Boat Search

I cannot believe that it is August already! The past several months have flown by, filled with constant learning and new experiences. It was several weeks ago when Daniel and I were last in Florida. We had originally gone down to Carrabelle, FL to complete a deal on a 41’ Formosa Ketch Sea Tiger. Our purchase was of course contingent on the survey, and unfortunately, the survey revealed some things to Daniel and I that we are not prepared to deal with, at least not this early in our boating lives. With great disappointment, Daniel and I decided to turn a less than ideal situation into an opportunity for experience and boat education.
We drove to Panama City, about two hours west along the Gulf and met with a broker from PC Yachts. David, the broker, was and has continued to be more than helpful providing Daniel and I with some honest advice about the boat buying process. First, he took us to see a 39’ Catalina. She was in pretty good shape with lots of desirable features: shower already installed, roomy salon, lots of head room, large cockpit, nice kitchen… But, she didn’t feel like home. We valued the visit, however, because every boat Daniel and I can see is another boat we have a chance to practice inspecting. Appreciative, though not overjoyed, Daniel and I were taken to see a 36’ Allied Princess. Driving over the bridge, we saw her, majestically distinctive in the slip. As Daniel and I stepped on board with a scrutinizing eye, we again felt excitement filling our hearts. “Princess” the Allied Princess, is simply beautiful. Her layout is roomy, especially for a 36’ boat. She has been meticulously taken care of, really only in need of some cosmetic paint, etc. Daniel, as an electrical engineer, was particularly impressed with the electronic wiring. This is a huge complement to the boat owner. Daniel knows his stuff!
Today, Daniel and I are driving down to Panama City to have “Princess” surveyed. We have a contract on her, and our fingers are crossed that we will have a positive review from the surveyor. We are very hopeful that this weekend will confirm what he and I both believe— “Princess” is our boat. Keep us in your thoughts this weekend. I expect that I will have some news to report soon!

Much love,
Lauren and Daniel

We’ve been doing a LOT of research, investigation, and searching, as well as picking the brains of some good friends of ours (shout out to Bruce and Connie on Te Oigo!).

As we approach this upcoming weekend, we are making plans to survey another ship, this time in Panama City. We’ll give you some more information soon, but right now we are trying not to get our hopes up too high. In addition, the process of surveying a ship costs a lot of money so we are learning to be ever more careful to inspect the ships ourselves (and what to look for when doing so) beforehand. For those of you unfamiliar with nautical customs, the survey is paid for by the buyer and is akin to a home inspection and an appraisal, all in one process. The ship is completely looked over by a (hopefully very experienced and capable) professional surveyor. The hull and decks are checked for moisture ingress (a bad thing, you don’t want to find any), and all rigging is inspected. Then the ship is hauled out of the water and her propeller, hull condition, keel, rudder, through-hulls (the ports to let seawater in the ship for various purposes and to let waste and bilge water out), and other underwater fittings are fully checked. After this all-day process, the surveyor then writes up the complete state of the vessel, both good and bad, and makes a list of recommendations for what needs to be fixed on her. He also provides a professional valuation of the ship compared to other ships of her type, size, and/or capability in the market. This valuation is accepted for loan and insurance purposes, and is a basis for determining an offer as it provides a neutral ‘fair value’ for the ship.

Typically a lot of things that are “not good” are found during this process, and its up to the buyer to determine if they are dealbreakers (deck core damage, for instance), cause for negotiation of price (needs a bottom repaint), or just nitpicky items that are not necessarily a negative thing (a rubber hose due for replacement on an otherwise perfectly fine engine).

So, this is what we are arranging for this weekend. Of course, we are hopeful she will be “the one” but if not, we look forward to visiting other ships!