bnye
Junior Member
Thanksgiving greetings.
My wife and I finally took the big plunge. We just purchased a beautiful well-kept 1988 Ericson 28 on Lake Michigan. We have been out of the water for over 20 years and have a lot of catching up to do. Many thanks to the knowledgeable owners on this forum that have provided straightforward advice and recommendations.
I am eh.. somewhat analytical by nature and have driven my wife to distraction the past year comparing brands, models, equipment, value/price ratios and yes performance numbers etc. If it had a measurement, I had it in the spreadsheet. Through all the analysis, C&C, Ericson, Sabre and Tartans were brands that had made the short list. I found that shopping was fun, coming to a decision was difficult.
I was at a broker, looking at an Ericson 35, taking pictures, making my list of issues that would need to be resolved, when I met the previous owner of the boat I just purchased. He had recently made the decision to sell her and was preparing the boat to be shown. After a just few minutes of conversation, I learned that he had owned the boat since he had watched it being built, it had become part of his family or maybe part of him. As he talked, it was clear that he was passionate about his baby and hated to have to part with her.
An epiphany... this decision wasn't just about the numbers, there was a visceral, in your gut component to the decision. In that moment I understood what my sailing friend meant when he told me that 'You will know when you find the right boat'. So.... she became ours.
Knowing my natural cautious tendancies, I'm just curious how others have dealt with this sweet agony of buying your boat?
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Bill
My wife and I finally took the big plunge. We just purchased a beautiful well-kept 1988 Ericson 28 on Lake Michigan. We have been out of the water for over 20 years and have a lot of catching up to do. Many thanks to the knowledgeable owners on this forum that have provided straightforward advice and recommendations.
I am eh.. somewhat analytical by nature and have driven my wife to distraction the past year comparing brands, models, equipment, value/price ratios and yes performance numbers etc. If it had a measurement, I had it in the spreadsheet. Through all the analysis, C&C, Ericson, Sabre and Tartans were brands that had made the short list. I found that shopping was fun, coming to a decision was difficult.
I was at a broker, looking at an Ericson 35, taking pictures, making my list of issues that would need to be resolved, when I met the previous owner of the boat I just purchased. He had recently made the decision to sell her and was preparing the boat to be shown. After a just few minutes of conversation, I learned that he had owned the boat since he had watched it being built, it had become part of his family or maybe part of him. As he talked, it was clear that he was passionate about his baby and hated to have to part with her.
An epiphany... this decision wasn't just about the numbers, there was a visceral, in your gut component to the decision. In that moment I understood what my sailing friend meant when he told me that 'You will know when you find the right boat'. So.... she became ours.
Knowing my natural cautious tendancies, I'm just curious how others have dealt with this sweet agony of buying your boat?
-----
Bill