So my hull survey came back for a
2006 Mainship 34T
here is what came back as to big $$$ issue
1. Flybridge deck soft spot 3sq feet. i plan to negotiate that right away, and prefer Marina/broker to give me estimate 5-7k.
2. Both cutlass bearing are shot, do i ask seller to fix ?
3. All motor mounts on both engines are shot. Do i ask seller to fix?
4. Both dripless shafts have small drip. Do i ask seller to fix?
are these items negotiable or just wear & tear that seller neglected to do.
Hi there. I see a lot of opinions on this boat and what you should or should not do. Get an estimate or estimate the cost of each item. Talley it up. Compare against what you think the market is and what your willing to pay for it. Most of the items I see fall into electrical minor issues. Light bulbs, some switches, a float switch, AC cooling pump. There are all items which wear and need regular maintenance. The seller did not want to fix everything to make it pristine working condition. Are you handy and can you test an electrical circuit and change a light bulb or change a float switch? The misc. safety equipment you would replace anyway. Shame on both the broker for not asking to seller to update all safety equipment. However, in the end the sales price of a prudent buyer will deduct all these things. Or just go buy and or fix the items which are about $2K.
The question my wife asked me when we purchased our $152K sailboat was are you willing to walk for a $5K difference. We were down to $5K difference. We had gone back and forth several times on various items. We bought her 23 years ago and still have her. So, I've been in and out of yards for a couple of decades.
Onto the big items:
1. Soft deck on bridge area. Get 2 quotes. Deduct that from the price and go have it fixed. These are expensive repairs. You may want require the seller to fix it and or have a hold back on the contract subject to the repairs. So, $6K on the 3 sq Ft. fiberglass repair. That is 48 hours at $125/hour. No way your going to get 3 sq ft repaired for $6k. More like $12-15K. Get yards who have experience with soft fiberglass estimate and sound the area. There could be rot under it, the core may have to dry. On and on. Don't believe the broker on any cost estimates like this one, get a reputable yard to estimate repairs. Now that it is know it will have to be disclosed to the next potential buyer.
2. Shaft cutlass, is very common to delay fixing. The owner may have just been living with it and caused accelerated wear on the engine mounts. Once wear gets past a certain point the wear accelerates. How many hours a year for the last 4-5 years? The real question is did the shafts get damaged. If the shafts are damaged and require repair, welding or polishing etc that is more money. Are there intermediate or upper shaft bearings? If so that would be 2 per shaft. Get 2 quotes. The big big item is if the shafts have to be replaced. Could be $5K each or more. SS shafts are expensive.
3. Get two quotes on the engine mounts. Subtract it as deferred maintenance.
4. A related item. The additional shaft vibration will cause the PSS shaft bellows to go bad.
5. The stern thruster should be operational. Get 2 quotes on the repair and deduct.
6. Group all the misc. bulbs, float switches and electrical into a bucket. Negotiate that price and deduct it. Figure 2 hours each for diagnosis and 2 hours for repair. Then estimate a bucket price, deduct it. These are deferred maintenance. Not a sign of someone who keeps their boat in tip top shape. If they are asking near market price all of the systems and safety equipment should work.
I agree the engine mounts and cutlass bearings are related. Overall I do not see a lot of major items except for the 1. soft fiberglass, 2. (motor mounts, cutlass bearings, PSS all related) 3. Stern Thruster. (A big one.).
Ok that is my .05 cents worth. Good luck in your purchase.
John