Missed this post someway. I know where two Botels are but I imagine you have your boat by now. Good luck.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but since it may have moved on, I'd like to share our marine survey story.

Will preface this by saying that I agree with all those who say never to buy a big boat like this without a survey...there was a fellow in the yard from CA, who bought an older Gibson sight-unseen at a sheriff's sale, and found it full of rot. Even though he only paid a few thousand, there was scarcely anything on the boat that you could add up to the price he paid.

We bought a Boatel Islander, and paid over $1000 for a full hull and mechanical survey. The boat had been sitting a good long time, and the following things passed the survey, but failed on the maiden voyage: Generator (Kohler), shower sump pump, brown water transfer pump. searchlight. (All were deemed fine by the survey). The "noise" in the port transmission that the surveyor said was "alignment," was faulty universal joints. The smoking, loading-up engines that the surveyor said would be fixed by plugs and plug wires actually wasn't fixed until both carbs were replaced (after rebuilds failed).

At least we found out that the hull is sound and internally dry, and the stringers are fine. But replacing all the above-mentioned items that passed his survey made us wonder just what we paid all that money for.

Caveat emptor all around.