Stuck in marina with no way out

[Jgorm]

Craig's list free. People will take anything.

 

[Debra]

@Jgorm Thank you. Have it on kijiji, and putting it on fb groups now. Will try Craig’s List as well.

 

[Julian]

How far is it across the lake? Perhaps you could borrow an electric trolling motor to cross the lake?

 

[Debra]

How far is it across the lake? Perhaps you could borrow an electric trolling motor to cross the lake?

@Julian Hi. I think this could be a great solution (its a 26 ft boat; do you think we would have the control we would need to steer it across? I think maybe a few km to cross) if it weren’t for the fact that I am getting tons of inquiries from ppl who want a free boat, even with full disclosure! I’m shocked that I got any response at all, much less ppl wanting to go get it right away! Lol! I am so smiling!!!

 

[Debra]

My partner is on his way to marina now; somebody who also has a boat at Peterborough Marina saw the ad and wants to tow and trailer the boat right away!! and, still so many ppl msging and phoning and saying they want the boat. Unbelievable response!

Thank all of you so much; this is my bitter-sweet happy ending to my first boat. I really loved that boat ~well, loved/hated more to the truth. I will post a pic of my crushed dream a little later, but for now, thx so so much for all your support, direction, and wisdom. You guys rock!!

*edit Oh! Did I mention how much cash you guys saved me??!! even better, stress level quickly decreasing! Thannnnnnnnks a whole bunch!!!

 

[JetPowered]

A true testament to the quality of the members on this forum! Best of luck to you handoff of the boat to new owners. There is always another boat.

 

[Mainah]

I am not surprised you are getting inundated with calls. One way to cut down on that for future scenarios where you want to get rid of something is put an very low price on it to weed out the riff raff and then tell the serious person who can obviously get it done without issue that it is free and put a time table on it.

@robert843 knows a little something about this ;-)

 

[Matt Phillips]

Sorry about your situation. That's got to be hard.

Have you looked into donation services? Cars for kids down here in the US will take them off your hands for you and you can write them off on taxes.

 

[biffdotorg]

OK, so it sounds like this has been sorted out, and Hopefully after today you have gotten rid of your boat.

Once the dust settles, give us some background on how you came about this "dream boat" and whey you didn't see any issues with it during the buying process? I'm assuming you never had a sea trial or test drive of any sort?

I had to wait till you had this resolved, as it just wouldn't be fair to ask while you were in such a horrible situation. Pics of this money pit would be interesting as well. It's almost like a morbid curiosity of sorts now.

 

[PEARCE]

I pulled up some images of the boat model you have and it looks like a fun boat to have. Are you going to get another boat? Thought about what type? I know your boating season is over in your part of the world because they are starting to pull the boats out before the lakes freeze. That gives you several months of 'window' shopping! If you go the cruiser route again, I highly recommend hiring a marine surveyor before you make a purchase. It would have saved you the hassle that you're in now as you are well aware of now. Hope it all works out for you.

 

[robert843]

I am not surprised you are getting inundated with calls. One way to cut down on that for future scenarios where you want to get rid of something is put an very low price on it to weed out the riff raff and then tell the serious person who can obviously get it done without issue that it is free and put a time table on it.

@robert843 knows a little something about this ;-)

Lol yes sir I guess I should reach out about that keyless start sometime. I will wait for you guys to make another batch. I did see a pic from @Andy S that the lift has been put into service.

 

[swatski]

Lol yes sir I guess I should reach out about that keyless start sometime. I will wait for you guys to make another batch.

That thing is the bomb!!!!
I love it. Kate loves it. She pulls me wakeboarding all the time - with stops in between sets etc, I think she would have very hard time going back to not having the green and the red buttons.

--

 

[Debra]

Hi. Thx everyone for the support. Sry I can’t reply atm but will be bk in a few hrs. The boat is gone. Signed the ownership over, receipt for a dollar, and the guy is happy, I am happy, yes, I def want another boat, but no way to go through this again haha. Live & learn. Will return ltr tonight to tell you the nitty gritty. Cheers! Very grateful that this is over; I would never have considered giving away if I didn’t have the support here.

