‘T
his shit just got real!’ It’s a line
from the movie Bad Boys II,
and it’s precisely what went
though my head when Matt
from Norfolk Yacht Agency
called me up to tell me that
an offer I’d made on a boat had been accepted.
I’d been quietly seeking a new boat for a while,
hence the decision to put the Skibby up for sale.
Many hours had been wasted looking for the right
boat for me on the internet, and I was genuinely
staggered by how little was for sale. A couple of
boats that I phoned about were long sold, the
brokers admitting that they’d left them listed
because their brokerage listings were so thin.
“It’s a seller’s market,” I was told repeatedly.
No wonder the Skibsplast sold so fast. Firstly,
2006 was the point where we were rattling swiftly
toward the financial crisis so there’s a dearth
of late boats. Then a weakening of the pound
saw a huge number snapped up by canny
overseas buyers, seriously depleting UK stocks.
The boat I really liked was the Jeanneau 805
Leader. I found a couple, but was put off by rusty-
looking engines and messy, oily bilges. It got so bad
that I even started considering an interim boat like
a Sea Ray 240 Sundancer if I could find a diesel
one. It was after an odd tangent to look at a partly
restored 1963 Bertram 25 that I received a call from
Matt. He knew I was hunting for an 805 Leader and
had just listed one. I’d seen it before with another
broker, but while checking his website I noticed
a newer more expensive one with a D4-260 engine
and the huge benefit of a bow thruster and central
heating – fantastic! But expensive. I arranged to see
it, and for once it looked as good in reality as it did in
the photos. Better, actually. An offer was made and
rejected, the dance began and eventually we settled
on a figure.
A concern that I had was a lack of service history,
the one thing I swore I’d insist on. However, a check
with Volvo Penta confirmed that all the service
updates for this engine had been carried out. In
fact, this boat had been taken in part exchange by
Sunseeker a couple of years previously. NYA had
bought it from them and sold it to the current owner
(and had serviced it themselves at the time), so it
seemed likely that the paperwork had gone missing
rather than the work never having been done.
Nonetheless, I commissioned an independent
Volvo Penta engine and drive purchase inspection,
including an oil sample analysis just to be sure, as
well as the boat survey – expensive, but it would
offer peace of mind. Broom Marine Services carried
it out and gave the engine and drive a clean bill of
health. A few (resolvable) issues with the outdrive
and a couple of unexpected findings on the survey
stood between me and the purchase. It was time
to renegotiate. The owner offered a small reduction,
but it was less than I wanted. Things were looking
sticky and I had another scan of the internet. The
other 805 that NYA had was under offer but a brandnew 805 listing cropped up on the Thames. It was
older, didn’t have the later D4 engine and there
was no heating, but it was cheaper. Time for Plan B?
I called the broker – it had sold almost immediately!
We were about £1,000 from where I wanted to
be, my boat was sold, summer was fast approaching,
my £2,000 marina berth stood empty and there
was nothing to touch this boat on the market.
Was I really going to walk away
for the sake of a grand (that
I’d have to spend anyway
surveying the next one)?
No. Sold to Mr Burnham.Search ‘FlowPoint TV Paradise
Lost’ for this month’s videoI really wanted a Jeanneau 805 Leader but
couldn’t fi nd one in decent nick. At one point
it got so bad that I even started considering
an interim boat like a Sea Ray 240 SundancerNICK BURNHAM: With an empty berth lying in wait and long summer days crying out to be
spent afl oat, a new boat was a no-brainer... But fi nding the one is a heart-wrenching business
THE BORN AGAIN
BOAT OWNER
Luckily, Nick’s managed
to keep his head above waterCOLUMNSmby.com/babSEE THE VIDEO