The System
Three Volumes. One System. Everything You Need to Buy, Own & Sell a Boat.
Volume 1
$27 standalone
The Redneck Buyer's Survival Guide
“How to Buy a Boat Without Losing Your Retirement”
The gap: A 2004 Kadey-Krogen 42 sells for $289,000 and needs $3,000/year. A same-year Hatteras 42 sells for $195,000 and needs $35,000 in the first twelve months. The cheaper boat costs more. This volume closes that gap.
- 5 Trawlers Worth Your Retirement — and 5 That Will Sink It — Kadey-Krogen 42, Grand Banks 42, Marine Trader, Albin, DeFever. Specific price ranges, what to watch for, and why these hulls hold value.
- The REAL Annual Cost of Ownership — specific dollar-figure breakdowns for trawlers. Slip fees by region. Insurance tiers. The 10% rule debate. Four real owner case studies with line-item numbers.
- The Buying Process — Step by Step — 9 steps from financing to closing. Offers, deposits, surveyors, sea trials, liens, and the closing checklist. The process nobody explains.
- The Broker & Dealer Playbook — 7 named broker tactics + 5 word-for-word negotiation scripts. How they manipulate first-time buyers and exactly how to respond.
- The 60-Second Walkaround That Saves $10,000 — 5 checks for trawlers and 5 questions to ask the seller.
- How to Get Your Spouse on Board — the #1 cited buying mistake. Strategies that work, alternatives that exist, and when not to buy.
This volume pays for itself the first time you walk away from a bad deal — or negotiate $2,000 off a good one.
Volume 2
$57 standalone
The First-Year Owner's Manual
“What Nobody Tells You After You Sign the Check”
The gap: You bought the boat. The check cleared. Now what? The dealer does not care. The broker is on the next sale. Nobody tells you what to do in the first 30 days, which insurance to buy, how to finance without getting trapped, or which repairs save $1,000 a year. This volume does.
- Your First 30 Days After Purchase — the commissioning checklist nobody gives you. Through-hulls, impeller, bilge pumps, shakedown cruise. Day-by-day.
- The Marine Markup Bypass — Ford Lehman 120 = Ford 2715E truck parts. Cummins 5.9 = Dodge Ram parts. Specific cross-reference tables with marine price vs. truck-counter price. Annual savings: $800–$2,000.
- Insurance: What to Buy, What to Avoid, How to File — agreed value vs. actual cash value. Hurricane zone premiums. The 5 things that get claims denied.
- Financing Smart — credit unions vs. banks vs. specialty lenders. Real rate comparison table. Down payment rules. The depreciation trap. When to pay cash.
- DIY Repairs That Save $1,000/Year — raw water impeller, zinc anodes, through-hull inspection, generator oil change. DIY cost vs. pro cost for each.
- The Annual Maintenance Calendar — month-by-month for trawlers. Print it and tape it to the wall.
The maintenance calendar alone prevents $5,000–$12,000 in reactive repairs. This book pays for itself before you finish Chapter 1.
Volume 3
$97 standalone
The Upgrade & Exit Bible
“Upgrades That Add Value, and How to Sell Without Losing Your Shirt”
The gap: A boatyard quoted $3,800 to re-gelcoat a 4-foot hull section. A $65 kit and a Saturday did the same job. But the real gap is bigger: nobody writes about how to sell your boat without losing your shirt. This volume covers both — the upgrades that actually add resale value, and the exit strategy that saves $15,000–$25,000.
- Solar & Lithium Battery Conversion — LiFePO4 vs. lead-acid comparison table. Panel sizing. Charge controllers. Payback period: 2–4 years. Adds $3,000–$6,000 in resale value.
- Fiberglass & Gelcoat Repair — the $50 gelcoat fix that looks like $500. Osmotic blisters: when to worry, when to walk.
- LED & Electronics You Install Yourself — LED conversion ($100–$300, cuts power draw 85%). Chartplotters, AIS transponders, VHF radios. What to DIY, what to hire out.
- Big-Ticket DIY: Bow Thrusters & Beyond — tunnel vs. external thrusters. Windlass upgrades. Watermakers. Real costs, real labor hours.
- The Upgrade Decision Matrix — 4 categories: adds value + reduces cost, adds value + costs money, improves life + zero resale value, costs money + subtracts value. The priority order for a $5,000 budget.
- The Exit Strategy: How to Sell Without Losing Your Shirt — boat depreciation tables by year. When to sell. How to price (sold comps, not asking prices). Broker vs. FSBO. The 7-point exit checklist. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book.
The Exit Strategy chapter saves $15,000–$25,000 compared to panic selling. Nobody else writes about the exit. This volume does.
Buyer's Guide
Best Value & Most Recommended
The Whole System
Owner's Guide
