Buying a boat sight unseen is a bit like looking through the fog for your destination. You can’t really see anything until you get there. Once we had made the hard decision to end our relationship with Jonta and confirmed that the Grand Banks 32 was the model we wanted, it was time to buckle down to boat buying. It was time to start calling brokers or owners, and start driving and looking at boats which, you could argue, is the best part of buying a boat. You have not had to spend any money yet and the anticipation of the as-yet-unknown, new-to-you boat is a bit delicious.
Almost immediately in our search I saw a possibility pop up in Sidney, BC in Canada listed with Grand Yachts (see note at the bottom re: Grand Yachts). The boat appeared well cared for and had a solid list of system upgrades. Even though it was in BC, I called anyway and spoke with Shawn Francis, the broker handling the sale. While the boat sounded promising, we could not get into BC with the border closed (Covid restrictions), and there were a few other boats in our area I wanted to look at. So, I ultimately left it with Shawn that I would continue my search and we agreed to stay in touch.
Shortly after that call, the boat went “pending” and I crossed it off the list. Some of the 32’s available I ruled out simply from their description online. If they had high engine hours or looked pretty rough around the edges I set them aside. The other thing I found interesting was how hard it was to get some brokers to return a phone call about boats they had listed. I literally chased one broker for three weeks to get a return call. Our search continued, but we were nearing the end of what was currently on the market. The 32 is a popular model and Covid added an influx of social-distance-seeking buyers who were rapidly drying up the inventory. However, it was June and boating season was starting; we weren’t going to sell Jonta until we had purchased another boat. There was little pressure to make a decision we didn’t feel confident in.
At this point I received an email from Shawn at Grand Yachts letting me know that his buyer had declined to move forward after he had done his mechanical and structural inspections. While there were no major problems noted, there was a list of deferred maintenance that the buyer did not want to deal with–he wanted to go cruising now! We still had the problem of a closed border so we did a walk thru via facetime. Buying a fifty-year-old boat essentially “site unseen” is not for the faint of heart and I would not recommend it for most people, but I figured a little risk never hurts and it keeps the heart rate up. So with a thumbs up from my wife, we made an offer (contingent on inspections) which was accepted. And to be honest, I figured there was enough pressure in the boating market that I could resell at a minor loss if need be.
With our offer accepted, I was then able to buy the inspections from the previous buyer at about a quarter the cost. As mentioned before they showed a list of deferred maintenance but most of that was in the wood, paint, and varnish category, which I can handle. I have built, rebuilt and worked on wooden boats (hobby only) for years and I knew I would find some more issues as I went along. But I have learned that viewing the boat in person would not necessarily expose them. Only getting to know the boat over time would do that.
We crossed out fingers, removed our inspection contingencies and took the plunge…
Next week Part II-The Fog Begins to Lift.
Note on Grand Yachts, Port of Sidney office: I cannot say enough about the quality of service we received from Shawn Francis who works out of the Port of Sidney office. He was endlessly patient and tirelessly professional. If you ever had a chance to work with him and the office that supports him, you won’t be disappointed.
Todd Powell Boats 