purchase – Voilier 'HIR 3'

5 reasons why I bought a boat

It’s really difficult to rationalize a boat purchase, but when you spend all that money on something (and this is only the beginning), you just have to justify it to yourself somehow. For your own mental health and peace of mind.
Size, type, model, price, equipment, condition, location… all of that is irrelevant. You just have to fall in love with her! 🙂

04/08/2014 sasaLeave a comment

5. Investment. Believe it or not, buying a boat is the best investment in the World. You are always gambling with your money whatever you do. Stock market, real-estate market crash, cars lose value fast, so the only money that is actually yours is the one you have already spent. I invested in something I love, so I’m thinking it’s a safe investment. Buying a boat is really the only smart thing you can do with your money 🙂

4. Lifestyle. Living on the boat, or at least spending a lot of time on the water is the best lifestyle I can imagine. A boat will not just take you to many beautiful places where otherwise you couldn’t have gone, but she will do it in style… Owning a boat is also very cool. You can invite friends or business partners, or even make new friends 🙂

3. Health. Spending time on the water is good for your health, both physical and mental. You can really relax and unwind while sailing on the boat far away from everything and everyone. It’s a healthy way of living. You can even exercise and drink beer at the same time 🙂

2. Fun. Sailing is the most fun you can ever have (besides sex, of course)… and you can even share the experience with your crew. You can really get in touch with nature, sea, waves and the wind. It gives you freedom not only to sail away, but also to have fun while doing it.

1. Love. Well, it’s really the best reason to do anything and everything, isn’t it? To be completely honest, I have to admit that the previous four reasons were just my attempt to justify myself, but the truth is that you simply have love boats and sailing. That’s all there is to it.

One final advice for people who are considering to buy a boat: Size, type, model, price, equipment, condition, location… all of that is irrelevant. You just have to fall in love with her! 🙂

‘As is’ condition…

A term used to describe a sales transaction in which the seller offers goods in their present, existing condition to prospective buyers.

22/03/201425/03/2014 sasaLeave a comment

I have agreed to buy ‘HIR 3’ in ‘as is’ condition…

‘AS IS’ – A term used to describe a sales transaction in which the seller offers goods in their present, existing condition to prospective buyers…

Decision time…

I have seen the boat, I took a few pictures, talked a lot with the owner and now I had to seriously start thinking about what to do next…

20/03/201425/03/2014 sasa1 Comment

I have seen the boat, I took a few pictures, talked a lot with the owner and now I had to seriously start thinking about what to do next. I really had only two options. The first and probably much more logical would be to erase the photos and forget what I saw. second option was to let the emotions take over and start negotiating about taking over the boat.

I always wanted my own boat and despite the fact that I never had the money for one, I was always looking for one that would be right for me. For years I have ben searching ads on the internet, I even went to see a few, but I never really got even close to actually buying a boat.

Recently, one of my friends found a boat he liked and asked me for advice. I gave him my honest opinion about that particular boat and equipment, but I concluded with one sentence I will never forget. I said that nothing really matters, except that you should ‘fall in love’… If I was to listen to my own advice, the decision would be obvious. This was a legendary boat, I learned to sail on that boat, I liked the way she looked and I didn’t want to see her go, so I decided to go for it…

Unfortunately, when it comes to negotiating about prices, I am really bad at it. I always agree to what people say. I never mastered that skill and negotiating about the price is always embarrassing to me. The owner gave me an offer, we discussed it a bit and I said that I would have to think about it. So I kept thinking about it… and finally decided to buy the boat! I had to agree that contract details and price would remain confidential, but I can honestly say that (not for the first time) I paid too much…

Getting closer…

I looked inside and entered in the cabin. I was shocked. I expected she was neglected, but I never could have imagined the horror inside… I decided to go back and have a second look. This time I was alone and this time I actually saw some potential and started thinking that there might be a chance for a restoration…

19/03/201419/03/2014 sasa1 Comment

Everywhere I go I like to look at boats, so when I came to Vrsar in November 2013, I went to see if ‘HIR 3’ was still there. When I saw her it was a bit disappointing because she looked in really bad shape. We stood in front of the boat for probably half an hour and commented on how she looked, where she has been and everything we knew about her. We discussed about how it was a disgrace that a boat of such a pedigree is abandoned, I took a few pictures and posted them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter later.

Next few months I would occasionally remember what we saw in Vrsar, but that was it. Until one day I spend more time thinking and I decided to try to find the owner. I have quite a few friends and colleagues that might be able to find out who he was, but first I tried google, of course:).. and I found an old ad from 2007 on morsko-prase.hr. Back then she was in top condition, but very expensive. After a while, I wrote an e-mail and sent it, but it came bel because it was an old address which was not used anymore, so I googled the name in the address and eventually found another e-mail and sent it again. This time it seemed that it went through. The next day I got a reply from a guy who said he was still the owner and that he was very sad that the boat was in bad shape and that he wanted to sell her.

We met next week in Zagreb and a weekend after that we went to Vrsar to have a look at the boat once again. We were there early in the mooring. It was a cloudy day with strong ‘Jugo’ (southerly wind), low pressure and everything looked very depressing. When we finally made it to the boat, he opened the hatch, I looked inside and entered in the cabin. I was shocked. I expected she was neglected, but I never could have imagined the horror inside. There was water all over the remains of the floorboards, everything was taken out (which was actually a good thing), all wood in the interior was wet and full of mould. Everything looked like from a horror movie. I lost the will to take pictures and my first instinct was just to get out of there and never look back.

We didn’t stay for long on the boat. I left the port and kept thinking if there is any way to save her. I decided to go back and have a second look. This time I was alone and this time I actually saw some potential and started thinking that there might be a chance for a restoration…