I'll try again......can someone explain just how the scam works in getting a prospective buyer to spend the money on the scam boat sight unseen?
Wanted: Seafarer 228 in SoCal
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PointedRose
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They want your information too… I mean they might just ask for a deposit to hold for the prospective buyer until whatever illness or death in the family has subsided so they can finalize a ‘quick sale’ over the internet but by that time cash is cleared.
Mustang65fbk
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I think they definitely want the money but also a lot are trying to get your bank account or credit card info. There’s tons and tons of scams using bit coin and gift cards where you buy the gift card and then people ask for a picture of the numbers on the back to “verify the funds” and then they drain the card. Or they’ll wire you $1k on something that’s only worth $500 and then want you to send them the balance back and get your financial information that way or dispute the funds or whatnot so you’re out the money. I don’t ever give out passwords or my main email address when looking at boats or purchasing something from someone I don’t know. I don’t ever open up emails or email attachments or links from people I don’t know. Make up a secondary email address to use when boat shopping or whatnot and use it. That way if it gets hacked or spammed with junk email then at least it’s not your primary account.
Oh, and the scams aren’t going to go away anytime soon. They’re getting more and more aggressive as the years go on as well as more difficult to track with newer and newer technology coming out. They used to just use Craigslist as it was free to make a for sale ad but now they’re even paying for ads on boat trader and other websites, like that 228 seafarer for sale on there now that’s a scam. I was looking at another brand of boat on boat trader as well and thought “that price seems too good to be true” and it was. Literally the next listing on boat trader was the legit ad and it was I believe over $10k more. If something sounds too good to be true or seems sketchy, it probably is. I always try to deal in person or have a 3rd party/surveyor inspect the boat or represent me if it’s an out of state deal. Never give out any personal information and if you ever have any doubt, ask the forum here, your credit union, bank or even a quick google search will probably help you find what you need.
Oh, and the scams aren’t going to go away anytime soon. They’re getting more and more aggressive as the years go on as well as more difficult to track with newer and newer technology coming out. They used to just use Craigslist as it was free to make a for sale ad but now they’re even paying for ads on boat trader and other websites, like that 228 seafarer for sale on there now that’s a scam. I was looking at another brand of boat on boat trader as well and thought “that price seems too good to be true” and it was. Literally the next listing on boat trader was the legit ad and it was I believe over $10k more. If something sounds too good to be true or seems sketchy, it probably is. I always try to deal in person or have a 3rd party/surveyor inspect the boat or represent me if it’s an out of state deal. Never give out any personal information and if you ever have any doubt, ask the forum here, your credit union, bank or even a quick google search will probably help you find what you need.
Thanks Mustang and Rose, No I never give out any info to anyone in regards to private purchasing. Just was questioning just how they get info unless it is provided by the potential buyer. Any purchase I have done regarding a private sale is dealt with in person or a well know or established rep. There must a ongoing market for theses scam basta......as they would not be pursuing this behaviour if they did not get winners..... aka losers. It such a shame that such an exciting event as purchasing a new to you boat can and does turn into a miserable experience.
I am local to the San Diego Boat described above, and went and took a look at it last week. The boat is for real, but more than a bit rougher than described. The seller bought it about a year or so ago in Texas, drove his RV out to pick it up. The RV that is hooked to the boat in the photos is also parked in his yard, and those photos were apparently taken in Texas when he was picking the boat up. He had the big decals on the sides removed and the hull polished. No fade marks are apparent where the sticker were removed.
He had a friend add the lookout tower to the original framework, which is not a "hard-top" model. The tower has it's own floor. The welding all looked good and sound. He had Isenglass side curtains made by another friend. The Yamaha has some damage to the bottom of the skeg, and looks like it hit something hard enough to snap off a piece. The seller does not know how that happened.
The hull is in fairly good condition, but has some gelcoat damage on the left side about in-line with the cockpit. The damage is through the gelcoat and into the underlying fiberglass and is hard to gauge as it has been filled in with 5200 or some similar compound (definitely not epoxy or gelcoat). There is damage to the chine and strakes toward the keel line. I didn't crawl under the boat to see if there was any other damage. That damage needs to be cleaned out, the area checked for water intrusion, dried out and correctly repaired. The engine bracket is the old-style Grady mount without a cross-transom swim platform. There is a bit of corrosion peeking through the bracket in spots, with some corrosion apparent where the outboard mounting plate is against the bracket and across the back of the bracket face. In my world the outboard needs to be lifted, the bracket corrosion treated as needed and the bracket repainted, ideally, I would replace the original stub bracket with one that has a cross-transom swim platform and flip-down ladder. I saw no signs of problems with the integrity of the transom, but I would want to investigate that further due to the high weight of the 4-stroke 300hp yammy compared to what it came with from Grady (is that vintage 228 rated for 300 hp, and does anyone know what the max engine weight rating is for this model?)
