45 Gillikin Express - Anyone know this boat??

[Brett1]

I am thining of making an offer on this boat but know little about the builder. Anyone that can give me some advice??

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2009.../United-States

[plyand glass]

Hey Brett1,
As a ex-fellow carolina boat builder ( im now in maryland), i think james and his crew built this , as ricky had passed away a few years back , god bless him. anyway , they build a good boat as most of them do in harkers island area , can't beat the asking price either. last 46 express i built ended costing in the 800's with cummins qsm 11's . let me know if i can help .

[SeaMent]

I am thining of making an offer on this boat but know little about the builder. Anyone that can give me some advice??

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2009.../United-States

Brett1, the first thing I would do would be to take a trip to the builders yard and meet him and discuss the construction process and see how these boats are put together. That would be my advice for what it's worth !!

[scattered_grass]

I've always thought that boat was gorgeous..Gillikins are well built boats.

[Brett1]

I guess what I am trying figure out is why it has been on the market for 2 years. Does it have a story? Is it a problem boat, put together shoddily? I realize that it is tough to get answers on a forum but sometimes you can get a firm "no" or "don't do it" that can help avoid thousands in survey and haul costs. PM me if there are things that you want to share. I will maintain the strictest of confidences.... after all, this isn't chump change.

[scattered_grass]

I guess what I am trying figure out is why it has been on the market for 2 years. Does it have a story? Is it a problem boat, put together shoddily? I realize that it is tough to get answers on a forum but sometimes you can get a firm "no" or "don't do it" that can help avoid thousands in survey and haul costs. PM me if there are things that you want to share. I will maintain the strictest of confidences.... after all, this isn't chump change.

Brett,
I think someone built that boat with the intention of making some money off it...probably right before everything went real south. The boat market is flooded right now and they were asking quite a bit more for that boat up until recently. Nothing wrong w/ construction, very solid boat, and one of the prettiest of its kind in my opinion.

[Fortunate One]

That boat seems like a steal.

If it’s as described then I'd say it's worth the price of airfare to go and check it out.

If you like what you see then go for a survey.

Get a specification sheet from the seller describing the hull lay up.

It's easy to tell how well they're built. Critical areas to check are bulkhead to deck connections, bulkhead to hull connections, and stringers to hull connections.

Look for cracks large and small at those locations. Take her on a sea trial, look at the hull in the engine room see if she's flexing and twisting excessively.

And once again bulkhead and stringer connections. You can get a sense of engine and running gear alignment while she's running. If she's vibrating when running there's an alignment problem.

Inspect the hull on the inside at every thru hull fitting to see if water there's any sign of water is getting in. You should be able to tap the area with a small hammer to see if it's sound our dead because water has entered.

Check all hardware and fittings on the deck for evidence of water wicking into the hull.

If everything seems to be fine then have it hauled and surveyed. Make sure the surveyor checks for moisture in the hull. Get an oil analysis done. The site indicated that the boat comes with warranties. Make sure the seller is providing an engine warranty from the manufacturer.

Operate all of the electrical systems. Tell the seller that you want to have the engines started cold. That you don't want him to warm them up prior to you arriving.

Tell the seller to be quite on the sea trial, you don't need distractions. Remove fabric in the cabin to look at the hull.

It looks like a real good deal, hopefully not too good to be true.