Today we have officially moved on to a new chapter in our leisure time life.  We have sold our sailboat in Orange Beach, the 1979 Morgan Out Island 33 which we bought in Tampa in April of 2007.  We had big dreams for this particular sailboat (over the other two sailboats [...]]]>

Today we have officially moved on to a new chapter in our leisure time life.  We have sold our sailboat in Orange Beach, the 1979 Morgan Out Island 33 which we bought in Tampa in April of 2007.  We had big dreams for this particular sailboat (over the other two sailboats we have owned) but we finally decided the distance from Auburn to Orange Beach was just to much to maintain. Plans are to replace her with a tiny little camper and go back to our camping roots and get to know some of the land and parks here in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida.

We first officially put the sailboat up for sale on June 3rd (For Sale: 1979 Morgan Out Island 33 Sailboat in Orange Beach) but decided by September that we needed to go ahead and sell the boat.  Our philosophy has been pretty much the same every since we got married.  If we are not using it, and well, then we don’t need it and should not keep what ever that happens to be at the time.  Having sold on eBay full time for many years, and the Internet in general, people tend to want to get what they paid for on items when they go to resell them, we know this just isn’t the case (see also What is Your Blog or Internet Business Worth // eBay or Sitepoint?), so, when we want to sell something, we sell it.

This is good for the buyer of course, but when we have made up our mind to do something, we would rather do it than sit around for month after month working on it.  When we started looking for this boat, a Morgan Out Island, there were not many on the market, but the ones that were on the market, are actually still on the market, 18 months later.  Not because they are not good boats, they are, but because these people refused to sell something for what someone else would pay for it.  A concept we don’t get.  So we sold it for half of what we paid for it, but we had some wonderful times on the boat and great memories, worth more than what we paid or sold the boat for anyway.

Now it is time to move on, although we will both miss having this sailboat, she was great.

As Listed on eBay on September 8, 2008

For auction is a 1979 Morgan Out Island 33 in great shape. We had put a lot of hard work into her since we purchase her in Tampa in 2006. We purchased the boat about one year ago for $20,000, then had about $2,000 of general maintenance engine work done, plus replaced the heat exchanger with a brand new one, and of course all filters, oil, and that type of thing. The engine starts and runs great.The only issue she has at all is the 50hp Perkins motor needs a new head gasket (on the exhaust side). The Perkins has been serviced, a new heat exchanger installed, filters changed, and she runs GREAT. Starts right up every time, but she does need the header gasket replacement. This is strictly an exhaust side issue, no water/oil mix has ever been noticed and it was checked by a Perkins mechanic and this is what he said needed to be done. You can get on her and turn the key and she starts right up every single time. THIS IS NOT A HURRICANE DAMAGED BOAT AT ALL. It has not ever been damaged by a hurricane. There are no storm related damage issues with the boat, it has never been wet where it wasn’t supposed to be wet, and has been in the water in this slip for about a year.

Comes with all sails and equipment needed to take an off-shore cruise to the keys or Bahamas. I have the latest survey in a pdf that I would be more than happy to email to anyone that would like to see it. The last out of the water survey was done in 2004 and all items found on the survey (which were all superficial) were corrected at that time. We did not have one done as we did not continue the coast guard registration process. Along with all the normals for a boat this size, it also has a GREAT marine a/c and heater unit. We used this all summer last year and this winter and it works great.

The slip is paid up through SEPTEMBER 2008. The sails have a few seasons on them but are in good shape and are crisp. The roller furling and main were used to sail up from Tampa and is in good shape. In the locker there are two different size jib sails. Sorry, I don’t know or remember the brand of the sails. Electronics on board are not to many. There is a VHF, a marine am/fm radio, and there is an auto pilot which the previous owner had installed. There is also a 4-6 person West Marine dingy that comes with the boat, it is on the marina dingy rack, wrapped up. Doesn’t look like the dingy was used but a few times. We inflated it, no leaks, can hold about a 4-10hp outboard, comes with oars. We looked the dingy up on WM’s website and it is going for about $700.

It is a very roomy cabin, perfect for a live-a-board with the headroom and sleeps at least 5 comfortably. The interior is very clean and in very nice condition. Floors and wood work on the inside are in great shape. Two water holding tanks that hold about 60 gallons of water (in two tanks), a 50 gallon diesel tank, working head and fresh water shower.

To see the history of the vessel please visit the history page. We had not completed the name change so it is still technically called the s/v LAUGHALOT although we have removed all lettering on the boat for thew new owner to do with as they would like instead of using what we would choose for lettering. The boat is located at the Bear Point Marina in Orange Beach Alabama. You are more than welcome to visit the marina to see the boat. To see the history on the boat you can go to the blog post on the boat where we have it for sale, just go look at [History of Morgan Out Island 33 Sailboat, Hull Number MRY02337M79B] and for additional photos of the boat, click on the link at the top of the categories called €œcoastal€ and flip through the posts. If you can’t find it, just go to the main domain name I listed above and go to the category listings or put €œmorgan€ in the search box.

There is no reserve placed on this boat, we really need to sell the boat at this time as we have other obligations we must attend to. The buy it now is also very low and reasonable for this boat. The current NADA price is about $23,000 but we have discounted the header gasket work that needs to be done, which should only be about $1500 or so and we are only asking what is really fair for this boat, in this marina, in this condition. The marina is VERY nice and the slip is very reasonable at $350 per month, which includes electric, water, phone, and cable. The slip is paid for through the end of the month and can be transferred to the new owner. We have a full box of paper work on the boat with the original manuals for the boat and motor and will send those to the winner. Alabama does not title boats so the winner will receive a bill of sale from me with the previous bill of sale from when we bought the boat, which includes all the coast guard certificate of documentation that the previous owner maintained.

I will be more than happy to answer any questions. It is a great boat and we have loved spending time on it.

Survey Value

The 2004 survey is posted here (download 2004 survey in pdf) lists the value at $33,000 and a replacement value of $125,000. Additional photos will also be placed on the website at http://www.scottfillmer.com/category/coastal. The NADA guide value is also listed between $20,100 and $22,600 in standard used condition (which is the case here).

