Has anyone actually bought from Whilton/Venetian Marina?

[metanoia]

_{Sorry to come EVEN later to the topic but I tried to buy a boat from Venetian just a couple of days ago and have to raise my misgivings that THEY had arranged a survey some two weeks beyond my offer STS and it appears that has no bearing on my deposit being left with them............. As the boat in question is nearly 20 years old and they assured me they would do "anything on the survey - even overplating" - I asked that if I left I deposit could I pull out once the survey had been carried out - it was suggested I'd better wait until the survey was done a couple of weeks later. I phoned within an hour or so of viewing to make an offer on said boat but was told it was already under offer and the guy on the phone seemed shocked I had the audacity to even ring!!}

[MtB]

One boat I viewed there had a really nice vintage Ruston. I asked to see it running but was told I'd have to make an appointment for that. So I made an appointment for the following Saturday morning.

 

Before embarking on the 100 mile drive on the appointed day I called them to confirm the appointment to see the engine running and was told yes, great, all prepared.

 

When I got there and asked to see the engine running I was told I'd need to make an appointment. I told them I had an appointment NOW, all confirmed by phone at 9am and they denied all knowledge. After arguing my corner very hard they insisted they had no-one available to start the engine for me and I'd have to come back another day.

 

I didn't buy the boat.

[metanoia]

Hey Joe

 

Quite agree - so they ran the engine for me but the gearstick (sorry - IS that what you call it on a boat?) wouldn't move because it had lots of tape on it and had apparently been broken on the way into the brokerage (along with the shower and toilet???!!!).

 

M

[metanoia]

But I still can't buy it because it is mysteriously "under offer".................................................

Hello Mike

 

Neither did I - because they wouldn't let me.

 

Is that what you call a "narrow escape" - groan!!!????!!!!!

[ROBDEN]

Hey Joe

 

Quite agree - so they ran the engine for me but the gearstick (sorry - IS that what you call it on a boat?) wouldn't move because it had lots of tape on it and had apparently been broken on the way into the brokerage (along with the shower and toilet???!!!).

 

M

That sounds like "Cobweb" to me.

 

9.15 Sunday morning.

 

The guy said that a survey was due 6th of November. For some reason he started on about overplating a boat is no bad thing

if it's done properly. We said at the time, that if it needed plating we wouldn't be interested. Then left.

 

Thought about it for an hour and then rang back to make an offer. When he asked for my name, I was told it was now under offer.

 

Rob....

[Puckle]

 

I would clearly have been disappointed had the boat broken down on the way home, but I'd joined RCR beforehand, just in case, and in the event,

it got us home with no problems.

 

I'd be interested to hear more details of the serious breakdown experienced by the other recent buyer. What was it, and what was the outcome please?

Have a read here, Mike:

 

http://www.whiltonmarina.co.uk/About-Us/default.aspx

The boat had overheated as soon as we got it on to the diesel point. I checked the water which was below the plate. just thought it had not been checked. filled up with water checked oil and team up with another boater going through the locks by the time we got near the top we were overheating again.

 

Just before Braunston tunnel two large holes appeared on the side of the header tank. They had obviously been filled in before and painted over.

 

The boat we locked with tow us through the tunnel and the remaining locks to a boat yard, where a chap named John who is and expert on old engines informed us all the pipes were on the wrong way, there was also a problem with a pump on the engine.

 

After we got no joy with Wilton we contacted the surveyor who said the boat had overheated when he started the engine but found a inner-tube from a bike around the prop. but after clearing it the engine ran for 20 minutes without overheating. (A load of old bull I think ).

 

I know people will say its not the marinas responsibility.but they were totally unhelpful. I would like to add i was just helping the purchaser to move the boat to his mooring and do not know whether the engine had been run before. There were many other issues we found on the way once we got the heating problem sorted. I also personally think the purchaser had not done his home work and bought a heap of Poo

Edited October 28, 2015 by Puckle

[Bod]

The boat at overheated as soon as we got it on to the diesel point. I checked the water which was below the plate. just thought it had not been checked. filled up with water checked oil and team up with another boater going through the locks by the time we got near the top we were overheating again.

 

Just before Braunston tunnel to large holes appeared on the side of the header tank. They had obviously been filled in before and painted over.

 

The boat we locked with tow us through the tunnel and the remaining locks to a boat yard, where a chap named John who is and expert on old engines informed us all the pipes were on the wrong way, there was also a problem with a pump on the engine.

