TESTIMONIALS

My wife Lisa and I have been sailing together off and on for over 30 years. We have owned and restored two wooden boats, lived aboard them for four years, and cruised with our children, then ages 5 and 7. Now we are in our mid-late 50's and it's time to head out again.

We began our boat search in earnest in September and were overwhelmed by the number of boats on the market. What is a "blue water boat"? What boats are well built? What boats are proven cruisers? Lisa came across John Neal's website www.mahina.com. Being new to fiberglass, and having a time constraint, we signed up for John's "Yacht Consultation Service". In less than 24 hours, John had evaluated our resources and requirements, and suggested two boats. We were already looking at "Ek Tac Toe", a 1983 Bristol 35.5 CB and that was one of the boats John recommended.

We drove across Florida 2 days later to look at the boat. Within 3 hours of getting aboard, we knew she was the boat for us. The owner shook hands with us and that was that. John's recommendation gave us the confidence to buy the boat.

In the ensuing weeks John had recommended a surveyor, Paul Anstey, who exceeded our expectations. I needed a recommendation on a VHF and John readily provided guidance. I have full confidence that John will be with us for the rest of our adventure.

This was the smartest $400 I ever spent. From folks like me who have been around boats all their lives to people who are just beginning to consider the cruising life, John is an invaluable resource. And after exchanging several emails, he is becoming a trusted friend and advisor.

Ben and Lisa Smith
"Ek Tac Toe"

YOUNG BRAZILIAN BOAT PURCHASE CONSULTATION CLIENTS LOCATE AND ARE PURCHASING THEIR DREAM BOAT IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FOR JUST $30,000
Danilo and Marcela are young (28 yrs old) and have saved up enough for a boat and a planned two year round-the-world adventure. Danilo is an electronics tech and both he and his girlfriend Marcela are dive instructors. They hope to do dive charters for Brazilian clients as they circumnavigate to help their cruising kitty. With a total budget of $60,000, I encouraged them to leave enough funds after purchase for repairs and refitting, and they really listened. The Gulfstar 37 they are purchasing for $30,000 has been well looked-after and they are ecstatic! See - you don't need a fortune to find a boat for major offshore cruising.

"I would like to thank you John for the many helpful comments and suggestions you gave me when I was trying to make a decision about my new boat. It was always going to be a Hallberg-Rassy but just what model and what spec left a lot of questions to be answered. You gave me the confidence and support at at a critical time.

Tell Amanda that I'm pouring over her Galley Companion just now. It's going to prove more than useful in a few months time."

Michael Kidd of England (on the left) (Leg 2-2011) was a consultation client who decided to have a new Hallberg-Rassy 40 built and the lucky guy just sent us this image of his new baby which he has named Ad Lib nearing completion. He'll be setting sail toward the Baltic Sea this summer. Lucky man!

Baxter and Molly were consultation clients who decided to also join un on Leg 2-2011 after they had just purchased a Tartan 37 which was in very good condition. They are now in the Florida Keys, heading south and having great adventures. "John's Purchase Consultation was a great benefit to us. Based on our sailing goals and budget, John helped us narrow down acceptable models, determine the relative value of boats based on age, condition and equipment to make an intelligent purchase."

-Baxter Gillespie

Ben and Lisa had some unusual criteria: maximum air draft of 42' and maximum sea draft of 5' for a boat that would pass under the bridge and that they could moor at the dock in front of their Florida home. Lucky people!  They had been considering several boats, all of which would have been ok, but when Amanda heard their profile she said, "What about a boat like Mr. John?" Mister John is a Bristol 35.5 beloning to Mr. John, a ship's captain and first officer whom I first met 25 years ago when we were both on earlier, smaller boats, and whom we had just seen in Vanuatu. I forwarded his website and the suggestion to look consider Bristol 35.5's. Turns out the same day Ben sent returned his Consultation Questionnaire, Lisa had found a one-owner Bristol 35.5 nearby. All that was needed was a surveyor, and Paul Anstey that has helped so many of our clients lived just down the road. The Bristol surveyed very clean, deal was complete, buyers and sellers were both happy - all in under two weeks! Wow. http://www.yachtmrjohn.blogspot.com/

Rob and Nancy from San Francisco out zooming around the Bay on their just-purchased and gorgeous Oyster 485. They joined us for our Oakland Offshore Cruising Seminar and are getting all excited about setting out on a grand cruise once their son heads off to college this Fall.

