BLUEMOMENT

I have been struck by the venal attitude of posters in TOP on subjects like "Is a VAT receipt necessary" and other boat selling topics. Their aim seems to be to grab as much as possible for as little as they can get away with. This market trader attitude is probably acceptable with baked beans and other commodities but is it appropriate for boats where each one is different with a personality made up from the experience, efforts and foibles of its owner(s)? I suppose relatively new Benjenbavs are very similar and a market price can be defined but for older versions and designs the differences between nominally similar boats makes determining a price more of an emotional balance and whether the boat and prospective owner are compatible. Perhaps I am too romantic but when I bought Marisca it mattered that I actually liked the sellers. We still maintain contact, not to moan about her shortcomings, but because they seem to be interested in what she does and they pretend to having first option if I sell. When the time comes to sell I hope the suitability of the prospective buyer will weigh heavily with me and I suspect this will exclude anyone trying to chip me down 'cos there is no VAT receipt.

I'm unlikely ever to sell Silkie to trade up since she's about the most boat I can nearly afford although I might be forced into it by being unable to meet the running costs. Regardless, should I find myself in that situation, I suspect that my answer to the kind of dickering to which you refer would be short and none too polite.

Dawg! I'm such a pompous erse.

If you are a pompous derrière - what does that make moi?

Let's just allow the thread to sink into obscurity.

I think you are right about selling a boat to a good home and conversly being a good seller.

I wouldn't like to think that someone I sold a boat to felt hard done by and I was happy to help the new owner or Aquaplane recover her to the trailer for the first time.

I was dead chuffed to get a text sayng that she was enjoyng her holiday on the sea in Devon. I wondered why she didn't come back to her mooring near ours too, but not enough to ring to find out.

Well, its not all bad. I am paranoid about keeping my VAT reciept handy, as we are so much closer to foreign ports, and therefore much more likely to go there. It follows also that we may well be boarded by les Douaniers and asked for our VAT reciept, which could in default lead to being asked for, in my case, a NEW VAT payment to the new price of my boat, about 16000 quid.
I am relaxed about it with all my other purchases which I hold no less dear to me. IT can be a royal pain in the posterior if the paperwork isn't in order, and isn't it best if the question is asked of the seller before conveyance?

I did get asked in Calais aboard my boat Chou Fleur III, but they were laughing so much at a boat called Caulifower III they couldn't take it seriously. ( I should say it wasnt a deal breaker on that boat, as the VAT would have 'only' been about 1600 quid - a factor of 10 less than Full Circle!)

We also didn't have the same level of customs then, as there wasn't a great crowd of 'asylum' seekers looking for any way to cross the channel.

But, I do agree there is a certain sector who know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.

marisca wrote:When the time comes to sell I hope the suitability of the prospective buyer will weigh heavily with me and I suspect this will exclude anyone trying to chip me down 'cos there is no VAT receipt.

I guess that's me ruled out then . I entirely agree, when the time comes I would rather be confident that a new custodian was going to cherish the old lady than worry about 10 or 20% more or less.

I'm in agreement here. I stayed friends with both seller & buyer of Arghiro, but both have sadly passed away now.

But seller of current boat had no real love of boats at all - never mind my new love. So it goes.