Bear Point Marina

The marina is Bear Point Marina and is located in Orange Beach Alabama just over the Florida border. The marina will allow the boat to stay there as long as you like, the slip is $350 per month. It is right on the inter-coastal waterway and it paid for through the end of September right now.  The marina has been great and there are many live-a-boards throughout the marina.  It is a dog-friendly marina and they have great facilities like a shower, laundry, restaurant (new), and a marina store with fuel station and pump house.

Auction Details, Please Read Before Bidding

Please do not bid if you are not serious. If you want to inspect the boat, please do so prior to bidding or accept the condition when you win and take ownership of the boat. Any bids with no feedback, negative feedback, or less than five positive feedbacks in the last 12 months will be canceled unless you make prior contact before bidding. We will not accept bids from outside the U.S. except for special arrangement and prior approval. The winning bidder will need to make a 10% down payment or $1,000 whichever is greater via paypal within 24 hours of the winning bid and the remainder will need to be paid with a cashiers check from a U.S. bank (or postal money order). The cashiers check will need to be mailed to us and once we have received the check we will mail the paper work and all other essentials to the winner.

The boat is sold as-is with no intended warranty. We have described the sailboat in as accurate condition as possible and you are more than welcome to go down and see the boat. We live about 5-6 hours away from the boat and although the marina is great they will probably not answer questions about the boat. We will be more than happy to answer any questions anyone has.

Additional Information Is Located at http://www.scottfillmer.com/tag/morgan

For more details and photos, visit the boats history page from the information above, from there you can read about the history of the boat, see photos of past work and cleaning, and also ask any questions you like. Please note, the state of Alabama where it is located does not require boats of this age to be titled, and this boat was in Florida until we had is sailed up by a qualified captain. So the documentation on the boat comes with all the original manuals, including the original owners manual, the perkins owners manual, all paper work passed down from the previous owner, and the coast guard documentation from the previous owner in Florida. We have the bill of sale from the previous owner, and the owner prior to who we purchased the boat from and you will be given the bill of sale from the previous sales, and a bill of sale from us as well. We purchased the boat about one year ago for $20,000, we have added improvements of about $7,000 and transportation costs to have it sailed from Tampa to Orange Beach of about $3,000, so we have close to $30,000 in this boat. We will definately take a loss for your gain. The boat was sailed from Tampa to Alabama so it is in great sailing shape. Any questions at all just let me know.

Questions and Answers on the Morgan

Q: Hi there Could you please send me a copy of the survey Thanks Phil Sep-13-08
A: Phil, I would be happy to send you a copy of the survey but it looks like at this point we have a relatively firm local buyer, we are just waiting on the deposit. If something changes I will let you know, thanks. Scott

Q: Hello€¦.I live directly across Arnica Bay from Bear Point Marina in the Stone Quarry subdivision (next to Pirate€™s Cove), and would like to inspect your sailboat. I read that you have offered to email the combination to the lock. I understand the risk in doing so, but I assure you that I will leave it just as I found it. I could drive over tomorrow evening if possible. Thanks very much€¦€¦Gary Sep-13-08
A: Gary, nice to know someone is that close by that wants to look at it. I do have a guy also coming in from Jacksonville on Friday to look at it. The combo on the companion way is [edit] please make sure you lock it back up when you are done. The key to the motor is [edit]. It should crank up first or second try if you want to start it. Fuel cut off is on the left side and that is how you turn the motor off. The power is off right now at the dock (just unplugged) if you want to look at the ac or heat just please make sure you unplug the shore power when you leave. It is a great boat there at the marina, and we loved spending long weekends on the boat at the marina, and the Morgan Out Island has a ton of room inside. Half of the boats in the marina have live-a-boards living on their boats and they all keep an eye on the other boats in the marina as well. Any questions at all just let me know. Thanks, Scott

Q: Could you tell me the draft of the boat? Also,if you bought the boat in Florida why isn€™t there a Florida Title?€”Thanks,fathersonrrc Sep-13-08
A: The draft is about 4€²6€³, a very very shallow draft boat, made specifically for the Florida keys and the gulf area waters. We bought the boat in Florida (Tampa) and had it moved to Alabama where we are residents. Alabama does not require a title on a boat, but even so, we did not have any reason to get a Florida title regardless? We do have the Coast Guard registration from Florida from the previous owner, but we would have no reason to even have a FL title. All paper work, manuals, captain logs, receipts, and all history from all previous owners will be sent to the buyer. Thanks, Scott

Q: Could you send a copy of the survey. I could not find it on the website. Thanks, John John Sep-13-08
A: John, I will email you a copy of the survey. We did not post it online for download (although now I think that would have been a good idea). Right now we have one local buyer who is interested and could make a deposit on the boat today, within a few hours. If that is the case, I will consider the boat sold locally, but until we receive the payment in full of course, it is still technically available. Scott

Q: I do not see a buy it now price, what will it take€¦. Sep-13-08
A: The original buy it now was listed at $9,898.98 and I have two local people who are first/second in line right now at that price, so if you are interested I will let you know. Thanks, Scott

Q: bonjour i try to bid but it not open pierre thanks Sep-13-08
A: Sorry, we are only able to sell the boat to bidders with a U.S. address or are within the U.S., thanks.

Q: bonjour we live in quebec canada please open so we able to bid pierre thanks Sep-13-08
A: Sorry, we are only able to sell the boat to bidders with a U.S. address or are within the U.S., thanks.

Q: Interested! Please send survey. 555@hotmail.com Sep-13-08
A: Survey has been emailed to you, thanks.

