Holy cow things have progressed in the last month and a half! Since
the last update, we actually looked at some boats and are currently under
contract with the seller! Hard to believe it, but we think we found our boat,
but there’s a few things that needs to happen before we sign on the dotted line…..
Let me back up and start where we left off….. the Seattle Boat Show.
After everything we saw and learned at the boat show we knew
exactly what we were looking for in a boat.
Armed with the knowledge that we now needed a sturdy, more expensive
boat, we had to run the numbers to see what the financial situation looked like
with this new information. We dedicated a Saturday morning at the local coffee
shop and ran the numbers. All the numbers. And then all the numbers again.
Thank you Microsoft excel! Looked at all sorts of financial situations- mostly
different scenarios for how much we sell our house for. We set a new budget for
a boat based on selling our house with some conservative values. After that exercise
we made a wish list on a piece of paper and we wrote down everything we wanted
on our dreamboat.
Two days later, I was cruising through craigslist and
stumbled onto a promising sailboat ad. Reading through the description of the boat
was like reading our dreamboat wish list. Composting toilet, windvane, new
engine, bluewater capable…. the list goes on. We jumped on the ad and the next
weekend made a trip over to Seattle to look at this boat and three others for
comparison.
The youtube video will give you an idea of what the boats
were like on the inside.
The first boat was a 1991 steel Bruce Roberts 37 which was overpriced,
and not well maintained. The second was the one that we found in the craigslist ad which was a 1980 Alberg 37, which looks like it’s
been well cared for, and has all the things we were looking for. The third was
a 1977 32’ Westsail, which was certainly seaworthy, but had a goofy layout and bad
engine hatch stuff. It was also pretty expensive for what it offered. Lastly,
we looked at a 1981 Niagara 37, which was a very well maintained boat, but had an unconventional
layout which we weren’t sure about. That one had been on the market for 7
months….
After looking at 4 boats in 2 days, we knew that the Alberg
37 was our boat. We put an offer on her which was quite a bit lower than the asking
price. We weren’t planning on buying a boat so soon, but the Alberg was something we couldn't pass up. We had to factor in the extra costs of owning a boat for this year so we weren't expecting our low offer to be accepted, but to our unbelievable surprise the owner accepted our offer stating, he wanted to the find the right people, not the top bidder. I
guess he liked our story and plans for the future. Cheers, Steve.
Anywho, the boat still isn’t ours at this point. To ensure
we aren’t buying a lemon, we have hired a marine surveyor to look over every
inch of the boat. We will also take it on a test sail. At that point we can
adjust our offer based on what the surveyor report says.
This is the first time I’ve ever bought a boat, and until a
few weeks ago I had no idea how the process worked. It’s a pretty involved
process, even with brokers involved. Neither party has a broker which means I have to navigate
the waters of the deal on my own. Thankfully, after a fair amount of research, a few
calls, and some emails I got things all set up.
The plan is to use a Marine Title
company to research the boat's title to make sure it’s clean and free of any liens.
The Marine Title company also serves as the escrow company so I’m not just
handing a guy from craigslist a giant cashier’s check while he hands over the title. This company will also
help get us documented with the US Coast Guard, which apparently is a big ordeal. At that point the boat will be officially ours.
So many things…. and I'm finding they all
cost money. BOAT truly does stand for Bust Out Another Thousand. For a cheapskate like myself this is taking some adjustment, but whenever I start fretting about costs I remember we’re gonna have a trillion dollars worth of fun on the water.
So yea, it’s been a whirlwind rollercoaster of a few weeks.
We learned a lot, not just about boats, but about the buying process. We're on the schedule to do the sea trial and survey soon and if all goes well we will be taking the
first BIG step in our adventure. Stay tuned!
Here are some pics of the interior of the Alberg37- The
video doesn’t show much of it.
Galley
Saloon with table down
Saloon with table up
Looking Aft- Quarterberth on the right
