It was a short affair. I'd been looking for a small starter sailboat for a while, figuring that this approach made more sense and would allow for more contingencies (read: collisions) at a lower cost, while allowing us to, well, learn to sail. I was hoping for a boat in Santa Cruz for under $2000, ready to sail, so I was excited when in January I saw an ad for a Balboa 20 with "ground tackle for a boat twice her size" for $1,500.
Did some research, and it turns out the Balboa was one of Lyle Hess' first designs. He's a very well known designer, of Bristol Channel Cutter fame. Lin & Larry Pardey's books have really inspired us to get cruising, and they speak very highly of Hess. Anyways, I went to see the boat...and met Mark. Mark had lived on the boat for 2 years. He'd set up a nifty tent/canopy with a patio umbrella, some tapestries, and a couple of shower curtains for when it rained. He had a couple of electric heaters that would warm up his patio nicely.
I talked with him for a while, and we decided that he'd clean up a bit, set up the canopy for quick removal, and go on a test sail sometime in the next week. If all is well I'll give him $900- he accepts. His stated goal was to sell by the end of the month. A week passes... rain... another week...no progress on canopy...eventually we get to the end of the month, and things start moving. He mentions something funny, so I ask if he owes the harbor any money- he says yes. I call the harbor, and he's a household name there, owing over $3k, lien upcoming on the boat...chat with the harbormaster a bit, and it sounds like he'd be willing to make a deal if it means he'll get a paying slip renter in lieu of delinquencies.
Not good. I call him and tell him the deal is off, he gets mad, I say I'll get in touch later. I write up an email noting my surprise at this news, news I felt he should have shared. I outlined the value of the boat, needed improvements, and expected resale value after said improvements. I offer him $400. Call the next day, he says no problem, he'd be crazy not to sell to us, wants it to go to people w/ a good vibe... Things may work out?
He says let's meet this weekend to finish the deal. I get there and his stuff's all aboard. Ok, let's meet Wed.
No dice. Thurs? Finally he's cleaned out his stuff on Sunday. He takes away the motor (got another boat in South San Fran)...eventually agree to give him $100 and the harbormaster $300. Harbormaster's office, they're happy to have a paying customer. They already have the lien in place, but can remove it and I can get a clean title in 2 weeks. What do I owe them?, I ask. Nada.
Cool.
Fill out some paperwork, help Mark pack up his stuff....not all of it fits, so I'll let him store his stuff in the dock box. I say I'll give him $60 now, $40 when he picks up his stuff (to keep the process moving, you know).
A couple of weeks later the stuff disappears, along w/ my anchor (which was a rusty POS, BTW). I figure that's the end of that. DMV, $23 registration fee, and we have a boat. Needs work, but could be ready to sail once we get a motor to get out of the upper harbor....
A couple of weekends later we've cleaned her up and are raising the sails and tabernacling the mast when we meet our neighbor across the dock. She has an Ensenada 20, also a Hess design with the same hull but a different cabintop as the Balboa. She's showing the boat, and after the prospective buyers leave we ask to see it.
It's nice. Nicer than ours by far. How much? $895.
Oh. It's got a good motor. Sails look good. Becky says we must buy it. Becky says she'll buy it even if I don't want to, so I don't have a choice. This makes the choice easy. We drive over that night and put down a deposit. The next day we own two boats. Next post will be about our second sailboat...
Did some research, and it turns out the Balboa was one of Lyle Hess' first designs. He's a very well known designer, of Bristol Channel Cutter fame. Lin & Larry Pardey's books have really inspired us to get cruising, and they speak very highly of Hess. Anyways, I went to see the boat...and met Mark. Mark had lived on the boat for 2 years. He'd set up a nifty tent/canopy with a patio umbrella, some tapestries, and a couple of shower curtains for when it rained. He had a couple of electric heaters that would warm up his patio nicely.
I talked with him for a while, and we decided that he'd clean up a bit, set up the canopy for quick removal, and go on a test sail sometime in the next week. If all is well I'll give him $900- he accepts. His stated goal was to sell by the end of the month. A week passes... rain... another week...no progress on canopy...eventually we get to the end of the month, and things start moving. He mentions something funny, so I ask if he owes the harbor any money- he says yes. I call the harbor, and he's a household name there, owing over $3k, lien upcoming on the boat...chat with the harbormaster a bit, and it sounds like he'd be willing to make a deal if it means he'll get a paying slip renter in lieu of delinquencies.
Not good. I call him and tell him the deal is off, he gets mad, I say I'll get in touch later. I write up an email noting my surprise at this news, news I felt he should have shared. I outlined the value of the boat, needed improvements, and expected resale value after said improvements. I offer him $400. Call the next day, he says no problem, he'd be crazy not to sell to us, wants it to go to people w/ a good vibe... Things may work out?
He says let's meet this weekend to finish the deal. I get there and his stuff's all aboard. Ok, let's meet Wed.No dice. Thurs? Finally he's cleaned out his stuff on Sunday. He takes away the motor (got another boat in South San Fran)...eventually agree to give him $100 and the harbormaster $300. Harbormaster's office, they're happy to have a paying customer. They already have the lien in place, but can remove it and I can get a clean title in 2 weeks. What do I owe them?, I ask. Nada.
Cool.
Fill out some paperwork, help Mark pack up his stuff....not all of it fits, so I'll let him store his stuff in the dock box. I say I'll give him $60 now, $40 when he picks up his stuff (to keep the process moving, you know).
A couple of weeks later the stuff disappears, along w/ my anchor (which was a rusty POS, BTW). I figure that's the end of that. DMV, $23 registration fee, and we have a boat. Needs work, but could be ready to sail once we get a motor to get out of the upper harbor....A couple of weekends later we've cleaned her up and are raising the sails and tabernacling the mast when we meet our neighbor across the dock. She has an Ensenada 20, also a Hess design with the same hull but a different cabintop as the Balboa. She's showing the boat, and after the prospective buyers leave we ask to see it.
It's nice. Nicer than ours by far. How much? $895.
Oh. It's got a good motor. Sails look good. Becky says we must buy it. Becky says she'll buy it even if I don't want to, so I don't have a choice. This makes the choice easy. We drive over that night and put down a deposit. The next day we own two boats. Next post will be about our second sailboat...