 

[Shuck Water]

Congrats on getting out of this nightmare! Next time, buy a Yamaha!

 

[robert843]

Hi. Thx everyone for the support. Sry I can’t reply atm but will be bk in a few hrs. The boat is gone. Signed the ownership over, receipt for a dollar, and the guy is happy, I am happy, yes, I def want another boat, but no way to go through this again haha. Live & learn. Will return ltr tonight to tell you the nitty gritty. Cheers! Very grateful that this is over; I would never have considered giving away if I didn’t have the support here.

Glad it worked out I was sure someone would come get it.

 

[Debra]

Sorry about your situation. That's got to be hard.

Have you looked into donation services? Cars for kids down here in the US will take them off your hands for you and you can write them off on taxes.

I did look into a cpl of charities, yes, but they were not interested; i can’t tecall why, but maybe boat was too old?~’83, or maybe wouldn’t take because the motor is shot. Thx for reply.

 

[Debra]

OK, so it sounds like this has been sorted out, and Hopefully after today you have gotten rid of your boat.

Once the dust settles, give us some background on how you came about this "dream boat" and whey you didn't see any issues with it during the buying process? I'm assuming you never had a sea trial or test drive of any sort?

I had to wait till you had this resolved, as it just wouldn't be fair to ask while you were in such a horrible situation. Pics of this money pit would be interesting as well. It's almost like a morbid curiosity of sorts now.

Haha thank you for waiting to ask. Happy to oblige now. I bought the boat twice, once at the very end of summer 2016, and then again from a second owner, end of August this year.

The first time around, I was buying it for $4,000 from a cousin; it was in working order, but some things were questionable. In the Spring, i had someone come in and look at it, and they thought a new transom was needed ~quoted $2,000.

I joined a boating site (not sure which one now) and talked to the ppl there about it, and I got cold feet when I learned a few things from the people in the forum. For example, I learned that if there was even a bit of rot in transom then there was a good chance there was also rot in the stringers as well.

I made it very clear to the forum that I didn’t really even care that much whether the boat ran, that my interest was more in buying a cheap boat that I actually loved the looks of to try a lifestyle change living on the water for the summer. Eep! Lol I loved the idea of the freedom that boat represented to me!! And it HAD to be that boat!! The forum was kind of divided on their opinions around this, but I came to understand and respect their concerns, and they became my concerns ie if the transom were to start leaking or if there were probs with stringers... if I couldn’t get insurance and the boat sunk, cost of having it pulled up and possible environmental costs... if I took the boat out and God forbid was in an accident with another boat and no insurance; there was more, but basically that was enough for me to start worrying.

I also tried to get insurance and had to send in pics of the boat; there were a few things that needed to be done before they would insure, but the main problem I would need to address was a leak in the hydraulic system, and they noted that the oil in the bilge needed to be cleaned up. I bailed on the deal, which was okay with my cousin as she had another buyer lined up. So, she returned my deposit and that was the end of that. It was a difficult decision as I fell really hard for that boat!!


...have to go real life for awhile. Bbiab, and will tell you how I managed to buy the boat the second time around. Never did lose the allure to that boat, and though I half-assed looked for another, the desire was never the same. It had to be THAT boat lol! I am def the arbitrator of my own misfortune.

I’m bk, and it’s a beautiful day with no worries of how the heck am I going to get my boat across, plus line up someone with a trailer on the other side to take boat to landfill! Ahhhhh ! Good thing because electrical was turned off at marina on Sunday ~bilge pump!; I didn’t find out this until Tuesday when the guy phoned to up his price on moving boat.

So, here’s round two of buying my boat. Thanks for asking about it. It has been good for me to remember.


