7 THINGS EVERY BOAT BUYER SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE SIGNING A PURCHASE CONTRACT.
Zimmerman Marine has been repairing, building, and buying boats for 40 years.
You’ve found the boat of your dreams. You’ve researched, downloaded a checklist, and think you have it all covered. But before you sign the contract here are 7 things you should
consider. We’ve compiled this list over 40 years of working with boat buyers who, soon after the purchase come to us looking for help!
1. GELCOAT COLOR MATTERS– Not just cosmetics, but issues that arise from the heat!
2. BLISTERS ARE NOT A DEAL KILLER – Visible blisters can be fixed and help you negotiate a better price.
3. CHINE SLAP CAN KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT – A lot of times a buyer doesn’t have the opportunity to stay long enough on a boat to even detect this until it is too late.
4. CAPTAIN MAINTAINED SOMETIMES MEANS ”BUYER BEWARE” – A full-time captain can certainly keep a boat in outstanding condition. Many times, however, smaller boats under 70’ may only have captains that show up when the owner wants to take a trip. Resulting in on-the-fly maintenance to keep her running.
5. CORE MATERIAL MATTERS – Moisture in the core can be a serious issue. The choice of core material matters greatly – closed-cell foam, Balsa, and honeycomb have different risk factors. Understanding the differences can save you tens of thousands of dollars.
6. LOW ENGINE HOURS TELL TWO STORIES – Low engine hours could be great. But engine hours that are too low could tell another story. And not a happy one!
7. DON’T GET HOSED - Replacing all the hoses on a 40-foot trawler might cost $20,000— money well spent, but likely more than you thought about on survey day.