Love at First Sight?

Whether you are shopping for a new or previously owned boat, relying on a professional surveyor or trusted friends, you should never fall in love with any boat before your due diligence is complete. The new ride has to be as good as, or better than, the boat being replaced. I think of this initial due-diligence period as a pre-survey, like dipping a toe in the water before jumping in.

On a recent jaunt with a friend to do a pre-survey on a 10-year-old, 40-foot cruiser, he told me the boat was the right size for his growing family’s needs. He said he passed the boat every day at his marina, on the way to his 35-footer at the end of the dock. He liked it because his goal was to do weeklong summer cruises before the kids got too busy with their teenage lives. The smaller boat was showing its limitations.

The owner of the 40-footer gave my friend the keys to check out the boat before arranging a sea trial and hiring a surveyor. So, we did a pre-survey. My friend ushered me through the salon and galley, and recited all of the features he liked, including the flat-screen television, the under-counter refrigerator, the air conditioning and the dinette.

But before we headed below to the staterooms, I insisted that we go into the engine room—home base for the most expensive equipment aboard any boat, and, on a used boat, a space that reveals how the owner cares for his pride and joy.

My friend was yapping about the twin diesels as I lifted a centerline hatch and realized another hatch was beneath the dinette, which would have to be removed for access to the starboard engine. Under the portside sofa was a third hatch, to reach the other engine. The outboard hatches had not been removed in quite some time—not a good sign for routine maintenance.

Once I was squished between the V-8 diesels, I could confirm that the owner was not big on engine-room visits. For starters, there were no engine-room lights. Daily fluid checks for the engines could be performed without drawing blood or cracking skulls, but the diesel generator was wedged abaft the starboard diesel, the front of which had an orange coat of rust from the dripping stuffing box that sprayed the machinery whenever the engine was running in gear.

My flashlight also revealed that the water strainer for the genset was a dark globe of mud (and probably marine life), ensuring a difficult experience for its raw-water impeller and the nearly inaccessible water pump. The engines and house batteries were outboard of each diesel; checking the batteries and connections would likely be a one-time seasonal effort. There was barely enough space between the top of each engine and the lead-lined insulation under the hatch, a setup that also concerned me.

Had this boat been equipped with smaller, gasoline inboards, things likely could have been easier to get around. But on this boat, the safety and durability of the diesels were seriously compromised by the installation and lack of accessibility. A couple more feet could have a made a difference, but a 10-year-old boat would probably require a significant amount of upgrades and maintenance to make it serviceable.

Unfortunately, my friend was more interested in the accommodations. He went ahead and arranged a sea trial, and was pleased with how the boat performed, although his wife noticed blue smoke exhaust coming through the stern, enveloping the cockpit. My friend and the seller agreed on a price pending a survey, and a professional surveyor was brought on to give the boat a thorough inspection, including an oil analysis for the engines and generator.

The surveyor gave the boat poor grades for much of its machinery and systems, including the air conditioning and generator that could not be started. He also discovered wet coring sandwiched between the waxed gelcoat and the fiberglass near the engine-room vents on both hull sides, as well as some delamination in the cockpit sole and more than a few oozing blisters on the bottom. The old navigation electronics had lived past their prime, and there were questions about the age of the inflatable life raft.

My friend then thought long and hard about what it would cost to repair or replace the various suspect parts. The owner would only budge so far from his listing price.

Ultimately, my friend decided to pass. He plans to use his current boat until he spots a suitable replacement.

I do believe that you should always buy the boat you like, so when it breaks, you only have yourself to blame. But at the same time, boats are not like wine. They do not age gracefully. Even a hardly used boat ages, and low hours can be good or bad in terms of a boat’s overall condition.

A pre-survey will not reveal all you should know about a boat, but falling in love before you understand all you need to know can break your heart and your wallet in the long run. 

This article was originally published in the March 2023 issue.