"I am pleased to provide a reference for John Neal's cruising boat consultation service. My wife and I used John's services to help select our new performance bluewater cruising boat, a Saga 43 we have named Sarah Jean II." READ MORE

Beth and Norm from Vancouver, Canada joined us for our Offshore Seminar, signed up for a Boat Purchase Consultation shortly after, found a very tidy Saga 43, sailed with us on Leg 5 2009, in the South Pacific and just sent us this image of them with Sarah Jean anchored behind them in Honeymoon cove, Mexico. They are about to set sail for the South Pacific and we plan to share an anchorage in Tahitit, June 7. You can visit their website here: sailblogs.com/member/sarahjean2

Dear John,

Here is a picture of me and and my wife in the Biscayan on our way to La Coruna-
we had a very good trip with a lot of challenges but I believe we now have solved most of the problems.

The boat is now wintering over in Lagos Portugal-we will keep in touch

A wonderful Christmas and a good new sailing year to you and your family.

With best wishes,
Ole

Ole is our first Danish consultation client. He scoured Europe for a good boat at a reasonable price and found a very tidy Najad 490 in Holland. We were able to recommend an unbiased marine surveyor, the deal was completed, and now Ole and his wife are cruising the Med. We hope to share an anchorage with them one day soon in the South Pacific!

We are on our maiden voyage with the Lorena Grayce our new to us Amphitrite 43, currently we are at anchor in Liberty Bay just off Poulsbo for the fireworks show tonight the 3rd, than we are headed up to the San Juans for about 10 days. We sure do love this boat, and are really looking forward to actually sailing her, we had the sails up yesterday but no wind, but that was OK, its giving me a chance to figure out whats what. Oh a couple of weekends ago we took the Bareboat chartering course and are currently working on the Coastal Navigation course. We are signed up for the Advanced coastal Crusing course in August, we have been very busy. (John and his wife were long-time powerboaters, now nearing retirement, learning to sail and dreaming of far-away warm places!)

-John B
Seattle

The first phase of our plan to go cruising is complete. We are now the owners of a Prout Catamaran. Thank you for your consultation services which we found to be very efficient at helping us understand what we needed from a long term cruising boat.

-Neil

We are so happy with our find ... thank you SO MUCH for all your expert advice!!!! We'd never be here without your help. On the sea trial, the surveyor had us set the (almost new) sails to inspect, as expected. What we didn't expect was to actually sail her. Heidi had the helm as Walt and I hoisted the main and genny in 18 - 20 knot winds, right about where we'd be thinking to set the first reef. She just comfortably dug in and took off! Wow!

The sellers will deliver her up to Norfolk. Heidi and I will pick her up there and continue up the coast to Maine. Man, we can't wait ... we are beyond excited! I rode my bike with my son to Fort Williams today. It is in Cape Elizabeth, at Portland Head Light and overlooks the entrance to Portland Harbor, Maine. I told him that in less than a month, he can sit there and watch us sail in!

-Dennis and Heidi

Dennis and Heidi from Maine set an all-time record for consultation clients. From the time they forwarded me their Consultation Questionnaire until they had complete survey and completed their purchase of an excellent offshore boat at a very fair price was 27 days. Now they can't wait to take off on their cruise, and we are looking forward to meeting them in Tahiti before too long!

John was an invaluable resource to help us narrow down the dozens of possible cruising boats that led us to one that is perfect for us.  He brought an objective and experienced view of the boat market and served as a good sounding board for us as we accelerated our decision time frame.  After providing John with our dream boat requirements he was able to guide us down a path that focused our search to a short list of boats.  When we became interested in certain boats John provided immediate feedback based on his personal knowledge and through his network of colleagues in the boat business.

Once we had an accepted offer on an Oyster in Sausalito, John provided a reference to a local surveyor who was excellent. 
Having access to comparable sales records was an asset in the negotiation process, and John was very supportive and a good partner as we worked through issues found during the survey.  We primarily communicated with John via email and occasionally had a phone conversation.  This worked out great for both of us.We highly recommend the service that he provides to those serious in their sailboat selection process.

-Robert and Nancy
Oyster 485
Sausalito, CA

Thank you a bunch for all of your help, it really made a huge difference once we had you onboard, prior to that we were looking with our eyes closed for the most part. I would and I will recommend you to anyone who is in the market to get a new boat. Mike was a great guy to work with, I would recommend him as well.

-JB
Seattle

The Mahina boat consultation service was an invaluable tool that saved countless hours of weeding though unworthy vessels. John's extensive knowledge of blue water cruisers and and experience gained from countless sea miles provided insight that many brokers are not able to provide. Through our e-mail correspondence, John aided us with information that is often overlooked or unknown to other yacht professionals. Thanks to Mahina's support, we are confident that we found the boat that best fits our goals.

-Mike

Hello John. I have finalized the purchase of the IP 45 and am sailing (as we speak along) the east coast of Australia (wireless broadband connection 40 km offshore). Am very happy with the choice, her performance exceeds my expectations.. Thanks very much for your valuable advice over the past months.

