http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/East-Coast-31-Sailboat/261809201284?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140106155344%26meid%3Dd9be322da74444d2a2628086d4223a6a%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D131451909441&rt=nc

And one for spongeblob and Bizzy Dave there holiday boat
www.ebay.com.au/itm/Hood-23-Yacht/251869506537?_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555012%26algo%3DPW.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140122130056%26meid%3D696122c52c23456f9b918edc6f14563d%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D17%26rkt%3D24%26sd%3D261809201284

Select to expand quote

LooseChange said..


Maybe the brokers working hours are from 9:00am to 15 knots

Well yes, we all need leisure time but if he is serious about achieving sales, upon which income depends, unless the brokerage is just a hobby for him, and even if it is just a hobby for him, he should have in place either extra staff or a means of accepting calls when not in the office.

These days an office is not really necessary if you have a smart phone configured the right way.

I worked commission only sales successfully for 15 years and it annoys me how blase I get treated when I make a sales enquiry on an advertised item these days. Is the economy that good that traders can afford to ignore sales enquiries????

No Cisco, the economy is far from good .. but unfortunately most businesses are just plain lazy and their margins are achieved by high pricing rather than giving service.

Select to expand quote

Yara said..
Japie- Was it the boat or the trip which was a nightmare?

One thing you can do if you are interested in a boat that is far away is ask on this site if someone is nearby who can take a look at the boat for you. I have done it for somone who was interested in a boat in Cairns and I was heading there. Next week I will pop into Albany-any good boats there?

'Twas the trip Yara although the boat was a bit how's your father. Timber, you could see daylight through the hull. Looked good in the phots. Had no experience buying boats and now I have one don't intend getting any.

The trip ended up with my arrest, a court appearance and good behavior bond!

Missed the flight out of Rockhampton owing to the permanent road works, the following flight was delayed four hours owing to mechanical issues. By the time we took off all the passengers other than me were rolling drunk. Coming to land in Mackay some Jimmy shone a laser light in the pilots eyes and he took off to hospital. We finished the trip to Townsville on a Greyhound arriving, finally, at 2.30 am. I had to look at the boat on magnetic island at 7.

Got back to Rocky at 1pm, went to retrieve my car from a deserted but stinking hot car park and the parking machine would not accept my credit card. Pissed off, stinking hot decided I could drive around the boom gate which caught on the ute tray and popped off. I know these machines as I have worked with them and know they have a quick release mechanism to minimise damage.

No attendants in evidence and a date to keep I thought stuff it, if they find me I'll deal with the consequences.

Well they did of course.

After five months of telephone tennis with the coppers and an attempted interview where they had no one to spare I eventually got to see two Sheila's at Gladstone police station who informed me that I had done $3ks worth of damage which I knew was not possible. ( I was eventually billed $279 by Rockhampton City Council)

At the end of the interview they arrested me, finger printed me and took a DNA swab. When I asked them what would happen if I refused they said they would just keep me in the lock up.

I eventually ended up going to court and was given the good behavior bond after,explaining to the magistrate what I have told here and that in 58 years have never been bust for anything. Fortunately no conviction was recorded.

Oh, and prior to the case I went back to the car park to take some photos and all the machines had been replaced so the old ones were,f ucked and they knew it.

Anyway, as I said, that was the day I made the decision to leave the country!

This photo



is the Royal Suva Yacht Club where I am currently sitting waiting for the bank to open.

Reckon I got the best of that little car park incident!

I live in Townsville and although I have never done any business with Townsville Slipways I know of a couple of people who have and they only have good things to say about the business.
Many years ago I also drove from the Sunshine Coast to Townsville to look at a boat that was a total disappointment and was a little upset as the round trip was about 2400 km only to look at a piece of crap.
I think the problem is not necessarily the broker but the distance. I have probably looked an a few hundred boats over the years with the prospect of buying one only to be disappointed by the presentation of the boat or the description offered by the broker/seller.
If I have only driven across town to look at the boat then I have not lost a lot of time or expense so it doesn't worry me to much but when you travel great distances only to be offended by whats on offer it is a different thing.
When I was looking for my current boat I traveled all over the east coast looking at a lot of pigs that were described as pearls so when I saw a boat at Tin Can Bay it was a bit of a decision to make my mind up to travel over 100km each way to look at her. After a lot of wasted journeys you get a bit jaded.
The thing that made my mind up for me was that there were two boats in Tin Can Bay that suited my criteria.
When we went we looked at the boat being offered by the broker first and decided to purchase it subject to a survey. To be fair to the private seller we also looked at his boat. Low and behold, it beat the other one hands down and we purchased that one instead.
I know this is a bit of a yarn, but honestly, there is so much overpriced junk out there that it's very easy to get disappointed.