Preparing Beneteau 361 for Coconut Milk Run

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by MSN-Travelers

Meyermm and Oz have offered some interesting points. I’m a cruiser wannbe & my wife and I are taking baby steps as we are still tied to the land. Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes are our training ground. I was an auto mechanic by trade and that is the reason for the following analogy.

What you propose – Buying a high mileage rental car from New York City, make it roadworthy for an extended cross country trip and selling it for a profit in Los Angeles without knowing what pollution standards it will have to meet in CA or if there is even a market for that type of vehicle.
snip
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Not exactly. Because any boat more than say five years old will need re-rigging before the trip. Extra sails and lots of addons. etc. basically there is money to be spent on a vessel that is still "roadworthy" at the end of the trip. The old car on the other hand will still probably only have a life span of its original 25 years and will still only be worth $500 regardless of the reco engine, gearbox, breaks etc.

I kind of see your what youre trying to say. But there is a difference. Boats dont devalue at the same rate as cars.

Cheers
Oz

[MSN-Travelers]

Oz, I think you are reading too much into my post. Taking it too literally.

I don't believe the OP knows what condition most boats are when they come out of charter. He has no idea what would be required to make it "seaworthy" for shorthanded water sailing">blue water sailing. Everybody in the States knows and can identify with the condition of a taxi after years of service in a major metropolitan area like New York ot Los Angeles. That is the reason behind my analogy.

The OP doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of buying a boat out of charter, fixing it up to blue water standards and then selling it in OZland for a profit.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by MSN-Travelers

The OP doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of buying a boat out of charter, fixing it up to blue water standards and then selling it in OZland for a profit.

I think it depends on two things...
1/ His 'Blue Water Boat' mentality.. ie, needs all the 'bells and whistles...' or... just the 'Bells'...
2/ His level of experience and confidence in making do with just a couple of 'Bells..'
He's just got to remember there's a balance between desirable and overkill... just get enough to make a comfortable cruise... leave the rest to the next buyer.

[Captain Peppers]

If you'd like an opinion on things BENE let me know. We have a 2000 Bene 36CC, and we LOVE IT!!! We are finishing outfitting the boat completely and will soon be done with the final touches. I know the boat inside and out, every knook and cranny, and also the build and contstruction of the boat (France built ours). My personal opinion ours is built like a tank. We've seen winds in excess of 55 offshore roughly 150 miles, I realize to all you armchair salts that's not far, but its far enough to get a generalization. Crossing back from Bahamas last winter we saw 45+ for 5 hours in the gulfstream, haystacking roughly 10+, not for a second was I concerned. Just sat behind the dodger and listened to my ipod and read, nice and dry. I can give you any specs or detailed pics you'd like. Haven't crossed an ocean on her bottom yet, but thats coming real soon.

Charter boat (you'd be throwing money away and lose your ass in "most" cases) Have you ever chartered before? Boats 3 years old are already beat to **** in the fleets.

Your price range for an unequipped boat is extremely high. You should be able to pick up something decent with some equip for under 65k.

If you have anything specific just feel free to let me know and I'd be more than happy to help you out... If you'd like to sail our boat sometime, make it to St Augustine,FL and I'd be more than happy to take you out in any conditions. and if you'd like to see how the boat performs on high winds and waves I'll try and get some vids put online...

Peace

[meyermm]

Originally Posted by MSN-Travelers

Oz, I think you are reading too much into my post. Taking it too literally.

I don't believe the OP knows what condition most boats are when they come out of charter. He has no idea what would be required to make it "seaworthy" for shorthanded blue water sailing. Everybody in the States knows and can identify with the condition of a taxi after years of service in a major metropolitan area like New York ot Los Angeles. That is the reason behind my analogy.

The OP doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of buying a boat out of charter, fixing it up to blue water standards and then selling it in OZland for a profit.

You obviously do not now how expensive boats are in OZ, very

[Sailorcanuck]

A few points:

1) Freedom's (mentioned in the thread a while back) while well built, are unstayed carbon rigs. Not sure about their blue water abilites.

2) I disagree that all charter boats are beaten up too much for a re-purposing. I've chartered a number of boats mostly Bene's and looked at quite a few x-charter boats. Yes, a few are too old and have been used up, but many are in brokerage after their furst round of charter use (ie: 3 -5 yrs use), and are very serviceable. The biggest concern areas are the engine and rig (both very fixable). The hulls, decks, hardware, rudders, cabins, galleys, fridges, etc are usually in very usable order. Check the tanks (Bene's often use polyplastic for fuel, water, waste). If they are well mounted they will continue to work fine. Don't forget that these boats are usually privately owned and put in charter service. Some owners spend money on manitenance, some don't. Some owners sell them early while they have lots of life left in them either as charter boats or for private purchase.

3) Don't make assumptions about the resale value of boats in someone else's geographic market!

[SaltyMonkey]

Freedoms are quite capable blue water sailers. You can google around for opinions and what years are best. As all boats, there are some things to look out for, and not everyone is a winner.