This past August, I was at a concert in the park where the marina is, and afterwards everyone I was with was going down to visit my cousin on the docks; I didn’t really want to go as I knew ‘my’ boat was just a few down from hers, and I didn’t want to be reminded of my lost dream~I had many regrets over the last two years of giving up on the boat, and it still hurt. For whatever reason, I was still psychologically attached.

Anyway, I went, and eventually made my way down to talk to the guy who now owned it, and after some chat I professed how much I loved this boat. To my surprise, he informed me that he was looking at another boat, and would gladly give me the boat, and be happy that I took it off his hands. He had had quite a bit to drink so I thought it was just drunken talk and I insisted that I could not take it but would buy it from him if he would give me a price. (I’ll just mention here that my partner did not share my enthusiasm at all, and it was very clear that this was my boat, and my obsession.) A cpl days later I made the trip back down to Peterborough and bought the boat from him for $500.

Heaven.... no, hell. That’s when the fantasy world I created began to crumble. I now had my dream boat, and nothing was going right lol. I secured a slip at the marina, with the understanding that the next season the city of Peterborough was committed to cracking back on derelict boats: for next year’s season, no more floating cottages; all boats would be required to come in by their proper power with legit insurance.

I basically paid nothing for the boat so I figured I could spend $10,000 and have a complete overhaul, and have the peace of mind of knowing that every bit of my boat was safe and secure. Haha I barely made it past new batteries, fixing the bilge pump and tearing out most of the interior upholstery. Did I mention that there was some contention as to whether the boat was properly winterized? And, because he lived on the boat for the two seasons, he wasn’t really worried about whether bilge pumps worked or not; didn’t even hook it up; just emptied the bilge when needed~it was very full when I got it.

The guy I bought from was upfront about the fact that he had not taken care of the boat, so nothing on him; this was all on me and my incessant need to own this boat regardless of the fact that I knew nothing about boats at all, yet still thought I could oversee a complete overhaul. Even more comical, I thought my partner, who has next to no mechanical ability at all and knows even less about boats than I, could do a lot of the work. What a delusion!

So, we did learn a bit about boats, enough that I was able to let go of any false hope of reviving this one. It didn’t hurt that I actually got out to visit some boats for sale, and there’s some real beauts that can be picked up for ten grand. I also learned of the acronym Bring Out Another Thousand. Boats are scary business, and def I don’t think for the foolhardy. If I do find the courage to follow my dream and buy a boat again, it will be with survey in one hand, and a contingency fund in another. And, I will have to get a boating license too; there’s prob more to driving a boat than what I might think!

 

[mdchachi]

I didn’t find out this until Tuesday when the guy phoned to up his price on moving boat.

What a stellar P.O.S. I'm so glad you found a solution that didn't involve giving him a dime.

All things considered it seems like you got off pretty cheaply. Best of luck on the next one. With no more rose-coloured glasses I'm sure you'll have a much better experience.

 

[Debra]

I pulled up some images of the boat model you have and it looks like a fun boat to have. Are you going to get another boat? Thought about what type? I know your boating season is over in your part of the world because they are starting to pull the boats out before the lakes freeze. That gives you several months of 'window' shopping! If you go the cruiser route again, I highly recommend hiring a marine surveyor before you make a purchase. It would have saved you the hassle that you're in now as you are well aware of now. Hope it all works out for you.

@PEARCE It was nice the one time I was out on it ) Def will get survey next time; the cost is about $800 around here, and more than worth the heartache of not having one done. I was sorta looking at another boat; it’s a 1979 Searea Sedan bridge SRV300. This one is 30 ft, and has the sliding doors I like, and the fly bridge. It’s not my crushed dream though. Asking $10,000. ...my sister bought a boat shortly after I did; paid $4,000, and had it at the marina; took it out once and apparently probs with transmission and/or bellows. It’s still sitting at marina, and she won’t move it until guy she bought it from returns from his trip and looks at it. Just a lot of stress/ but oh how wonderful if the boats would just work the way they’re supposed to!