It does not have trim tabs. It has what looks to be the base-plate for some kind of kicker-mount on the right side of the transom, and a small-ish boarding platform on the left side of the transom. The trailer is so-so. Aluminum main rails, but galvanized cross members and bunk supports. No brakes at all. More corrosion than I would be happy with, but not rotted through or imminently due to fail. New tires on the trailer. The cockpit is in fair condition. The battery boxes are a bit of a mess, rough wiring and very dirty both sides, and needs some attention. Unknown if the bilge pump works. I think he said the freshwater wash-down pump does not work. He tee'd into the raw water wash-down pump to jury-rig water-flow to the bait live-well. The helm and passenger seats are the stock Grady seats (not the ladder-back units) and in fair shape. It has a fairly new inexpensive VHF radio, but needs an antenna mount (removed for the tower addition). I didn't get a look at the wiring behind the panel, but based on the overall condition expect it to be similar to the battery areas. The forward cabin needs attention. The cushions throughout need to be replaced, and the entire area thoroughly cleaned. Didn't look at the head or sink areas.
The seller is very firm on his price, and expresses indifference about selling it. While I am seriously in the market for a 228 or 226 and am prepared to spend more than the listing price for this one, I just could not see that boat as worth what he wants for it. It needs too much work on too many systems to be brought up to off-shore standards, including the hull and bracket repair and addition of trim-tabs, as well as new electronics, wiring clean-up, significant trailer work, new pads and cushions etc.
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Mustang65fbk
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How does one tow a boat/trailer of that size without any brakes on it? That, as well as what sounds like shoddy workmanship on the plumbing and electrical, would make me steer very clear or this boat, or any others, even if it was in my price range. I don’t need a perfect boat, and am of the opinion that a fishing boat is meant to get dirty/bloody. That being said, it sounds like the seller has some negligence here with their boat and isn’t exactly being forthright about the condition of their vessel. If it was a local boat, I wouldn’t lose too much sleep over it but I’d be quite pissed if I drove/flew thousands of miles to look at a boat that wasn’t anywhere near as described in the ad.
Taildown, thanks for the write up on the boat. Just another testament as to why this site/community is so great.
FWIW- I don't think the seller is guilty of negligence, nor do I think he is intentionally trying to be deceptive. I think he bought the boat in pretty much the condition it is currently in fully intending to bring it up to standard as evidenced by how far he traveled to buy it, the installation of the new tower addition, the Isinglass enclosure, new trailer tires etc. But....the Admiral of the family wanted a larger boat more suited to entertaining, and as such, he ended up buying a larger Bertram and has "Moved-On" from the 228. In talking with the seller it appears that this 228 is the "nicest" boat he has ever had, and that he is somewhat of a horse-trader having bought and sold many other boats in no-where-near this nice of condition (his words paraphrased). He said he is addicted to boats and always in the market for his next boat, and I believe him. In his ad the seller describes the boat as being "a sweet rig that is real close to being the nicest Seafarer out there". As there are virtually no other 228's out here for sale to compare it to, I'd like to believe that he really sees it that way, but perhaps not the same way others may. He fully admits that the main selling point of his 228 is the low-hour Yamaha 300 motor, which is what originally caught my eye. There are so few Grady White's available on the West Coast that they (and most other quality used boats) bring premium prices, so he is pretty sure he can find someone willing to overlook the warts and move it for what he is asking. I agree that fishing boats don't need to be perfect and should be used, bloodied and enjoyed, but this is not my first rodeo and I am fully aware of what it takes to do the work to bring an older boat up to standard. I recently completed a major restoration project on a 1985-vintage 38' boat, and am not interested in another big project, or in fulfilling someone's desires, so I passed on pursuing purchasing it.
All that said, this boat may be exactly what someone out there is looking for, just not me.
You are welcome! Obviously I am brand-new here, but I hope to make great use of the Great Grady forums and knowledge base down the road. What are the chances that on the first day I join a forum the first post I see is one asking questions about a boat that I just looked at a few days ago? I sort of felt compelled to post what I had observed. I am not a marine surveyor, nor an expert at anything but squandering money on boats, so take all that I wrote with a grain of salt.
