The sceptic's FAQ
Fair questions. Straight answers.
Straight questions, straight answers — including the sceptical ones. Especially the sceptical ones.
Can't I just read the listing myself?
You can. But can you do it in three minutes, cross-reference it against 79 standard inspection points, this model's 30-year fleet history and its real-world repair costs — and instantly flag what the listing doesn't say? That last part is where the money hides.
The seller probably just forgot to mention the rigging age.
Sellers mention the good stuff. Nobody forgets new rigging, a recent engine, or a fresh survey. What's absent from a listing is rarely accidental — and on boats with hidden problems, the pattern of omissions is consistent and learnable. Silence is a finding, not a gap.
Can't I just ask ChatGPT?
Try it — honestly, we encourage it. What comes back is a plausible-sounding essay. What won't come back: a consistent 16-section Report, a hand-built and human-vetted library of model-by-model trouble-spots and real costs, forensic photo analysis and a video coverage map of this hull, and a system that refuses to sell you an Audit when the data isn't good enough. A confident guess about a $300,000 boat is worse than no answer at all.
I know this model.
You know your experience of this model. Flying Out Friday knows what hundreds of owners have collectively reported over thirty years — the design flaws, the components that fail early, the fixes every owner eventually makes. Those are not the same thing.
Is this a survey?
No — and we never pretend it is. Nobody boards the boat. The 79-point Audit is the head start before the survey: it tells you whether she's worth the flight and the haul-out fee, and hands your surveyor a briefing so their day aboard goes straight to what matters. Always commission a qualified surveyor before buying.
What do I need to give you?
The listing (pasted text - make sure you paste all of it), 10–40 photos, the YouTube walkthrough if there is one, and the asking price. The more you give, the deeper the Audit digs.
What if you don't have enough to work with?
Then we refuse — and tell you exactly what's missing, so you can get it and run again for free. We don't take money for guesswork. Honest analysis or nothing — that's the deal.
Do you do motorboats?
Sailboats only. Depth over breadth — we'd rather know one world properly than skim three.
Price is what the market will bear, no?
Yes. And the market now has access to this Report. Price accordingly.