Attack of the MainShips

[live2fish]

As someone else pointed out the Mainships on the market go in cycles and they are very popular Great Loop boats so many couples purchase them for the Loop and sell them a year or so later. Our 2008 Mainship 34 is hull # 246 and was toward the end of production before the recession claimed Mainship and many other boat manufacturers. Lots of 34s and 39/40s were made. Probably less than 24 Mainship 43 Sedans produced and a much larger number of Mainship 43 aft cabins. Overall they are dependable boats but they do have factory voids but most don't need to be addressed but some do. It's like the Ford or Chevy of boats. There is no perfect boat. We've put almost 8,000 miles and 1,1100 plus hours on ours and with TLC they are dependable and nice looking.

 

[Gaylord Ballard]

Hello,
I bought a 1977 Mainship 2 years ago for 20k and it was one of the best purchases I ever made. Granted, the 34 is comfortable live aboard for only two people but I can handle her by myself. It is built like a battleship and has the original Perkins diesel which is almost bulletproof. One of the things I like about it is the large saloon for its size. I live on mine about half the year. As you can tell, I'm in love with her. Careful shopping will net you a good deal. Feel free to contact me for more info.

 

[Highwheeler]

Buy a good moisture meter

We looked at seven Mainship 34s from mid coast Maine to Maryland before we gave up on them. They are beautifully designed, just what we wanted but all of the ones under 40k had serious water intrusion issues. We paid for two surveys- both surveys ended in less than an hour- The last surveyor just shook the stansions and water came out around it. He then told me to get a good moisture meter (about $200) and save myself a survey or two. Many of these boats were not cared for or rebeded properly and the hull fastenings are an issue. Be careful if you find a bargain. And be sure to get a survey.

 

[ranger58sb]

We looked at seven Mainship 34s from mid coast Maine to Maryland before we gave up on them. They are beautifully designed, just what we wanted but all of the ones under 40k had serious water intrusion issues. We paid for two surveys- both surveys ended in less than an hour- The last surveyor just shook the stansions and water came out around it. He then told me to get a good moisture meter (about $200) and save myself a survey or two. Many of these boats were not cared for or rebeded properly and the hull fastenings are an issue. Be careful if you find a bargain. And be sure to get a survey.

Those the original 1977-1987 34s?

All going on 33-43 years old by now?

-Chris

 

[Highwheeler]

Probably, as I said we were in the $40 k range. Ended up with an 86 Webber’s Cove, custom built, solid glass, no rot, but spent more.

 

[grandbanksbayfield]

Yet Another Reason

I do not know much about Mainships, having just bought my first trawler a couple years ago. But here are two reasons there might be a lot of them on the market: 1. There are a lot of them because of their price and reasonable reputation - as others have said already. 2. I am 74, going on 75 and love my GB32, a late entry into the market. BUT, being born right after the war, 1945, we are probably in the largest "ageing-out" period we will ever be in. Harleys are not selling well because of this. The next generation is likely to be less interested in boats, skiing, and all the stuff that my group was.

 

[rslifkin]

The next generation is likely to be less interested in boats, skiing, and all the stuff that my group was.

For some things, certainly. But for others, I think it's mostly down to time, money, and exposure. I'm fairly young, and tons of people I know ski. Most like boats, but many aren't into boating. That's often due to one of a few things: don't live in a boating heavy area, don't have the money for a boat, don't have enough time for it with everything else they do, or just haven't had the exposure to it.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Post #36 makes an interesting point.

I am 70 years old and I fear I am nearing the end of my full size trawler years. Batteries are getting heavier, the tarp is more difficult to install and the engine room is causing me more difficulty each year.

I am nowhere near giving up on boating though. I think a trailerable trawler or "overnighter" might be in my future.

I went down the "Harley Davidson" route a number of years ago but when I sold my last big Harley about 7 years ago I never looked back. I was always cold when I rode it, it was getting too heavy to back out of the garage and getting on my hands and knees to keep it as clean and shiny as I wanted just wasn't worth the effort to me. I have an 1100 Yamaha in the back of my garage which has not seen the light of day in five years. I really do love my little scooter though.

