De Fever 57 POC - Bewitched

Hello all..... I have been bewitched by a Defever 57 POC. Does anyone have any info and intel on this beauty located in Tampa FL currently on the market for 329K, Please talk me out of it..... I need to hear all the reasons not to jump.
1990 Defever 57 Performance Offshore Cruiser Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

I can check for you on the DeFever forum but it was my understanding that the POCs were specifically designed for people who wanted the DeFever look but not the slow full displacement speed. So this is more a semi displacement higher hull speed model (though I don't believe planing).

Hence the big engines and I would presume high fuel burn.

I will see if there is more info in these boats on the forum. They have just shut the plane doors on my flight to the UK. So more tomorrow.

Thanks - I would appreciate your help with any info on the Defever site.

JLP

A few thoughts:

- Check out the engines really carefully with a well regarded Cat guy who knows the 3196
- Tank integrity needs verification
- Instruments are old
- The vessel has many systems that with a boat smart friend you may want to check out before making an offer
- A survey on this vessel would be a two day affair, would you be willing to walk after spending several thousand dollars on these inspections?

Good luck, lots to like about this old boat.

Is it just me or does 329k seem expensive for a 25 year old boat with what appears to me to be mostly original equipment and fittings.

The picture lead me to believe there probably hasn't been much updating done - which if fine if it was well maintained but I would be (1) wanting to know which of the expensive original equipment was going to go? (2) What would it cost to get the boat into the shape I would want it to be - this is personal but for me I'm thinking a solid 30k in electronics plus another 30k in refitting/updating the interior. Add in 30k for stuff that will come up and that adds a good chunk to the purchase price.

It is a good looking boat though...and probably not too thirst at reasonable speeds

I would definitely be negotiating on that price...My guess at minimum expense .....
a- the entire galley needs to be gutted and all soft fabrics replaced I was thinking a budget of 50K there -
b- the electronics all need to go..(cost?) ...
c- the engines were replaced in 2001 - need a good survey to verify condition.
d- Bottom was painted recently - survey
e- sanding and sealing of outside teak

Is it just me, or does a 40 gallon holding tank seem rather small for a 57 footer?
And, I agree about the electronics needing updating.
Even with my limited experience that looks like rather old equipment.

Right - 40 gal holding tank will not work - especially odd since there is 4 heads. I would need to add a treatment system or additional tanks if possible.... I wonder what that cost will run into..... anyone have experiencing with this or thoughts on how complicated this would be.

Greetings,
Mr. jl. Costs aside, I think the greatest problem would be where to put a tank of sufficient size to make the exercise viable.

Notice in pics, all running gear is painted with ant-fouling. Any reason you shouldn't do this?

The electronics really aren't that dated and would be extremely low on my "list". And I'm a gadget type.
On our 56 Hatteras, we were blessed with a 210 gallon tank molded in the keel. What a great feature that was! 40 gallons definitely would not have got it for us. Would be worth double checking that spec; sound un-Defever like.

I couldn't tell from the pix what the side deck situation is.

One would want some history on the engines as the 3196 had some issues that eventually got resolved via a factory fix and warantee extension. Anecdotally, nice engines if that done. Would be worth some probing on Boat Diesel and discussion with a Cat guy.

Nice FB, nice tender!

caltexflanc said:

The electronics really aren't that dated and would be extremely low on my "list". And I'm a gadget type.
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Click to expand...

I'm glad you wrote this. I feel the same way. Having bought a 1988 boat with "older" electronics I do have plans to upgrade and replace it all eventually. However, it's not that high on my list. If the electronics are of decent quality (the ones on this boat seem to be) and still work, then it's not a big concern. Electronics becomes "obsolete" so quickly that keeping up is a losing battle.

My "older" electronics did a fine job of getting me from Ketchikan to San Francisco, including night passages. With another year of using the boat, upgrading is still a "nice to have, one day."

The advantage of an older boat is that it's at the end of its depreciation cycle. So value is based on condition (and market of course, as always.) My boat (and this Hatteras) would be up to $2M new.

Of course there are risks, and maintenance can still be expected to be reasonably high. In my case, I looked at the very worst case scenarios of how much I could lose and decided that it wouldn't leave me homeless, penniless or without a retirement. Though I might have to work a few extra years for the retirement! The rewards are huge. Just bringing the boat home was the experience of a lifetime for me, my daughters and two good friends. There are more of these in my (and their) future. That to me is worth the risk.

Richard

So true Richard.... home and family has value beyond the price tag ....