Denison For Sale on eBay

All I can say is "When something seems too good to be true, it probably is."

Some specific things that scare me beyond just it being on ebay are:

I wouldn't touch it without a survey first and that likely isn't possible. But the comments about needing MTU engineer to start the engines. Combine that with the bow and portside damage. I'd sure want to know what happened with this boat. Colorful history?

The talk about selling for scrap. Why was that even mentioned if that's not a real possibility of the best thing to do with it?

Then the line that scared me the most was that the reserve was to cover operational expenses of a recent charter. What? So it was chartered, damaged, and some operational expenses haven't been paid? That makes me concerned that their may be other liens on the boat. What about mechanics and yard liens? So, in addition to survey, I'd sure want a full title search.

Small window of opportunity before donating to a government entity? What in the world does that mean? Perhaps a government entity about to take it to cover fines or penalties or something? What is so bad about it that makes it something to just donate and get nothing for it?

I just see no protection for a buyer in a situation like this yacht on ebay. Can't write a contract subject to survey or no outstanding obligations or title search. Not sure what one would have to go through to get the full and completely honest story on this boat. Sure sounds like a huge gamble and I think to bid on it one must be prepared to lose whatever they put up. Plus have only 5 days to find out about the yacht.

Who even has it up for sale? Doesn't sound like it's the owner. Is it a broker? Shipyard? Charter organization? If you could get it for the reserve and then get it fully repaired and refurbished and get it to wherever you'd like it plus clear title for another million dollars you'd have a great old boat I guess. But something tells me that isn't possible. Plus if one was going to do all that, why not buy a similar boat that one can be more sure of.

Does anyone recall the build-to-sink ratio of Denisons?

Ok, that's before my time of being involved so obviously you recall. Care to fill us novices in on what must have been rather bad odds?

Wow, I googled. "For Your Eyes Only", "Lady Anna", and "Miss Turnburry". "For Your Eyes Only" sued but never made it to court. Sinking sunk sales. Bankruptcy.

I did notice "Lady Anna" was believed by many to be deliberate. Don't know what happened they said but it sank within 5 minutes in 428 feet of water. Oh supposedly had nearest to bulletproof hull possible, but then so did Titanic. I saw "For Your Eyes Only" was actually salvaged and became a charter yacht, "Dynamo".

And now the one on E-Bay has a colorful history? I can only imagine. Can't top "Lady Anna" which supposedly was taken from Denison in the middle of the night and not completed, but owner said paid too much and Denison said money still owed.

Interesting to read Broward and Denison histories and all the sons branching off into their own businesses.

Could be but Denison shows Texas Star II for sale for $1,750,000 and located in Fort Lauderdale. which only makes story more curious if that's it. Formerly known as Thunderball, Enery and Ragazza.

Edit: Oh found article saying they sold it in 2012 and was being shipped to Tahiti.

More information and I believe you're right. It appears it was more recently for sale in Cape Verde by Denison for $995,000.

There was the Denison that sank on it's maiden delivery in or right off of Fort Lauderdale. The story I was told was that right after leaving the inlet it had some kind of issue and they came to a stop. It was rough and the engine room intakes were located in the cockpit and low. Waves started flooding the cockpit, which then poured right in the engine room intakes and flooded the engine room very quickly and the lazzarette was getting flooded from the cockpit being full of water. At that point nothing could be pumped out and the entire boat sank stern first.

I was told Lady Anna and others had the same design flaw. I really do not believe that the owner sank her purposefully to collect insurance with 6 people onboard, 94 miles offshore. Nobody in their right mind would do that.

Lady Anna was off the Jersey coast. Sounds illogical that it might have been intentional, especially with the other sinkings. Just it was so fast the Captain didn't even have time to radio. For those wanting a large SF, this was one.

For Your Eyes Only had left Hillsboro Inlet for the Bahamas. It did take water through the engine vents but the determination was supposedly that wasn't enough to sink it. It was said it hit a sandbar exiting the inlet and cracked the housings for the waterjets causing water to flood the engine room.

Miss Turnburry was off St. Kitts and water was noticed in engine room but cause not determined. Theory was through hull exhaust valve failing. It took about 2 hours to sink, not nearly as fast as Lady Anna.

Supposedly the Captain's story changed sometime after the first Coast Guard interview. The insurer sent down sonar equipment to try to figure out what happened.

Really, doesn't matter how the details vary on the three sinkings to me. Three is just too many to consider coincidence or to blame other situations. Boats hit sandbars, hit rough water, have through hull issues all the time and the vast majority of them don't sink. Was it the waterjets? The intakes? Or just that once they took on water for any reason they went all the way down quickly? After that obviously people weren't willing to buy and take the chance and neither would I have considered it.

Also there were stories of yards closing, hulls built one place then completed elsewhere. Appeared at best Denison had issues before the last sinkings but they made any recovery impossible.

The whole Denison story is a tangled web. Appeared all members of the family wanted to head in different directions. Most stayed in boating but one started Skipper's Oil.

I do have one question of those who know more history. Did Broward experience problems of any magnitude like Denison, but not necessarily sinking? What was Broward quality?

The Denison problem is that the air intakes for the engine room. Once they had an issue, or took waves over the transom on models with cockpits, water just then quickly POORED into the engine room. I went to school with one of the Denison's back in the 90's.

If Lady Anna was indeed tied stern to, to a buoy and took a few waves over the transom, it then poured into the engine room, making the boat sit lower in the stern flooding the cockpit, then flooding the engine room, and no way to pump it all out because no doubt the pumps had to be turned on in the engine room, so down she went.

Browards were never top quality boats by any means. However, they did have stages where the quality dipped from their normal standard of (SeaRay like quality, if that) in stages of financial trouble etc. The other problem with Browards is that most of them were extended at least once, if not 3 times (one of them I ran), upsetting the handling majorly. They were an average priced and average quality megayacht that would get up and cruise at 20 knots. Back when frequent paint jobs (aluminum hull/superstructure) were reasonably priced and so was rebuilding 92 series Detroits on a frequent basis, and fuel was cheap. They also failed to update the styling on them soon enough. I could say they were a good boat for what they were and what they were priced if you ran them as such and didn't try to do an Atlantic Crossing or 12' + seas. The other problem on them is every single one of them I ever ran was grossly neglected mechanically. It seems like 8 out of 10 owners of them, wouldn't spend the money to properly maintain them. They were very efficient for their size running them at 10-12knots with the 2 cycle detroits most all of them had.

They were 24k gold plated screws, hinges, and fixtures .. They were tied to a lobster trap line in 660' water with 10-12' swells and high wind. Rumor was the owner didn't like to get his feet wet and would block the scuppers . I doubt they were tied to the stern all the articles I have just say tied to Lobster buoy. I have the article from the day after it sunk and a 3 year later follow up w/pictures, I tried to post them here but got message from site that I didn't have permission . I may try another day if I find the time. also they were out there for a tournament and didn't want to spend the night at the marina in Atlantic city were the tournament was being hosted because of the size of his boat and hassle docking it- plus get a little fishing in...dp

Welcome to YF dapower 1. Yes, there's a period (not sure how long) while they won't allow you certain posting privileges. It's mostly so they can make sure you're not a "cam-girl" or such before pictures go up. (Yes it actually happens often with these spammers. (Once just a couple of weeks ago in fact). I hope you do remember to post them when you can. Updates are always good.
Again, welcome.