 

[Debra]

What a stellar P.O.S. I'm so glad you found a solution that didn't involve giving him a dime.

All things considered it seems like you got off pretty cheaply. Best of luck on the next one. With no more rose-coloured glasses I'm sure you'll have a much better experience.

@mdchachi IKR! Rant time lol! Over the last few weeks, I confirmed with him twice the pricing of towing and trailering to landfill ~ $100 p/h and he said it would take cpl hrs, three hrs top. I also kept phoning him about when this was going to happen cuz I was still having slight probs with bilge pump and battery so was worried about that, and because the decision had been made to scrap so the sooner the better/was weighing on me, and it was really hard to reach this person, and he never returned calls, so I was having some trepidation about whether he would follow through; when I was able to get hold of him he reassured me that it would be the next week, then it was the next... most left the marina Oct 5, Thanksgiving weekend, cuz the locks were closing; this past Sunday the marina shut off electricity and started removing docks. I was not made aware of this, but found out from someone else after guy who was supposed to move my boat called on Tuesday saying it was going to cost me $700-$1,000 to do what he had quoted as 2-$300. The guy knew my boat! Had in fact towed and trailered it the year before for previous owner, and set it on blocks, for $300!

Sry. I am really berating this, but I’m still outraged by his audacity! The thing is that I know that he pretty much has a monopoly around here. I know this for a fact out of my own attempts to secure someone else who I had more trust in and who could perhaps get it done sooner! So, ok, that’s fine; set your rates as you see fit, but don’t change a quote at the last minute when someone is at your mercy, doubling it and possibly tripling the original quote!! If there’s a next time (not with him!) I will get it in writing!

The other thing is that I did find someone from out of the area (Gores Landing) who could have trailered it last Friday, but the guy who I bought the boat off would have had to take a morning off work to tow my boat (approval for landfill was only through the week, not on weekend), and I thought this inconvenience could be circumvented with just going with this other guy, who was giving me at least verbal reassurance. I have not professed to be the maker of wise decisions lol!

The irony is that the person who took the boat from me is getting this same person to trailer his boat to land site. Apparently, the trailer he was going to use wasn’t the right size ~~he also has a 32 ft boat that he says he is going to use to tow my old boat across... so I dunno. Just so grateful that I don’t have to deal with it anymore. Undecided about putting a poor review online about the guy who upped his price. I don’t like to keep bad feelings moving (though I’m doing a good job of it in this rant lol), but I also think buyers should be aware. Still thinking on this one.

‘Got off cheaply’ is an understatement by far lol!!!!! )) *major happy * It was after I got a call from that guy, and was searching everywhere for alternate plan, including calling City Hall (Recreation is responsible for Marina) demanding that they present me with a solution, that I came across this forum on Google; I remembered how much help I got last time I went to boaters forum.

Nothing like experience and objective mindsets to help gain new perspectives and find solutions! I was feeling so overwhelmed and had no clue what my next course of action should be. A cpl of the thing that were mentioned I had already tried ie Donate A Car (boat) Canada, and the suggestion to use a trawling motor would have been what I would have tried to follow up on next. But I was already convinced to at least try giving the boat away.

My mind was really closed at the first suggestion of this, as I didn’t want to see anyone else go through what I went through. I was leaving out the fact that others aren’t me and might have a lot more capability to deal with the boat, and also that other ppl are also capable of making their own decisions. At the second suggestion to give away, I was starting to warm up to the idea, and by the third and fourth, well let’s say I gained some hope.

And, again, very grateful for that. Five and a half tons has been lifted off my shoulders )! Over 30 calls on fb and over 20 on kijiji, and that within only a cpl hrs! Had to send out a mass msg, and take the ad down on kijiji, and still ppl were sending msgs asking to keep them in mind if it fell through. My partner went straight to Peterborough to sign it over to first person that could be there. Unbelievably grateful, and def got off cheaply. That’s not to say I didn’t love that boat haha!