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Can't seem to buy a boat

2K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  northoceanbeach 
#1 ·
No one will reply back. I've been in pursuit of trying to buy an RL24. Talked to the owner's parents once, but never been able to get a hold of the owner. Kind of giving up, but then found another one, so far, no reply. So now I found a Holder 20. Been a couple of days, and waiting. I'm not making offers, just asking for factual info on the boat. Maybe I should just go out and buy a Jetski :D
 
#2 ·
the Holder 20 will be more fun...

The approach should be: I have cash in hand, and want to buy a boat... YOURS made my list, if you don't call me back I'll assume you do not want to sell... now I just need some facts to motivate me to come pick it up.

With boats that size, you are dealing mostly with craigslist, and free listings. Keep in mind if it's one of these free services.. the seller is likely getting hundreds of bogus calls, and stupid PAYPAL deal offers and junk. So you have to do your best to set yourself apart from the scammers... Showing up in person with cash in hand usually does that.
 
#4 ·
I have tried to provide enough specific info and questions about the boats so the buyer knows I'm a real person.

BTW: Why do you think the Holder will be more fun? The RL is rated slightly faster, although I think the RL likes a little more wind. Does anyone know how much cabin headroom there is? Can it fit a porta-potty, and is it tall enough to actually use it?
 
#5 ·
As was written emails with questions usually are moved to the bottom. I know when I am selling something I respond to inquiries with phone numbers only. Any questions without contact info get ignored.
 
#8 ·
As if to be slapped in the face, A Craigslist search engine I have been using regularly just popped up an RL near St Paul, which would have been close enough for an easy drive, description had some things that were great bonuses, and the price was right. But the listing has been removed by author, meaning it sold. The search engine didn't find it till after it was gone.

My biggest fear with the Holder is the cabin will be so small, one would not be able to use the porta-potty, or use it for a changing area, once I'm done with a day sail. That was one relatively good thing about my previous boat. It was small, but the interior was big enough to get into dry clothes after retrieval from a days sail.
 
#9 ·
We were boat shopping last summer and hit a lot of dead ends with craigslist and sailboatlistings.com

Eventually, we saw a listing we liked with a local broker and he had us viewing the boat that same day and we launched it and sailed away one week later. When we met the owner at the closing, he told us he had the boat on craiglist for a year with no inquiries. Maybe they were all going to his junkmail folder? If there's a phone # on the ad, call it!

If you go to a marina with a large yard, you'll often see many boats in the yard for sale, especially during the summer season when they should be in the water.
 
#10 ·
Hey, don't know if this move this thread back up to having life, but I got a telephone response back from the gentleman with the RL. Once talking to him directly, he was been much more responsive. 2 days ago I made the trip to PA and bought the boat.
Sal Paradise, your post made me not give up and keep trying. That persistence actually paid off. The boat is in pretty good shape. It will need detailing as would be expected. Cabin door needs rebuilt, windows need replaced, and needs a general sealing. No major work, just some little stuff. The boat was stored inside, so its clean and mildew free.
 
#13 ·
I am supprised at the number of people who are non responsive to Craigslistings (not just boats) and also sailboatlistings.com. Craigslist, if it has sold just keep a stock answer stating that and cut and paste it, then take the ad down!
 
#15 ·
Yep, actually I just checked my first email, which was in January of 2013. At that point there was an issue with the title - meaning the actual owner was not in the same state as the boat. (Son was storing it at his parents place) A few emails went back and forth, and then did not get a reply back. A year later, they relisted the boat and dropped the price, so that is when I contacted them again. I think the problem was the first time around, they were somewhat unsure if they wanted to sell it. When it came down to getting serious, then the replies did not come back.

My second motivation was confidence that the seller was legit. From the phone number in the ad, I figured out where his house was, and saw the boat on Bing Maps.

One other thing that has turned out well. There were 4 holes in the cabin floor. Sticking my finger in the holes, they were wet and I could pull out rotted wood. From the hole, I could see the floor was plenty thick, and feeling that the hull was just as thick, I made the assumption that the rotted wood was not real critical for the structure. The cool thing is, I posted on RL Yachts and got a reply back from Rob Legg - the designer. He stated that the wood was just filler and not structural, so other than trying to dry it out, I should not need to do anything with it. Buy a boat that is 30 years old, and the guy who designed the boat replies back, now if that ain't cool, what is.
 
#17 ·
If it's craigslist, often if they don't provide a phone number, and you have to email them, the emails don't go through. I have sent and been told that I had emails sent to me, and neither of us ever received anything. It might not be that they're ignoring you, they might just not be getting anything. You have to send repeated emails and hope one goes through.
 
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