T&T: Fw: No Survey?

[Larry N. Brown]

>I think it is foolish for most people to purchase a 300K boat without a
> professional survey.  Even if the buyer is a qualified surveyor, he has 
> too
> much emotional attachment to the boat to be objective.

<SNIP>

> I would agree with him that many (not all) surveyors are in the pockets of
> the brokers.  Many unsophisticated buyers still ask their broker for a
> recommendation and pick who he recommends.  So ask the broker and everyone
> else he can find who had had a survey done.  Pick the toughest one around
> (the one the brokers hate).  And trust that you have done the best you 
> can.
>
> Mark Richter, m/v Winnie the Pooh, Ortona FL


I agree with Mark about both of these points but with a caveat. I'm not sure 
whom I'd rather strangle first, Cigano's PO or the surveyor who unwittingly 
promoted his bill of goods. I guess you could expect the PO to lie but a 
poor surveyor is unforgivable. I used a Texan, recommended to me by a listee 
in FL and he missed just about every critical flaw in the boat. My wife was 
in love with the boat and I was in a hurry. Both sound reasons NOT to buy a 
boat. Shot genset, weak engines, pinhole leaks in the fuel tanks, crooked 
shafts, dinged wheels, poorly repaired bottom damage, non existent cutlass 
bearings, faulty AC and DC wiring, the list was endless. The primary 
positive things I can say about the boat is that Prairie built this hull 
before manufacturers realized how little FRP you can get away with and the 
design is pure Jack Hargrave. I had a well designed, tough hull to work with 
and the rest was a throwaway.

I purchased the boat for considerably less than the above figure but I now 
have considerably more in it and we're still tied to the dock. When we do 
pull away shortly, the boat will be essentially new throughout and we'll 
know every system. We darned well better as we installed every piece of it.

Unsolicited, here are a few of Brown's rules of boating. First. In every 
boat purchase, it's a buyer's market. Period. Inform yourself early and 
well; you can't know too much. If I were to look at a boat for you now, I'd 
do a much better job than the SAMS certified Texas surveyor did for me. If 
you take the time to educate yourself, you too can be a formidable surveyor. 
Read David Pascoe. Second rule is that everything takes considerably longer 
than you thought it would. The corollary is that it costs a great deal more 
as well. The third is: access, access, access. If you put it in, you will 
have to pull it out for repair/service. Don't try to wedge an 
air-conditioner into a small existing hole. Just cut a nice big hole in the 
mahogany/teak/Koa wood and make a door with a nice trim picture frame to 
hide the sawzall marks. Trust me on this one. 5 years from now when it has 
to come out to clean the evaporator, you'll love me for this. 4th, take West 
Marine's 3% guide number for wiring and go up a minimum of one size. You'll 
sleep better. Doesn't cost much more either.

The last rule isn't really a rule but an observation. If I had it all to do 
over again, knowing what I do now, I'd'a already been cruising in a smaller, 
newer, less expensive boat. At the moment, I'm riding on the back of the 
tiger and I cain't stop till I ride him to the ground so it's a moot point. 
Let's hoist a round to a listee from whom we've not heard anything in a 
while, Rick the Mouseherder, who made this gem of understatement: "A small 
boat and a suitcase full of money beats a 40 footer tied to the dock any 
day."

Regards,

Larry and Teri
M/V Cigano, 47' Prairie Sundeck Cruiser
Lying: Covington, LA
N 30 26.7
W 90 07.1