 

After we got no joy you Wilton we contacted the surveyor who said the boat had overheated when he started the engine but found a inner-tube from a bike around the prop. but after clearing it the engine ran for 20 minutes without overheating. (A load of old bull I think ).

 

I know people will say its not the marinas responsibility.but they were totally unhelpful

 

Was the boat a "stock" boat or one sold on behalf of the previous owner?

Big difference in quality expectations.

 

Bod

[tehmarks]

I bought a (stock) boat from Whilton just under a month ago, and I've had absolutely no problems. A thoroughly helpful bunch of people. It's still moored there while they do some really minor BSS work on it, and then I'll be away early November. They were ore than happy to give me temporary moorings for the month, and the only reason the work hasn't been done so far is that I let them know that I was in no hurry to take it.

 

...No one came to show us how to start the Perkins engine we had to work that out for ourselves. After we found the boat and struggled to get it out where it was moored...

 

Would you expect a used car dealer to show you how to start the engine and reverse out of the forecourt? Who in their right mind spends that amount of money on something without having even a basic clue about how to use it!?

[Joe the plumber]

I hope you're heading south tehmarks. The locks are closed northbound from the 2nd of November. It sounds like you've found Whilton as

good as we did though.

 

Thanks for the extra details Puckle. I'm afraid your mate does seem to have been very unlucky, but clearly, as you say, that's not

really Whilton's fault.

 

If it was a stock boat, your friend should have the Sale of Goods Act on his side (although the surveyor may have scuppered that -

I was wrong earlier incidentally, that's in another topic on here somewhere), but if it was on brokerage, I'm afraid it's like blaming an estate agent

if the boiler in the house you've just bought breaks down.

[Puckle]

I bought a (stock) boat from Whilton just under a month ago, and I've had absolutely no problems. A thoroughly helpful bunch of people. It's still moored there while they do some really minor BSS work on it, and then I'll be away early November. They were ore than happy to give me temporary moorings for the month, and the only reason the work hasn't been done so far is that I let them know that I was in no hurry to take it.

 

 

Would you expect a used car dealer to show you how to start the engine and reverse out of the forecourt? Who in their right mind spends that amount of money on something without having even a basic clue about how to use it!?

Actually tehmark. i would and every car i have bought I have had a test drive first. Joe it was not a stock boat and I expect that was half the problem. There was a warning sign when the broker said to the purchaser after the survey that the seller had asked has it dropped out yet.

[tehmarks]

I hope you're heading south tehmarks. The locks are closed northbound from the 2nd of November.

 

Yes, thankfully. I did have a look at the stoppages when working out how to fit moving it in with the joys of busy self-employment, and I'd have been rather more keen to get going if I'd been thinking of going the other way!

 

Actually tehmark. i would and every car i have bought I have had a test drive first. Joe it was not a stock boat and I expect that was half the problem. There was a warning sign when the broker said to the purchaser after the survey that the seller had asked has it dropped out yet.

 

A test drive is one thing, but you wouldn't expect a tutorial in the basic skills surely? It just seems odd to me that anyone would spend a significant sum of money on something that they don't know the first thing about. That's just my point of view though, and clearly different people have different expectations. Breaking down is a disappointing result either way!

[Athy]

 

 

 

A test drive is one thing, but you wouldn't expect a tutorial in the basic skills surely? It just seems odd to me that anyone would spend a significant sum of money on something that they don't know the first thing about. That's just my point of view though, and clearly different people have different expectations. Breaking down is a disappointing result either way!

I hear what you're saying, but the two purchases are not comparable. If you're buying a car you will have passed a test and thus be familiar with driving a car, perhaps a variety of cars. But you can walk into a boatyard with no previous experience whatsoever, hand over some money and quite legally drive something 50 feet long or more off down the canal. And believe you me, people do!

[Joe the plumber]

I hear what you're saying, but the two purchases are not comparable. If you're buying a car you will have passed a test and thus be familiar with driving a car, perhaps a variety of cars. But you can walk into a boatyard with no previous experience whatsoever, hand over some money and quite legally drive something 50 feet long or more off down the canal. And believe you me, people do!

 

But that's not the broker's fault.

[OldPeculier]

I bought Old Spot from Whilton as a stock boat. Its a project, but I knew that when I bought it. I made a silly offer which was rejected but they phoned me a few days later and we came to an arrangement. I found them to be helpful although it must be said they don't volunteer information - you need to know what you are looking at. The Alde water heater failed the BSS but they replaced the faulty component at no extra cost which I thought was good.