Q: Several questions: 1) Is the marina a full service marina with a perkins mechanic? 2) Is your mechanic sure that it is the head gasket and not the head itself? 3)Would you please send me a copy of the most recent survey?(pdf?) 4)When was the bottom last cleaned/painted. Sep-12-08
A: The marina has all the facilities for a live-a-board but it does not have a dry storage area if that is what you mean. They have no life or anything like that. They right on the ICW and they have a restaurant, store, laundry, shower/bathrooms, tv-cable, phone, water, electric hook-ups, and about half of the marina are live-a-boards. There are marinas all over this area that are full service with dry storage, but not this one. There are several diesel mechanics in the local area. You can ask the marina dockmaster, he knows several. I am not a mechanic, so I can only tell you what the other perkins mechanic told me. As long as you leave the water coolant tank pressure cap off while running the engine, the engine runs exactly the way you would expect it to. Put the cap on and the temp will run a little hot after running a long time. You can check the oil and it looks perfect, so no water is mixing with the oil, so he told me it was a gasket on the exhaust side. That is everything I know to the best of my mechanical abilities. You can start it right up, put it in gear forward/reverse, sounds really strong, doesn€™t smoke hardly at all for a diesel, and has plenty of water coming out the back which means all the intakes and the heat exchanger (which is new) is working just fine. The bottom was cleaned in the water right before it sailed from Tampa about a year ago. I believe the bottom paint was done when the survey was completed in 2004 but I don€™t remember off the top of my head. When the underwater cleaning and inspection was done in Tampa they said the bottom looked fine and didn€™t need anything done with it at that time. Hope that answers your questions, I will send the survey to you in a separate email. Scott

Q: Does the girl come with the boat? Sep-11-08
A: Not at this time€¦ reserve would be much higher to include my wife with the boat, but you did have her LOL€™d

Q: Hello, I€™d like to go and view the boat personally, and i€™m famaliar with the Marina. Is the boat unlocked where I ca nview and inspect the inside?? I just know that many having locking cabins. Thanks Sep-10-08
A: You are more than welcome to go down and look at the boat. I have a combination lock on the companion way and I will email you with the combo. Scott

Q: Hi, I would like a copy of the most recent survey. Will the marina go month to month so I could take my time and move the boat in a couple of months? Send Survey to gap@coolfeat.com. Sep-10-08
A: I would be happy to send you the survey, on its way. Yes, the marina will go month by month. I am on a month to month payment in a yearly rate (which is up). You would of course have to discuss the exact details with the marina but they have been great with everything we needed and there are several live-a-boards that always keep an eye on things. Scott

Q: Looking for additional pictures and equipment lists, did not see any current info on your website. What about AC? Sep-10-08
A: I am not sure if I have a photo of the AC unit. It does have a almost new, perfect running marine ac/heat unit built into the starboard side under the seat. It was installed in 2004 but never used until we bought it because the last part of the installation needed a water pump, which we installed ourselves. We used it one summer, and it works great. I think there is a photo on the survey and I will email that to you if you would like to see it. Scott

Q: Hi, nice looking boat. What sails are there? Looks like a roller furling, what brand is it? What kind of electronics are there? Condition of the standing and running rigging? Is the marina paid up thru June or Sept. ? Thanks Sep-10-08
A: Sorry, I had a typo on the slip, it is paid up through SEPTEMBER 2008. The sails have a few seasons on them but are in good shape and are crisp. The roller furling and main were used to sail up from Tampa. In the locker there are two different size jib sails. Sorry, I don€™t know or remember the brand of the sails. Electronics on board are not to many. There is a VHF, a marine am/fm radio, and there is an auto pilot which the previous owner had installed. I also forgot to mention there is a West Marine dingy that comes with the boat, it is on the marina dingy rack, wrapped up. Doesn€™t look like the dingy was used but a few times. We inflated it, no leaks, can hold about a 4-8hp outboard, comes with oars. Good questions, thanks for asking. Scott

On to the New Owner From Mobile

The new owner came to us from Mobile.  We were very excited to find someone close by and hope that he and his girlfriend will be able to get many years of enjoyment from the sailboat.

Update: October 1, 2008

As of today the boat is going to be re-listed on eBay as the previous buyer never paid for the boat after many repeated attempts.  The new ebay listing can be found on item # 130259740072. Hopefully we will find a buyer who loves the boat, and will have plans to pay for it, stay tuned.

Update: October 7, 2008

We have now re-sold the boat to a very nice couple in Texas and everything has been completed on the sale.  I appreciate all the emails and questions that everyone sent to me, at this point the boat is in the hands of the new owner.  The additional ebay questions that came from this listing at shown below for informational purposes.

Final Q&A For the Morgan Out Island

These were the final questions that were asked on the ebay listing.

Q: Scott, Have you sold the boat? I am a local fella and just saw it on ebay. You mentioned that you were not going to stop the auction till boat was paid for so i was wondering if i should still bid? please let me know asap as i may head down to BP to take a look. thanks, Mark 555-404-4357 Oct-06-08
A: Mark, just to let you know we do have another local buyer who is probably going to pay for the boat this morning. Until the payment goes through and clears out bank nothing is certain of course, but if you watch the auction and it is closed that is why, if it is still active by late evening then the payment did not go through. Just wanted to let you know. Scott

Q: Hello I am interested in your boat I wanted to bid on it the first time you placed it on ebay however a bid on another boat kept me from doing so, anyway if the buy it now price is $9,898.98 I will buy it now but I do not see a buy it now on the top of the ad where they normally are please let me know how to procede and how I can get in touch with you, I work overseas and my time is 9 hrs ahead of yours, after you let me know how to procede I will contact my wife and she will handle the bank transfer or how ever you would like to do it. Thanks, Coy Oct-05-08
A: Coy, yes, the original buy it now was the $10k but as soon as a bid is placed the buy it now is automatically removed by ebay. At this point to still accept the buy it now offer I would have to have the complete payment clear my bank by the end of business (U.S. Eastern Time) on Monday. This time around I am not going to end the auction early for a payment “promise” like I did last time, and the auction can not be ended within 12-24 hours of the close (which is Wed morning our time). I will send you another email with the information in a private email. There are several people still considering the buy it now, but any of those people only have until the end of business on Monday to have a buy it now payment completed, after that we will only be able to accept bidding and we will not close the auction for a local sale at that point. Let me know if you have any questions at all, thanks, scott

