Original cost of 1973 Gulfstar 36

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jwnall

jwnall

Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Sep 6, 2012
Messages
3,672
Location
US
Vessel Name
Morgan
Vessel Make
Gulfstar 36
Someone asked me the other day what my 1973 Gulfstar 36 cost new. Well, I have no earthly idea, but am kind of curious myself. (I bought it used in 2012). Anyone know where this type of information might be found? I've tried googling it, but no hits.
 
You could call Lazzara Yachts in Tampa and inquire if anybody in the family remembers "for grins".
 
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About $25k.....

A Willard Vega 30 was $23,500, Gulfstar 36' $24,975, Gulfstar 43' motor sailer $34,700
 
Tad Roberts said:
About $25k.....

A Willard Vega 30 was $23,500, Gulfstar 36' $24,975, Gulfstar 43' motor sailer $34,700
Click to expand...

Wow! I would have thought more. Thank you.

I found an online calculator that figured out what $25,000 in 1973 dollars would be today, and it came out $131,578. No way to vouch for the accuracy, of course, but sounds reasonable.
 
Today, the median home price is $270k and I would guess that a brand new boat that is comparable to a Gulfstar 36 would probably be more than $500k.
 
Tad Roberts said:
About $25k.....

A Willard Vega 30 was $23,500, Gulfstar 36' $24,975, Gulfstar 43' motor sailer $34,700
Click to expand...

I worked at a Gulfstar dealer commissioning them starting in 1974, but didn't get up into sales until 78. I thought it was more like $1000.00 a foot BEFORE goodies like Radars, which were insanely expensive back then, but just flat out just don't remember the definitive pricing. If I had to bet money- I would say the prices were higher than those after the Dealer mark up.

I know we sold more 43's and 53's than the 36's.

I have a link on my site to old print ads going back pretty far, but not that far, where you can see prices of all kinds of boats.
 
pilothouse king said:
I thought it was more like $1000.00 a foot BEFORE goodies like Radars, which were insanely expensive back then, but just flat out just don't remember the definitive pricing. If I had to bet money- I would say the prices were higher than those after the Dealer mark up.
Click to expand...


The figure of about a $1000 a foot for the basic boat was what was in my mind, although I do not know where it came from. So I'm going to tell the lady who asked (yep, it was a lady) that I would estimate that a boat like mine, full electronics and canvas, new, would have sold for about $40-45K in 1973.
 
G36 cost

Per My old sales brochure

Base boat $24,975
twin Perkins $4,200
7.5 Onan $3,900
Fly bridge $3,400
Mast & boom,steadying sail $875
Swim step $475
6.5 cu ft frig/freezer $215
3 burner stove/oven $340
Teak trim package (exterior) $675
Teak anchor platform $525
AC 16,000 btu with heat $1,600
AC 24,000 btu with heat $2,100
Double lifelines & gates $225
 
Rickized said:
Per My old sales brochure

Base boat $24,975
twin Perkins $4,200
7.5 Onan $3,900
Fly bridge $3,400
Mast & boom,steadying sail $875
Swim step $475
6.5 cu ft frig/freezer $215
3 burner stove/oven $340
Teak trim package (exterior) $675
Teak anchor platform $525
AC 16,000 btu with heat $1,600
AC 24,000 btu with heat $2,100
Double lifelines & gates $225
Click to expand...

OK, good info! That totals $43,505 (mine has all those), and with electronics and canvas probably up close to $50K. Now, let me see, again using the inflation calculator -- that would be be $273,157 in 2013 prices. So about a quarter of a mil for an equivalent new Gulfstar 36 today. Not bad. The old lady looks pretty good, actually. A little makeup, and the old man has poor eyesight . . .






4273
 
I'm looking at print ads in Yachting Magazine of the period. There's not a lot of consistency between the builder's pricing and that of various brokerages. It's over $1k per foot in 1973 for the Gulfstar 43' trawler yacht, listed at $47,975 in a November 1973 factory ad. That's with twin Perkins power but before any options. A broker lists a new Glufstar 53' trawler at $109,000 (Nov 73), a Grand Banks 42' at $62k, and a 36' Gulfstar Demo at $29,700. A Gulfstar ad in August 1972 lists the 44' Motorsailer at $39,600 with single 120 HP engine.
 
Prices were escalating rapidly..... In January 1974
Gulfstar 53' Motortrawler base price with twin 165 HP Perkins $109,000
Gulfstar 43' Mark II base $47,975
Gulfstar 36' Mark II base $33,400
 
Tad Roberts said:
Prices were escalating rapidly..... In January 1974
Gulfstar 53' Motortrawler base price with twin 165 HP Perkins $109,000
Gulfstar 43' Mark II base $47,975
Gulfstar 36' Mark II base $33,400
Click to expand...

Yep, the first oil crisis was when? Big jumps in oil prices by 1974, and it hasn't stopped since.
 
Just an FYI...

