Selling a boat- part 1

We are selling our 28 foot Bayliner. Last year, we posted the boat on Craig's list. I never realized how tedious selling something can be. You would think that you post the listing, people who are interested respond, and then you're done. Nope, here's how it goes for us...

1- List the boat, hope for the best
2- Within a few hours, someone writes that they really like the boat and will give us $200 over list price just to hold the boat for them. Then they state several times that they would like to pay using paypal. We text back and forth. They don't ask any relevant questions about the boat, just that they really want it. This happened twice and in both cases, someone was buying the boat for an elderly parent. One person said they were in the military and couldn't come to see the boat themselves. The other person had very bad English so we figured they were probably foreign (or never passed English class). In both cases, the potential buyers said that they trusted us when we said the boat was in excellent condition. Once I sent a link for paypal scams, their texts stopped.
3- Brokers will contact us offering to sell the boat. We had one company that, for a fee, will list the boat and continue advertising until it sold. This sounded very good since they list it in several places. We never pursued that. Pop Yachts- they continue to list our boat for sale even after I wrote to them not to. We had someone offer to sell it on ebay. I will have to check into that option- why have someone else do what we can do ourselves.  Here's the thing with the brokers- unless you own your boat outright or owe very little on it, you are limited. For us, we would end up owing the broker money for selling our boat.
3- We have this person who actually came to see the boat. He brought his family to see it. He said that he had been watching the boat for a year. He offered about $8K below list price. At that time, we were going through a broker so we couldn't afford to do that.

Since we are not in a hurry to sell the boat, we are continuing to use it and just waiting to see what happens. I have signs on the boat and it is parked in a visible spot. Its a very interesting process.

A day on the boat 7/12/15

Our first trip this year, besides the boat move. A Sunday afternoon on Cross Lake.
We pile 4 adults, 4 kids, water skis, and a tube on the boat. The kids like to ride below deck. JP (the only boy) rode up top with the adults. We packed light- drinks, 8 sandwiches, snacks (veggies, venison sausage, cheesits, cheese curls).

A 45 minute boat ride to cross lake from our dock in Baldwinsville. No locks. There was a speed restriction on the river- no wake zone all the way. We basically followed that until there were no houses, then cruised faster. There were boats out that went fast all the way. I hate it when people do that. Usually its young kids piled into a tiny boat or guys who are jerks. Its always a male that drives too fast on the river.

Once we get there, we cruise around to see what kind of boat traffic we have for the day. Then we start tubing.

Piper and JP were a great combination on the tube. Both thrill seekers. Chelsey and Sydney were also a good pair although Sydney is much braver that Chelsey. Chelsey is getting better every time we go- less afraid of the speed.

Next we drift and let the kids swim. Their favorite part of this is jumping off the bow of the boat. Its surprising that they take off their life jackets to do this. They are all great swimmers so we don't worry. 

JP wants a video of his flip off the boat...

 I tried to get a shot of all kids jumping off the boat at once but that is very difficult to do with a finicky cell phone.

After swimming, we have a snack. All kids ate on the bow of the boat. Adults in back. I think we managed to avoid crumbs on the boat!  

I think we got out the water skis next. No pictures of that on my phone but I can always add it in later. Sandy was the only one able to ski. That inspired the kids to do another round of tubing. We dominated our section of the lake for a bit but it was fun. That's the great thing about Cross Lake- its big enough to find your own area to play but not so big that it takes forever to get around on the lake.

Here's a tip. Do not rely on Cross Lake marina for gas. They are $1 per gallon more expensive than Coopers marina. If you are traveling to the lake from Bville, gas up before you go. Luckily, we were just topping off so we didn't need much. Also, the restaurant at the marina is no longer open. I remember going here during the summer on a boat and in the winter on a snow mobile. We've been docking out of the area so this was news to us on our return.

We decided to head over to DeVaney's in Weedsport for what we thought was lunch but ended up being dinner due to the time. Our boat was too large for their available dock spaces so we tied it to the front wall. We were able to sit outside in view of the boat. What a great dining experience! Service was awesome, the food even better. They have limited dock space- definitely geared for the smaller boats (20' or less) but you can park on the cement wall. The current is strong there so you had better be good at your knots. We were able to have meals for 8 (4 adults, 4 kids), and 6 beers for under $100 including tip. Great selection and great prices!

The only down side to the trip was the ride back. Once again, we had to go slow but were able to pick up speed in unpopulated areas. I always slow down for fishing boats and kayaks. Not everyone out there is that considerate. Jim and Sandy had the best seats for the ride back. They faced the back of the boat watching the sun go down. We had lots of time until sun set but that was always my favorite part of the ride back from Cross Lake. I also got to drive as I like driving the boat slowly. Jay likes to sit back with a drink and relax since he's usually the one driving us. We are hoping to repeat this day again soon!