Where boating will be in 20 years is anyones guess. Paging through a boating magazine shows that the manufacturers are cranking out bigger and more costly boats every year. (and uglier in my opinion) Somebody must be buying them. However, I don't believe in my last 25 years of boating I have seen a single 20 something person out on a boat larger than 20 feet, unless they were with their parents. (shudder the thought)

pete

 

[Cartouche]

Lots of Mainships means lots of Mainships for sale. In some areas of the country the Green Bay Packers are huge, therefore in Northern Wisconsin there is lots of Packer stuff for sale. You would have a hard time buying a cheesehead in Texas, right?

So many people are getting rid of good boats (and junky boats) because times are hard. If not actually hard, times are uncertain. If you were forced to make a choice between making a house payment and buying groceries for your family or paying slip rental this summer what would you do?

There will be some unbelievable bargains in the used (and new) boat market yet this summer. Probably lots of "toys" will be going on the cheap before this is all over, four wheelers, boats, motorcycles, motor homes and trailers, etc.

Be kind, someone is hurting out there..

pete

Try buying one in Canada we luckily found the decent one out of two for sale. Pete's right they are very popular and represent good value for the $ and being built in Florida you would expect more to be for sale.

 

[Mrwesson]

They're great "starter boats" if you want to get into cruising for cheap. I wouldn't pay more than 35k for one and I believe they were the most mass produced boat in this range which is why there's so many of them.

They suffer from soft decks but the hull is solid fiberglass. The decks have thin fiberglass and once the core material rots they will not only become soft but they will crack through. If the decks are solid then figure they've been redone.

10k for a project boat that may or may not run, 15k for a running project, 25k for a average one with softish decks and 25-40k for the rest. If they're asking 40k it better be damn near perfect.

As a bonus they can plane out and run 15 knots with enough HP but they suffer in a following sea. The perkins engines they put in them are solid and get awesome GPH if you keep the speed low.

For a cheap loop boat you can't really beat it.

 

[Dougcole]

They're great "starter boats" if you want to get into cruising for cheap. I wouldn't pay more than 35k for one and I believe they were the most mass produced boat in this range which is why there's so many of them.

They suffer from soft decks but the hull is solid fiberglass. The decks have thin fiberglass and once the core material rots they will not only become soft but they will crack through. If the decks are solid then figure they've been redone.

10k for a project boat that may or may not run, 15k for a running project, 25k for a average one with softish decks and 25-40k for the rest. If they're asking 40k it better be damn near perfect.

As a bonus they can plane out and run 15 knots with enough HP but they suffer in a following sea. The perkins engines they put in them are solid and get awesome GPH if you keep the speed low.

For a cheap loop boat you can't really beat it.

For a 30 year old 340 or 350, sure. But a mainship 400 or 34T, 2002 or newer, in any sort of reasonable condition is going to set you back at least $160K. A 400 with twins in really good condition is worth north of $200K. I think most of the pilots are over $100K on the used market as well, but I don't know as much about those models.

 

[IntoTheBlue]

The question of why there are so many Mainship's for sale has been answered in a few posts - volume / affordability.

Some Mainship trash talk may lead you astray. First, it is important to identify the era of the Mainships your looking at. Early 1980's vintage saw the boom of the Mainship trawler style boat, which diminished later on in the 90's. A come back was made in the early 2000's with different style trawler models. As I worked with a dealer I owned 3 - 390T, Pilot 34 Rum Runner and the Pilot 43 which I still have.

From these, I can say that the typical Mainship trawler price went up by quite a bit, however they did maintain their value (another reason I was able to buy / sell 3). Fit and finish is no way near a more expensive competitor, however the Mainship boats of this era were of good quality and somewhat affordable.

One of the reasons that they went of business was the recession of 2008. The other was for some odd reason they tried to compete with Back Cove and Sabre. They scrapped the tried and true 430T, replaced it with the 43 Trawler, scrapped the standard Pilot 30 and replaced it with a Back Cove style version and tried to raise the prices to over $300K for the Pilot 30 and to over $600,00 for the Trawler 430. Basically they scrapped the "affordable trawler" selling point the company had had for decades.

I have enjoyed each Mainship I have owned and am currently enjoying my 14 year old Pilot 430, which we use for 3-4 month voyages each year. I've had no major issues with the boat. I would encourage anyone seeking a used Mainship from this era to do so.

Enjoy!

 

[keith c]

Affordability and quantity is correct. When I purchased my 2006 Mainship 34 with 800hrs I could have chosen a 1980 grand banks 36 with 3000hrs and miles of teak decks/ railings etc for the same price. I had come from owning a 1971 GB woody with all its charms/leaks/mechanical projects.