Blog July 2020

A Purchase Agreement Should Include:

• Date
• Name of purchaser and (if applicable) co-purchaser, their address and phone number
• Name of seller and co-seller, their address and phone number
• Broker (if applicable) If a broker is used, they will provide the purchase agreement
• Description of boat, including: Manufacturer, Model, Year, Length, Hull #, Engine #
• Trailer Documentation # (manufacturer, model, year, and serial number, if applicable)
• Location of boat
• Selling price and terms/conditions of purchase
• Deposit received $ _______ and date the deposit was received _______
• Closing date
• Liens of encumbrances (the boat is sold free of any liens, bills unless otherwise stated and agreed to. The owner warrants that he has a marketable title and the lawful right to sell the boat (and trailer if appropriate) and will deliver all the necessary documents for the transfer of title.)
• Additional terms and conditions: Transaction is subject to acceptable survey; acceptable sea trials and (if applicable) financing; the boat must be insurable; the deposit is refundable in full to the purchaser if any of the above items are unsatisfactory; copies of current state title and registration and current certificate of documentation (if applicable) should be attached to this agreement.

The purchase agreement's signed, you've paid a 10% deposit, and the boat has passed the surveyor's inspection and sea trial with flying colors.

It's time to write the seller a check and take the boat home, right?

Not just yet.

Ask to see the following documentation to help authenticate the seller's ownership:

1. A bill of sale showing that the seller actually owns the boat.

The document should show his name and a description of the boat and its HIN (Hull Identification Number). Make sure the HIN on the boat (located on the starboard side of the transom) matches the one on the seller's records.

2. Boat insurance policy listing the owner's name and boat description.

3. Boat's certificate of title and/or state registration.

TIP: Some states don't require titling, so if the seller doesn't have a title, make sure you see the bill of sale from when he bought the boat.

If you have all the proof of the seller's ownership and everything looks fine, get out that checkbook and buy that beautiful boat.

After The Sale

At last, the boat is yours! Before you hit the water, here are some things to consider:

1. Call MARITIME COVERAGE CORP for an insurance quote.

Is my extended-service contract an extension of my manufacturer warranty?

A: Nope. Service contracts are insurance policies, often underwritten by third parties not associated with manufacturers. These contracts are moneymakers for dealers; some retailers can mark up contracts more than 100 percent over the actual cost paid to the service-contract company. A true warranty offers broad coverage and has the weight of state and federal warranty laws behind it. The best service contracts are those backed by large manufacturers, and some offer their own in-house service contracts. Read the fine print. Most defects in new boats and engines show up within the original warranty period, so spending money up front on a service contract may be a waste of money.

Q: Does my new-boat warranty cover my engines, too?

A: While the boatbuilder offers a warranty on the boat itself, usually the engine manufacturer provides separate warranty coverage for the engine(s). As a result, you may have to go to two different places for warranty repairs. Look for dealers that have technicians who can provide warranty work for both — a big plus. Read your new-boat warranty to learn what the dealer can fix and what you may have to take elsewhere for repairs, such as electronics. A few boat manufacturers now offer true "bumper-to-bumper" warranties that cover everything on the boat, just like new-car warranties.

Q: I'm an experienced boater who does my own maintenance. Will this void the warranty?

A: No, provided you follow the manufacturer's recommended schedule and use quality parts and fluids. Keep detailed records of maintenance, including dates of service, engine hours at time of service, and a description of services and/or parts installation performed.

Aren't boat and car insurances pretty much the same?

A: They're different. With boat insurance, you'll buy a policy with an agreed value (an amount you and your insurance company agree your boat is worth) or an actual-cash-value policy (what your boat's "book value" is at the time of the incident). With an agreed-value policy, you'll receive the agreed-upon amount if your boat is totaled. An actual-cash-value policy may give you less than you anticipated.

