One Little Clue to Look for When Buying a Yacht

     Often times potential buyers get tunnel vision, they are obsessed with hull fractures or blisters, engine mounts and thru-holes.  However, one of the most critical factors to determine whether or not a yacht has been well maintained by its captain, is the condition of the helm electronics.
     This often over looked attribution can mean the difference in the overall condition of the vessel, rarely does a well meaning captain fore go his or her electronics, after all, previous close calls in bad weather has made sure of that.  Learn what the latest trends are, which electronics have been proven by use, and how much money you will need to upgrade the vessel if you bought it.  Read a small excerpt from YACHTING Magazine; "As owners run boats, helm electronics give them information and insight into what's headed their way.  Those electronics can also give information to someone who's looking to buy that boat.  Smart buyers take a look at the screens, but a glance behind the dash may tell even more. The first thing I look at other than the engine room and general condition of the boat, is the way the guy has upgraded his electronics."(yachtingmagazine2010)
     One of the most expensive aspects of refitting a yacht is adapting new electronics, the original helm may be outdated and a total refit will be needed to accommodate new larger screens, this upgrade means more money which may determine your bid amount, also keep this in mind, if the present owner has let his electronics fall to the weigh side, what else has he or she skimped on? Something to consider.


YachtingMagazine.April 2011. Pg94. "Down to the Wire" Wood.Jason Y. Ret. May 30th 2010

According to An Article On Yahoo "The Ten Best Beaches"

Florida's Siesta Beach is nation's top beach

This Sarasota jewel boasts white-powder beaches and clear, warm water

   

By Frank Eltman, Associated Press Writer

SARASOTA, Fla. – After years as a head-turning bridesmaid in the best-beach rankings, Sarasota's Siesta Beach is finally the bride.

The wide slice of brilliant white sand and warm, emerald water on Florida's southwest Gulf coast was named the best beach in the United States Friday in an annual survey by Florida International University professor Steven Leatherman, who is also known by the friendly nickname "Dr. Beach."

Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches

1. Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Fla.

2. Coronado Beach, San Diego, Calif.

3. Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, Honolulu

4. Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.

5. Cape Hatteras, N.C.

6. St. George Island State Park, Fla.

7. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C.

8. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.

9. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii

10. Cape Florida State Park, near Miami.

Siesta Beach, 40 acres of almost pure quartz crystal sand on the Siesta Key barrier island, was runner-up in Leatherman's rankings the past two years and was third in 2008.

The 10-mile-long beach at Coronado Island

Photo: ashleytheartist2002

"The sand is like sugar," said Leatherman, director of FIU's Laboratory for Coastal Research. "Some people can't believe it. You have to bring sunglasses because it's so bright. It's super soft, super fine. They claim to have the finest, whitest sand in the world, and I can't argue with that."

San Diego's Coronado Beach was runner-up. Rounding out the top 10 were No. 3, Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii; No. 4, Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.; No. 5, Cape Hatteras in North Carolina; No. 6, St. George Island State Park, Florida Panhandle; No. 7, Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C.; No. 8, Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.; No. 9, Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, and No. 10, Cape Florida State Park near Miami.

Leatherman ranks beaches on 50 criteria, including the look and feel of the sand, water quality, weather, facilities and crowds. A top score is 250. Siesta Beach came in the 230s, losing minor points because the vista is heavy on condos to the north and south of the county park. Once a beach reaches the pinnacle of Leatherman's list, it is retired from consideration for future rankings.

Lighthouse on Cape Hatteras, Buxton, N.C.

Photo: Lindsay Sorensen

A No. 1 spot on the popular list annual typically brings a 15-to-20-percent boost in visitors for the beach destinations.

Siesta Beach got big points for shallow water and gentle currents.

"Most days you measure waves over there in inches, not feet," Leatherman said.

Praise for Siesta Beach is no surprise to Leonard and Linda Rush, who vacationed at the beach annually for 20 years when both were teaching in Ohio, then retired and moved to within a half hour's drive of the place. They visit often now, enjoying the "powdered sugar" sand, calm waters, cleanliness and nearby bathrooms.

"It's pretty pristine," 64-year-old Leonard Rush said as he and his wife relaxed in folding chairs gazing out at the Gulf of Mexico one recent morning. "They keep it in pretty good shape. It's got the best sand of any beach."

The Duke Kahanamoku Statue on Waikiki Beach

Photo: Wolfgang Jung

"It's a really wide beach," said 20-year-old Britanica Graves, who lives in Sarasota and visits Siesta Beach often. "It can be crowded and not seem like it's crowded. It's just wide and long."