Regards

-Stefan

We took advantage of John Neal's consultancy service as we planned for our retirement dream of owning a cruising sailboat.  John's input regarding possible boat models, equipment to consider, and help with decisions on many aspect of our purchase were invaluable,  as was the practical training we received from John and Amanda during our Pacific cruise with Mahina Expeditions in 2004.  In 2008 we took delivery of our Hallberg-Rassy 43,  Diomedea II,  in our new home port of Sydney, Australia.  As we learn about our local cruising grounds,  weather, sailing conditions and the running of our boat we constantly refer to the notes from John and Amanda's cruising seminar. Their help and counsel has made our transition from dreamers to boat owners a joy.  Our boat has turned out to be all we had hoped for and is perfect for us as we grow in our knowledge and abilities as sailors.

-Anne Reeckmann and Gary Holmes,
Sydney, Australia.

John Neal provided us with perfect counsel. By making an initial investment in his services, we benefited from decades of knowledge about every aspect of cruising sailboats: from design to construction; performance to safety, equipment inventory to maintenance demands. His continuous stream of well-informed, prompt, and up-beat responses to our queries enabled us to find the ultimate boat for our family. He wisely steered us away from several boats that would not have served us well. And when it came time to making an offer and closing on our dream boat, his words of patience and years of experience helped us to navigate a rocky buying process. Given our limited budget, without his support it is likely we would have ended up with a boat that was far from ideal.

-Kim Berry, Mark Baker, Anson and Devon Baker-Berry
Happy owners of Anthea, 1977 Swan 41

I am pleased to provide a reference for John Neal's cruising boat consultation service. My wife and I used John’s services to help select our new performance bluewater cruising boat, a Saga 43 we have named Sarah Jean II. READ MORE

When we decided to buy a Hallberg-Rassy 46 in 2001, I contacted John to pick his brain about how to equip the boat. We went through options, safety equipment and spares to carry around. John was very helpful to share his knowledge with me, and we ended up with a very good setup, as close to the "perfect boat" as possible!

My wife and I also joined one of the expeditions on Mahina Tiare to become comfortable with the HR46 before taking delivery of our own .

John not only provided a wealth of information, but we also started a lasting friendship with John and Amanda, and any time our cruising paths converge, we make sure we have the opportunity to share an anchorage with them and have dinner together !

-Giorgio and Laura
s/v Indeed

Due to his knowledge and connections, John saved us both time and money in finding the right boat for us. He explained to us what to look for in our future home and consulted with on our purchase. John steered us toward the right boat and people, and with some unusual luck we bought our boat within 2 months of the beginning of that complicated process.

-Livia and Carol

"John's help was invaluable when we were looking for that "perfect boat" to fulfill a life-long dream of sailing offshore. I had some ideas and he was a great sounding board for them and would send me notes back with his thoughts. Buying that "last boat" is a painful process and he helped guide us through it. He put us in contact with people he knew for "checking out their boats" and he gave us the name of the broker that would be instrumental in helping us buy KTooT (she was in Annapolis.). As this process took almost year from the first email to the purchase, John never let us down as he always answered our questions - sometimes we sent several a day!

We would highly recommended his services to anyone who is thinking of buying a boat for offshore. We look forward to our journey ahead and feel he helped us make a great choice - she is comfortable, seaworthy and most important - we feel safe in her. Thanks John!"

"I am pleased to provide a reference for John Neal’s cruising boat consultation service. My wife and I used John’s services to help select our new performance bluewater cruising boat, a Saga 43 we have named Sarah Jean II. READ MORE

I took advantage of John Neal's boat purchase consulting service when I was in the market for my first boat. My goal was to buy a 35 to 40 foot yacht capable of blue water cruising, should I decide to do so in the future. Having never owned any type of boat in the past other than a 12' aluminum fishing boat, I figured that I was probably a mark waiting to be taken advantage of in the used yacht market.

Frankly, I was surprised at how quickly John answered all of my questions. Over the space of a couple of months we exchanged many emails and two or three phone calls. Typically I would send John a link to a Yachtworld ad and ask him what he thought. He had several original suggestions of boats he thought might be on the market soon that fit my specifications. As a result, I purchased an Island Packet 35 with which I am extremely happy, with no doubt that I got a great deal on a very seaworthy boat.
-J.G. Seattle

Hi John,

I think you will be glad to hear that Stefan and I closed on the purchase of our new (used) boat in June. That means we're one step closer to sailing off into the sunset and you're off the hook for providing consultation! We've had a wonderful summer getting to know the boat and sailing all over So Cal.

We have a lot to thank you for, including answering a bazillion questions, reviewing numerous Yachtworld listings, saving us countless hours by steering us away from junkers, and hooking us up with an honest broker. As far as the recommendation of the surveyor, Robert Noyce, he did a lot to accommodate us with buying the boat remote, and provided a very detailed summary of the survey. Warm Regards,

-Ginny & Stefan