Q: Hello. I’m Bowie Hamilton and I’m at the Bear Pt. Marina currently. I’m interested in your Morgan. If you can, I would like to enter the boat to see the interior. Thank you very much. Oct-04-08
A: Bowie, no problem, just sent you an email with the information, let me know if you have any other questions at all. Thanks, Scott

Q: Interested in the buy-it-now price please. Dick in Minnesota Oct-03-08
A: Dick, the original buy it now price was $9,898.98 and if you are interested I will still accept that price for a short period of time. I will have to have the payment in full before the auction will be ended, any questions just let me know, thanks. Scott

Q: Hi there I am in the UK and would like to bid on your boat but I am unable due to your restrictions. Can you remove them so I can join in on your auction. Or will you give me a buy it now price so I can take her of your hands now? Thank you Regards Dave Thanks Dave Oct-03-08
A: Unfortunately once the auction has a bid ebay will not allow me to change the countries which are allowed to bid on the auction. You can send a payment for the buy it now ($9,898.98 USD) from a U.S. bank cashier’s check and once the check has cleared then we will close the auction, that is about all we can do for bidders outside the U.S. at this point. Please let me know if you have any other questions, thanks. Scott

Q: Hi there I am in the UK and would like to bid on you’re boat but I am unable due to you’re restrictions. Can you remove them so I can join in on you’re auction. Thanks Dave Oct-03-08
A: Unfortunately once the auction has a bid ebay will not allow me to change the countries which are allowed to bid on the auction. You can send a payment for the buy it now ($9,898.98 USD) from a U.S. bank cashier’s check and once the check has cleared then we will close the auction, that is about all we can do for bidders outside the U.S. at this point. Please let me know if you have any other questions, thanks. Scott

Q: Hi i live part of year in the US and most of the year in Europe my ebay address is in the UK would this bar me from bidding? i will be in mobile AL 10th of oct and would be prepared to pay via paypal at auction close if you are happy for my bids i will try to send a friend to veiw prior to auction end \\\Regards Brad Oct-03-08
A: Thanks for asking… the auction was actually setup with the original bid locations of the U.S. only. I have since tried to add Canada but it won’t let me change anything at this point. You can try to bid but if it is under your UK ID I don’t think it will let you unless you are a U.S. ID you can bid with. I would be more than happy for your friend to go by and visit the boat, not a problem. We would need a deposit of $1,000 via paypal and the remainder would need to be paid via cashier’s check from a U.S. bank or bank transfer would be ok as well. Let me know if you have any other questions. Scott

Q: Would you be interested in training for a 27′ Winnabago Brave +/- cash? Thank you in advance for a response. John Oct-03-08
A: Thanks for asking but we actually just sold our motor home, so we are just looking for a outright purchase, thanks. I will keep your offer in mind and let you know if something changes. Scott

Q: I’m heading to the marina now to look at the boat. Can I go on the boat? Can I get keys to open it up? It looks like the bottom needs to be scraped, when was the last time the bottom was cleaned? Do you know a diver that does this? The survey stated that the rigging should be replaced before raising the sails, has this been done? bryancase@msn.com or 555-806-2939 Oct-02-08
A: Thanks for the questions… yes, there is a combination lock on the boat and I will email you privately with the information. The bottom probably needs a cleaning at this point. We did have a diver clean it every so often, and yes, there are several dive companies that will clean the bottom for a very reasonable price. The rigging was the running rigging and they were replaced at some point, but not by us. The delivery captain did sail her over from Tampa just exactly the way she sits in the slip right now. I would probably have replaced the running rigging before taking her out on a long trip anyway. The standing rigging is in great shape and doesn’t need to be replaced. Any other questions at all just let me know. Thanks, Scott

Q: You’re probably the third person who’s relisted a boat for nonpayment/deadbeat winner. What is going on with that? I’m a little scared because it seems like maybe the buyers are unhappy with the quality of product, causing them not to pay. In your particular situation, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened? I was ready to go for the “buy it now” price when you said you had two offers on it already. I’m still interested, but wary. Can you put my mind at ease, albeit through email? Oct-02-08
A: Thanks for the question… in this particular case, the previous buyer wanted to setup payments and pay over time and right after the auction ended I just never heard from him again. I did not want to setup any type of payments for the sale at all, but was trying to be accommodating, should have known better really. I did have two offers and unfortunately this particular person who I “sold” it to was first in line, so there was a second person but they lived about 500-600 miles away and once I sold it to the first person they decided that they would buy a boat closer to their home. I was actually going to email the second buyer to tell him it was still available but never could find his email address. We had an interested party that lived right across the marina that went over to see the boat on Monday. He was not real interested in a Morgan itself but wanted to see the boat. His comments to me, directly copied from his email were: “You have a great sailboat which is certainly worth more than your asking price. Actually, I was very impressed with its condition considering the low price. It€™s just not quite what we are looking for. Thanks very much for your time, and good luck” I didn’t change his wording, that was just cut and pasted from his email to me a few days ago. So, to answer your question, flaky buyers on ebay (the motors part) is not all that uncommon, but annoying. I have tried to describe every detail of the boat and its condition as best as I possibly could. I do want the buyer to be as happy with it as we were. Hope that helps answer your question. I will still accept the buy it now price for a few more days, but won’t close the listing this time until payment is received. If you are interested just let me know, thanks. Scott

Q: It sounds as if the boat is a much loved member of our family, and as you’ve explained it had to b moved great distances, if I were to win this boat I to would have to move it great distances (Canadian side of lake Ontario) any advice? Oct-02-08
A: There are several transport companies that specialize in doing just that. I would check around on the Internet and see what your options are, and ebay actually has a few transport companies they work with as well. You can check out one called pk boat transport, which I think is boathaul dot com. On the other hand, the marina the boat is currently located at in Orange Beach is a great place to stay until you find the right transport options. I would have loved to sail this boat on the great lakes, sounds super. Scott