Parking at the public beach is free, but regulars say that by late morning it can be challenging to find a spot in the 800-space lot.

Leatherman touted Gulf Coast destinations Siesta Beach and St. George Island State Park despite last year's BP oil spill, which soiled parts of the western Florida Panhandle coastline. Siesta Beach and other strands on the state's west coast remained untouched by crude, but BP crews are still scouring places that were affected for scattered tar balls, even though the vast majority of damage has by now been cleaned up. St. George Island, in the eastern part of the Panhandle southwest of Tallahassee, didn't get any oil, but Leatherman knocked it off last year's list because it was in the "line of fire" before the gusher was capped.

Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii

Photo: dustin.daily

"Even then, when the oil spill occurred, I said oil is not going to get to the Sarasota beaches (and) southwest Florida," Leatherman said. "A big loop current trapped the oil 100 miles offshore. And the oil just spun and spun in the Gulf. And, in fact, right now we can hardly find any of it, even in the areas which did have oil and tar on the beaches in the Panhandle."

Separate from the top 10 list, which is in its 21st year, Leatherman has a project called the National Healthy Beaches Campaign. Campaign member beaches pay $800 a year to be evaluated monthly on 60 self-reported criteria and receive advice on maintaining environmental quality through "proactive management," Leatherman said. He emphasized that beaches do not pay to be evaluated for the top 10 best beaches list, and that he visits top 10 candidates incognito to collect sand and water samples for study.

Leatherman insists that eliminating each year's national winner from consideration in future surveys hasn't diluted the quality of his annual rankings.

"The good thing about the United States is we have hundreds of beautiful beaches," he said. "I can die before I run out of beaches."


********This article was copied and pasted from a Yahoo Interest Article entitled "Dr. Beach: Florida's Siesta Beach is nation's top beach" (http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-40179998)*****************

This Caribbean Island Manages To Avoid Hurricanes

     Imagine spending all your time nestled under a palm tree in the Caribbean?  Wouldn't that be a dream come true? I know for me it would, but what about hurricanes?  Avoiding the weather monsters that plaque the area is a fact of life and somewhat of a spoiler when it comes to extended stays.  But, there is part of an island chain in the Caribbean that seems to defy the odds.  The unique island of Curacao is a quaint picturesque island located in the southern most occupation near Aruba.  This island known for its charm and beautiful beaches, rocks and views, seems to mysteriously avoid most storms, the answer is yes, the island does occasionally get bad weather, tropical storms, hurricanes and rain, can and have happened, but according to the National Hurricane Center, Curacao is one of the least effected islands from major hurricanes. 

      "the islands of the southernmost Caribbean -- such as Aruba, Barbados, Curacao, Bonaire, Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago -- rarely get hit by hurricanes: Bonaire, for example, has just a 2.2 percent annual risk of being affected by a hurricane, making your odds about 50-1 against a storm interrupting your vacation. " (NHC2010)

     Comparative to other island chains north of Aruba, hurricanes do far more damage and annual rain fall in the form of tropical storms far exceed southern portion where Curacao is located.  So if you are inclined to find yourself living in a dream spot of the world, you might want to check out the southern most islands of the Caribbean.

How Can I Protect My Yacht From Theft

     I despise a thief, many times I have had items stolen from my slipped boat, reported the theft to the marina office, only to wait for an answer that never came.  I have had my locks busted off aft hatches, portals and dock boxes.  For some reason there will always be crooks willing to take what you have worked hard for, so how can you help prevent them from succeeding?

    There are many tips to help secure your possessions and make stealing your property harder for the bad guys. First and foremost, choose a marina that cares about security, I have had boats slipped at various marinas some cared about security and others didn't, I learned my lesson.  Secondly, most yachts found at marinas are often unlocked somewhere, be it from a portal, hatch or unlocked lock.  Secure your yacht when not in use is the most critical of actions you can take.  And thirdly, common sense comes into play, you leave something out and more than likely someone is willing to take it, criminals work off our own laziness and theirs to find viable work, so forgetting to lock a hatch or leaving valuable items within easy access to steal is a criminals checklist. Check out the following website pdf, this is a excellent break-down of yacht security. LOCK YOUR YACHT!

http://www.pcmarinesurveys.com/yachttheftprevention.pdf

    

Yacht Broker Crime Blog

CABIN CRUISER THEFT

Four flat-screen televisions and a compact disc player were stolen from an 80-foot cabin cruiser, according to a sheriff deputy's report.

The theft occurred sometime between April 5 and April 8 when someone entered the yacht through an unknown hatch, portal or door. Three televisions were taken from a lower stateroom after being removed from their mounting brackets and another television was stolen from the main salon. A Bang & Olufsen CD player also was snatched.

