Captain wanted for the brand you love to hate

Kapn & rtafford, thanks for the words. Both of you are spot on with what I will be gathering, along with as much knowledge about the systems as possible. Should the survey bode well for this vessel and we close on it, the crew quarters will be the warehouse of spares for everything I can get my hands on.

As mapism stated, there aren't a lot of the TE94s out there. With 1300 hours on them, a fresh (about 5 months ago) 1000 hour done (that was a receipt* to see...whoa), and a clean mechanical survey, I'll feel pretty confident with maintaining it up to scheduled services.

The Kohlers have 500 & 900 hours on them.

Debating superior syrups is far more enjoyable right now than the purchasing process!

I appreciate all of the posts and PMs I've been receiving! Regardless of what the sail boaters say about you all...I'll definitely stick around here. The hazing here is way better than the cruisers requirement of starting an herb garden clipped to a bow rail.

...and we’re back (kind of) on track.

Things have been pushed back a few weeks due to the seller’s health and some items that have reared their head during a pre-survey we had done.

So all know where we are at in the process, we made an initial offer after we flew in a second time to walk through the boat. The seller, fell victim to Covid during the process and was hospitalized between the second showing and the initial offer. Seller missed the ‘counter by’ date in the original purchase agreement due to hospitalization, we were understanding and it didn’t really bother us for that delay.

Seller’s broker finally came back with a counter, that is well under what the Mrs and I agreed what would be our stop.

YAY! Right? Kind of.

The pre-survey we forced (given the history of the vessel, I wasn’t keen on having a deposit held and paying for a mechanical, electrical and general survey) a pre-survey to be done so we didn’t throw good money at a bad candidate. Turns out, there is an ‘exhaust’ issue that is preventing the boat from getting on plane. Weird, considering it just had the 1000 hr service done a few months ago.

No big deal on our end, the seller is having it pulled out at repaired the first or second week of January.

It’s kind of unorthodox as far as the process normally goes, but we’re in agreement on the price, pending the surveys/sea trial after the repairs and won’t actually pay the deposit into escrow until the seller provides proof of it going in for repair and the initial report from the marina doing the work.

I appreciate the kind words @gr8trn . Diligence/risk management is a big deal to me (it’s how we pay our bills around here) and this particular vessel has a pretty interesting history that I will share with the group once we close, or walk away. That story will explain the low hours and the overall state of the vessel as we found it.

As far as the pre-survey, I am 99% sure I learned of that being a thing from reading a post here...not sure who’s knowledge turned me onto that but I took it and ran. I see no reason a buyer should put themselves in a position of possible ‘wasted’ money by surveying a boat that has inherent issues that will cause the deal to go sour. I look at a survey as the tool that equalizes the value of the vessel for both parties.

We were present for the pre-survey dockside, but didn’t ‘do-it’ ourselves. The exhaust/planing issue was found outside of that by the vessel’s current manager, who took it out after we left our day visit to it. I didn’t expect the owner to incur the costs of taking it out while we were there as we hadn’t decided to move forward at that point. During the pre-survey, it was found that the power station has been defective and was causing systems issues as they only had one of the cords plugged in.

With each generator running, the systems seemed to work but it left us questioning the overall systems health. Once that news was relayed to the seller, he had the vessel taken out for a ‘shake-down’ and the exhaust issue was found.

As far as the buying process for me, I am able to keep my emotions out of purchasing boats/cars/houses, etc. I am not at the level, nor will I ever be at the level, where boats, like cars are anything more than a tool for specific portions of my life. While we’ll live aboard this next one, we know it’s nothing more than a depreciating asset that will never bottom out but allows us a lifestyle that increases our happiness.

The Mrs, on the other hand, is already picking out linens, soft goods...that’s where the real negotiations take place. She’d buy every boat we board...as long as it keeps us out of Chicago winters.

We need to get you into an intervention program, STAT!

If I ever find myself in marriage counselling or family court, it's going to be over pillows. Never did I know that you could effectively match the price of a boat...in pillows. Which, by the way, do NOTHING for resale and are NEVER carried over from vessel to vessel.

No...just no. I may have to rethink my bilge cleaning offer...that amount of pillow fluffing might push me into therapy.

Thanks Danvilletim! If this were an emotional purchase, I’m positive I wouldn’t be so cavalier about my position. I am totally ok with where this deal currently stands and the parameters we are operating under. I am a man of my word and should the seller (who’s agreed to a sale price) chose to accept another offer outside of that well, that’s his prerogative and frankly not someone I wish to give my hard earned money to.

Thanks NY. If it’s not this one, there will be another. As I said earlier, this isn’t an emotional purchase for me. It’s a pretty calculated life change. Should we have to spend another summer on the Great Lakes in our current boat, I’m pretty sure I’ll find happiness there as well...and won’t have to see the CC bill for more pillows.

You are correct, being pretty open here could expose my position and I would normally be pretty evasive if this were one of those, “I have to have this” purchases. The only downside to not closing on this boat is the possibility of having to change my username to just

LOL!!! My wife actually sent this to me a few weeks ago...and copied the mother in law on it...they both though it was quite funny, at my expense!!