The Flotilla

When I last wrote, our boat was stuck at Lock 24 in Baldwinsville, NY. There were several boats in this predicament. Luckily, there is a lot to do in B'ville (as the locals call it) and we are local so we could just drive home.

I think the date was 6/30/15. The lock master let me know that the flotilla would come to take the boats east. There were boats stranded at lock 23 so some sort of trade was worked out. The lock master told me to be there at 7:30.

We arrive at 7:30, coffee in hand. We walk to our boat expecting to see a group meeting and people readying their boats. Instead we see people hosing off their boats, eating breakfast, sitting around. We go to our boat and get it ready for the short journey ahead (1 mile down the river).

After about 5 minutes, we have everything set. I've brought new "for sale" signs to put on the boat. That would have been so helpful to have a couple of days before as it sat at the wall in full public view. We decide to talk to the other boaters to see if anyone knows anything.

There is a great sail boat parked next to us. They came from Vermont or might be going to Vermont. There was mention about going to pick up their new boat. The couple look to be in their 60's, retired. The boat looks like its about 40 feet, mast down as there are restrictions going through the canal system. The guy had a great boater joke. He says, "I talk to my boat every day and it talks back to me. But ever since we came through the canal it doesn't have anything to say to me. It used to have a 60 foot erection but now it has nothing."

Next to them is a 28' Carver. I'm looking at it and I comment about how it looks much larger than ours even though its the same size. The beam (width) on it is 12'. Much wider than our 9'. Another couple in their 60's, retired. They live in Florida and come here for the summer. They stay on their boat for months. That is impressive- 2 people on a 28' boat for months at a time. They mention that they were staying at the Cold Springs Marina and we realize that we were there at the same time. We actually went on their boat to look at their composting toilet as we were considering that option for ours. They made many improvements to their boat- bow thrusters, fancy lighting, mosquito screens in their canvas, wine maker.  They were going to sell it but decided not to as they put in so much work on the boat. They are headed out to the Buffalo area to play.

There was a really cute sail boat next. They didn't have their mast with them. They bought the boat for cheap because there wasn't a mast or the mast was broken and in another place. This is common with sail boats- the boat and the mast being in different places. People will sail around and then when they reach an area where the sail has to come down, they either store it somewhere or balance it on top of their boat while they complete their journey. When they are ready to have the sail reattached, the storage place will ship it to their current location. Or, they can go to their mast and have it reattached there. This was a small sail boat, maybe less than 28'. A couple in the 60's again, just out traveling. They realized that the propane tank for the boat has an old style that isn't in use anymore so they can't have it refilled. They were on their last cup of coffee so they are very relieved to be proceeding on in their journey.

Next was one of my favorite boats. We didn't get that far to talk to the owner and he seemed a little standoffish anyways. Usually people will wave, say hello, or at least acknowledge someone passing by but this guy did nothing. His boat was beautiful. I did take pictures of it. Its a Sundancer- the brand we are looking for. I believe it is a 53'.

Lots of seating room on the deck, a jetski on the swim deck, and I'm sure below deck is absolutely gorgeous.

In all this time, we find out that no one really knows what is going on with this escort. We see a small fishing boat pull up to the lock and 3 guys get out. There is a little meeting as they discuss something. Everyone breaks off from their conversations and decides that this little boat is the flotilla (although it is sounding to me like they are saying flotella). Everyone brings in their lines, starts their boats, and starts to pull away from the dock. There is an order to things- this must have been established before we arrived. It really could have been any boat, these people would have followed anything motorized just to move on. you can see the little gray boat in the lead just past the bridge.

Here's my favorite boat...

 Here is the beginning of the line just moving out of the lock area.

Here is our cute little boat joining the parade of boats.

Our boat is now sitting safely at a private dock. When we first arrived, the water level was very high but now, a week later, it is much better. I'm not sure if there are any restrictions on the river but we have not moved it from that spot. 

Things I learned from this experience:

1- always check for travel restrictions and conditions on the water

2- if you are selling your boat and you have to leave it in a public place, make sure their are for sale signs on it when you park it, not when you are driving away

3- get out and talk to people, hang around the other boaters, you can learn so much

4- stay over night on your boat at least once when its parked in a public place- great to see the activity

5- maybe we are a bit young yet or our boat is too small but we need to spend more time out on the water

6- boat clubs- in Florida, they have boat clubs where you pay a yearly fee and can rent out boats for several days at the price of gas. A great way to try out different boats before you buy.