The trials and tribulations of buying a boat and the value of a good yacht broker.
My quest to upgrade Riviera started 3 years ago. Don’t get me wrong: I love the Hunter 45 that so many of you have experienced firsthand. She’s still a fabulous boat, and I will miss her greatly. But the business is growing, and we need a larger and even more luxurious sailing yacht. For the last several years, the first thing I do in the morning is search through the pages of the online boat marketplace, Yacht World, aka “boat porn”.
Buying a boat, especially a used boat, is not for the weak or faint of heart. Even with a fabulous broker on your side, it’s a long, arduous process, full of false claims, empty promises, and hidden issues. With inflated accolades and manipulated photos, many yacht listings try desperately to seduce the unsuspecting buyer. The descriptions often paint a romantic and adventurous picture of life on the open sea. Visions of mai tais, warm summer evenings, and laughing friends, (yes, I realize I just described sailing on Riviera) help disguise the fact that you are buying a floating asset that depreciates by the hour. However, for those who love yacht life, the financial pain and endless repairs that come with boat ownership are worth every dime.
Finding the right boat is akin to online dating—many options, but few truly fit. Searching the sailboat listings that met our criteria for RIVIERA 2.0 felt like looking for lost love, always hoping to find “The One,” only to uncover hidden flaws that end the romance.
Occasionally, Victoria and I would see a boat in person. If you’re selling your boat and you really want it to sell, here are a few helpful hints.
- Flush and clean the toilets. It sounds basic, but nobody wants to see the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria floating in their heads.
- Remove your personal items as much as possible. Seeing the giant pump dispenser of location on the bedside shelf is a bad visual.
- Clean, clean, and clean. A boat closed up for a few days can be a little funky. Open the boat up and air it out.
Often, Victoria would board the prospective boat, get a whiff of “wet dog,” and immediately get back on the dock, saying, “I’m good.”
Finally, last December, I found her in Marina Del Rey: her name, Goodnight Moon—a Dufour 512 Grand Large. I don’t know why the French builder used “Grand” and “Large” in the same title, as it seems a bit redundant. Nevertheless, she was magnificent. The yacht was neglected and needed a good scrubbing and thousands of dollars in upgrades, but her bones were beautiful nonetheless.
The offer was accepted, a new slip in San Diego was secured, and the deal was in place. We did a sea trial and haul-out inspection, and the title was signed. My broker, Dan Sullivan, and I planned on an 18-hour motor/sail from Marina Del Rey to San Diego. The plan was to leave the harbor at 3:30 AM, hoping to arrive at San Diego Bay’s entrance just after sundown.
4:00 AM, Monday
It was dark—Amazon rain forest at midnight dark. With no moon to light the way, leaving the MDR marina was like walking into a cave of black ink. We slowly motored out of the harbor, our eyes fixed on the chart plotter. A left turn past the jetty, and we were on our way. By California standards, it was cold and not a breath of wind. Behind us, as we motored away from the shore, Marina Del Rey’s lights mirrored off the glassy water.
With one hand on the wheel, I sipped my coffee and relaxed. I pushed the throttle and increased speed to a conservative 6 kt. Soon, the first light of dawn would cast an amber glow into this black abyss. I dropped my shoulders and let out a deep breath. Then, without warning, the boat lurched violently as the engine seized, and the boat halted. My coffee went airborne as I was lifted from my feet. I quickly shut down the engine as white smoke poured from the exhaust. Stunned, Dan and I just stood there in the dark silence.
My mind raced as I imagined the worst-case scenarios of major engine failure, picturing an endless stream of dollars flowing out of my bank account. Breaking the silence, I turned to Dan and said, “So, just to be clear, I own this boat now, right?” Dan, who was about to call the Coast Guard’s Vessel Assist, nodded and replied, “Yep.”
As the LA County sheriffs towed us back to Marina Del Rey’s public dock, Dan and I reviewed the list of possible mechanical malfunctions. The engine would start and idle, but there was no forward or reverse propulsion. Broken linkage connection? Why all the smoke? What stopped us? Did we hit a lobster pot? It is, after all, lobster season; the tiny lobster buoys are everywhere along the Southern California coast. Our first action was to find a diver and see what terrible thing lurks underneath.
By 10:00 AM, we had our diver and were anxious to see if our lobster pot theory was correct. Did our propeller tangle itself on a rope? The diver took no time at all. He jumped in the water, and in less than a minute, he surfaced, took off his mask, smiled, and said, “Did you lose your pants?” In his hand were a pair of black foul-weather pants that had wrapped around the propeller.
Finally, with no damage to the yacht, and after a six-hour delay, Goodnight Moon, soon to be the new Riviera, was on its way to San Diego.
About Dan Sullivan: If you want to buy a boat or if own one and want sell it, reach out to Dan. He’s not just a yacht broker but also a seasoned 100-ton Captain with extensive experience in power and sailing vessels. Dan is cool under pressure, makes no assumptions, and, most importantly, he’s honest. dan@sdyachtguys.com
As for Riviera 2.0, We’re upgrading the vessel now, and in a few more weeks, she will be ready for her debut as San Diego’s most luxurious coastal cruising charter vessel.
Fair Winds and Following Seas,
Paul & Victoria