Buying my first "Yacht" by Sunseeker, need some help.

You mentioned:

reputable surveyor in the Atlantic City Area

maybe an overnight here and there in Lake Erie




Connect the dots.

Hire someone to deliver your boat via H2O.

Learn your boat's systems while you enjoy the ride.

I completely agree. If you can't get the time free then you just accompany part of the trip or break the trip into segments. There are some beautiful areas on the way. I'd seize the opportunity. Special experience to bring your boat home by water.

You've got to be kidding us Cap. Why aren't you cruising her up? That trip is exactly what you're buying a boat for, and this is exactly what vacations are ideal for. We're heading up the Hudson this Friday, then through the Erie Canal next week. Over the next few weeks there'll be a lot of "Loopers" on the canal. So there'll be a lot of activity. Should be fun.
If you'd like to get a preview of the trip you can watch our bowcam at: Valhalladoestheloop.com or follow us on Marinetraffic.com.

Good luck with the new boat.

Can't comment too much on the fuel burn, except to remind you that you won't burn much coming across the state (slow speed). It's probably the cheapest way of getting the boat home (rather than hiring a captain or trucking it), and certainly the best adventure. A.C. is an easy 2 day (a weekend) cruise to Albany. From there you can move it a day or two at a time at your convenience. Really give it serious consideration. The experience is so worth it. It's one of the most beautiful and fascinating sections of the entire Great Loop.

If you'd like to hire a captain for any part of it PM me and I'll put you in touch with a friend. You'll find him worth his weight in gold.

Not going to be running at cruise. Still cheaper than trucking. And didn't you get the boat to run it?

Do it over four or five weekends....or a couple of long and a couple of short.

And a lot of very good protected easy waters to get use to it, find out any problems, enjoy just being on it.

If you have a contract that stipulates you get the boat for "75K shipped and dropped in the water at my location" then the seller balking at shipping prices sounds like an avoidance mechanism to me.

Perhaps a compromise would be to have the seller give you 4K (or an amount deemed reasonable for "shipping") then you can use that money to pay for the fuel cost of moving it on its own hull (assuming that fuel cost is your principal objection to moving it on the water). As others have said, the trip doesn't have to be done in one piece, and I can't imagine missing the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the boat, especially under the guidance of an experienced captain.

And as to the $4,000 price, that is less than I would have expected transport to be. In fact, at that price, I'd be very careful and make sure it is an experienced, reputable boat transport company.

You could easily fly to and from the boat and just leave it in places and do different legs as time permits. The Manhatten to Oswego run is beautiful. I think with the boat you're buying that you could even run it directly into Lake Erie instead of going up to Oswego. I believe that requires an air draft of less than 16'

I suspect that it would be a really good idea for someone to answer the question about a reputable surveyor before we get too deep into trying to convince this gentlemen to spend a few weekends doing what he bought his boat for, with his boat.

I can't recommend a good surveyor in the AC area but I can warn you about a bad one. PM me for details if interested.

As to marine mechanics in the AC area, I can recommend the company I use, and the owner, while he doesn't do surveys, will be happy to fully inspect your boat and note all the good and not so good things he'll discover for you, and then you can decide what to do about those issues. He's not cheap, but he's very capable for sure. Again, PM me if interested.

Two surveyors that come recommended by many would be:

John Spencer
Toms River New Jersey
732-255-4700

Captain Bob Dunkleburger
dunk79@comcast.net
Or call 609 861 0467

I haven't used them personally, but I have acquaintances that have, and no one speaks ill of them.

In regards to your delivery trip, I just finished taking my boat from Tampa up to RI. It was around 1,750nm, and I did it over the past six months. As others have said, it was an amazing trip, one that I will never forget, and it also taught me a great deal about my boat. I did all of my travel on long weekends or 4 day trips, and planned on keeping my boat in places that I wanted to visit. It looks like $$$ for delivery, but the memories, fun, enjoyment and knowledge are priceless. I scribbled a few notes about our trip HERE if you want to read about it.

Congrats on the new boat, and Good Luck!

Awesome boat, looks like a nice purchase!

If you have agreed that the seller should cover the cost to deliver you could just work out the expected cost of fuel and then knock that off the purchase price. Then get a friend to pilot it down for you if you don't have time.

Good looking boat! - I suggest you get it insured before putting it on a truck. Make sure trucker is well insured as well.

Wear and tear enjoying your boat? You buy a boat to use it. The more you use it, the better everything works, and less things break. Is it better for a 10 year old car to sit for a month at a time or more, or to be driven daily? If I don't see at least 100 hours of usage on the engines per year I am VERY LEERY of the condition of the engines as well as every other system on the boat, and tell my customers to be very careful.

Just finished reading this thread. Looking for ideas on transporting a MY if surveys go as planned. We are purchasing a MY from NY and transporting to TX. We are looking at transporting on it's own bottom, but do not have experience running a MY. Your thread gave us the idea of breaking the trip up in pieces. Would it be best to hire a Captain for the first leg and possible to finish up the trip on our own?

Absolutely. Hire one interested and experienced in training. Use however long you need to. Frankly, I'd expect you to need one for most, if not all the trip.

Hi Gerdie, It is a very long trip from NY to TX, but I have done all aspects of the trip, several times over. If you do it by water, you may even want to make several side trips along the way and enjoy certain areas like the Chesapeake and the Bahamas along the way since you might not have the opportunity again. However, if the boat can be trucked it would be a lot cheaper to truck it from NY to TX as it's about 2500 NM by water or more.