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02-22-2017, 05:31 PM
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#1
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Guru
City: Santa Cruz, CA
Vessel Name: Concerto
Vessel Model: 1980 Cheoy Lee
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 1,531
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Build Quality Poll
Ok, so this is not a quick poll. I am trying to discern build quality of different manufacturers of boats in the 35-60ft range built 1995 or later
Here are the rules;
Below a list of boat manufacturers in no particular order. Please reply to this post by rearranging the list from best to worst in regards to build quality.
If you are not familiar with a brand, OMIT it from your reply.
If there is a brand that I missed that you are familiar with, please add it to your list.
Ok, again, please put them in order in regards to build quality. Not your favorite- not prettiest, not best mileage, not best anchor etc.
Build quality is what I request your list to reflect- Basically everything that occurs from when a yard gets plans for the boat and it leaves the yard as a finished product. Hull, fiberglass, decks, hardware, plumbing , electrical and mechanical, workmanship.
Hatteras
Seahorse Marine
Selene
Offshore
Krogen
Mckinna
Meridian
Navigator
Sea Ray
Bayliner
American Tug
Nordic Tug
Grand Banks
Nordhavn
Symbol
Ocean Alexander
Bertram
Mediterranean
Eagle
Viking
Silverton
Elling
Hampton
Integrity
Fleming
Maybe once everyone has their lists posted we can engage in thoughtful debate! 
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02-22-2017, 09:08 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
City: Monroe Twp
Vessel Name: TBD
Vessel Model: TBD
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 103
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You did not list my boat. See avatar.
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02-22-2017, 10:44 PM
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#3
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Guru
City: Quebec
Vessel Name: Bleuvet
Vessel Model: Custom Built
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 4,277
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Sorry mine is only 30 feet and from 1994 so does not fit
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02-23-2017, 12:18 AM
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#4
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Guru
City: New Orleans
Vessel Name: Scot Free
Vessel Model: Cheoy Lee 53' Efficient
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 752
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Cheoy Lee is also missing.
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02-23-2017, 12:21 AM
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#5
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Guru
City: Sydney
Vessel Name: Sojourn
Vessel Model: Integrity 386
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 12,290
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No IG or Halvorsen. I`m sulking.
__________________
BruceK
2005 Integrity 386 "Sojourn"
Sydney Australia
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02-23-2017, 12:34 AM
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#6
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Guru
City: Fort Lauderdale. Florida, USA
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 21,451
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There are so many elements of quality that it's definitely a stab in the dark.
I'm rating from zero to ten, with zero being a boat I wouldn't touch under any conditions and 10 being unbeatable in their size and type. 5 is average. I am not giving any weight to price.
In quality, I'm counting construction of the boat and the quality of the materials throughout including their installations of equipment, wiring and plumbing. No rating on those I don't feel confident evaluating.
Hatteras - 9
Seahorse Marine - 8
Selene - 5
Offshore - NR
Krogen - 7
Mckinna - 7
Meridian - 4
Navigator - NR
Sea Ray - 5
Bayliner - 7
American Tug - 7
Nordic Tug - 7
Grand Banks - 5
Nordhavn - 7
Symbol - NR
Ocean Alexander - 5
Bertram - 3
Mediterranean - NR
Eagle - NR
Viking - 9
Silverton - 4
Elling - 6
Hampton - 5
Integrity - NR
Fleming - 10
Some are difficult too because you have such variations in various sizes and periods of time. For instance, there are many years of a Bertram I wouldn't consider under any circumstances. They had major issues with their hulls for some of their latter years. It started downhill before Ferretti ande continued. Now, some of the older boats, much better, but this list was 1995-present per the OP. Bertram also had good performance at one time but didn't improve while everyone else did.
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02-23-2017, 01:14 AM
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#7
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Guru
City: Las Vegas
Vessel Name: Pairadice
Vessel Model: Sold Selene 47
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,906
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Insufficient knowledge of most of these, though I'm some what partial to Selene, Norhavn, KK,Krogen and Fleming.
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02-23-2017, 03:52 AM
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#8
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Guru
City: Seabrook, Texas
Vessel Name: Small World
Vessel Model: Defever 50
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 611
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Defever?
