Disappointment hardly describes the ongoing process of shopping for a boat. In hindsight, I should have been able to come to that conclusion through reason. Many boats on the market would classically be defined as “fixer-uppers”, which in itself is a frustrating proposition. Buy a boat, and spend as much again making her what she could be, or had been, or should still be (not to mention the additional time investment). In addition, those few gems that are still seaworthy become snatched up by other buyers as soon as they hit the market. Timing, timing, timing, like location to a real estate deal, is everything in the world of boat buying.
This guy has obviously made some concessions.
So, as you may have discerned, our meeting with the Ericson 39 did not go well. It did not even go. Our appointment was jockeyed around because of a conflict with another potential buyer, who eventually moved his appointment to Saturday, while ours remained on Sunday. I’ll have to remember that trick. Turns out he made an offer, and we never even got to look at her.
On Saturday we had a CPR course to attend, otherwise we may have beaten that guy to the punch. During the class, we struck up a conversation with a fellow who told us a story about that particular model of boat which he had sailed around the world. Eager for testimonials, we listened attentively as he described her hull tearing across the beam because of a design flaw! Maybe fate is still playing along, as we had been quite taken with the pictures of the Ericson 39, and could have envisioned making an offer on her.
Not to be deterred from looking at some boat for sale, I contacted a local broker who had some attractive listings. We made an appointment for that afternoon, and killed some time beforehand looking at an old Corbin 39 in the Berkeley marina. 
The owner lives in SoCal and told us where she was so we could take a look at her topsides. While a seaworthy design, the ship was a wreck! Note the head on deck, discarded as if Sanford and Son themselves were living on the boat. She was neglected, and a pretty sad sight to behold. What we could see through the portals looked like a junkyard, full of clutter and gear. The bulkheads were covered in 1970′s style wood paneling! She had a workshop in the stern, a benefit while cruising, but in this case it would become my own personal dungeon. I told Janis that if we bought her, we would never leave.
So it is becoming much easier to cross boats off the list than to seriously consider making an offer.
The broker introduced us to a previously-not-considered design: the Ingrid 38. This one in particular was in the process of being shined up; most of the brightwork was freshly varnished, she was a ketch (which is attractive), but she was green, with wooden spars, and lacked certain amenities like a double berth! The forepeak was hobbit-sized, and she had a completely useless locker/cabin which was amusingly declared, on the locker door, “the ships brig” (neither the broker nor we could come up with an adequate use for the space besides a meditation chamber). Janis and I are willing to compromise on a few design features, but we would like to continue sharing a berth when we’re not on watch!
So the search continues. The broker is now helping out with the looking, and hopefully he will prove to be an asset. We’ll see on the 27th. He should have a few more boats to show us by then. Personally, I’m hoping to find at least one in twenty worth making an offer.
Q
