[C320-list] Good News / Bad News Ammended to - Use a Broker?

[Allan S. Field]

   Since I inadvertently started this string, guess I better weigh-in.  I
   used a "buyer's" broker for the purchase of the C387 (also to be named
   Sea Shadow, our 3rd with this name).  But there is a back-story...  I
   thought I was on Yacht World's website when I sent in a query about the
   boat we eventually purchased. It was only when I received a response
   that I realized I was dealing with a broker I was not entirely pleased
   with when I bought the C320 15+ years ago.  Instead of Yacht World's
   website, I was actually on the broker's website.  At this point, I
   could have either walked away or continued with this broker.  I decided
   to continue, expecting at any moment to have either to do battle with
   the guy or at the minimum, to be disappointed.  However, probably since
   he was not the listing broker, which meant he was representing me vs.
   the Seller, the experience exceeded all expectations.  In short, he did
   a phenomenal job in representing my best interests, at times possibly
   contrary to his own.  Example: There were some significant showstopper
   issues discovered at survey.  The final 3 involved the shifter,
   transmission, and an overheating engine.  The broker contracted with a
   mechanic he both trusted and has worked with in the past.  Both of them
   spent the entire day on the boat - a good 10 hours - getting these 3
   issues resolved.  The broker was there basically as the "gopher" for
   the mechanic.  And everything got fixed to our satisfaction.  I am not
   sure spending 10 hours on a boat (plus about 3 hours round trip driving
   time) is something these guys do routinely, but he did.  At the end of
   the day, I was absolutely happy with this broker.
   But... I also learned from talking with others who have sold without a
   broker that it isn't rocket science.  So we are going to try and sell
   the C320 without a broker and "split" the 10% commission either with
   the person who refers an eventual buyer and/or the Buyer.  We plan to
   take this track only for a few weeks and if unsuccessful, will
   eventually turn it over to a broker.  A big issue for us though is that
   we will be out of the country from 11/3/2016-12/12/2016 (cruising down
   the Baja Peninsula and into the Sea of Cortez on a Nordhavn-50) so
   cannot really focus on selling the C320 through a broker until
   mid-December as we will be pretty much off the grid and could not
   respond quickly to a broker.  We then plan to leave from Puerto
   Vallarta on the same Nordhavn in mid-March with next stop the
   Marquesas.  Long way of saying, life will be much easier if we can sell
   Sea Shadow C320 between now and 11/3/2016!
   Allan S. Field
   Sea Shadow - #808
   Columbia, MD


   On 09/23/16, Amiraults Family<amiraults at sympatico.ca> wrote:

   Ted:
   I too live in Ontario, and in 2007 I used the services of a Canadian
   broker
   for assistance in the purchase of my C320 out of Boyne City Michigan.
   At the
   time I was fully employed and doing overtime for my employer while
   maintaining a home and a family. I was busy man. I met this broker at
   the
   Toronto Boat Show in January of 2000 when I was first considering a
   used
   boat. Dropping by the Catalina display in subsequent years he
   surprisingly
   always remembered my name even though I had until '07 never sent any
   business his way.
   So what did he do for me? I did the internet search for my boat, doing
   a lot
   of looking over months until finding what I wanted. I discussed each
   find
   with him by 'phone (he's in TO while I'm in Ottawa) until we agreed on
   specific examples. We then discussed asking prices and he would respond
   within a day on whether they appeared reasonable, or the bottom line
   offer I
   should walk away if not met. Once a boat was found and purchased
   following a
   successful survey (I found the surveyor and dealt directly with him -
   actually never seeing the boat until its arrival in Ottawa) my broker
   took
   over. I passed all funds to him and he arranged for and disbursed funds
   to
   satisfy the seller's broker, disposal of the original fixed cradle,
   shipping
   of the boat to Ottawa including the actual trucking and the necessary
   paperwork both sides of the US/Canada border, and Canadian Federal
   taxes (I
   did the provincial gouge). Post delivery he handled the negotiations
   and
   compensation for the only item not as described in the listing.
   In the entire process from "I want it" to "sitting in the yard" did
   anything
   go wrong? Sure; but nothing at his end. I arranged with The Cradle Shop
   for
   a new cradle to be delivered to the club prior to the arrival of the
   boat so
   that the commercial crane I rented would have something to move the
   boat to
   from the transport. The cradle was delivered not as ordered and the
   boat
   would only fit with additional wooden blocking of the pads. This was
   corrected by returning the cradle to the vendor after launch.
   Was there a point in using a broker? I have since done the simpler
   self-importation of a used car from the southern US. With time,
   patience,
   and research I discovered that I could do this without using a broker
   or the
   services of a dealer. Thus I am certain that there was nothing involved
   in
   the importation of a boat that I could not have done myself. However, I
   am
   retired now and every hour (well, I'm married - so nearly every hour)
   of my
   day is my own. But ten years ago it was a task I did not have the time
   to
   focus upon. I was able to use my broker's knowledge to satisfy me that
   I was
   offering a fair price for the boat I got. His experience and contacts
   left
   me feeling assured that every other stranger involved in getting my
   boat to
   my location was an experienced professional with a track record of
   doing it
   right. So using a broker bought me piece of mind, fair pricing, and by
   the
   finish a flawless delivery. I am convinced that hidden in all that
   effort
   was some value.
   But this is only my experience. I'm just sayin'..
   Brian Amirault
   797 Waltzing Bear, too
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