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ChickenVindaloo · 31-08-2013, 14:50

i am new to the forum but have been happily reading on and off for years.

my current plans are to buy a boat, cruise for a year plus a few months (atlantic loop), than resell and return to work and recover from the expenses. I can invest 40-80k but the boat will be bought to be sailed and than sold. I have luckily done that (with a budget of 35k, selling at the same price initially spent) with a monohull in 2011. Part of the lucky and fast sale might have been 'the right type of boat' to resell quickly, it was a 40ft french steel centreboard, apparently there is a good market for these.

what in your opinion is a good boat that sails and sells well?
do multihulls in your opinion generally sell better/faster? (In my pricerange it would be e.g. a Prout Snowgoose 37 or Gemini and I like the idea of switching to a catamaran, we are a family with two children, they will be 6 and 7 at the time of our planed trip)...

Thanks a lot!

Therapy · 31-08-2013, 15:08

I don't think you will get much of a multihull for 80k.

Maybe that French steel centerboard is for sale again.

**Hudson Force** · 31-08-2013, 15:20

With the higher cost of buying the two hulls, the same deprciation percentage of the catamaran would represent more money lost. I would think the best financial choice would be a ten to twenty year old monohull. There might be other considerations besides this money factor.

S/V Illusion · 31-08-2013, 15:49

Absent any reliable statistics here, isn't this like asking for opinions on what someone's crystal ball says?

DtM · 31-08-2013, 22:13

My crystal ball says a second hand cat might be harder to sell (smaller but well informed market).

ozskipper · 31-08-2013, 23:13

The right kind of boat to sell quickly is one with a low price point. Aside from that google "how long is a piece of string". Because that's what you're asking us.

There are sooooo many variables based on soooo many things. Even the location of the sale can matter if the boat is or isnt designed to sail in local waters. Say a High Rigged boat in the ICW. Or a Deep Draft boat in shallow water areas.

With all that said. Popular brands will move faster, but there is often more competition at point of sale also. There are some cheap boats that have been on YachtWorld for over a year and still havent moved. No doubt there are dearer boats that have.

nimblemotors · 01-09-2013, 08:29

It would be my opinion that Cruising Cats have more demand than supply.
This is particularly true for older inexpensive boats, of which the monohull supply is endless. This situation should not change a whole lot in the near future, but charter cats getting older will have effects over the years. The boat boom in OZ for cats will change that in the future also. But in the next couple years, I'd say resell on a cruising cat is a less of a money loser. At $80k I think your only choice is a Gemini for a brand that resells. In general, getting a great deal is always a good start, one that needs some minor work to bring the value back up. Such deals are not easy to find, more likely they need more work than you think. My $0.02

pathlesschosen · 01-09-2013, 22:09

Not many boats the chose from in your price range that will not require significant work. Also, consider where you intend to sail. Gemini are nice boats but I would be more apt to purchase a Prout for long offshore passages.

Lagoon4us · 01-09-2013, 23:40

Really any boat that's been maintained and loved will resell to those wanting just such an item BUT your budget will likely dictate that you'll be offered neglected vessels.

Nothing wrong with buying, fixing, selling and ultimately moving up to your dream boat and gaining lot's of experience on the journey.

Charter Cat · 02-09-2013, 23:36

The monohull and catamaran markets are very different.

In the monohull market people were used to their boats holding value very well. About 10-15 years ago came Bavaria selling new boats at a substatially lower price. You could get a new Bavaria at a lower price then a 15 year old boat from other manufacturers. At first, the general opinion was that Bavaria was bad boats. How could something that cheap be any good. Through time people have seen that their quality was much better than anticipated. The other manufucators (Beneteau, etc) had now choice but to follow Bavaria further strengthenin the trend.

The other thing is that boats are lasting quite well. With an increasing amount of boats in the market of different ages, there is a tremedous oversupply which will only increase, leading to an higher rate of losing value.

The catamaran market is different. On the good side, I think more and more people will discover the benefits so the number of buyers will increase. On the negative, a large percentage of multis goes into charter. To charter a boat is fairly costly so the customers expect a very fresh boat and will not accept any breakage small or big. As a result, the charter companies needs to renew their fleet pumping second hand boats into a relatively small market. This affects non charter cats as well in the same way Bavaria affected the rest of the mono market.

So unfortunately boats are depretiating more now than in the past and I think the trend will continue. I recently sold my two boats as I'm going to buy a catamaran, and if you want to sell you just have to bite the bullit as its not going to get better even with a healthier economy. The oversupply of used boat of all kind will not decrease.

Just buy a boat and enjoy all the pleasure its going to give you. Its like a drug, and we cannot live without it.

ChickenVindaloo · 04-09-2013, 00:16

Thanks for all your replies.
I must agree with the 'crystal ball' and 'how long is a piece of rope' -aspect of my question. And also with almost everybodys concern about my budget being low for a cruising cat

Evidently what I liked to hear most is...

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

It would be my opinion that Cruising Cats have more demand than supply.
This is particularly true for older inexpensive boats, of which the monohull supply is endless.

I will probably try to enlarge the budget, be ready to put some work and effort + find a good deal on a 'Prout 37/Elite' or similar.

scoobert · 04-09-2013, 01:26

and why would you buy a cat over a mono?
having learned a lot about crossings, stability, safety, i would not ever buy a small cat for a crossing.
and thats what you have money for, a small cat.
yes, you can make passages on a small cat. but if you run into the worst weather for whatever reason, i would rather be in a mono.
35' breaking seas, 50kt winds, a mono can roll, and right itself. a cat will not.
short of a 30' beam cat, or a very experienced captain, they can be dangerous.