The REAL Cost of an Older Boat . . .

[David M]

The key is to look for that rare used boat that is very very close to exactly what you want. Used and not much to fix up means lower initial costs and lower upgrade costs.

[mrohr]

Hi all: apologies to all with my cynicism .I have been down the very road that Pillium is contemplating,girlfriend cruised with me for 2 years lotsa fun on the cushions both old and new;she is now my wife of 25 years and has given me 3 great kids along with much that my own family did not provide. Truly fantastic in every way and would not change a thing, but if I was not willing to singlehand I would not be doing much cruising nowadays. Love you all here. so please excuse.

[zeehag]

I WAS GIVEN VERY HIGH guesstimates on repairing my formosa when i first purchased her and i found exactly opposite was true.. donot listen to all the foljks saying it is gonna cost ye 150k and 5 yrs--lol you will find ways to make it what you want instead of what others say it is... goood luck.

[pillum]

Hey Mrohr, no offense taken by me, and no apologies needed.

Smooth Sailing

[sailonsimcoe]

But if you saw the little EXTRAS when you buy a new boat used is still cheaper

[zeehag]

considering even new boats NEED work before cruising there is a lot to say for a tried and true oldie----i do not like the styles and designs of the new stuff out there--- aint nothin like mine and i love her-- there are no true deal breakers in these hulls and all is solid.

[stormyweather]

Originally Posted by anjou

I see two types of people in this crusing lifestyle

Those who have the brains to earn big bucks and b
uy everything and those who are dumb like me but know how to fix things up.

I make my money by what I can save and a penny saved is a penny earned.

I really hate to respond to a post that already has nothing to do with the original post and my apology in advance, but... anjou, some of us do work for a living, do our own work, and save our money. Please don't generalize or categorize.

[sailonsimcoe]

I know from a friend that 2 years ago bought a new Catalina that all the "extras" cost on his boat would have bought me a nice little boat!

[Snore]

Not to hijack the thread, but there is a related question that is part of this discussion.

Is there a material difference in cost between reviving a good cored hull (i.e. Tartan) and a solid hull (Bayfield ? and Westerly?).

Thanks-

Bill

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by Snore

Not to hijack the thread, but there is a related question that is part of this discussion.

Is there a material difference in cost between reviving a good cored hull (i.e. Tartan) and a solid hull (Bayfield ? and Westerly?).

Thanks-

Bill

The older Tartans are solid glass (just to clarify).

ultimately, the answer is no, there is no price difference. But that is entirely depending on which two specific boats you are comparing.

If the cored hull boat is solid and sound, there is no price difference. But if you have a scenario of patching some core in the hull, vs. patching some core in the deck of the other boat, both costs would essentially be the same.
Or You could find a solid glass boat that needs to be stripped and epoxy coated (blisters), that would end up costing more than fixing a small portion of core material...

So it's all about the individual boat. I wouldn't buy a cored hull without a survey (or DIY survey), and if it needs fixing, just factor that into the cost when comparing to other boats. Or better yet, walk away and wait for the better boat.

[Curmudgeon]

What about the real cost of a new boat, starting with the depreciation as soon as you sail it away? You can refit many an older boat for less than the depreciation on a new boat

[redcobra]

Originally Posted by zeehag

exactly!!!!
how do cushions cost 2k?? were only 1k in sd, th emost exensive place on earth to own a boat..LOL..... i looked well at this before i bought her--- is easy to spend a lot of money--oops i meant a ton of it-- -but there are things not necessary to cruisingin comfort that some folks do to their boats tha ti was told were NECESSARY lol-- but are not so--- i will have put almost 20k usd into this 41 ft formosa by the time i get to panama.....including initial purchase.......and electronix upgrades...

Well, I have to say that I spent 2k for cushions.
3 in the Vee berth, pilot berth, setee berth, port double berth, quarter berth, back cushions for the double and the setee berth, and 5 full coverage cockpit cushions. A lot depends on fabric and depth of foam too.

[countrybimm]

the key is to find a solid one.Good Day Cooter is a 78 O'day, which we picked up for 20k.another 4k worth of upgrades such as wind generator and we had a ocean ready cruiser.its been sailed from florida to trinidad with very minor issues.not gunna get a new 30fter for 24k.i really think its important to pick your boat based on what your going to need to upgrade, then factor that into the cost of buying the boat.the rest, such as cushions, will come in time...and if your resourceful at a decent price.

[pillum]

Originally Posted by countrybimm

the key is to find a solid one.Good Day Cooter is a 78 O'day, which we picked up for 20k.another 4k worth of upgrades such as wind generator and we had a ocean ready cruiser.its been sailed from florida to trinidad with very minor issues.not gunna get a new 30fter for 24k.i really think its important to pick your boat based on what your going to need to upgrade, then factor that into the cost of buying the boat.the rest, such as cushions, will come in time...and if your resourceful at a decent price.

I couldn't agree more Countrybimm, I chose my boat based on her condition to sail offshore rather than how pretty the cushion covers were, in the knowledge that it would cost to replace them. Though it does seem from the responses that I've paid over the odds for the upholstery and foam, win some lose some!

[Butler]

So far 10 thou for the boat which had good "bones"... hull, cabin, engine & spars .
New main sail and a new deck were the worst of the expenses at $7,000. I lost the toss on building our own main which would have cut that 3500 in half. I had previously done 2 decks and did not want to DIY that... had had enough so was happy to pay.
The rest DIY: new wire & fittings, new boomkin & stays, new wood stove etc. etc.
Lost the toss as well on DIY cushons for the main berth and spent way too much on those.
All'n' all 10 thou for boat and 12 thou for refurb.

The boat had been neglected for 15 years... this was the cause for rotten foredeck, rotten mainsail. The engine had 24 hrs on a re-build and in spite of not being run at all the only problem has been a brittle plastic governor disc in the fuel injector pump which recently failed.

We buy the previous owner as much as we buy the boat.