Surveillance video was reviewed, but there was useful footage immediately found.

No arrest was made.(marinadelray.patch.com)

Installing Shore Power, Can You Do It Yourself?

     One of the luxuries of keeping your yacht slipped is convenience, atmosphere and safety, most marina's offer the best of convenience, limiting your next outing to planning and enjoying the coast.  With convenience comes utility power, known as "Shore Power."  Most larger vessels come ready to power up, offering easy accessed receptacles to receive shore power, however, some do not, especially older models or smaller craft.

     Those that do come with shore power wired in, leave owners to buy the appropriate power cables to run the length of the vessel.  Shore power can be expensive in many ways, i.e., cable cost, electric bills, maintenance and adding plugs.  So what do you do when your vessel is not wired for shore power?  My best recommendation? HAVE THE LOCAL MARINA INSTALL IT!  I would end this post right here, if not for those of use who sometimes enjoy a challenge.  So for those up to the task, or at least you think you are, I will offer my suggestions.  Shore power can be difficult to install, keeping in mind the need to keep everyone on your vessel safe, install must be done right or accidents can be fatal.

    Shore power is extremely convenient, so its worth the cost and headache.  To wire your own vessel for shore power you have to wear several hats, an electrical engineer, designer, plumber, carpenter, installer and captain. First priority is to come up with a design based on your vessel, every yacht is different within reason, you must sit down and draw out your plans to wire the boat.  Start at the most logical place, the electrical panel and battery charger.  All leads back to the fuse panel and with a properly drawn out diagram, installation will flow much easier.  You must decide where on your vessel plugs will be installed, at every turn keeping safety at the forefront, never abandoning "safety first" mentality.

    You are wiring your boat for 110 capability so safety is now passed the 12 volt rule, you are venturing into waters that can prove hazardous, so plan accordingly, in fact I am going to stop advising you right now and give you a website of those smarter than me, they will help you get started wiring your boat today.  Just remember my advice, you can save considerable money installing shore power yourself, but if you have the budget, let the pros at your marina do what they do best, good luck

Shore power help:

    

    http://sailmagazine.com/boatworks/maintenance/shore-power_upgrade/

    http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/36.htm

One Fantastic Yacht

141' Hike Metal Products & Shipbuilding LTD Expedition Yacht

     This most amazing yacht has the capability to travel the worlds oceans with ease, design, realiablity and comfort all come into play with this awesome expedition yacht, for the money the best expedition yacht in the world.

For sale, the listing:

"COPASETIC embodies an uncommon combination of endurance, seaworthiness, comfort, safety and function. She was purpose built as an expedition yacht in 2006 and outfitted with uncompromizing systems and equipment for reliability. She is ABS Classed and MCA compliant. Her five luxurious staterooms and four crew cabins are voluminous. The owners deck, complete with day room and private aft deck, is one level above the main deck providing privacy and magnificent views. There is a Jacuzzi pool on the top deck. The captain's cabin is on the pilothouse level. Additional specifications include 3508B Caterpillar engines with extended warranty, 5000 gpd water maker, Quantum hydraulics with at anchor stabilization, fully compliant GMDSS station, 20,000 gallons of fuel, 10,000 gallons of ballast water, keel coolers, two 99KW generators. Tenders include a 32' SeaVee diesel center console, 22' Nautica jet tender, Palfanger knuckle boom crane and single point pick ups on tenders facilitate rapid and safe deployment. Completely functional flybridge helm with redundant electronics and full hard top. COPASETIC is a totally functional, reliable, safe and capable vessel designed for long range cruising to exotic locations and operating independently for extended periods."(yachtworld2011)

Check out this website:

http://mvcopasetic.com/about.html

How do I list a Yacht?

Most yacht brokers have similar request, here is an example of what a listing agent might require of you.


breweryacht.com gives its customers advice which can apply to all potential sellers:




"It’s quite simple, but we will need accurate information on your boat. Once we gather this information we complete a market analysis that examines the boats currently on the market and boats sold in the past. With this information, we recommend an asking price. Once you approve the pricing we build the specification sheet on your boat, and with your approval we put it on the market. Along the way, we will need a signed listing agreement as well as registration documents, Coast Guard documentation (if applicable) and other paper work that the broker will provide. Listing your boat with BYS does not cost anything until we sell your boat; at that point, we receive our commission. The listing of your boat will be advertised online in the MLS systems as well as in other marketing venues such as boat shows, email campaigns and possibly print advertising. Your boat information is also circulated to all of our offices so you get exposure in all regional, national and worldwide markets." (breweryacht.com)