Q: would you trade for motorhome francois Oct-02-08
A: Thanks for asking but we actually just sold our motor home, so we are just looking for a outright purchase, thanks. Scott

Q: does it just need manifold gasket? or head gasket?for this great shape ship? Oct-01-08
A: I am not a mechanic by any means, I am really just going by what the perkins mechanic told me when he did the maintenence and troubleshooting for the gasket. What he told me was the gasket was on the exhaust side where it was pulling in some of the exhaust which was mixing with the coolant (if that makes sense). He said if it was on the other side you would see water in the oil or a milky oil when you checked the oil, and there has never been that type of oil water mix. The motor runs fine, starts right up and runs at the proper temp, and sounds great. Once you put the pressure cap on the coolant, the temp will rise slightly which (according to the mechanic) is what told him it was the gasket. I hope that helps answer your question. I was given an estimate of between $700-$1500 to fix the gasket, most was labor. Thanks, Scott

Q: Hello. Might I have a copy of the survey. Lynwood.Jones@UCLAlumni.net Thank you. Oct-01-08
A: Certainly… due to the size of the file we have made the survey available for download on my blog. You can just go to the blog address for the history of the boat at scottfillmer.com/about/history and scroll down to the bottom and there will be a link to the pdf file for the survey, thanks. Scott

Q: Hi! There must be reason why are you selling her one year later for half the price.Can you elaborate? Sorry for my straitforwordnes. Steve Oct-01-08
A: Steve, no problem at all… I think I actually mentioned a few of the technical reasons like the head gasket, but for the most part our jobs are keeping us quite a distance from the boat and we are not able to put the time and effort into sailing that we really want to. We love the boat, and all the time we spent on the boat was just wonderful. We spent a lot of money getting the boat from Tampa to Alabama to pay for several maintence updates and a professional delivery captain etc. Once we got it up to Alabama we didn’t have much left over to spend on getting her ready to sail like we wanted. We are also not the most experienced sailors and really needed more time on the boat than we could realistically do at this time. Almost all of those reasons have nothing to do with the boat itself, we love the boat, it just isn’t something we can continue to do in our lives at this point. The reason for the price is we are just trying to be realistic in the marketplace today, and we want move on, so we are willing to make someone a good deal if they want it. Hope that helps answer your question, just let me know if you have any others. Thanks, Scott

Q: I understand there is a website for Morgan owners??? Oct-01-08
A: If there is I am really not aware of one, but I am sure there is somewhere. I usually follow the Morgan Out Island crowd over on a few sailboat forums. There are several forums that are specifically geared to Morgan Out Island owners.

Q: Says on your blog that the boat has been sold. Is this so? Please clarify as I am interested in the boat. Thanks. C Bush Oct-01-08
A: Yes, the boat was just put back up for sale today. Per the ebay listing information: “We are now re-listing our boat due to non-payment from the previous winner. PLEASE, do not bid or waste the time of others if you do not intend to pay for the boat, or you can not pay for the boat at the time of the end of the auction. The information in this listing is the exact same as in the previous listing except I have posted the previous Q&A’s below.” The previous buyer never did pay for the boat after 3 weeks of attempted contacts. If you have any other questions at all please let me know. Thanks, Scott

Posts Related to This Topic:

• 1979 Morgan Out Island 33 Sailboat in Orange Beach For Sale
• Delivery Captain Sails From Tampa To Orange Beach
• Cold Day on the Beach in February is Empty and Fun
• Bought a Morgan Out Island 33 Sailboat Called LAUGHALOT
• History of Morgan Out Island 33 Sailboat, Hull Number MRY02337M79B

For more reasons than can be expressed, we are selling our bus that we called home for more than 5 years. It has been up in Colorado for the last two years and needs a new home. Below is how it was listed on eBay. It was a successful auction and the new [...]]]>

For more reasons than can be expressed, we are selling our bus that we called home for more than 5 years. It has been up in Colorado for the last two years and needs a new home. Below is how it was listed on eBay. It was a successful auction and the new owner now has it up in St Louis and will continue building where we left off.

We were sad to see it go, but glad to see it went to someone who will enjoy it as much as we did.

As Listed on eBay on July 14th, 2008

Bus Conversion TMC MCI MC9 MC-9, Detroit Diesel 6V92

Vehicle Description

This auction is for an MCI 9 bus conversion that is at about 50-60% complete. This bus was purchased in Florida as a church bus, was previously a greyhound bus. We purchased the bus for $20,000, shelled the bus, then built it from the ground up to what it is right now. The only thing it really needs to finish it off is a finished floor and ceiling, and some reworking of the bins to fit current needs. We replaced the Detroit Diesel 6V92 and had a completely new engine put in it in our home state of Alabama. After the new engine (ordered directly from Detroit, a 6V92 rebuild) we put less than 1000 hours on it, and it has always worked perfectly.

The bus is currently sitting in Creede Colorado and has to be moved before the end of the summer months. Creede is very cold, and summer ends August to September. We have to have the bus moved from this location. We had a death in the family and the house property it is sitting on is being sold, so it can not stay at its current location. The winning bidder must have the bus moved by September 1st.

The bus has been in its current location for about 2 years. We stored it in Colorado because we were building a house and the weather there is cold and dry, great for storage. The engine has not been cranked since then. It will need a new set of starting batteries and a full tank of fuel and probably need the fuel lines bled to prime the pumps and the throttle cable needs to be fixed (that is just a wire that attaches to the throttle in the engine compartment, an easy fix).

The bus is being sold as is, where it is, with no intended warranty. The bus is titled in Alabama and we have clear title, and it is title in the state of Alabama as a motorhome. We will sign and ship the title upon receipt of final payment for the bus.

My wife and I were full timers in this bus for almost 5 years and traveled to every state in the U.S. in this bus. We have made countless upgrades, fixes, adjustments, and we have put over $75,000 of improvements into the bus, plus a $20,000 Detroit 6V92 engine. We worked for almost 6 years on the cabinets which are all solid wood, no partial board. All cabinets are custom made for this bus. The kitchen has huge cabinets, draws, and great counter space. Some of the features include.