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02-23-2017, 05:30 AM
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#9
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Member
City: La Conner, WA
Vessel Name: MV Patience
Vessel Model: Willard 40 Hull #1
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 18
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If you're really worked up about this, buy and study Pascoe's "Surveying Fiberglass Powerboats."
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02-23-2017, 06:31 AM
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#10
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Guru
City: Ft Pierce
Vessel Name: Sold
Vessel Model: Was an Albin 40
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 25,499
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndrewAdams
If you're really worked up about this, buy and study Pascoe's "Surveying Fiberglass Powerboats."
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And then ask other people in the boating business where he may go a bit too far or not enough.
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02-23-2017, 06:41 AM
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#11
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Guru
City: Carefree, Arizona
Vessel Name: sunchaser V
Vessel Model: DeFever 48
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 9,315
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Too many confuse glitz with quality. That is OK, it keeps the new boat business thriving.
A parallel set of questions is what defines a quality SUV, house, painting or furniture? This "judging" conundrum has baffled man for eons, always will. 150 years ago a question was what determines a quality steam engine or telegraph pad.
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02-23-2017, 07:36 AM
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#12
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TF Site Team
City: Brisbane
Vessel Name: Insequent
Vessel Model: Ocean Alexander 50 Mk I
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,646
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BandB
There are so many elements of quality that it's definitely a stab in the dark.
I'm rating from zero to ten, with zero being a boat I wouldn't touch under any conditions and 10 being unbeatable in their size and type. 5 is average. I am not giving any weight to price.
In quality, I'm counting construction of the boat and the quality of the materials throughout including their installations of equipment, wiring and plumbing. No rating on those I don't feel confident evaluating.
Hatteras - 9
Seahorse Marine - 8
Selene - 5
Offshore - NR
Krogen - 7
Mckinna - 7
Meridian - 4
Navigator - NR
Sea Ray - 5
Bayliner - 7
American Tug - 7
Nordic Tug - 7
Grand Banks - 5
Nordhavn - 7
Symbol - NR
Ocean Alexander - 5
Bertram - 3
Mediterranean - NR
Eagle - NR
Viking - 9
Silverton - 4
Elling - 6
Hampton - 5
Integrity - NR
Fleming - 10
Some are difficult too because you have such variations in various sizes and periods of time. For instance, there are many years of a Bertram I wouldn't consider under any circumstances. They had major issues with their hulls for some of their latter years. It started downhill before Ferretti ande continued. Now, some of the older boats, much better, but this list was 1995-present per the OP. Bertram also had good performance at one time but didn't improve while everyone else did.
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Many of these brands I know little of. The ones I'm familiar with, your ratings are reasonable - with one major exception. To my knowledge only one has had a total loss on a maiden voyage - the Seahorse Marine build of 'Kekada'
54' Yacht "KEDAKA" Lost at Sea. - Topic
I think Don (Navigator on TF) has been very magnanimous about the loss, I guess grateful no-one was injured or killed. But it was almost 3 years before he had Anja's permission to start looking for a replacement vessel. And not long after some health issues intervened so I'm not sure they managed to get back on the water. Their blog had so much excitement during the build, and enthusiasm for the cruising post launch. Its a sad story I'll not forget.
I can't see how Seahorse can be very highly rated at all. Apart from Kekada, during my refit I had a Duck alongside me for quite some time and saw a lot of work being done. It came back annually for hit lists of items, beyond routine R&M.
Now, Seahorse may have got on top of quality control in recent years, but be sure to survey well.
__________________
Brian
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02-23-2017, 08:19 AM
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#13
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Guru
City: Miami
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 683
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A 95 Bertram is not the same as a 2006 Bertram just look at the delamination issue on the 63 the ferretti rebadge of the Bertram battle wagon. Same can be said for all the others. The luxury tax in '92 changed the industry. Viking barely survived. Egg harbor did not along with a host of others. Many brands re emerged in name only. Then there was the 2006 financial collapse and the Brunswick consolidation. I think you might need to compile a '95, '05, '15 list to get close to the answer you are seeking.
__________________
Via iOS.
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02-23-2017, 08:52 AM
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#14
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Guru
City: Concrete Washington State
Vessel Name: Willy
Vessel Model: Willard Nomad 30'
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 18,448
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This can only be an extreme list of opinions.
