jasonballard
Seaman
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2003
- Messages
- 64
Hey guys, check out this boat,<br /> http://datatronicsinc.com/rattler/ <br /><br />Tell me what you think; should I buy? Looks pretty good, but is it worth $6500 (my offer)?
<br /><br />Ok
seriously, the only way to know the condition and value for sure is to have the critter surveyed. Costs about $200, maybe less. It is strongly suggested you NOT survey yourself. There is a pretty good chance insurance is going to require the survey anyway, so go with a bona fide surveyor...a members of 1 of 2 national marine survey organizations. Definitely check out insurance requirements/costs BEFORE you buy. Good luck!!! <br /><br />The survey for the latest boat took about 5 hrs to complete. The boat was sitting on jacks. He started by walked all the way around the boat, bounced a hammer off the hull every 4 to 6 inches. Did the same with all the decking/floor. Crawled under the whole length of the keel, looking for any grounding damage. Inspected under every inch of floor that was accessible, in every nook and cranny looking for anywhere water could sit. Operated every piece of equipment, followed every hose inspecting for cracks, etc. Checked engine, maint. logs, liquid levels, extinguishing system, prop blades, pitch alignment, taps each blade and listens for hidden stress damage. The whole time he was explaining why the boat was built the way it was, method used to build it, offered suggestions on what to change for recreational use, how to fix what needed attention now and what to watch for in the future (fortunately, nothing major ... but nothing that was cheap, either ) He passed on local material resources for the remodeling I told him was planned, gave me the pros and cons and suggested alternatives... Nothing was unchecked, everything was explained. Best $200 ever spent on boating! Didnt hurt that as he walked away he said it was the best built boat he had ever seen in 20+ years. We knew there was a fuel leak, he asked if I would mind if he came back later when I had the tank out to see how the leak happened, for his own education. I called when the tank was out and he came by the yard to see it.<br /><br />A proper survey will tell you exactly what you have and exactly what you dont have, and the value therein. Like I said before, unless the boat is fairly new, the insurance company is probably going to require a survey anyway. They dont want to insure a dilapidated floating hazard, no matter how endeared you are to it. Boats are like cars in that after a certain age you have to prove they are worth insuring. A survey is how you do that.