[Rhodes22-list] advice needed

[DCLewis1 at aol.com]

Cheryl,
 
You could have it surveyed.  The cost of the marine surveyor might  offset 
the cost of a trip to Conn to check it out and come back empty handed (I  don't 
know where you reside).  But, who’s a good surveyor in Conn to be  retained?  
How will you know the survey is good or bad, until after the  fact?  There’s a 
risk that you won’t get a good survey, but it’s something  you could do that 
smacks of due diligence.
 
Someone on the board may know something about the boat, or they may know a  
good marine surveyor in Conn.  As I recall, there have been several active  
posters from the Conn area recently.
 
Buying a used boat will always be a bit of a craps shot, but buying one  
sight unseen seems like a total craps shot to me.  If the reward   (i.e. an 
extremely good deal on a boat that's in great shape that you  can’t find anywhere 
else) clearly outweighed the risk (you could lose all of  your investment if it’
s really bad - including not just the boat, but the trip  to get it, transport 
back, any repairs you might attempt, etc, etc.) it might be  worth it.  It 
doesn't sound like the boat's a total basket case,  but there still may be 
problems. 
 
 Stan’s refurbs come with a warranty and support that translate to  some 
peace of mind that you don't get buying a used boat; that might be another  route 
for you to consider (I'm going to try that route).  Is the cost of a  
representative GBI refurb very much more than the prospective risk you’d be  getting 
into?  

Dave