I've seen a number of threads on the forums where people have bought boats that were hundreds, sometimes over a thousand miles from home. I once bought a boat in Washington while I was in California, but since that was a $70K boat it was worth the money to fly up to Washington and be there for the survey. But for a $1-2K boat it hardly seems worth it. But on the other hand, unless we conduct the purchase in person we have no way of knowing how reputable the seller might be. What advice would you give to someone considering doing this?

Since we have members scattered all over the planet, I'd reach out for a third party that could inspect the boat for you. I did this with my last boat, it worked out great and I made a couple friends

There's several guys around memphis that will help out in our area

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Tim
Collierville (Memphis), TN
Supercat 15--sold :(
Hobie monocat--given
Vanguard 15--traded for...
Nacra 4.5--sold
Nacra 5.7
Hobie 14–sold to make room for...
Supercat 17–sold
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I have purchased a few long distance. You have to understand the risks involved to match the potential reward. It is part of my business, I have won a few times and lost on some. You have to understand that most sellers have little idea how to properly grade a boat condition.

I have on occasion inspected boats for others. Do not expect that to be free as it can easily put a ding on somebodies otherwise good rep if a mistake is made.

On the otherside of the issue, I try really hard to keep things straight up and not church it up. I feel I have lost some sales this way, but thats better than somebody driving 8 hours to fell totally mislead.

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Greenville SC

Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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My boat was 4 hours away from me. I have family that lives in the area where the boat was and arranged for my Dad to inspect the boat for me. The seller and I "facetimed" also, so I actually got to see the boat as well. The seller showed me everything, even got down on the ground to show me under the hulls and the trailer. I used a tablet so that I had a bigger picture than a phone. It was a really neat way to look at the boat, and my Dad was there to be my physical eyes. It all worked out nicely.



Edited by martyr on Jul 24, 2017 - 05:12 AM.

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Marty
1984 Hobie 16 Redline Yellow Nationals, "Yellow Fever"
Opelika, Al / Lake Martin
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My F18 was purchased site unseen, lying in California. I had uship bring it back to MD for me. It was in exactly the condition the seller told me and his 200+ photos showed. I also checked with some F18 mates in the area who knew the boat and could vouch for it. We finished 3rd at F18 Nationals on the boat, winning the only race with enough pressure to occasionally wire up downwind. She also has many other race titles to her record, so this was a win-win for me and the original seller.

My 2 cents, I wouldn't go through the hassle for some $2k beach toy. Find something local or within a days drive (for me that is 8 hours each way, but my days are often 20 hours long). For something higher performance, 4 hours is nothing for picking up a boat. My F18 before this came from Vermont, also purchased site unseen. Seller agreed to meet halfway and that was a win-win as well. Before that, I got very lucky and found my Nacra Inter 20 1.5 hours away. That was a very very fast boat and to this day I regret selling her.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. I haven't found much locally (less than 4 hour drive) and most of the boats I'm interested are 12+ hours away and the seller can't / won't send me more / better pictures. Another issue that worries me is the condition of the trailer. If I use uSHIP and the trailer has issues (bearings, tires, etc.) I'm afraid I could get screwed (my boat is dumped somewhere in the middle of nowhere). So I've considered taking a few days off and renting a truck (mine isn't really up to long distance towing) but renting a truck is about the same cost as using uSHIP. :(

You could likely get a very similar price specifying that the trailer and boat must be loaded onto another trailer.

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Greenville SC

Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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and the seller can't / won't send me more / better pictures.

sounds like he is trying to hide something - not worth your time or money

where do you live?

MN3

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and the seller can't / won't send me more / better pictures.

sounds like he is trying to hide something - not worth your time or money

I've been running into quite a few people who don't understand technology very well or just live a long ways from where the boat is kept. Some are in their 70's and no longer able to enjoy their toys so are selling them. Some might not own a smart phone or if they do they may not know how to save / send pictures. I had to walk away from one boat because the seller didn't have an email address and his daughter (who posted it on Craigslist) lived 1000 miles away.

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where do you live?

Eastern North Carolina, on the Outer Banks. Home of the flat bottom skiff. ;)

MN3

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and the seller can't / won't send me more / better pictures.

sounds like he is trying to hide something - not worth your time or money

where do you live?

Or they have wasted much time dealing with not serious buyers.

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Greenville SC

Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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gobigkahuna

I've been running into quite a few people who don't understand technology very well or just live a long ways from where the boat is kept. Some are in their 70's and no longer able to enjoy their toys so are selling them. Some might not own a smart phone or if they do they may not know how to save / send pictures. I had to walk away from one boat because the seller didn't have an email address and his daughter (who posted it on Craigslist) lived 1000 miles away.

All good points! However ... if they can't provide a fair amount of data/images ... it's a total crap shoot
most boats sitting in a field for years is gonna have some delam issues, spent rigging and tramp, or a shot trailer at the least [/quote]

gobigkahuna

Eastern North Carolina, on the Outer Banks. Home of the flat bottom skiff. ;)

You live in the center of the east coast - you should not have to drive all that far to find the perfect boat

If this was posted as a general question: I personally would never buy a boat i didn't take for a test sail - there are 1000's of ways for it to go south and "Caveat emptor" - there are no "take -backsies"

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However ... if they can't provide a fair amount of data/images ... it's a total crap shoot

Absolutely, totally agree.

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If this was posted as a general question: I personally would never buy a boat i didn't take for a test sail - there are 1000's of ways for it to go south and "Caveat emptor" - there are no "take -backsies"

Very good advice. And I'd add, that it's often good advice to get a survey done by a qualified surveyor. I've been around boats long enough (and owned or delivered enough boats) that I'm pretty good at spotting potential issues on my own.

One other question, say you find a boat on Craigslist, agree to buy it and have uSHIP deliver it. What do you do about paying the seller (assuming you're not going to be there in person)? Not many people would let you take the boat without having cash in hand first and it's a bit risky to wire someone money without having the boat and title in hand. Thoughts?

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Very good advice. And I'd add, that it's often good advice to get a survey done by a qualified surveyor. I've been around boats long enough (and owned or delivered enough boats) that I'm pretty good at spotting potential issues on my own.

I have never heard of an actual survey done on a beach cat. It makes total sense if your buying a big boat, esp if it's at the water

It's defiantly a good idea to have someone with LOTS of experience to look over and kick the tires of a beach cat but typically these boats are a. much less of an investment b. used for inshore day sailing c. pretty easy to repair just about anything on these boats without the need for a crane, or welding

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One other question, say you find a boat on Craigslist, agree to buy it and have uSHIP deliver it. What do you do about paying the seller (assuming you're not going to be there in person)? Not many people would let you take the boat without having cash in hand first and it's a bit risky to wire someone money without having the boat and title in hand. Thoughts?

Well - i personally wouldn't do this ( unless in Sam's position where you have 100's of images, know the seller, know the boat and have (qualified) people around to look at it or comment on it's condition)

But if this is the only way to get the boat you want: being the son and grandson of lawyers.... my advice would be - Have a contract written up and signed by both parties

work out and write down every possible problem or issue you can think of and contingency plans if they arise (i.e. if the hulls are not 100% sound and require any repair - this will be charged to the seller)

and i personally would try to put ALL the funds into a escrow account to handle any "post delivery" items that show up - or possibly give a % to the seller a down-payment in earnest money

By giving up all the money, and lacking a contract - you are taking a 100% risk with your funds - and have little or no recourse