Mark
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If you have a big enough truck with good brakes, I know others will disagree, it’s not entirely necessary
wrxhoon
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Max rated HP for that boat should be 260 if it is manufactured in 1998 ( no windows at the front in the cabin).
It is a 1998 with no front windows in the cabin. It has a 300 Yamaha on the older Grady-Drive bracket. Insurance may be an issue if it has a motor 40hp over max rating. Thanks for the info.
wrxhoon
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I think you will find the swim platform was optional extra at that time . It was cored F/G and didn't offer any support to the aluminum bracket.
The late models post 2012 ( maybe even 2011) had all aluminum G/D bracket , the bracket and swim platform is welded together . The bracket is longer ( the motor further back) and the swim platform longer and wider, that's when they rated them 300 hp max.
1998 model boat in pristine condition.
The late models post 2012 ( maybe even 2011) had all aluminum G/D bracket , the bracket and swim platform is welded together . The bracket is longer ( the motor further back) and the swim platform longer and wider, that's when they rated them 300 hp max.
1998 model boat in pristine condition.
Mustang65fbk
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Oh I think with the market being the way that it is that he'll probably get his asking price, or close to it, eventually. Imo, and of course this just my opinion, the boat/trailer needs some work yet he's asking essentially top dollar for it. Imo, it all depends on the price, and that's why I bought my previous boat, a 21' Arima, on the east coast and that's because of the price. I bought it for $16,500 out in Maryland when a similar one was listed for $35k out here in the Seattle area. For that good of a deal, I'd be willing to drive just about anywhere for it.
Mustang65fbk
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Eek... I'd be very hesitant relying only on the braking system of my pickup truck to stop the weight of it as well as a boat and trailer on top of it. We had a 17' Arima previously and its trailer didn't have brakes, you could feel the weight of the boat/trailer when trying to break and that was a very light boat. I couldn't imagine trying to tow almost a 23' Grady White on a trailer that didn't have any sort of braking system on it.
PointedRose
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Many many boaters do not drive their trailer more than a few miles each year. I also thought like you until I hired a coast guard guy to help me launch with a f350 double rear tires on the truck and he explained how he prefers no brakes at all. A heavy truck is not going to feel it if the boat is well balanced on the trailer. We went over hills on the highway with no issues. If it was a longer ride, yeah I’d have gotten them fixed
I pull my 2003 - 222 with my F450. All in it's maybe 7k lbs, the truck itself scales out at close to 10k lbs and no trailer brakes. Loaded gooseneck trailer for work I hit the scale at close to 24k lbs. Of course the gooseneck has brakes on all 4 wheels. Worth noting is that I have about 160k miles on my truck and the front pads are original and I changes out the rears 30k miles ago. Now with my Suburban I definitely know it's there.
Mustang65fbk
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A lot of it is going to depend on each individual, their tow vehicle, ramp(s) used, distance, terrain and so on. If someone is towing with a Ford F350 dually or ever larger like an F450, or if they're only towing their boat to a launch that has a very, very mild downhill slope and it's always dry or without sand or seaweed then yes, you probably wouldn't need brakes on the trailer. On the other hand, if you've got a smaller full sized pickup and are towing it hundreds and hundreds of miles every year, up and down steep hills or mountain passes and have difficult boat ramps to launch out of, I'd take the peace of mind of having brakes on my trailer. If for nothing else other than just having them in case I needed them. There's a launch here in Edmonds where you drive up, they take your boat off the trailer with a large hoist that has two straps on it and then they put it in the water for you. You could probably use a small suv or Ford Ranger to get it there and back if you had a level drive the whole way and took it easy. On the other hand, there are more than a couple of ramps around here that are steep, sandy, have lots of seaweed on them and that have a lot of hills you have to drive up and down just to get there. I'd rather err on the side of caution.
Mustang65fbk
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Not mine nor do I have any affiliation with, just figured I’d pass it along…
1998 228 Grady White Seafarer - boats - by owner - marine sale
225 Yamaha Salt Water II Series Motor New Power Tilt Motor All Fuel Pumps Rebuilt 2020 Trailer Rebuilt 2019 New Brakes, Wheel Bearings, Springs and Actuator All New Switches and Breakers New Panels...
charleston.craigslist.org