Class Acts

In the Seattle area, I had the pleasure of doing business with four class acts during the boat purchase. Everything went smoothly and in the few minor instances where it didn't, things were made right instantly. Updates during the process were constant and all inquiries were answered immediately. I don't know because I have no comparison if these outfits are the cheapest or the best, but they deserve kudos for being extremely professional.

First, John Neal at Mahina will, for a fee, assist you in your boat search. If you are an expert already in ocean going vessels, or if you already have a specific vessel in mind, I don't think this is the way to go, but if you have a long list of boats in mind and want to narrow them down, his service is excellent. Further, he commented on specific boats during the search as well as he could based on their online descriptions, raising questions that one would not have thought about.

Second, Mike Locatell at Discovery Yachts. Falling in love with the first boat looked at isn't the most thorough investigation of a broker's full range of services, but from that point on Mike took care to coordinate the process for an out of town buyer. He knows a lot about the Wauquiez line.

Third and fourth are Pacific Maritime Title who were fast and efficient and respond to inquiries I've made way after the fact and Rich Haynie insurance who were similarly efficient and who scrambled around last year to help me decide whether we were still getting the best deal when I asked them to do so shortly before our policy expired.

Kudos.

Our only negative experience was with a short, non-thorough survey that left me feeling seriously unhappy. If you are getting surveyed in Seattle, shoot me an email and I'll let you know who it was.