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Discussion starter · #21 ·
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#22 ·
boat angel

I bought a Columbia 29 from b a back in 04. Had the dickins getting paperwork so I could register it because the donor didn't give them any. Finally had to demand they give me papers or my money back. Finally they got the donor to send the paperwork. I think they want papers before they will accept a donation now. BTW, the boat needed fixing up a little but the A4 ran good, had good sails and the price was right. I bought a pig in a poke but it turned out ok. Don't know if I'd do it again tho.
 
#23 ·
Here were the before pics:
Catalina 27

These are the result after a few months work and a couple grand:
http://www.opus45.com/c27_pics/

The ebay listing for the boat showed the city it was sitting. I found there were only a couple of marinas in that city. Took a drive out and checked it out. I lucked out on this one as the boat was pretty well taken care of, and the owner was careful about storing the boat. All the sails, cushions, electronics etc were at his home. There were other boats on the lot that were left to rot full of water, sails on board - just nothing left to salvage.

Derek.-
 
#24 · (Edited)
I just started working with these guys so I wanted to comment. They keep the locations secret so people are not stealing things off the boats. If you want to view an item, you simply email brian through the auction and he will show the boat. They require all paperwork before they take a vessel, maybe that's new but they do it now. Untill they got me they only had the owners word to go by, most boats and jetski's "only need a battery" but have fried electrics or a ceased motor. I am a certified marine mechanic with over 10 years experence and I check out the mechanical condition of the boats now. They operate on a shoe string budget and do the best they can. If you have a question about a vessel just email them and they will anwer it, or show you the boat!
 
#26 ·
Minnewaska said:
Kind of unfortunate slip of the keyboard.

It does sound like you are allowing them to get better control of the process.
Click to expand...
Posting from my phone, thanks for pointing that out, its fixed.

I hope to make things go a little smoother. They have had a few issues that hopefully I will keep from repeating by giving them more information to place their auctions. But there will always be someone who thinks that they are getting a 100% perfect boat with a warranty. They try to be as honest as possible in their auctions and I think the pictures help that.
 
#27 ·
Are we talking about the same people? This place is based out of Arizona

Charity Boat Donations -Boat Donation Donate Boat - Donate Your Used Boat!

Their auctions are all over the country and most of them are not viewable, its says so right in the ebay auctions.

Derek.-

ThumperJR said:
I just started working with these guys so I wanted to comment. They keep the locations secret so people are not stealing things off the boats. If you want to view an item, you simply email brian through the auction and he will show the boat. They require all paperwork before they take a vessel, maybe that's new but they do it now. Untill they got me they only had the owners word to go by, most boats and jetski's "only need a battery" but have fried electrics or a ceased motor. I am a certified marine mechanic with over 10 years experence and I check out the mechanical condition of the boats now. They operate on a shoe string budget and do the best they can. If you have a question about a vessel just email them and they will anwer it, or show you the boat!
Click to expand...
 
#28 · (Edited)
that's not them. Sorry, i thought it was, its boats with causes that contacted me. I work with a local broker who handles their stuff down here in florida, all the stuff i mess with is small enough to put in the storage yard. The bigger stuff that stays at the donors house can't be veiwed. Sorry for the confusion.
 
#29 ·
Beautiful boat, Derek!!!! My best sailing buddy owns the same boat, in tall rig. He's a full time live-aboard. At 6'3" I can actually stand up down below.

Not so on me humble little boat. I still love her.
 
#30 ·
Boatangel has been a great and reasonable site for looking for fixer-uppers. But latley the boats are getting rougher and the increase in the processing fee is ridiculous. I've been following you dailey, and bought several boats, since you came to Ebay which I believe was in 2002. With the new $249.00 processing fee it's time to take Boatangels off the favorite list.
 
#31 ·
Boatangel has been a great and reasonable site for looking for fixer-uppers. But latley the boats are getting rougher and the increase in the processing fee is ridiculous. I've been following you dailey, and bought several boats, since you came to Ebay which I believe was in 2002. With the new $249.00 processing fee it's time to take Boatangels off the favorite list.
 
#32 ·
I did the Boat Angel this one time, and i will never work with them again they dint put the donations in there name and the BOS is BA, but if there is a title it is from and in the name of the Donner and made me pull my hair out seeing as my home state wanted the title from BA, and my home state does not title boats.

The people i talked with where Kids and i mean 12 years old and they didn't know what was going on the only adult in the place, See i stooped in at there AZ office to get the papers and pay them there Graft, The only Adult there was not forth coming at all with the information they calmed at the time they would provide.

After all the Trouble and misleading not to mention the Pure Bull Dung i got from them i will never again have any dealings with them.
 
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#33 ·
I bought my boat from them. With a little detective work, I found out where the boat was stored and talked to the marina owner. The description was dead on and I knew what I was getting into. Bought the 1977, 8.3 Columbia for $550. I live in Canada so I expect there was some additional risk for something to go wrong. When it came time to pay, Angel told me there was an additonal $500 owing for storage due to the marina, which was not indicated in the listing. When I objected they offered to negate the deal or drop their $169 fee. I agreed to the cancellation of the fee and payed angel the $550. As it turns out the owners paid the fee themselves and I ended up getting the boat for the ebay bid price. No trouble getting the title. Everything went smooth, even met the previous owners. I have now invested about $6000 in material and shipping and God knows how much in labour but I have a good solid boat which I know intimately, perhaps more intimate than I wanted. Took two years to get her launched and I feel I have a $10k boat . That's my experience and I would use them again.
 
#34 ·
Well, there's no ebay seller listed today under the names "boat angel" or "boatangel".

Tacking on a processing fee outside of the auction price should be against ebay rules, maybe that got them canned.

And not passing the title on to the "charity" and passing it through them, probably would violate IRS rules as well. Which generally require the valuation of a vehicle to be made after the charity has sold it--and the charity has been paid for it, not the donor.

Always so nice to read half a story.
 
#36 ·
Glad I didn't read this thread before I bought my boat from BA...
 
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#37 · (Edited)
Squidd said:
Glad I didn't read this thread before I bought my boat from BA...
Click to expand...
It works out fine in some cases, and not so fine in others. The problem being that it's difficult to tell whether one is buying a pig in a poke. And the "good folks" at Boat Angel (along with their legal advisors) have made sure that there is little or no recourse for a buyer who feels burned once the money has changed hands. It reminds me a bit of people hawking "brand new TVs, still in the box" out of a van or off the back of a truck.
 
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#38 · (Edited)
I agree, I think I lucked out with mine...back story being it was at a military base and the PO got transfered overseas and had to walk away from a sailable boat...

I was excited when I bid, nervous when I won, and extreamly anxious when I went out to pick 'er up.. and that was a low dollar risk...

I don't think I could have done it with a $20,000 or $10,000 or even a $5,000 investment without looking at it first...

Just saying with all the negative "cautions" posted I may have never given it a try...
 
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#39 ·
I bought my boat thru them last summer. At the time they had a seven day inspection period after the close of the auction. If the description was not accurate they would refund the purchase price. in my case there was some minor descrepancies but nothing serious. I was looking for a structurally solid boat that needed refitting to my needs and I got one

In my case the purchase went smoothly. I was told the "kids" in the office were troubled kids that were straightening their lives out.
 
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dixiedawg
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