$25,000 in 1974 = $118,132.35 - $126,108.7 in 2014, depending on whose inflation algorithm you use.
 
From November 1971

Gulfstar36.jpg
 
Teak trim package (exterior) $675
Teak anchor platform $525

Nowadays, I wonder how many of us would just say No on the "Teak options" I know I would!
 
Thanks, Tad, for finding (and posting) the picture of the "stalwart, economical, world-ranging" Gulfstar 36 from 1971. Little bit of hype there, but that is only to be expected. However, the fact that a lot of them are still doing just fine 40+ years later is a good testimonial. Mine has had to have the teak removed, new fuel tanks installed, and the hull scraped and a barrier installed (all by previous owners) but other than that is pretty much the same as it was back then. And I fully expect it to last me for many more years to come.
 
jwnall -
Do you know any of the details about the new fuel tanks? My 73' has a single integral ply/glass tank of 250 gallons under the galley deck and into the engine room. I can't imagine what it would take to remove it.
 
Geez, John, I sold you that boat too darn cheap! :)

I don't think it ever had teak decks, by the way. And the Anchor platform, which is one of the nicest things on that GS was an aftermarket addition made by an owner prior to me.

Bligewater, the original fuel tank is still in John's boat. They opened up a hatch in the galley floor above it, cut the top out of the tank, cleaned it and left it.

The new (the tags are from around 1999, right John?) tanks are saddle tanks, 120 gallons each installed outboard of each engine.

They left the original deck fill and just cut off the hose, I pulled it out and filled the hole in the deck. The new fills are in each side deck aft of the old one.

Doug
 
I stand corrected. In case it is not obvious, I bought the boat from Doug, and he knows a lot more about it than I do. :)

So far as selling it to me too cheap, well, I kind of thought the price was lower than what I would have thought it would have been. However, I had a $40K budget for buying a boat (since I would only pay cash), and so had it been above that then I would have had to pass on it. So it all worked out. :)
 
Here is another price list.
 

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Hello I thought I would introduce myself. I am purchasing a 1976 36 Mark II Gulfstar trawler. My model has the twin Perkins 4-236 engines but the generator is an upgraded 8kw 1800rpm Westerbeke. The owners accepted my offer, the initial hull survey passed I have 2 minor small blistering less than 3" near the starboard strut and a 1" area on the port side rudder. The boat has few options I'm not new to boating. The engines look pristine and they have relatively low hours for the boats age. Sea trial will be next week. In preparation for the sea trial I had my diesel mechanic and a fuel polishing company with the owners permission and open the tank, we tried polishing the fuel but it was 4 years old so the broker, my mechanic and the fuel testing guys all agreed the fuel needed to be evacuated. I'm waiting on a small fuel delivery putting 60 to 70 gallons in for sea trial and after. The boat was maintained with an open checkbook. 2 years ago when the owners had her pulled the engines and generator were gone over all the belts, hoses, filters and oil was changed.
I am looking forward to starting a blog on modernizing this classic. It has an upper helm and I remain undecided if I'm going to remove it and have a Sedan Trawler.
My 1975 sales brochure had the boat at $45k.
Billy
Current boat Wireless One
Little Egg, NJ
1993 Mainship 40 Sedan Bridge
 
Greetings,
Mr. B. My goodness gracious. FB or not? Almost as contentious an issues as (gasp) anchors. MY take, keep the FB and live with it for a few years.
 
Welcome! I also have the Mrk II. I would be interested in seeing that brochure if you can scan and upload it.



Billylll said:
Hello I thought I would introduce myself. I am purchasing a 1976 36 Mark II Gulfstar trawler. My model has the twin Perkins 4-236 engines but the generator is an upgraded 8kw 1800rpm Westerbeke. The owners accepted my offer, the initial hull survey passed I have 2 minor small blistering less than 3" near the starboard strut and a 1" area on the port side rudder. The boat has few options I'm not new to boating. The engines look pristine and they have relatively low hours for the boats age. Sea trial will be next week. In preparation for the sea trial I had my diesel mechanic and a fuel polishing company with the owners permission and open the tank, we tried polishing the fuel but it was 4 years old so the broker, my mechanic and the fuel testing guys all agreed the fuel needed to be evacuated. I'm waiting on a small fuel delivery putting 60 to 70 gallons in for sea trial and after. The boat was maintained with an open checkbook. 2 years ago when the owners had her pulled the engines and generator were gone over all the belts, hoses, filters and oil was changed.
I am looking forward to starting a blog on modernizing this classic. It has an upper helm and I remain undecided if I'm going to remove it and have a Sedan Trawler.
My 1975 sales brochure had the boat at $45k.
Billy
Current boat Wireless One
Little Egg, NJ
1993 Mainship 40 Sedan Bridge
Click to expand...
 
It's in PDF format, I'll rescan it tomorrow so I can post it. It actually says $43,800.00 as equipped.I just e-mailed it to you, it should be there by now...
Billylll
 
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