Holy crap I just bought a boat!

[ABatt2006]

Sight unseen, 200 dollars, previous owner is MIA, quite possibly passed on to the next plane and the boat wasn't in the will, marina confiscated it for lack of payment on the slip. Don't know if it runs, don't have keys, have a mechanic coming to check it out. Either way I am now the prou... err, owner... of a 1988 Bayliner 2455 Sunbridge... behold...

 

[12vMan]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

And it floats even! Congrats and welcome to the site. There's a wealth of informative posts on here to help you get her seaworthy and beautiful once again. Is there a trailer or are you going to leave it in the slip?

 

[oops!]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

i would call that a score......

after you get it hauled out of the water.......we will see you in the dry dock.....(restoration section) but you never know.......could just need a good cleaning.

 

[ABatt2006]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

well I got a few things going for me that most dont. First and foremost my father is a co-owner of a marine parts distributor here in Dallas so I can get the parts I need either dirt cheap or free. Second, I have a lot of time on my hands, I got a M-F 8-5 gig, and besides feeding my dog everyday, I have no real time consuming responsibilities to deal with. Worse case scenario, if its too much of a hassle to get running/restore I can donate it to Dallas Can Academy and get a pretty healthy tax write off.

 

[produceguy]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

That's an awsome deal. What about the title, how's that going to work?

 

[ABatt2006]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

Title will be more difficult, but the brunt of the work on that needs to be done by the marina... so long as they can show the lack of payment, and attempt to contact the owner, they are legally authorized to auction it off.

 

[Raystownboater]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

well I got a few things going for me that most dont. First and foremost my father is a co-owner of a marine parts distributor here in Dallas so I can get the parts I need either dirt cheap or free. Second, I have a lot of time on my hands, I got a M-F 8-5 gig, and besides feeding my dog everyday, I have no real time consuming responsibilities to deal with. Worse case scenario, if its too much of a hassle to get running/restore I can donate it to Dallas Can Academy and get a pretty healthy tax write off.

Its official...........I hate my life

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

Don't spend a penny on it until you have the title in your hands. Many forum members have gone up this same creek. Good luck!

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

Congrats! I think:facepalm: Hope that $200 doesn't cost you.......!did it come with a trailer?

 

[southkogs]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

Sweet gig if it all pans out. Even if you have to sell it, as long as the engine runs it would bring more than $200 off CraigsList. Good job.

 

[109jb]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

Better make sure the marina did it right. If the seized it for non-payment of slip rental then they should have filed a lien on the boat and that should have been filed with the court. Many places they can't just sell the boat, they have to first get court authorization to sell it and in many places the sale needs to be executed by a sheriff's auction. Then the marina would get their slip rental money + storage fees + lien execution fees+ etc. and any extra goes to the owner of the boat. There are also specific filing procedures and notification procedures that give the owner to opportunity to respond and settle up. If this stuff isn't done properly, you may be in possession of a stolen boat. Each of these details is different depending on the state you live in. Bottom line - you better make sure the marina did it right.

 

[ABatt2006]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

Thanks for the info guys, I will make sure I do my due diligence on any and all ownership issues with the title. It doesn't come with a trailer, but I do have limited access to one if needed. As of this moment, no money has changed hands, so I can still walk away if that is indeed the right thing to do. The way it was explained to me (indirectly), we have to go down to Texas Parks and Wildlife together (marina owner and me) to do the title transfer, so there are a lot of hurdles in front of us both. So long as it looks like it is transparent that I get the boat for 200 + taxes + title, I will pull the trigger and move forward with getting it a full inspection. Based on that inspection and potential shopping list I will decide whether or not to keep it. That being said, heres to hoping things go smoothly!

 

[Mason78]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

Looks like a fun project!

 

[ABatt2006]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

I got plenty of elbow grease! Wow I'm pumped, I'm praying this works out!

 

[RandyJ]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

New boat owner.... get out your wallet. A boat is a hole in the water in which you pour money (I think I read that from a Joe Reeves post a few years ago).
B-bring
O-out
A-another
T-thousand

 

['78 Crusader]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

What lake is this boat on?

Man, you really have your work cut out for you. This boat appears to have been severely neglected for a few years...... surprised it stayed afloat.

 

[Hit It]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

That's awesome! Can't go wrong for $200.00! Good luck & keep us updated on the progress.

 

[ABatt2006]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

It's on grapevine lake at tue moment, I might move it to lewisville lake next spring if things pan out, both marinas are less than 20 minutes from my place.

I talked to the marina manager this morning concerning the title, basically they relinquish all of their liens when they auction it off, there is the possibility (remote) that it was still being financed, but since it's a 88 model thats doubtful.

It has been neglected, that's obvious, but if it had been hooked up to shore power then the heater should have been running, which means the block shouldn't be cracked. If that is indeed the case a MAJOR tune-up will be my next play, if that gets it running then I walked into a helluva good deal. If it requires major costly repairs I will donate it for the tax write off and I make up my money, possibly turning a small profit.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

Good for you Abatt!

I am real close, and if you end up with it then want to flip it I may be interested, just sayin'....good luck, hope you get it

 

[ABatt2006]

Re: Holy crap I just bought a boat!

Thanks Maclin, I'll keep that in mind! Good news on the title, the marina owner dug deeper and the title is free and clear from any liens, so we will be doing the transfer tomorrow!!! Maclin, you got any recommendations on a mobile mechanic that can come do a diagnostic on it? The guy that was recommended to me hasnt returned any of my calls, so I'm looking elsewhere.