What do I look for?

[Billski182]

Hello all, Billski here. Been lurking for a while and am hoping to gain a little knowledge.

My wife and I are looking at this boat on Yacht World: yachtworld.com/boats/1969/Hatteras-Double-Cabin-2007002/Charleston/SC/United-States

We went and walked it last month but, the two of us are totally new to boats of this type and have no idea what we should be looking at or looking for. The price has come down quite a bit and it's now getting more attractive. We're looking to live aboard and do some cruising. We don't mind some hard work and taking care of a few things but, we're afraid of getting in over our head.

Any words of advice/caution? Thanks in advance.

[Boatsb]

First a good surveyor. I know of a few other 41's in nice shape and would suggest you look around a bit before you buy. There are some real nice boats under $50k to consider. Where where you located and where will the boat be kept is a big question too.

[SeaEric]

Look for the signature line on a purchase agreement, then sign it. Agreement must be subject to surveys of hull AND machinery, and sea trial.

That boat is aggressively priced and will sell quite soon. You have an advantage in that you have already seen the boat in person. If you like the boat and think you would be comfortable aboard her, then I say go for it.

I would move quickly, and don't skip ANY of the steps above.

[GJH]

Given what you say about yourself, I strongly recommend you buy a copy of David Pascoe's "Mid Sized Power Boats" and read it start to finish. It will give you the most pragmatic introduction to owning and maintaining a boat. This will be the most productive 70 bucks you ever spent.

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/mid_size_power_boats.htm

[buzzk]

I used Neil Haynes with Blue Water Surveys in Charleston to survey a boat for me. I thought he did a good job. A friend used him too and he thought he did a good job for him. Neil has a web site if you want to look him up. Buzz

[saltshaker]

Look for the signature line on a purchase agreement, then sign it. Agreement must be subject to surveys of hull AND machinery, and sea trial.

That boat is aggressively priced and will sell quite soon. You have an advantage in that you have already seen the boat in person. If you like the boat and think you would be comfortable aboard her, then I say go for it.

I would move quickly, and don't skip ANY of the steps above.

Listen to Eric, he's our resident broker. That boat looks great for that price and should sell fast. If this is what you want, make an offer and lock it up. Do your surveys and sea trial. If you discover any major issues all you lose is the cost of the surveys.

[Angela]

Since you are looking at boats that are being sold through a broker (as is the case with any Yachtworld listing), you may consider having a "buyer's broker" on your side which does not cost you anything more since the seller pays the commission.

One of our forum members, Ed Gaito (egaito on the forum), specializes in buyer's brokerage. He knows these old Hatts inside and out and can do a very thorough assessment of a Hatt before you even get to the stage of survey and spending any money on the survey process.

While I do not recommend that you bypass a survey, Ed and I inspected my 58MY to death before the purchase to the point that I did not get a survey on the boat. I only had the engines surveyed and that was after we took our own personal sea trial to verify the integrity of the engines and that they were worthy of a survey by a DD mechanic. In my case, there wasn't anything a surveyor was going to tell me that I didn't already know because Ed and I has personally inspected every nook and cranny. We spent a day and a half on the boat crawling in every hole and looking behind every panel. That scenario of forgoing a survey is unusual and risky, but having had other 58MYs surveyed during my "hunt", it became apparent to me that between the two of us, we knew these boats better than any surveyor we had met to that point. Again, I am NOT, by any means, suggesting you forgo a survey; I'm just describing the level of knowledge Ed has inspecting an old Hatt boat before you start spending money on a survey. He's got a 1968 Hatt, himself. You can call him at 678-570-7145 if you want.

Good luck with your search. There are a lot of great bargains out there. If only I could have waited another 3 years to buy, I would have saved a ton of money, but I'm not sure I would have survived those 3 years being boatless. I love my Hatt and couldn't imagine being without her.

[Sparky1]

I have some advice for you, click on the link in my signature before you consider buying any 41DC.

[SeaEric]

Ang, With all due respect. We're talking about a $29K boat here, which will yield a whopping $2900 commission at the standard 10%. You really want to propose splitting that up? Bear in mind that this buyer has already seen the boat, likely with the listing broker. The buyer will need that broker's cooperation to get this deal done. Getting paid = cooperation. To insert another broker in this now would not be good for anyone. Let the guy earn and collect his commish.

As I stated emphatically above- Do Not Skip Any Steps! COMPLETE HULL SURVEY, FULL ENGINE SURVEY, SEA TRAIL. Now more than ever.

[Angela]

Eric, my comments were of a general nature, not pointed at that particular boat which they've already seen. I understand the ramifications of bringing in your own broker after the fact.

If the original poster misses out on that boat which he has already seen and continues in his search, I merely suggested that he and his wife might benefit the way I did by having someone help them through the process because the original poster admitted that "the two of us are totally new to boats of this type and have no idea what we should be looking at or looking for." I was thinking Ed might be able to help them know what they should be looking at, including skeletons in the closet which can haunt them later, since they are new to this level of boat ownership.

I mentioned this because I've heard the comments, first hand, as to what others he has helped who were in that same situation have said about having him preview boats and assist them in understanding what's being presented and what they are getting into, and I can attest to his diligence in that regard...it's not about how much commission can be had; it's about helping someone who is asking for guidance and sharing my own experiences in that regard. I thought that's what this forum was for.