Is this normal?

[mustang41]

So a friend told me about a boat someone he knew was going to sell,so I phoned him.

Him:"will you be bringing the cash?"

Me: "No.if I decide I want it and we agree a price then I would give you a deposit subject to a survey"

Him:"It doesn't need a survey,it's got one from 3 years ago "

Me:"well I would want one of my own"

Him:"but a survey is valid for 5 years!"

Me:nevertheless. ..."

Him:"well ok,but you'll have to pay the reblacking fees to me upfront"

Me:"fees??"

Him:"well a surveyor will scrape some blacking off and so if you're going to do that then I want the money to reblack the entire boat upfront "

At this point I made my excuses and left the conversation!

But is this normal? I can understand someone wanting the exposed patches reblacked, but the whole boat?

Steve

[Delta9]

No

[Athy]

Apart from boating, his other hobby is probably onanism.

[haza]

no its not normal. in less you are mad

[Flyboy]

No ! Sounds like he's hiding something, I'd walk away.

[PaulG]

So a friend told me about a boat someone he knew was going to sell,so I phoned him.

Him:"will you be bringing the cash?"

Me: "No.if I decide I want it and we agree a price then I would give you a deposit subject to a survey"

Him:"It doesn't need a survey,it's got one from 3 years ago "

Me:"well I would want one of my own"

Him:"but a survey is valid for 5 years!"

Me:nevertheless. ..."

Him:"well ok,but you'll have to pay the reblacking fees to me upfront"

Me:"fees??"

Him:"well a surveyor will scrape some blacking off and so if you're going to do that then I want the money to reblack the entire boat upfront "

At this point I made my excuses and left the conversation!

But is this normal? I can understand someone wanting the exposed patches reblacked, but the whole boat?

Steve

1. Buy a bargepole.

2. Don't touch this boat with it.

[cuthound]

My surveyor retouched up the blacking on the areas where he removed it to check hull thickness. Probably didn't do much as the boat went straight back into the water.

 

Surveys are only valid at the time of survey, not 5 years, so it looks like he doesn't want it to be surveyed. Walk away.

 

Edited to add the second paragraph.

Edited April 28, 2016 by cuthound

[Alan de Enfield]

If it is a very old boat (20 years+) some / many / most insurance companies will require a regular survey, Depending on the insurance company this can be every three years or every 5 years.

 

This maybe where he is getting his 'valid for 5 years' from.

However a survey is valid only for the second it is written, and even then subject to all sorts of clauses and get-outs.

 

There is nothing 'normal' about buying or selling a boat (or the buyers or seller), the whole episode is total madness, you just have to find a seller whose madness levels you can accept.

[David Mack]

However a survey is valid only for the second it is written, and even then subject to all sorts of clauses and get-outs.

And it is only valid for the person who commissioned it. Surveys always include small print which give limited recourse against the surveyor if the survey fails to find some significant defect, but as a subsequent owner you would have absolutely none. Hence the advice frequently given here to get your own survey (and from a surveyor you choose, not one suggested by the vendor), regardless of how recent a survey may already be available.

[Murflynn]

the guy's a charlatan. leave well alone.

[Sea Dog]

You'd be mad to walk away....

 

 

 

RUN!!!

[Chalky]

My brother-in-law bought a boat based on a 4 year old survey (despite advise not to). He ended up paying for an emergency lift out on a bank holiday Monday and significant plating. He didn't have much change left from £5k. get your own survey.

[Bee]

The bloke sounds like a surly, know all git, there's a lot of them around. Most of them know nothing about anything, least of all boats. Unless it is a little gem I would not pursue it, I know you shouldn't be able to tell the state of the boat / car / whatever by looking at the present owner but somehow it often seems to be the case that villains try to sell terrible old stuff.

[mustang41]

Thanks for all the replies.

To be honest I decided it was a non starter as soon as he asked if I'd be bringing the 40k with me!

Although I'm a total newbie I'll definitely get my own survey. The thing that I was wondering about was the implication that it was my responsibility to reblack the cleared bits or even the whole boat!

Edited April 28, 2016 by mustang41

[OldGoat]

I thin I'd like a surveyor to tough up his scratches with the appropriate material / Comastic or bitumen - but no more.

But everyone's a bit sharp nowadays, Innit?