Ship Matey - The Captain's Blog

Selling Your Boat - 10 tips.

by TheCaptain ^Pro @ Sunday, Sep. 07, 2008 – 02:19:16 am

10 things to be aware of when selling your pride and joy.

1.if using a broker check that they will put any monies received for your craft either into a solicitors or dedicated client account for safe keeping. This is a bit safer than them just putting it into their own business account or similar. You never know when they (or a member of staff) might fancy an extended holiday somewhere sunny at your expense. This is common sense even if you have been pals with the broker for years.

2. Make sure the title to your craft stays with you until you have been paid in full by the broker or purchaser. Even if the chap seems nice or that its normal to “look after your money” until they take delivery. The broker earns only up to 10% on the sale price so why do they need to look after 90% of your cash? Check out the number of incidents of dealerships going bust and people losing their savings in the process. It may be a good idea to investigate the financial stability of any broker you are intending to use. In the UK details can be obtained on limited companies on the Companies House website. There is a small charge to access account details but it may be a worthwhile investment if it flags up a company about to go bust and take your boat and/or money with it.

3.If taking a part exchange make absolutely certain that what you are buying is the really the property of the person selling it. Receipts bills of sale, mooring/marina fee receipts can help you with this. If in any doubt check with the police, they have a list of stolen craft. Also see my article about buying a boat.

4.Bankers drafts can be stolen or forged so take them to the bank and allow them to clear before releasing the craft . Ask your bank how long it takes before the bankers draft will be cleared to the point where there is no chance of them being called back or cancelled or discovered to be invalid. The banks sometimes call a draft 'cleared' when they really mean 'provisionally cleared' which means they might turn out to be worthless after all. So get your buyer to agree to wait for this period to expire before agreeing to take delivery of the vessel. Obviously the same concerns apply to cheques or or other paper transactions other than cash. If the buyer offers cash, then meet them at the bank and let them pay the money in - it is not impossible that cash could be counterfeit - it is much less likely to happen if the buyer is paying the money over the counter themselves, where it should be spotted.

5.Arrange for 3 to 4 people to come and view it during the day ( time efficient) at an appropriate place and have a friend with you for company in case you get a no show or as a help if they all turn up at the same time.

6.Make sure you have cleaned it properly. It is often worth getting in a professional valeter they will add hundreds of pounds to your pride and joy and often the boat looks so good after their work you might be disuaded from selling.

7.It is best to use a broker that preferably deals with your brand of vessel as he will know more about it and have possibly a list of potential clients at hand looking for your vessel. Look up the original supplying dealer they will likely get you the best price as the vessel will have a story or history.

8. Take off anything that is not to be sold with the boat as this can cause confusion this in turn creates doubt, also it makes the boat feel and look bigger. Remove those lovely cushions that you have used for 20 years! They might not be to everybody’s taste, don’t take that chance.

9.Open the hatches a day or two before and get the vessel aired and make sure the heads are spotless and pumped out at least 2 hours before any one turns up, but go easy on the chemicals. Smell is a major sense that we use to decide a lot of things.

10.If something’s broken just remove it. Don’t leave dodgy equipment that’s gaffer taped to rails or spars. Think how this would look if you were a buyer .

Hope that the stormy weather isn't spoiling your weekend too much!! Take care of yourselves,

The Captain

Naming your boat

by TheCaptain ^Pro @ Thursday, Sep. 04, 2008 – 12:40:30 am

After a good night's sleep, The Captain is back to carry on sharing his boating know-how. Today's subject is Naming Your Boat.

1. Once you have taken the step of buying your boat the next thing is to name it to make it yours. If you are in a consortium then this needs to be a collective agreement on a name as the name will determine your boat’s character or the character of the group.

2. Once named that will be the name which stays with your boat so think carefully, this is your pride and joy do you want to be the joke of the marina for years to come?

3. If you need to change the name of a boat there are superstitious ceremonies you must undertake as it is unlucky to change a boat’s name. Do you need the hassle? Check out Boat De-naming Ceremony by John Vigor on the internet

4. Remember when you radio the coast guard or the lock keeper you and they have to keep a straight face when giving out the name of your vessel. This is no trivial matter in an emergency situation your life could depend on it. Pinky or Perky may sound like great names when you are in the pub, but not quite so clever after a rough day on the water.

5. Make sure that the name is not a tongue twister as spelling it over the radio in an emergency could cause a serious delay.

6. Keep the name to a reasonable length if for no other reason then if you have a small vessel it may not fit.

7. Just because you think it is a cool name if you need to sell the boat the name could put off a potential purchaser. How will you feel about someone else riding about in the boat you named after your wife?

8. Once you have decided on a name then comes the making of the stickers. Think carefully about the actual font. This can also affect the look of your boat . Check out the difference between hard or soft vinyl lettering (the best option but cost slightly more)compared to “printed stickers”which look tacky very quickly.

9. If you are putting the stickers on your self make sure that they are level, everyone will notice if they are not and take pleasure in pointing this out to you regularly. Spray a thin film of water where your logo is to be, peel off the backing then line it up, the thin film of water will allow you to slide most decals around a bit, once in place use your exhausted credit card to squeeze the water out from the middle towards the outer edge in long sweeping strokes.

10. Once all the water is gone you can remove the cover film and enjoy!!

11. Think carefully about the colour of the lettering. It is suggested that using the same colour as the boat trim is best.

When all else is said and done though a name is very personal and it is your boat.

10 things to think about before buying a boat .

by TheCaptain ^Pro @ Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2008 – 04:20:56 am

Hello ShipMateys

This is the first entry on The Captain's Blog - and so I will start with "10 things to think about before buying a boat ." The Captain has a salty sense of humour so take it with a pinch of the white briny stuff

All the same there is wisdom in the old Sea Dog's words and it never hurts to listen to someone who has been there, done that and got the wooden leg

10 things to think about before buying a boat .

1.Dont do it you, will never have any money again or be loved by your family.

2. Think about sharing with a group of likeminded idiots, …see article “boat share” you should have done it when you were much younger, its going to hurt your muscles and wallet!

3.It may be a pain but visit, look at, see, at least 4 similar yachts boats more expensive and cheaper , this will give you a guide on price and standard.

4.Go to a local yacht club and talk to all the old farts..yes they sometimes talk sense.

5.If buying second hand try and get an idea of whether the boat has been cared for or abused. Visit the club from which the owner is from and find out what sort of sailor he was or is.

6. Pay for a surveyor, they will save you a fortune, they will at least cover their own fee by giving you bargaining tools. See “surveyors listed in your area” If you are buying new and spending a lot of money then this might still be a good idea.

7.Make certain who actually owns the boat…if using a broker find out about the brokerage…if you give them a deposit and they go bust you lose, plus if you're selling this applies too…see article “selling your boat yacht or ship”.

8.Take it for a test drive . Even if means paying launching/hoist fees. A few hundred pounds spent at the beginning can save thousands in the long run.

9.What do you actually get for your money? Write a List and get it copied and both buyer and seller sign to agree what is included in the price. Nothing worse than finding those lovely chintz curtains in the salon weren’t included in the price and cost £10,000 to replace .

What don’t you get for your money? Nothing worse than turning up with a delivery crew and finding no kettle or life jackets etc.

10.If you have the slightest doubt don’t buy, if you fall in love with it don’t buy it. Always always always take a few extra days to think it over. If it’s a steal some one local would have stole it.

These are just a few things to start off thinking about before buying, and there are bound to be more, but before you walk the plank make sure you are likely to have a nice warm dip and not a cold sharp shock and check that there aren't any circling sharks!!!