 

They were relaxed about keeping the boat at the marina until it could be moved and didn't charge. Only problem was that the oil filter came loose on the way back - they changed the oil as part of the deal. However I must hold my hands up and confess that I've failed to tighten a filter properly before so maybe I should have checked it.

[MtB]

I think the wide range of good and bad experiences mentioned above illustrate that Whilton just take the boat and list it for sale. They have no interest in how good or bad it is, that's up to you to decide. If you get a bad'un, that's down to luck. If you get a good one, that's also down to luck rather than Whilton's diligence in selecting their stock or preparing them for sale.

[nipper]

For what it's worth!

 

I bought Largo from Whilton Marina about three years ago.

My experience is very similar to Joe the Plumbers!

 

Ever helpful and gave me about three weeks to ready the boat for the delivery cruise to a destination 58locks and 57 miles away!

In that time i found out what all the buttons did and what the boat was really like!

 

It was mentioned by the sales team that some buyers think that they can just buy a boat, get in it, find flowers on the table and food in the fridge and just go!

Then blame Whilton because they have run out of fuel and tea bags!

 

Only a fool would leave for a trip without checking everything on board and making sure all was running properly!

 

Nipper

[Rickent]

I visited whilton a few times whilst looking for a boat and I have to say that although I found the sales team very helpful and pleasant , I have never been aboard such high priced junk, some were truly horrendous. I ended up buying from sawley marina.

[Athy]

I have never been aboard such high priced junk.

More Chinese imports? Oh no!

Part of the problem is that it's the general practice that when a boat is on brokerage at a boatyard the onus is on the owner to keep it clean and tidy - unlike at a car sales garage where the staff do that (because they usually own the car). Some owners won't (or can't because of geography, health or other reasons) keep the boat nice and shiny. Some appear to have been unable to clean it in the first place - I have seen discarded pairs of slippers, dirty crockery, expired clothing and other scruffanalia lying around inside boats on brokerage.

[Theo]

If it's the survey that scuppers your rights under the sale of goods act would it be wise to buy and then have a survey done so that you can have things put right under said soga?

[Joe the plumber]

That's an idea, but only if the brokers actually own the boat outright.

 

Fundamentally, I think the lesson here is that unless they own the boat for sale, a broker is effectively just an estate agency for boats. Go into them with that in mind and you should have an idea of what kind of back up you can expect from them if things go wrong (ie, unless they've said something is X and it turns out to be Y, very little).

 

You'll note Whilton don't have anything in their sales particulars except photos and statements of what the boat is and what it has (ie the engine, water tank, number of berths, etc). There are no descriptions at all of the type, say, Rugby Boats include.

[Southern Star]

I think it's probably best to assume that any boat you buy from a brokerage is going to need a few thousand quid' worth of work in the early days of ownership, and if it doesn't then that's a bonus. I would hazard a guess that many boats on brokerage have received insufficient maintenance in the previous year or two of the last owner's tenure due to ill health, loss of interest etc and some are on sale because the owners couldn't afford the expense of owning them.

[Victor Vectis]

I think it's probably best to assume that any boat you buy from a brokerage is going to need a few thousand quid' worth of work in the early days of ownership, and if it doesn't then that's a bonus. I would hazard a guess that many boats on brokerage have received insufficient maintenance in the previous year or two of the last owner's tenure due to ill health, loss of interest etc and some are on sale because the owners couldn't afford the expense of owning them.

What makes you say that?

 

The only problem we had with 'Red Wharf' was running out of diesel the first weekend we went cruising (doh!). Apart from that, it's just been routine maintainence.

 

I suppose it depends on which broker you use. We bought through ABNB, and found them fine.

[metanoia]

I would be extremely interested in any update from the "purchaser" of "Cobweb" at Venetian - which I understand is due to be carried out in the next couple of days. My my cash offer was rejected STS until "after the survey"..... having raised misgivings about what it might or might not have thrown up.

[kevinl]

I bought a (stock) boat from Whilton just under a month ago, and I've had absolutely no problems.

If you bought a stock boat not a brokered one then I assume you've paid VAT on it, brokered boats are only liable for VAT on the brokerage fee the boat itself VAT free as you're buying it from a private seller via the broker. Stock boats are the company's property and as such are liable to VAT at 20% on the whole amount.

K

[alan_fincher]

Quite true. I know Detrytus has been there since March this year for example, but a lot of others have been and gone.

 

Perhaps the clue is in the name!