All in all, we have:
Original Bus purchase – $20,000
Improvements – $75,000
New Detroit 6V92 – $20,000
Total added by us – $115,000

Our loss is your chance for a great gain if you are looking for a new DIY project or just need a Detroit 6V92 Turbo engine. The engine itself is probably worth what the auction will close for, so if all you want out of it is the engine, it is in great shape, but, the bus MUST be moved from its current location. There is even storage facilities nearby that you could just have a towing company bring it to for later use if that is what you wanted to do.

What is included with the bus:

GREAT Detroit Diesel 6V92 Turbo
Installed in 2004 by Detroit dealer
Less than 1,000 original hours on the engine
This engine was professionally installed by a Detroit bus dealer in Alabama. This is a very popular engine still in use today on buses, fishing boats, and a ton of construction equipment. It is a power horse of an engine and costs us $20,000 to install.

ALLISON TRANSMISSION
this was original with the bus as far as we know. We have never had a problem with the transmission at all

TIRES
We purchased 6 new Goodyear G-391 tires. These tires were about $650 each at the time of purchase. They have about 50% treat on them. The tags have about 5% tread and we did not replace them. There is a spare tire in the front compartment. We have all chrome rims on each wheel. There were also about $3,000 for the set and includes the drives.

LIVING QUARTERS – RV
Two RV A/C units – the rear unit has a bad squirel cage motor, but the compressor is great, the other works perfectly.
3 FULL 100 watt solar panels and control panel mounted on the roof
A stackable washer/dryer. Installed only months before we parked it, they work GREAT. These are the full stackage units from Lowes built into the closet.
20 gallon hot water heater
Large TV
All granite marble counter tops, professionally installed.
All solid wood cabinets
Flexsteel chairs
Large full size side by side refrigerator with ice maker
Full size shower
RV toilet
Bathroom sink in matching marble counter top with cabinets

LOWER BINS
The bus has three full open bins. The first bin to the front was where we stored the house batteries, it now has the hot water heater on one side with electric boxes in the middle and storage on the other side. The middle bin is storage and the rear bin has the tanks. There are 4 75 gallon tanks. Two 75 gallon black/grey and two 75 gallon fresh tanks. There are two water pumps, one for the front and one for the rear of the bus. The washer/dryer drains into the grey tanks. There is also a small portable generator on the outside bin under and rear of the drivers seat.

This is a work in progress motorhome, rv, bus, project. It needs some TLC if you want to make it into a home, if you want everything we have put into it at this point, you will still need to remove it from the current location first. I am sure there are a tons of things that are included here that I forgot to mention. Keep in mind that this is a DIY project. A ton of work has been done, and we lived and drove the bus while we did the work, but it is not a finished and polished half a million dollar motor home or Prevost. It can be if you want to put some work in it, or you can use it as is like we did for many years.

I will answer any questions here on the listing. Please review all the photos included. They are from the time we bought the bus in 2000 through the conversion process. The cabin with the snow is where the bus is currently sitting. I can give you the exact address if you like, the bus is actually viewable in google earth where it sits.

We did not place a reserve on the auction and we started the listing at a penny because we need to sell the bus and have it removed from the property so the owner can sell the house. We currently live in Alabama and can not afford to pick it up and drive it down to our house, otherwise we wouldn’t sell it because we have put so much into this bus.

The winning bidder will need to pay 10% up front through paypal within 24 hours of the end of the auction. The remaining payment needs to be made within a few days through a money order or cashier’s check from a U.S. bank only. We will only sell to U.S. bidders that can remove the bus from the property. Once we receive the final cashier’s check payment we will express mail the title to you. The next door neighbor to the property is a very helpful person who works in construction. He can fill the fuel tank for you and possibly help with logistics. We will provide you his name and phone number when the auction is over.

If you do not have any feedback or low feedback, have negative feedback please contact us prior to bidding. We are only taking serious bidders and if your user ID does not look to be legitimate, your bid will be removed and your user ID blocked from future bidding. We have sold professionally on eBay for many years under the ID piecesofthepast-al, so you can check our great feedback over there too. Any attempt at fraudulent bidders will be removed.

I am very sorry I can’t believe I forgot to put the year and transmission type. The bus is a 1980 TMC MCI-9 with a 4-speed automatic transmission.

There have been a few questions that I will try to address here.

1. Q-Can the next door neighbor help with getting it started?
A- you would need to work that out with him. I will provide the winning bidder with his name and phone number, he is aware we are selling the coach. He will probably do what he can for you, he is a super nice guy.

2. Q-what do I need to do to get the bus started?
A- the coach has been at this location in storage since we stopped traveling about 2 years ago. The new engine has about 10,000 miles on it, about 1,000 hours total, so the engine is in great condition. Anyone familiar with big diesel engines knows they need a few things to get going. Heat, fuel, and power. So,
(1) You will need two new truck sized starting batteries (these are big rig bats).
(2) You will need to prime the fuel lines. This just takes filling the tank with diesel (full if possible), disconnecting the fuel line from the engine and starting the flow into the filters. The reconnecting them.
(3) and heat. The engine is equipped with a great engine block heater. It will need to heat up the coolant for several hours to get a good crank (this is just because it has been sitting, don’t have to do this each time). Coolant levels should also be checked.
(4) block heater must be turned off prior to cranking the engine. There is a rear engine starter on the control panel from the back, pretty standard.

3. Q-are there any repairs that need to be made prior to driving off.
A – The only thing I know of is the throttle cable. It came disconnected at the engine block. This is just a metal wire that broke. All you need to do is connect the two pieces together with a bracket or metal crimp. This is an easy and very very cheap repair but needs to be looked at. Once you start it and air it up, just as a standard practice you will need to check the air lines/valves to make sure you don’t have any air leaks. No bus is air tight, they all seep air from their systems.

