades and Amenities The key word here is amenities. See Customized Interior
Many Spare Parts Did the seller forget to put whatever he was working on back together? Are these bona fide spares or just a collection of leftovers from a prior job? Was something replaced and this is the old one? The spare parts that came with my friend’s boat were a combination of old, worn out parts, a coffee can of stainless steel nuts and bolts, and a brand new set of lazy jacks complete with hardware.
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"Unless you’re real handy, have lots of time, and maybe even lots of money, or Don Casey’s a friend of yours, steer clear of Good Project Boat." |
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Good Looker While life may be too short to sail an ugly boat, beauty is only skin deep. Look past that new
paint job or coat of wax. Take her out for a sail. If she sails as good as she looks, have her surveyed.
Unless you’re real handy, have lots of time, and maybe even lots of money, or Don Casey’s a friend of yours, steer clear of Good Project Boat. My son almost bought a $500 wooden runabout until he discovered that it was going to take close to $2,000 to replace much of the structural wooden members, after which he’d have a $1,000 wooden runabout.
An ad which states that the Boat is Well-Built, but Needs Some TLC, is maybe one step up from Good Project Boat. In any event, if you have the skills, and most of all enjoy the challenge, you might uncover a gem in the rough. Tread carefully here, and before you open your checkbook get a professional opinion.
I believe that if a sailboat is truly a classic you don’t need to include the words A Classic in the ad. Anyone interested in buying a boat of this type will know what he’s/she’s looking at. Old boats, good and otherwise, are often advertised as classics.
Don’t confuse Newer Electronics with new electronics. It is often difficult, if not impossible, to get service, replacement parts, or even operation manuals for newer electronics. This is the voice of experience speaking.
Classic Interior has a lot in common with
A Classic, but mostly it means narrow, dated décor, possible well worn, and for sure old.
The phrase
Unusual Four Stateroom Layout doesn’t necessarily set off alarm bells, especially if it’s a fiftyish-foot yacht. However, it does tempt my curiosity when the boat is a shade over 30 feet in length. I suspect that this boat has been retired from charter service. If so, that in it self says a lot. If not, I truly can’t imagine why have four staterooms!
In a recent local sailing publication I found this gem of a sales pitch. Sail Away Condition, Well Maintained, Overall Good Condition, A Few Cosmetic Minor Knicks and Scrapes, Some TLC Required. The seller’s strong at the start, but winds up buying back everything by the time he reaches the end.
Now that you know how to decipher the classifieds, the next time that you read one, remember: 'I know you believe you understand what you think was said; but I’m not sure you realize that what you read is not what was meant."
About the author: More than 20 years and four boats ago, Gregg Nestor discovered sailing and has been an avid trailer sailor ever since. When not writing about sailing (he's authored over 30 articles), Gregg runs the family farm. He and his wife, Joyce, sail an O'day 222 named Splash.
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