If you're in a car accident, in most cases you simply call your insurance company and drive your car to an authorized shop. A few days later, you pick it up, sign a document, and you're on your way. Boat claims are different because of the vast differences in boats, the lack of standardized repair parts, and the challenges of making sometimes-complex repairs using a much smaller pool of repairers. Boat repairs also are often significantly more expensive than owners expect

Need help seeing?

Deflecting the light, with this handy, fun plexi-bottom bucket, lets you look before you anchor.

Here's  an old article by Don Casey thats always useful.

If you're boating in clear water, it can be useful to view the bottom.

For example, discovering that the seabed under the boat is rock, deep weed, or scoured coral before you try to anchor can avoid a lot of pointless frustration. Unfortunately wind chop and light reflection usually obscure your sight. All that's required to see into the water is a glass panel to "flatten" the surface. A dive mask will serve, but unless you wear it and stick your head in the water, your view is soon compromised by water slopping over the short skirt and onto the top of the glass.

The better tool is a look bucket. For little money, you can make one better than most that are commercially available. All you need is a stiff plastic bucket, a disk of clear plastic, and appropriate adhesive. A five-gallon paint bucket is the usual bucket choice because it's stiff, has a sharp angle between bottom and side, and features a protective lip around the base. However, a smaller bucket (2 1/2-3 gallons) can be easier to handle. The clear plastic can be acrylic or polycarbonate and should be not less than 1/8-inch thick; thicker is better because flexing can make the bond between the bucket and the plastic fail. I use marine or structural glazing silicone for gluing the lens to the bucket, but you can also use polyurethane (3M 5200) if the lens is acrylic (but not polycarbonate). Flexible epoxy can also bond and seal the lens.

1. Cut a disk of clear plastic to the inside diameter at the bottom of the bucket. Using a utility knife or a hot knife (better), cut out the bottom of the bucket, leaving a one-inch rim. So the buoyancy will compress rather than test the seal, some people bond the plastic outside the bucket, but this typically makes it untrustworthy as an actual bucket unless you add mechanical fasteners. I prefer setting the lens into a bed of sealant that extends up the side of the bucket to provide both tensile and sheer strength.
2. Hold the circular lens in place and trace around the cut circle of the bucket with a sharp blade to cut the protective film. Peel away the perimeter piece, leaving the middle. To provide a better gripping surface for your adhesive, use 100-grit paper to sand the exposed plastic around the circumference of the lens, including the edge. Also, sand the mating surfaces of the bucket. For a neater job, mask the bucket wall above the level of the lens.
3. Apply adhesive sealant liberally to the lip and side of the bucket, then set the lens in place. Weight it lightly; you want the lens to make full contact but you don't want to squeeze out all of the adhesive. The seal needs to be thick enough to absorb some flex during use.
4. Allow the adhesive to cure fully, trim away excess sealant, and peel away the remaining film and any masking you did. Your bucket is ready for "look box" duty while still functioning as a bucket for washing or bailing. 

If you are like so many of us now, we have taken to wearing masks.

Do they work?

Hell if I know, but they probably don't hurt.

Many people are faithfully wearing masks in order to prevent others from being infected with COVID-19.But it’s also a big adjustment for a lot of us who are adapting to a face apparatus and sweaty faces. If you are like me and wear glasses, we have to deal with another problem: fogged-up lenses. When you wear a mask and your warm breath hits the relatively cool surface of your glasses, the result will be fog.

This can be really irritating, especially if you walk from a hot street into an air-conditioned environment, suddenly can’t see, and don’t want to handle your glasses without washing your hands first.

I found this strategy to be helpful.

If your mask fits loosely over your nose, your breath is certain to escape up to your glasses.

Many masks being sold have nose bridges sewn into them — flexible strips that allow you to bend and shape them so they fit your nose. These serve several purposes: they make the masks more effective (because less moisture can escape), make them more comfortable, and they help prevent your breath from hitting your glasses.

If your mask doesn’t have its own bridge, you can make your own using twist ties or pipe cleaners, or you can tape the mask down.