4. Q-How many miles does the coach have, what kind of gas mileage does the Detroit 6V92 get?
A – this is almost impossible to answer since it spent its life as a greyhound bus. Once retired we put about 80,000 miles on it, and about 10,000 miles on the new engine (1,000 hours). The bus dash board does have an accurate engine hour gage which is total hours for the bus but I don’t remember what it is reading right now. Gas mileage on a 6V92 is 6-7mpg and doesn’t change much no matter what you do. It is a HUGE engine.

5. Q-When is it available to be picked up?
A – we are going to be at the bus the first week in August to remove our personal belongings from inside. This is just a few remaining clothes and items like that. After that, you can take it any time you like between August 5th and September 5th or so. It needs to be removed prior to the winter setting in when you will not be able to move the bus due to the weather in that part of CO.

6. Q-Do you have clear title?
A – yes, we do. The title is from the state of Alabama and it is stated on the title as a motorhome.

7. Q-Can I call you to ask you a question?
A – yes, just send me an email and I will send you my office phone number where you can call me during office hours.

There have been a few more questions come through that I wanted to address, these are a continuation of the first posted Q&A.

1. Q – What condition is the generator in and, how big is it, where is it?

A – the generator is just a small portable 3500 watt gas generator, same as you would buy at Lowes or Home Depot. It was running when we left it, but it is a gas generator so I am not really sure about its status. The cost from Lowest was something like $500-$700 or so. We used it a lot, so it might need a good carburetor cleaning after sitting a while. You can take the 50amp plug for the coach electric and plug it into the 30amp generator and it runs everything except usually only one a/c unit at a time (or the hot water heater in the front bin). The front bin has the 120v on one side and the 12v wiring on the other side and there is a 20 gallon electric hot water heater in the middle of the front bin. The wiring isn’t real pretty looking but you can just plug the 120v into either outside RV power or the generator. Any other questions at all just let me know, thanks. Scott

2. Q – Will you send the keys with the title?

A -there are no keys to start or run the bus, it is a push button, but there are also several switches you have to flip, in order, to be able to crank it. Almost all buses built during this time were built without a key ignition. We did however put in a keyed entry on the door which is locked, and that we will send with the title, but we also have a copy of that key in the cabin where the bus is sitting and when we are up there in the first week of August we will place that key in the bus somewhere.

3. Q – I know the bus is being sold as-is, but what if I don’t know how to get it started, what then?
A – it will be the owners responsibility to move the bus off the property. The winning bidder will need to make their final payment within 3 days of the winning bid. At that point the title and key will be mailed to you, and then you own it, it will be your responsibility to move it, if not by you, a local mechanic can get it started, or you could have it transported to a local shop to have them start it. Either way, I could safely say, using the steps I outlines in the auction, I could go right up there and have it running in a matter of a day. There are several good diesel mechanics around the south central Colorado area. If you couldn’t get it started, I would have one come out and start it.

4. Q – Is September 1st the last day to move it set in stone?
A – I said it needed to be moved by September 1st, this is not set in stone, we have a little wiggle room on the “remove by date”. It starts to get very cold up there in September / October so it is as much the weather as the house being sold, so no, if you needed to move it on September 3rd or 8th, that is fine, just needs to be moved before the freeze starts to set in or the house is sold (freeze will most likely come first).

5. Q – Can I stay in the bus a few days while I am there to pick it up?
A – You can stay there in the bus while you work on getting it ready to move if that is what you want to do. Keep in mind there is no water there. Everything gets winterized in a severe way when no one is there, that includes the outside water. There is 50amp electric on the pole where the bus is parked, that will be on and you can plug in there if you need to while you are there.

6. Q – Will the guy next door fill up the fuel tank for me?
A – I will provide the name and phone number of the next door neighbor. What he does and doesn’t do for you is up to him, but he has told me in the past that he can get the fuel tank filled up. You will probably need to send him a payment and then he can have it fuel up before you arrive. It holds about 150 gallons of diesel.

7. Q – Can I go see the bus if I am close by?
A – yes, by all means, please run by and take a look at it if you like. Email me and I will send you the address where the bus is located, but the auction ends on Monday and we will not “hold” it until you go see the bus, sorry.

These are all very good questions and I will post additional Q&A’s here as they come in over the weekend if needed. Please contact me with any questions you might have, I will respond as quickly as possible. Thanks, Scott

Posts Related to This Topic:

• We Have Arrived in Colorado for Our Winter Stay
• We Have Officially Arrived in Colorado for a While
• Installing the AC Units on our MCI Bus Conversion
• Our MCI-9 Bus Conversion is Under Way with Painting
• Finding the Right MCI Bus for Conversion, What are We Thinking?

This is probably the saddest post I could make on this blog but we have come to the decision that we can not keep up with our house here and the boat we love down at the coast.

I will be posted more photos and information as time goes on but you can [...]]]>

This is probably the saddest post I could make on this blog but we have come to the decision that we can not keep up with our house here and the boat we love down at the coast.

I will be posted more photos and information as time goes on but you can look through this blog and all the posts and history of the boat to know what we are selling. It is a 1979 Morgan Out Island 33 in great shape. We had put a lot of hard work into her since we purchase her in Tampa in 2006. The only issue she has at all is the 50hp Perkins motor needs a new head gasket. The Perkins has been serviced, a new heat exchanger installed, filters changed, and she runs GREAT. Starts right up every time, but she does need the header gasket replaced.

Comes with all sails and equipment needed to take an off-shore cruise to the keys or Bahamas. I will post the latest survey soon. We did not have one done as we did not continue the coast guard registration process. Along with all the normals for a boat this size, it also has a GREAT marine a/c and heater unit. We used this all summer last year and this winter and it works great. It is a very roomy cabin, perfect for a live-a-board with the headroom and sleeps at least 5 comfortably. The interior is very clean and in very nice condition. Floors and wood work on the inside are in great shape. Two water holding tanks that hold about 50 gallons of water, a 35 gallon diesel tank, working head and fresh water shower.

