PDLP Chapter 230 Watching the Ship
Chapter 230 Watching the Ship
"Brother Zhou, what kind of ship? When can we get our hands on it?"
Upon seeing Yu Muzhou, Zhou Miao couldn't wait to ask him anything.
Having only one dilapidated fishing boat, he really longed for a beautiful, large ship.
In the new era, a man can live without a woman, but he cannot live without stylish clothes.
Whether it's a motorcycle, a car, or a fishing boat, you only need one.
"What's the rush? Let's go to the trading market." Yu Muzhou smiled as he stood up and picked up the large G key from the table.
"Is it secondhand?" Zhou Miao asked instinctively upon hearing about the trading market.
"It's a second-hand new ship." Yu Muzhou's expression was somewhat meaningful.
But this sentence confused Zhou Miao. What did it mean? Second-hand ships and new ships?
Are they like those widows who died on their wedding night before they even entered the bridal chamber, after just marrying into their husband's family?
The actual situation was exactly as Zhou Miao had imagined.
Upon arriving at the trading market, he followed Yu Muzhou into the market.
It's similar to the place where I bought the old fishing boat before; it's right by the dock.
But this place is much larger, selling professional recreational fishing boats and yachts, with capsized boats being the most numerous.
Most of them are small, about ten meters long.
But soon they arrived at the area of large ships, where none of the ships were less than eighteen meters long, and most were over twenty meters.
They stopped right in front of a brand new fishing boat, the Jingyun JY700.
Beside the boat was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties, with a beer belly, who kept smoking.
He saw Yu Muzhou's eyes light up and immediately put on a smile to greet him.
After exchanging a few polite words, the three boarded the ship for a tour.
Through the middle-aged man's introduction, Zhou Miao learned that he had ordered the ship 23 years ago and started its construction, and it was launched for trial voyages this May.
The interior of the ship is not decorated in the typical dormitory style of operating ships, but is divided into three rooms.
The bow of the boat has double rooms, and the two behind it have four-person rooms.
There's also a small rest area on the second floor, in the wheelhouse, where the captain can rest.
There are two toilets, one indoor shower and one outdoor public toilet.
The middle-aged man originally bought the boat to facilitate business negotiations.
The ice storage and freezer compartments were basically unchanged; the freezer compartment can hold 5,000 kilograms of fish.
The live fish hold is quite large; bringing back several hundred kilograms of fish wouldn't be a problem, which would be enough for Zhou Miao.
It has a freshwater converter and a wireless network.
As long as you don't go out to sea, the signal can basically cover the entire area.
The ship is 21 meters long and 5.4 meters wide, with a maximum speed of 32 knots and a cruising speed of 18 knots.
Large ships generally have this speed; if you want higher speeds, you can configure the engine separately.
But these things are all gas guzzlers, so you definitely have to choose the one that saves fuel.
Aside from a few trial voyages, the middle-aged man never sailed the ship after acquiring it.
He wouldn't have sold the ship if he hadn't run into business problems and needed more money.
But the price wasn't cheap; it started at five million.
When Zhou Miao heard the price, he almost jumped off the ship on the spot.
His budget was 1.5 million, at most 2 million.
With Yu Muzhou contributing 30%, their maximum budget is only around 2.6 million.
Five million, that's doubled in value. He could afford to buy it with gold bars, but that's not how you use money.
There is a shortage of money everywhere in China right now; business is difficult, and so is finding a job.
The price of recreational boats like fishing boats has dropped significantly compared to previous years.
A boat that could sell for five million before 2020 might only cost two or three million now; that's how big the difference is.
With the advancement of information technology, even ordinary people know that buying a boat is easy, but maintaining it is difficult.
The annual maintenance cost for this type of fishing boat is estimated to be seven or eight hundred thousand yuan.
Going out to sea is also a waste of money. If Zhou Miao didn't have a cheat code and knew he was lucky, he wouldn't have chosen this kind of fishing boat.
However, Yu Muzhou seemed to have planned this all along; today he simply brought Zhou Miao to see the ship.
They didn't haggle over the five million; instead, they exchanged a few polite words and went to look at other ships.
There are so many second-hand boats here. Even if there aren't any so-called second-hand new boats, there are many fishing boats that cost only around two million, which are very cost-effective.
Zhou Miao also saw another JY700 ship, which looked exactly the same, but was a little older.
After a year and a half of use, the price was only 2.3 million.
The interior decoration is naturally not as luxurious as the ship we just saw, and the room has two large communal beds that can sleep twelve people.
With such a large price difference, Zhou Miao would definitely choose this one.
However, he usually goes out to sea alone, or at most with a few people, so there's no need for him to choose such a large ship.
Zhou Miao took a liking to an 18-meter vessel. Although it was also an operational vessel, it was only priced at 1.5 million yuan, highlighting its affordability.
After watching, the two headed back to the club.
Upon entering his office, Yu Muzhou began brewing tea.
After a smooth and effortless exchange, he poured Zhou Miao some tea and then asked, "Miao, after looking at so many, have you found a ship you like?"
"Those eighteen meters, priced at 1.5 million would be quite good," Zhou Miao said directly.
"Those eighteen meters, priced at 1.5 million would be quite good," Zhou Miao said directly.
Upon hearing this, Yu Muzhou shook his head: "That's a no-name brand. I can get an 18-meter new boat from a friend for just one million. With some added features, it'll only cost 1.5 million. We might as well wait and buy a new one instead of that boat."
"Uh, I think those around two million are pretty good."
"If it's been used for too long, who knows if the parts have been replaced three or four times? The second-hand market is a murky place, it's not safe."
"..."
Zhou Miao was dumbfounded; he knew perfectly well which ship Yu Muzhou had his eye on.
"Brother Zhou, five million is too much. Even if I only contribute 70%, I still can't come up with it."
Now that he knows the price of the fishing boat is well within his budget, he can't possibly choose the expensive one.
"What if we get it for 3.5 million?" Yu Muzhou asked tentatively.
He wouldn't act on his own whims when it came to buying the boat; he would definitely prioritize Zhou Miao's decision.
After all, he is the one who owns the boat, and with his current financial situation, it's not impossible for him to buy the boat on his own.
"That can't be! Even if you cut a major artery, you couldn't possibly lose 1.5 million, could you?"
Zhou Miao found it hard to believe; if it were 3.5 million, he could grit his teeth and do it.
After all, you can tell the quality of a ship at a glance; who would want an old one if there's a new one?
He doesn't actually like secondhand items; he just thinks they're cheaper.
If possible, even if it's nominally second-hand but actually original, he would definitely choose it as his first choice, as long as it's within his budget, even if it's more expensive.
"Don't worry, that guy's just a gambler. He lost money in business, so he went to the casino to try his luck and make a comeback. Now he's heavily in debt, and he'll eventually sell himself at a low price."
"Three and a half million is a relatively high price for us. Those middlemen are even more aggressive, with some asking for as little as two million."
"Although he hasn't sailed that boat yet, it's still secondhand, so it can't be sold for the price of a new boat no matter what."
"Even if someone is willing to offer a high price, he still needs to be able to sell it!"
Zhou Miao understood his meaning and frowned: "Won't this cause trouble?"
Yu Muzhou smiled and pointed at him: "We've known each other for quite a while now. Do you think I'm the kind of person who forces people to buy or sell?"