Help for a newbie

[mikekomm]

I'm new to boating and looking at 40-45 ft trawlers to find one to live on and take out to local islands on the west coast (26 miles) a couple times a month. I've found 2 that seem like they would work for me. One is a 1979 - 42ft. Californian - $70,000 .... The other is a 1985 43 ft. Marine Trader $57,000

Assuming everything else is equal (engine hours , condition, etc.), can I assume the Californian is worth the difference?

Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

 

[FF]

Assuming everything else is equal

Everything will never be equal, the question is how much pf the PH and deck will need to be repaired/replaced , and will you need to hire someone to do the work?

 

[AusCan]

Welcome Mike

I dont know about the price/value in your area, but a 1979 Californian should be one of the better years (before the company was sold & resold).

 

[Bay Pelican]

Welcome aboard

A 20% difference in price can be meaningless in terms of the value of the boat. A suggestion before you make the decision is to go on line to the various sites listing boats for sale and compare the listing prices of various Marine Traders and equivalent Californians to see if this price differential holds true in the general market.

As FF implied a $13,000 differential may be meaningless if one boat requires major work.

Best of luck

Marty

 

[Edelweiss]

You aren't telling us much about either boat, so it's hard to judge. But as a long time Californian owner, I can tell you they're a rock solid long lived boat. The 42', 79 Californian is an excellent rough water boat, twin diesel. nearly 14' wide and very roomy. I believe the engine options that year were Perkins 6.354's or 3208 Cats. The boats were built in Santa Anna, Ca. by Marshal, solid FG hull for open water boating.

Most were sold as a basic boats with options left to the dealer/owner to outfit. I've seen a few with very basic options, minimal electronics, no generator and even an ice box and alcohol stove. So you need to look at how it's outfitted to establish value. At $70K I would expect it to be fairly well decked out with generator, electric galley and full electronics.

Either boat needs to be survey prior to purchase. If you're looking for more info on Californian's, there is a Californian owners group on this forum and also look through some of the blogs that contain Californian specific information.