To see the history of the vessel please visit the history page, you can also see the most recent survey as well. We had not completed the name change so it is still technically called the s/v LAUGHALOT. The boat is located at the Bear Point Marina in Orange Beach Alabama. You are more than welcome to visit the marina to see the boat. The current asking price is $19,500. The current NADA price is about $23,000 but we have discounted the header gasket work that needs to be done, which should only be about $1500 or so. The marina is VERY nice and the slip is very reasonable at $350 per month, which includes electric, water, phone, and cable.

Any questions at all please let us know through the contact page above and I will be happy to return your email. You can also ask your questions through the comment box below and I will post answers there publicly.

Here are some recent photos.

I am sure the new owner will enjoy it as much as we have. We spent many weekends on the boat and enjoyed each one.

Posts Related to This Topic:

• Our 1979 Morgan Out Island 33 Sailboat has Sold
• Delivery Captain Sails From Tampa To Orange Beach
• Cold Day on the Beach in February is Empty and Fun
• Bought a Morgan Out Island 33 Sailboat Called LAUGHALOT
• History of Morgan Out Island 33 Sailboat, Hull Number MRY02337M79B

For those casual users of the eBay affiliate program, the email this morning might come as a bit of a [...]]]> Today eBay announced the official opening of the eBay Partner Network (or EPN) which, in 30 days no less, will replace Commission Junction as the sole affiliate program for eBay.

For those casual users of the eBay affiliate program, the email this morning might come as a bit of a surprise but they have been working on this for some time, and promise to have a better reporting and functionality, although I have been very happy with Commission Junction for many years now.

The news didn’t go unnoticed by those in the blogging world where you could find several posts this morning like eBay Partner Network now live by Sue from Tamebay, eBay Dumps Commission Junction from Net Profits, a good discussion from Shoemoney in eBay Affiliate Program FINALLY Drops the CJ Dead Weight, and several others. For those working with the eBay affiliate program in one way or another, this is big news.

What is an Affiliate?

If you are unfamiliar with how affiliates work, it is a simple concept that has been around for quite some time. A company offers an affiliate partner (the user) an incentive of some kind, usually money, to promote their company. At this point almost all companies do this in one form or another, and even small ecommerce sites can setup affiliates for their customer. I am both an affiliate partner and an affiliate provider through one of our small ecommerce sites.

You can even see this on non-eccommerce site and large B&M companies. DirectTV has offered $50 to anyone who gets a friend to sign up for a new satellite TV account for a long time, this is just a simple affiliate offering that can be done by anyone who has a friend who needs their service.

How Much Does an Affiliate Pay?

This is always the question. How much can I actually make using something like this. The answer is just about as much as you are willing to put into building your affiliate network. For most of us, we don’t have a 40 hour work week we can devote to an affiliate program, so we use it where we can, when we can.

I have posted my most recent report below, so you can see it isn’t much. We current run about $100 a month on the eBay affiliate program but it doesn’t take much effort to produce results like that below. We have made as much as $500-$600 a month and as little as nothing. It all depends on how much work you want to put into the program.

If you have time, and minor programming skills, there are many people that make a nice living with all the various affiliate networks. Like anything else it can take quite a bit of time to initially set up, but once set up, it can run and produce some nice revenue without much effort or maintenance.

Using an Affiliate Program With eCommerce

It works very similar to an ad network like Google Adwords except without the ads. It can also be perceived by your customers and visitors as an unwelcome way to use them to receive a payment for something. So if you use it on an ecommerce site you should keep a few things in mind.

• Don’t let it take away from direct sales
• Don’t let it effect your customers perception of your good business practices
• Use it sparingly in areas of your website that need some filler
• Make sure you are familiar with the TOS of the network
• Have real expectations about revenue, and plan accordingly
• Know the effect on customer service and be willing to change

As with anything else you do on your website, make sure that the benefit you receive for using something is worth doing. I know many sites that use Google Adwords in various places and receive little or nothing in return. If you are making $1.00 a month on a banner ad on your header, perhaps a $25 ad sold to a supplier might be a better use of that space.

This section could be expanded to pages and pages as there are several issues involved with using an affiliate program and an ecommerce site you earn a living from, so proceed with an ounce of caution when adjusting a shopping cart platform. The customers that buy from your site daily are far more important than an affiliate program, so make sure they are happy first.

eBay’s Affiliate Program

I have been a part of this program for probably 5-8 years now, and they have always used Commission Junction. Thank goodness for us, the migration over to eBay’s platform will not be a huge expenditure of time, but it will take some re-coding and apparently, it needs to be done by May 1st.

There is already someone in the forums who seems to have been denied an account but it does seem to be operating on an automatic basis as far as the sign up process goes. I simply filled out the forms on the sign up sheet, received an activation email, then you will have to go back to the site and enter your payment information to be paid. I did try to move a few of my applications over and they were not completed on eBay’s end yet, they said… coming soon… so hopefully they will be fixed quickly. Then comes the fun part, moving all your affiliate links over to eBay program instead of Commission Junction.

The Google Effect

I thought I would mention this in passing as well. I few weeks ago, Google also announced a change in the way their advertisers can use their URL structure for ads. This was, I think, an attempt to keep affiliates that mislead customers but it had to have a huge effect on the affiliate programs in total.

Important Change to URL Policy Enforcement
Starting in April, display URLs for new ads will be required to match their destination / landing page URLs, without exception. Please adjust your URLs accordingly when creating new ads. -google

You can now no longer display a url and have the link url go to a different place. This technique was used for good purposes by many people but also used to trick people into thinking they were an official advertiser for that particular display url company.

Conclusion

It does look like the new EPN will be good once all the work is completed on eBay’s end, and on the providers end. The report functionality looks great, and the process seems to be a little more straight forward than before. It was always a semi-confusing process to a newbie, but many things are until you learn the in’s and out’s.

Have you moved your links over yet or joined the new EPN?

Posts Related to This Topic:

• eBay Opens the Neighborhoods
• eBay Admits Hacker Suspended Accounts
• eBay Buys Auction Management Company Afterbuy
• eBay PayPal and Yahoo Join Forces
• Reasons Why Google+ is Already Better than Facebook