End of Season/Winter Purchase Decision

Especially for you cold weather climate skippers: What?s the latest in the season you?d ever consider buying a boat?

Last month or so of the season?

Very end of season, with barely a chance to check the boat out and have a few days of fun?

What about winter? Ever purchase a boat you have to leave in storage for month after month before putting on the water. One that?s been winterized already, and you can?t even hear run on muffs?

Re: End of Season/Winter Purchase Decision

I just bought my 22' Starcraft begining of this month.
I wont be able to go and get it until spring. As its a way away and i dont have the time or vacation time right now.
Its at a dealer and i paid for it already (about 75%) The rest is due when i go and get it, thats contingent on wheather the boat is as advertised when i get there. If not then I get all but 100.00 back for a storage fee.
We have this deal in writing and the dealer seems very nice on the phone. Its a Mom and Pop marina.
There is always a way to get something if you just talk to people.
Plus dealers are making up new things just to sell boats.

Re: End of Season/Winter Purchase Decision

bifflefan said:

I just bought my 22' Starcraft begining of this month.
I wont be able to go and get it until spring. As its a way away and i dont have the time or vacation time right now.
Its at a dealer and i paid for it already (about 75%) The rest is due when i go and get it, thats contingent on wheather the boat is as advertised when i get there. If not then I get all but 100.00 back for a storage fee.
We have this deal in writing and the dealer seems very nice on the phone. Its a Mom and Pop marina.
There is always a way to get something if you just talk to people.
Plus dealers are making up new things just to sell boats.

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What was your motivation, Biffle. I see by your tagline that you currently own a boat. Was the end of season price too good to pass up?

Re: End of Season/Winter Purchase Decision

I found it on iboats, it was just a good deal and i really liked the people on the phone.
The 16 footer is just to small so i went looking for a bigger one.
Plus I am getting out of racing (i hope) and need a new hobby, one that is cheaper.

I figure when i have 4 or 5 ill stop...
Its a sickness.....

Re: End of Season/Winter Purchase Decision

Just for my own peace of mind I would want to check it out and hear it run at least, and a sea trial unless it was a great deal that I just could not pass up and knew it was well taken care of. You do find good deals in the winter that are cheaper, But are they really good deals?? There are alot of slick people out there who stick with the "AS IS" and 3 months later when you finally do put here in can be disappointing. Just IMO.

Re: End of Season/Winter Purchase Decision

WAVENBYE2 said:

Just for my own peace of mind I would want to check it out and hear it run at least, and a sea trial unless it was a great deal that I just could not pass up and knew it was well taken care of. You do find good deals in the winter that are cheaper, But are they really good deals?? There are alot of slick people out there and stick with the "AS IS" and 3 months later when you finally do put here in can be disappointing. Just IMO.

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Thats what the "in writing" is for...
Plus even if it goes wrong it really was a good deal and the boat alone is worth what i paid.

Re: End of Season/Winter Purchase Decision

bifflefan said:

Thats what the "in writing" is for...Did you write up your own agreement??
Plus even if it goes wrong it really was a good deal and the boat alone is worth what i paid.

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I didn't mean anything about your boat I was answering If I bought one during the dead of winter. Sounds like you got a good deal and are happy.. Cool

Re: End of Season/Winter Purchase Decision

I recently talked to one of the owners of a Rinker dealership. He said in his life he has bought about 10 boats of which 8 of them were in Jan/Feb.

For what it's worth...

Re: End of Season/Winter Purchase Decision

If you buy from a solid dealer I don't see a problem. I bought one in August without driving it or even hearing it run, they are doing a head job and rebuilding the carb now (my season is over). I bought from a customer friendly dealer (Cabelas) and they have taken very good care of me.
I posted a thread about them earlier.
If you are buying from a private seller, I might change my tune a bit. But a dealer with a good reputation, I would not even give it a second thought.

Re: End of Season/Winter Purchase Decision

baggersteve said:

If you are buying from a private seller, I might change my tune a bit.

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A boat I had a deposit on earlier this season was like this. The PO had bought it in March from a guy who had not really used the boat for a couple seasons, had it in dry storage.

The boat appeared to be well maintained. Don't know much about boats but I also believed that to be the case.

Anyway, in July, I come on the scene. The PO had never gotten around to putting this boat in the water.

We tried to start it on muffs. Nothing. Take it to the shop for a new battery. It starts. Do the river trial, seems fine.

Next day we try a second river trial. Boat won't start.

Our deal ended there.

He was good natured about the whole thing. Gave me the option of basically taking on a boat that had some issues or getting my money back.

I got my deposit back.

Funny thing, though, I got a call from him today. Now he wants to sell again. Said he had finally gotten all the kinks out. Hmmmm.....

The season's basically over now. So even if he has the boat up to par, it would have a dimished value to me.

For me the moral of that little anecdote is that i would really be uncomfortable buying a boat--especially from a private seller--unless I could do a sea trial.

I'd be awfully disappointed if I had bought off-season, waited for a few months for the good weather, thinking that on that first gorgeous day I can just turn the key and go.

Only to discover I have a myriad of problems once I put it in the water.

Having mentioned all of that, I wouldn't go so far as to say I wouldn't buy off-season, only that I'd exercise more than usual caution. And the deal would have to entail more than the usual inducements.

Re: End of Season/Winter Purchase Decision

Mid wintering buying sucks. The savings are definitely there, but it's a gamble.

I found a boat I really wanted in February of this year. It was buried on an indoor rack at a Marina about 100 miles away from home. so after playing Tarzan on the boat racks for a few hours taking better pics and going over the boat the best I could. I gave the Marina a 50% deposit and signed a contract to be back no later then the 1st of May. Everything was on contingent of my approval after a sea trial, and proof of maintenance records.

The call finally came April 30th that the boat would be in the water and ready for trial the next afternoon. Needless to say things were not as they appeared. The records alone indicated there had been no drive service since 1992 ! The paticular Marina claimed they sold the boat to the only owner and it was serviced and kept there it's whole life (1986). Once he heared of my findings he ran to service to discover the same thing. I didn't even bother with a sea trial as it was a OMC on top of that fact. So here it was April 31st and I was 100 miles from home and starting my search all over again. I even went out and bought a brand new $4k trailer a month prior, that of coarse was prominently attached to my truck that day. I ended up buying my current boat two days later...it of coarse came with a perfectly good trailer. I swapped them around and sold it to get a few bucks back.

Moral of the story, Unless it is a new boat, or only a few years old, or that of maybe a good friend with ALL maintenance records, I would only buy if I could sea trial immediately. Of coarse that doesn't stop me from looking year round at CL, & Ebay for my next bigger and better.