After assessing this particular boat, I was able to find some issues that were not of huge concern, but they were something that a buyer might use as a bargaining tool or a reason to back out of a sale.

Some of the problem areas were related to burnt out bulbs and lack of organization. While this boat is listed, there is the possibility that the owners may use the boat while it is for sale. Due to this fact, we needed to leave their personal gear onboard and just reorganize as opposed to take everything off to clean up the appearance. This allows potential buyers to see how well the boat handles gear and still leaves plenty of room to get around in the stowage areas. What was a downside to the boat has now been turned into something that accentuates the boats assets.

Boats are typically dark inside because of their small portholes and limited power supply. Why make it even more difficult for a potential buyer/client to view the boat by not replacing bulbs when they burn out. This is probably the least expensive maintenance you can do on a boat.

The boat was in very good shape prior to our arrival, but now it really shines and is turn key. For anyone looking for a 53′ Navigator, this boat will not disappoint and it is very well priced at $335,000

We have currently had a request from one of our past clients that is now selling his boat through a broker we work with regularly. His request: to assess his boat and give him an idea of what (if anything) needs to be done to the boat to help make it more salable. Some issues that he thought we should take a look at were: an odor that potential buyers were complaining about and cleanliness in storage areas and the engine room as well as all mechanical/electrical systems.

This yacht is listed with a broker that has been in the industry for years and is respected in the profession. One of the issues we run into regularly regardless of the yacht broker’s experience in the industry, is that they are in the picture to sell the boat, not oversee it’s well being. In a market such as the one we are currently in, boats are not shown often and sit without visitors or use for several months at a time.

Unfortunately, what this usually means is that a broker shows up to show the boat only to be smacked in the face by the musty odor that we all know occurs in boats. Some write it off as, “That’s just what boats smell like.” Take it from me, this is not what boats have to smell like. Among other things, the musty odor is likely coming from water sitting in bilges, lack of air movement, stagnate water in heads, partially full holding tanks and sumps with water residue in them.

All of the items listed above are preventable and repairable, but most boaters are fair weather boaters and just shut the boat down at the end of the season and walk away until next year. Boats do not care for this kind of neglect and show it with the aforementioned odor that we’ve all come to know as ‘what boats smell like’.

Regardless of whether your boat is for sale or just stored for the winter, it would behoove ALL boat owners to either pay their vessels a visit regularly or pay someone to do it. The fees usually aren’t too great (especially when you have crinkle-nosed friends and family asking, “Where’s that smell coming from?”) to justify not having it done.

Another item that helps with some of the odor is an ionizer like the Quantum products that we carry. They are fairly inexpensive in the grand scheme of things and solve the musty smell with virtually no effort on the part of the boat owner. The boats we have been using them on are some of the worst smelling in the ‘musty’ department that I’ve dealt with. Within a matter of weeks, not only is the odor gone, but we don’t have to worry about it coming back due to the continual work of the ionizer.

There are many issues that can plague a boat even while not in use and getting a thorough inspection and list of recommended changes can save a lot of money and trouble in the long run. Some of them may not even cost you any additional money. It may be as simple as changing the oil after the season instead of just prior to the season so that your motor oil isn’t corroding the inside of a $10,000+++ engine.

Please consider having your boat assessed by an experienced professional. Making some minor changes could help ensure a safer and more successful boating season. After all, we all boat because we love the feeling of being on the water cruising. Not because we like to sit in an engine room cursing at a bank of bad batteries that went dead over the winter and now refuse to start your boat on the first cruise of the year.

This Sunday the 5th is the date for the 2010 special needs cruise. We have participated the last 2 years with our boat, but will be running a different boat this year. The owner of the 92′ ‘Accord’ has been gracious enough to let us use their boat while ours is undergoing some interior upgrades.

This cruise is very important to the folks that are able to attend. For many of them, it’s the only holiday activity that they will be able to participate in. Fortunately, we have the ability to help make it as much fun as possible. The best part of it for us is the appreciation we feel from the guests and their families. It’s great to know we were a part of something that had such a great affect on people.

Tristin and I have enjoyed the chance to be a part of this event and look forward to continuing this tradition for years to come. If you would like information on how to help with this event, please get ahold of me and I will get you in touch with the proper people.

Note all of the hardware screwed into the deck.

Over the last couple of weeks, we have had a maintenance/management project that I have been working on in Seattle. Due to some hardware improperly installed in a flybridge deck, rot has created a large problem on a 100′ motoryacht. With the professionalism of Al Mejia of Al’s Fiberglass and some assistance from me, the project has been going pretty smoothly and we plan to have it completed by the end of next week.

Please use this costly mistake as evidence that if you’re installing (or having installed) hardware on ANY of your decks, you need to do so very carefully. We would highly recommend that you work with a fiberglass professional, or at least consult with one, prior to any kind of drilling into fiberglass. Fiberglass repairs are much more expensive than proper preparation for mounting.

You can see the moisture sitting under the fiberglass in the foam.

We work with, and maintain good working relationships with, specialized vendors and service persons so that we can refer you to someone we would trust to work on our boats as much as on yours. Never hesitate to contact us for quality referrals.

More to come on this project as we make progress and some photos to go with it…

With the proper installation of plywood decking we have regained structural integrity.