Problems with used boat inspection

[Dignity]

This whole thread begs the question, should second hand boats over a certain age be considered money pits/write offs to prospective owners?

You can't get a new insurance on a boat now over a certain age without the insurance Company inspecting it.

My heart goes out to Jeremy, unfortunately there is very little recourse for him that would cost far more than to repair the problem and with little hope of settlement in his favour. He'd also have to be very careful in how he "names and shames" anyone, especially on a public forum.

[shakey55]

I hate reading stories like this. I’d be giving the seller a call and letting him know what you think.

After Fair trading etc, consider a good law firm that have a no win no pay policy. They will go over the legal side of things and if they take it on I bet the inspection mob start coming to the party as defending this in court will probably send them broke.

Start by making a timeline diary detailing all communication, name, time, date and phone numbers. Then to the best of your recollection the exact comments made by whoever you spoke to.

It’s worth a try and should cost you next to nothing.

Good luck


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[Watto79]

Unfortunately you will find that in their "terms and conditions" they will have a clause/s to cover themselves in the likely event of this situation..

Doesn't make it right, but that is how they operate unfortunately..

Sorry to here of your unfortunate situation, I would still approach them about what you have found.. they will probably wipe you like the last bloke but that's worse case scenario and doesn't hurt to ask just to be sure..

[stevej]

the price would have reflected the age and condition of the boat

[Jeremy]

Do you reckon it is worth taking the repair quotes to the inspection mob and seeing if they will take on part of the fixing up costs?

Thanks for the suggestion but not feasible - 5 hours drive

[Jeremy]

the price would have reflected the age and condition of the boat

Irrelevant I'm sorry. The owner knew it had rot and lied through his teeth. I got it inspected to guard myself against this and the inspection failed to note the obvious problems. If I knew about the rot, I would have either turned around and driven back home or negotiated several thousand off the asking price.

[Jeremy]

He'd also have to be very careful in how he "names and shames" anyone, especially on a public forum.

I don't see how stating facts can be a problem

[Jeremy]

its a 46 year old hull expect it to be rotten

That is why I got an inspection done

[scottar]

I guess you have three options Jeremy - cop it on the chin as a lesson learned, get it fixed (or turn it into a project and have a crack yourself) and get on with enjoying boating, cop the hit financially and move it on as a project or engage lawyers /small claims. As mentioned, the BIA is really just a boatshow organisation committee and banner waver to make punters think there is some sort or regulatory body - they have no control over the ways that there members run their businesses what so ever and as such are of no use to the end consumer. The report you got from the mob that did the inspection probably has some sort of disclaimer on it - if you want to go down the lawyer route - which has a very real potential of costing more than what it will to fix up the boat, take it to a No win - no pay - first visit free mob and see what they say. Just be mindful of the outcome if they do win if legal costs aren't included in the settlement.

[Steeler]

I don't wish to play devils advocate here Jeremy because you are in a place i found myself in once and it is a real PIT#A. If you do choose to go down the litigious road you may wish to Remove/Edit your posts to where you refer to things like " failed to note the obvious problems " because without going back and re reading earlier posts i think you made reference to you also conducting your very own brief inspection upon arrival in which case there was an opportunity for you pick up on the " obvious problems ".

And in this day and age of social media it would also be a pain in the backside if a post on here was to foil your efforts for recourse. But like i and many others have learnt the hard way and in particular with used boats hope for the best budget for the worst.

[gazza2006au]

I think this guy has a leg to stand on he paid real cash to a trained professional and registered business for a service and to there knowledge the boat was sea worthy, if its costing u $6000 i would not just slap the seller on the ass and say thanks for the boat mate i would string the guy up at the company! that boat is probably only worth $8000 and u probably paid that to the seller

deals like this really piss me off one time as mentioned before i drove from western sydney to port stephens to buy a fibreglass boat for $3000 it was all the money i had saved i was only around 21 years old, i got up there noticed the floor was soft and walked away from the deal, i was young and hadn't known anything about rot in glass boats so i let the deal go for about a week from memory than i went back up to buy the boat and old mate was happy to sell it to me however didn't tell me about any problems it had he made sure he mentioned he was a lawyer

i got the boat home very soft floor, soft transom the boat was a crapper worth $500 old mate and aussie took me for a ride so i learnt u cannot trust anyone

when ever i sell anything in life i am genuine and honest about the sale i note all problems that i know of and this is why it makes me angry that some people out there just do not care even if its all the money u have that they took and even putting your life at risk

[scottar]

I think this guy has a leg to stand on he paid real cash to a trained professional and registered business for a service and to there knowledge the boat was sea worthy, if its costing u $6000 i would not just slap the seller on the ass and say thanks for the boat mate i would string the guy up at the company! that boat is probably only worth $8000 and u probably paid that to the seller

deals like this really piss me off one time as mentioned before i drove from western sydney to port stephens to buy a fibreglass boat for $3000 it was all the money i had saved i was only around 21 years old, i got up there noticed the floor was soft and walked away from the deal, i was young and hadn't known anything about rot in glass boats so i let the deal go for about a week from memory than i went back up to buy the boat and old mate was happy to sell it to me however didn't tell me about any problems it had he made sure he mentioned he was a lawyer

i got the boat home very soft floor, soft transom the boat was a crapper worth $500 old mate and aussie took me for a ride so i learnt u cannot trust anyone

when ever i sell anything in life i am genuine and honest about the sale i note all problems that i know of and this is why it makes me angry that some people out there just do not care even if its all the money u have that they took and even putting your life at risk

Morally I agree with you 100% Gazza. Unfortunately though our F^*&%&^%d up "legal" system has so little to do with what is morally right and so much more to do with keeping legal professionals employed that trying to get a good outcome could cost substantially more than what the boat would be worth in perfect going condition or the costs to get it there. Only Jeremy knows whether he is annoyed enough and in a good enough financial position to pursue the matter.

[ben475]

Bit of a bugger, reckon your going to have to suck it up and decide which way you go with the boat.

Boat pre purchase inspections can be taken with a grain of salt i reckon.

You really need to have a good look yourself and trust your own judgement above others, bit of an issue if you dont know anything about boats, but if it doesnt seem right walk away.
And like anything 2nd hand expect possible issues, especially the older it is.

Whats the chances of a seller flicking the inspector a few bucks to write up a favorable report?

[scottar]

Whats the chances of a seller flicking the inspector a few bucks to write up a favorable report?

Anything's possible - I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time. If the guy was from a local yard, the seller may be talking about purchasing a new rig - hardly going to jeopardise that with the "get out of jail free" wording that no doubt accompanied the report. Who know's - they may have even sent out an apprentice. If you are getting one done it's probably better to try and find someone that makes their primary living from doing such and would thus take a big hit if word got out they did dodgy's.

[gazza2006au]

It sure is an eye opener, before i bought my project boat i was looking into boat inspections now after seeing what this bloke has gone thru your better off inspecting your self