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Old 06-24-2015, 05:36 AM   #39
O C Diver
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City: Fort Myers, FL... Summers in the Great Lakes
Vessel Name: Slow Hand
Vessel Model: Cherubini Independence 45
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 12,834
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marin View Post
As the baby boomers age and die off there will be a ton of used boats of all kinds on the market. The one caveat is they will be old boats. But, a boat is mainly the hull and superstructure. Everything else on and in it is basically "off the shelf."

If they are sound an old fiberglass boat can be brought up to "modern" standards far less expensively than the overpriced, mostly ugly new boats that are being made today. For two or three hundred thousand dollars an old Grand Banks like the 1973 model that is the boat we keep in the PNW can be re-powered with new engines and transmissions, the interior can be completely redone, the hull cosmetically returned to new condition, and new electronics fitted. You end up with what in essence is a brand new boat that's good for another 40 or 50 years.

We seriously considered doing this to this particular boat but decided to put the money into a new custom build someplace else. But I think this fear of a drying up used boat market is totally unfounded. Our 2,000 boat marina is basically a big pond full of potential used boats, as every one of them will be someday. Fixing one up to like-new condition will be far cheaper (unless the boat is really a wreck) than buying a brand new boat with similar capabilities.

I know someone with an early-80s Nordic Tug 26 who's done exactly this. Bought the boat for a song, re-powered it, redid the interior and exterior and the end result is a boat that looks and runs like it just left the factory yesterday. And he spent far less than he would have had he bought one of new reintroduced Nordic Tug 26s.
While my boat wasn't real old (13 yr) when I bought it, this is in essence what I am doing. I will have an almost new boat when I'm finished. Same concept though of buying a boat from a retiring boater for a great price, and then refitting it (to the way I want it) for a small fraction of a new boat price.

Ted
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