Buying a big boat is a pain in the A**. So much going on. One of the major items is the survey, but before that, one must find an available, qualified, reasonably priced surveyor. Only then do you start the dance of trying to pick a date that: 1) that I’m available. 2) the boatyard can lift the boat out of the water so that the surveyor can check out the hull. 3) Get the owner to move the boat to the marina. 4) Get the selling and buyer’s brokers to be there. 5) Oh, let’s not forget the surveyor. Well, that date was Wednesday, June 2nd.
We leave the seller’s house with everyone aboard, including my dad, (Lollipop lives in a canal, in the owner’s backyard) and head to Shell Point Marina. They had the lift waiting for us, and ten minutes after we arrived, Lollipop was in the air. The surveyor did his thing, tapping the hull looking for blisters in the fiberglass (he found none). He inspected the trough hulls and the running gear. Soon enough, I’m paying the bill for the haulout, and Lollipop is back in the water.
Next, we head out to Tampa Bay to open her up and see what she will do, 8 miles an hour. I am running the boat most of this time. After about 20 minutes, we head back in.
Meanwhile, the surveyor is recording all the engine readings, going back and forth to the engine room, running the generator, washer and dryer, lights, stove, microwave, water pump, flushing toilets, crawling around in the alleyways (bilge), etc.
Once docked, the surveyor finished his inspection and told me about the most critical things he found, and then “poof”, everyone was gone except for me, my dad, and the owner—a very busy 6 hours.
After regaining my wits and looking at all the storms on the Tampa radar, we decided to head home and wait on the written survey.
Saturday morning, I checked my email to find the PDF file. Many pages of write-ups most reading “serviceable”. (What does serviceable mean anyway – it needs service? HaHa).
Several items need attention, some I knew about, and a couple of surprises—nothing too major but requiring attention and money. I talk with my broker, and we make an adjusted offer and wait. By Monday, June 7, the seller accepted our offer and now we are on to the next step, hiring a closing agent.
