53MY "Kimeric" in grasonville MD

[Walter P]

My 2 cents, (which is about all it's worth) is keep looking. If you don't feel comfortable about this boat and are looking for reasons not to buy it you will find many. There are plenty of boats on the market for you to select from. Remember you only get one chance at a first impression. Another thing is that as mentioned by others on this thread, these are older boats and not everyone takes care of their boat like Sky, or MikeP or SeaEric among many others on this forum. Most 30 year old boats need something. If you want a real nice one, be prepared to write a bigger check. There are some very nice older Hatteras' and many not so nice. I think the old adage "If you want grade A oats they will cost you so much a pound, if you are satisfied with oats that passed through the horse before, it will be a little cheaper". I think it applies with boats as well.

Walt

[Pascal]

Yes pascal I agree that the galley and the heads on these hats are dated but they are built with quality construction. My buddy also felt the same way with this boat something just didn't speak to him. When you see cabinets built with a pneumatic stapler and the ac with pvc Home Depot fittings below the water line and all the foax finishes it makes you wonder about the other systems in the boat. Personally I'm ok with changing things up but the quality needs to be first rate

I agree, but there is a lot of things that can be done without affecting the quality of the construction. In the heads for instance just replacing the counter tops, sinks and faucets goes a long way along with upgrading the lighting. In mine I used a solid plank of mahogany for counter top and backsplash and it made a huge difference.

The lighting I see critical... mine had fluorescent tubes in the heads behind some plastic covers... the original overheads lights in the staterooms are just as awful and dated. Upgrading that is easy and transforms the boat

[Boatsb]

I've had a crew working on a 2005 ocean 50 (sorry for my bad words) for a week. Bubba the p.o. has been very active. Romex wire and wire nuts. Poorly done work everywhere on the sat tv system and electronics.

A 3 or 4 day project turned into 6 or 7.

The boat surveyed pretty well by a good surveyor but not having all the sat tv and electronics running and proven was a big issue.

The point is you will find more cap while your in there. If its not right on the surface it's not going to be better than you tear into it.


As to upgrades of galleys and heads.

I've seen some that make no sense to me. I've also seen a few that were well done but I've not seen a DIY
one that would add value at the time of sale.

[MadHatter53]

I'm hoping the surveyor or almost buyer will show up and provide some info for me.

[Scarlett]

Is that ceramic tile in the main salon? Pretty heavy if it is. Just my useless 2 cents. If you could get it at the right price you could easily fix up the cosmetic problems. Pictures of the galley look pretty good. John

[MadHatter53]

No it feels like vinyl tiles. Countertop in galley and heads are painted,floors appear to be HD stuff and poorly installed and I'm ok with that. It appears all the windows in salon and front windshield need to be re sealed as there is evidence of leaking and the same with some/most portlights and I'm ok with that also. I'm also ok withe hideous white Formica in the owners suite. I'm concerned about the systems major and minor and structure as those are the big dollar items that will bankrupt me.

[jdive]

I had the contract on the boat. I was hoping as it sounds you are - if its a sound boat with bad decorating and needs paint I would be fine with that for my needs. I did not want a project boat, been there done that. I should have done more inspection on my own before surveying, but I did not have time and in "reverso world" ....my wife was the one pushng to buy asap. She was already picking out new cabinets etc..... Anyway, We walked away due to the condition of the boat per surveyor, no issues with our $. In addition to the issues she already had, there was big $$$$ of window and swim platform damage added that day from where the brokers captain dragged the boat along the docks on the way to haulout, after we told him more than once to leave it in the slip due to the conditions. It was surreal. Anyway, there is a pricepoint where this boat makes sense for someone who can do the work themselves. 2 boats ago I would have come back with a much lower offer and spent a lot of time fixing things to my satisfaction. But thats not what I am looking for right now.

[jdive]

also did find out from the "captain" that someone did a full survey and sea trial last summer, which must be when they blew the turbo. Those prospective buyers must have found all the same issues we did.

[MadHatter53]

Jdive I sent u a pm.

[SKYCHENEY]

Personally, I would rather start with an unmolested boat that needs updating than one that has been tinkered with by previous owners and yards. Whenever I've found problems, it wasn't with the OEM work, it was something that someone else did.

I agree that the heads and galley of these old girls are dated and they need some updating, but the cabinetry is fine and is tabbed into the hull. Don't mess with that. New countertops, appliances, and lighting go a long way. When someone puts in premade cabinets you know its not a quality job.