enigmatic

I have seen other boats on sale for ages even in this crazy market (one I was actually pretty interested in but passed on was competitively priced but had offputting cosmetic signs of neglect and was still for sale several months later. This one looks like the opposite: very tidy for its age and nice fitout but it's quite highly priced). Budget boats that are decent sell very quickly now, but people looking in the >£50k range still usually aren't looking for 30 year old 52 footers with an old but not vintage engine. If you've seen the boat and think there's not a lot wrong with it except the price, the fact it's been on the market a while might be a good thing for negotiation. Boats can and do sell below asking price, and brokers will sometimes even hint how much scope there is for negotiation (they want the boat to shift too!) Surely you only arrange the survey after having an initial offer accepted and deposit paid, at which point nobody should be pitching up and buying it? And the surveyor isn't going to solve the price being a few k too high bit, he's just going to spot stuff that costs money to fix, tell you if it matters or not and suggest which fixes the first owner should cover the costs of (or tell you to walk away if it does need thousands spent on it). Which is all helpful stuff, but only if you're happy to spend the agreed price on the boat anyway!

Who needs an engine when you've got a posse of clowns to pull your narrowboat?