BAD Sailboats - What NOT to Buy - Ep 232 - Lady K Sailing

This week we look at BAD sailboats and what not to buy, how to spot problems with a sailboat before you go see it, red flags in sailboat for sale ads and boat brokers, damaged sailboats, and sailboats that will just cost to mucht o fix. How to not buy a sailboat.

[garrettrice]

"enough silicone to make Kardashian blush" I don't know who writes your jokes but that got a big laugh out of me.

[rdWest]

Best line ever, "More red flags than my dating profile." These are some really good boat buying tips.

[desertfireonlineptyltd]

I was the editor of a Yachting Magazine. Magazines and on-line websites don't make money from subscribers. They make their money from advertisers. This means there's a lot of pressure to give boats good reviews. My rule of thumb was this: If I said it was phenomenal, it was great. If I said it was really good, it was average. If I said it was average, it was a deathtrap. If you're an experienced sailor you probably know a bit about yacht design and yacht construction, but if you're a newbie - pay for an honest adviser who only serves your interest. Don't believe what you read in the mags.

[govtfunded]

That boat screams "my old owner was never able to take proper care of me, retired with less money than he expected due to the financial crash, paid the lowest bidder to ferry me to Puerto Rico where I was neglected and took on a lil water during one of those storms that comes through here, upon which I sunk until my giant keel hit bottom and I sat that way for a very long time, until my owner took the insurance payoff, traded me for a Honda Ruckus scooter and $15, 000 worth of marijuana and my new owner is a flipper who doesn't love me and just wants me gone. Please help me." Poor thing....

[johnalberto]

I saw this boat being sold out of Fajardo Puerto Rico in 2021 with a bad engine which needed replacing, I guess that's why the engine looks so clean now.

[tyrotrainer]

Superb! I bought my first boat, an old 25ft Westerly, for under $10, 000. Biggest mistake was having an outboard engine; you can't store gasoline on deck safely and easily and starting it was often a nightmare when single handed. Plus rigging; mine was rotten and cost me more than the boat to get fixed for offshore sailing. Get a pro inspection every time, it's another pair of eyes.

[JP-lzvk]

I'm willing to bet good money that the owner has crashed the keel into coral or other rocks and part de-laminated the keelbox from the rest of the boat. That was Expedition Evans' position and it took a ton of work to fix. Also blurring the serial number means that insurance claims can't be checked.

[Bigrignohio]

As a potential first-time boat buyer (looking for a liveaboard cabin cruiser) I am often ASTONISHED at what I see in the pictures. What is it with boat sellers and taking pictures of cluttered and often filthy cabins? Kitchens with knackered appliances laying around and rusty stovetops? Showers where they store a wet/dry vac, composting toilet(?!), or cleaning supplies? Engine compartments with old standing water? Mildewed exterior vinyl furniture? "Uncle Ed" sitting in a Barcalounger? Even a complete novice like myself can see issues with the conditions of these boats.

[rayager]

I had a 2008 45DS. Sailed her all over the Caribbean and down to Grenada. Bought her in FL and sailed the “ delivery skippers route”, straight out 26 degrees t o “I-65” and down into St Thomas, 9 days open water. She sailed extremely well to weather. My only issue with her was that Jeanneau/Benetau uses brass valves and tail pieces coupled to bronze skin fittings for their thruhulls. I had multiple failures of tail pieces and two valve failures in my 1st 6 months of ownership (purchased May 2016). At my first opportunity we hauled her and replaced all 16 thruhulls with Meralon thruhulls. Never lost a night of sleep after that. I’ve posted on this topic in the Jeanneau Owners Group several times. If you own one of these, keep a watchful eye on your thruhulls and replace them as soon as you get the opportunity.

[markdiephouse]

I sailed a Benetau from San Juan to key west. It was so squeaky and creaky, You couldn't sleep in it under sail.

[AmoMiEsposa-qd]

I sold my Bavaria 41f from 2003 bolted keel aft cabin sloop etc etc, and bought a 1980 Henry Wauquiez 43f Ketch Encapsulated keel 16Ton sailboat, i love it ❤️⛵⚓

[djabbt]

One thing you didnt mention is diesel bug. I helped a club member a few years ago bring a yacht from the south (UK) to Scotland, we got barely half way and the engine shuddered to a halt. After being towed into port by the RNLI, we discovered the fuel tank had eight inches of sludge, stopping the fuel flow. We had to rig a temporary fuel tank to continue the remainder of the journey. My colleague hadnt spent money on an independent survey.

A couple of years later i was asked to help again for a similar yacht purchase movement, i couldn't help, but strongly suggested a proper survey, plus making certain there was no diesel bug, they didnt and same thing happened, engine failed after half way through a similar distance.

Diesel bug is a big problem with engines using current biofuels, especially so if the yacht has been virtually idle for several months.

[Ron-zrse]

That boat was not just a walk away from but a run away from boat. Personally, I do not do plastic fantastic boats which knocks out most if not all of these smaller sailboats. Bolt on keels are another no go. I also prefer to deal with reputable brokers and a survey is never overlooked, it is a must and money well spent.

[stevenperez]

Very well researched and very well presented sir. Everyone who watches this video can learn from this. It’s human nature to become swept up emotionally with certain purchase decisions (your first home is a great example). One can easily become completely blind to the hair on the object of one’s desire. Having a neutral third party to talk to is worth every penny and every minute spent on an unbiased review.

[rossfinlayson]

I have a 42ds and they are great boats, ours is a 7' draft having sailed from the uk, and round the Caribbean, this year we went through the Bahamas, yes its tight In some sports but we never had an issue.

[fredkrabach]

I do a fair bit of consulting like you do for local people. One thing that I have come to suggest to potential buyers os to just avoid anything listed by Pop Yachts. In my experience they have yet to be the actual listing broker. Instead, they seem to hijack listings from legitimate brokers then charge a fee to basically arrange a showing with the actual broker. At least, that was my experience on at least 3 Pop Yacht listing that I can quickly recall. Good show and good info as always. 👍👍

[jacobuszwanenburg]

I listened to your advice about this subject
A few more also.
I now liveaboard a nice beneteu in Grenada. It’s a year 2000.
Ya maintenance is always a thing but overall she’s healthy
No major costs at this time. I have a truck camper at home in Alberta. I sat in that and told myself imagine living in this space outside is water, deep water lol
No thanks I need a bigger boat, but not too big, 38’ ahhh stretch out walk around and it’s an awesome treat to sail so far as a beginner .
Thank you for these videos. It’s a BIG help for anyone thinking of sailing. Saved me a lot of time and money I believe !
I was a mechanic for Cat by trade. Not a rich man so I needed to be careful.
I’ve already met a few that sold everything to go sail the dream. They bought nice newer boats with their life’s work and once the thrill was over the cash was gone. The boats for sale to get rid of it fast. Big mistake. Housing has gone crazy in cost.
Their screwed, back to work if they can.
Thanks again for the help 😁

[lyfandeth]

Jenneau and Beneteau also both comply with French regulations, including BRASS through hulls. You'll need to replace every one of them with BRONZE or Marelon as fast as you can.

[mfascuba]

That’s an easy one. Offer $40k, no survey needed. That leaves enough to take care of everything including the aggravation and inconvenience of dealing with the seller and their broker.

[Crazy_Worlds]

Absolutely essential is to include the steering gear in any assessment. In my estimation more boats are abandoned on passage because of steering gear failure than for any other reason.