It's already turned into a "what about my boat" thing.
This could be very interesting for builders to ponder as percieved guality is very important to them.
And of course it actually would be great if it really was an indication of real quality.
It's something to talk about though and that in itself has merrit these days.
__________________
Eric
North Western Washington State USA
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02-23-2017, 09:03 AM
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#15
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Guru
City: Annapolis
Vessel Model: 58' Sedan Bridge
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 6,132
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Can't speak to almost all of those, given no long-term exposure. Viewing at a boat show or even a ride or two on a friend's boat... not enough for me to judge,
I can say Mainship, Wellcraft, and Silverton, have all been "pretty good" -- certainly "good enough" to meet our requirements, at least the specific models we've owned -- but I can't provide any hands-on comparison to others on the list.
-Chris
__________________
Chesapeake Bay, USA
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02-23-2017, 09:47 AM
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#16
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Guru
City: League City, TX
Vessel Name: Pelago
Vessel Model: Wellcraft 3300 Coastal
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,044
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I have no first-hand experience with many of the boats on the original list. Here are a few I do have some experience with, or at least exposure to, that I feel belong at or near the top of any such list.
Hinckley
Sabre/Sabreline
MJM
Back Cove
Bruckmann
__________________
Larry
M/V Pelago
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02-23-2017, 11:30 AM
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#17
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Guru
City: Tri Cities, WA
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,396
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SeaRay on top. Who or what are the rest of those names?
__________________
Mike and Tina
1981 Boston Whaler 13'
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02-23-2017, 02:21 PM
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#18
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Guru
City: Puget Sound
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 562
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In the mid nineties, many of the builders were beginning to move their yards from Taiwan to the mainland for economic reasons. There was/is a dearth of skilled craftsmen available for hire on the mainland at that time. The general think of the mainlanders at that was quantity over quality... This was written about in Ocean Alexander the first 25 years by Marianne Scott... OA began production and then shut the yard down until they could further train the workers, even then the boats built on the mainland were marketed under the Altus brand.
I assume that OA was not unique in finding qualified workers at that time so I would be suspect of almost any brand built on the mainland during the 90's and early 2000s.
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02-23-2017, 02:55 PM
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#19
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Guru
City: Cary, NC
Vessel Name: Skinny Dippin'
Vessel Model: Navigator 4200 Classic
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 5,838
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Navigator - 8
That is all
__________________
2000 Navigator 4200 Classic
(NOT a trawler)
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02-23-2017, 04:31 PM
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#20
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Moderator Emeritus
City: SEWARD ALASKA
Vessel Name: DOS PECES
Vessel Model: BAYLINER 4788
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,545
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BandB
There are so many elements of quality that it's definitely a stab in the dark.
I'm rating from zero to ten, with zero being a boat I wouldn't touch under any conditions and 10 being unbeatable in their size and type. 5 is average. I am not giving any weight to price.
In quality, I'm counting construction of the boat and the quality of the materials throughout including their installations of equipment, wiring and plumbing. No rating on those I don't feel confident evaluating.
Meridian - 4
Bayliner - 7
Some are difficult too because you have such variations in various sizes and periods of time. For instance, there are many years of a Bertram I wouldn't consider under any circumstances. They had major issues with their hulls for some of their latter years. It started downhill before Ferretti ande continued. Now, some of the older boats, much better, but this list was 1995-present per the OP. Bertram also had good performance at one time but didn't improve while everyone else did.
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While I am not necessarially disagreeing with the rating(s), it is interesting to note that my 2001 Bayliner 4788 was re-branded to Meridian in 2003 model year, when Meridian was separated from Bayliner Mororyachts
They actually had 2003 Bayliners that they took anything that says "bayliner" off of and replaced it with "meridian"
The Pilothouse models continued to be made in the same factory in Washington, by the same people, with essentially the same materials, and with the same natural progression in improvements that you will see in any long production run.
Yes, there was some slight changes, and they did for one year (2003 or 2004 I beleive) make a "High Gloss Cherry" option which sure looked nice, but they are really the same boats.
But, we are all subject to "brand bias" so we would all tend to rate the Meridian higher, even me an owner, and even you someone that has championed Bayliner Motoryachts seemingly forever here on TF.
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