Budget advice on buying old vs.newer

[South of Heaven]

OP: I would personally go "newer" if possible. Especially if you're living aboard. Things break all the time, at least with a newer boat things will hopefully break less. Lol.

I just moved up to a 2005 a few weeks ago. Its nice to look around and know that certain items won't need replacing for a long time....versus, say if it was a 1995 boat.

But hey, there are always exceptions. You may find a great, older, well kept boat for a low price. There are always deals out there. But you can't go wrong with a newer boat. You sometimes CAN go wrong with an older boat.

 

[Rufus]

If you purchase a POS fixer upper and start doing major repairs and improvements in a slip, your neighbors will unquestionably do their level best to have you evicted. Same if you do it in your front yard or driveway. Nobody wants a major remodel project in a slip that's five feet away. It's bad enough when a junkyard transient pulls into an adjacent slip for an overnighter. Buy a decent boat.

 

[OldDan1943]

You can either pay for it now or later.
You maybe the greatest 'fixer' in the world but, what is the object of owning your boat?
Fix it or cruise it.

 

[sledge]

If i were advising a family member or friend, I'd say buy the newest used boat you can afford. I once almost bought a much older boat but the survey and sea trial revealed serious issues and I shudder to think back on how much money i would have ended up sinking into that thing had i bought it.... I ended up spending much more up front than i planned on a newer boat but thankful every day that i did, with the knowledge it would have cost WAY more if i had got the older one.... just IMHO

 

[Mikala]

If i were advising a family member or friend, I'd say buy the newest used boat you can afford.

IMHO, condition of the boat is far more important than age.

 

[Sea Word]

The repeated comments about buried plywood in fiberglass, this is the biggest problem I have with frp boats in general. Many many builders used this technique, even extensively under the waterline, and there’s one promise about plywood encased in plastic, it WILL rot. So, no matter how much the boat cost, make sure if it’s glass that it’s ALL glass, which btw cost the mfg a lot more to produce. Even an all wood hull has a better chance at living many decades than the terrible practice of burying wood in glass.

 

[Mikala]

The repeated comments about buried plywood in fiberglass, this is the biggest problem I have with frp boats in general. Many many builders used this technique, even extensively under the waterline, and there’s one promise about plywood encased in plastic, it WILL rot. So, no matter how much the boat cost, make sure if it’s glass that it’s ALL glass, which btw cost the mfg a lot more to produce. Even an all wood hull has a better chance at living many decades than the terrible practice of burying wood in glass.

Perhaps a separate thread is more appropriate, but a running tally of which builders/models were produced with:

- Solid hull
- solid below w/l, cored above w/l
- cored below and above w/l

I think we’ll see very few builders produce solid hulls above the w/l. Nordhavn and DeFever (not sure about POC’s) and who else?

 

[South of Heaven]

Perhaps a separate thread is more appropriate, but a running tally of which builders/models were produced with:

- Solid hull
- solid below w/l, cored above w/l
- cored below and above w/l

I think we’ll see very few builders produce solid hulls above the w/l. Nordhavn and DeFever (not sure about POC’s) and who else?

That would be an interesting thread for sure. A nice little (or probably big!) spreadsheet of the different builders and manufacturing builds.

I think it could be very difficult though because many brands, builders changed their practices for different hulls and years. Could be a never-ending wormhole......lol

 

[Sea Word]

That would be an interesting thread for sure. A nice little (or probably big!) spreadsheet of the different builders and manufacturing builds.

I think it could be very difficult though because many brands, builders changed their practices for different hulls and years. Could be a never-ending wormhole......lol

I think it would be a GREAT idea, and might cause some good debates.
I’m generally anti glass in most cases, but of course glass does have its benefits. But for my low budget I’m always concerned with cored hulls and I won’t touch one on principle alone. Stepping on a soft deck or squeezing a soft stringer is one of life’s greatest displeasures.

 

[nodestination]

Check out the boat for sale on this forum. Buy a boat that hull is made of solid fiberglass - no core. Mine is 1inch thick below water line. Above waterline is 3/4.
If the hull is solid and engines runs the rest of it is just upgrade. I would not buy never boat - too fragile.

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Whatever you do, go in with eyes wide open. Get a good surveyor, and then get good estimates for any work that needs done. Personally I would prefer to take care of the work, vs the seller, assuming the price is adjusted to cover the work. That's what we did and are about 4 months into renovation work - 3 hours from home. I've paid an outstanding, ocd type, boat mechanic/electrician/plumber to do much of the work. I've done quite a bit myself and will continue to do so, getting the boat like we want it. I enjoy the work, and am very fortunate that we can pay for work also. With just a few exceptions, there have been no surprises. I was contemplating sewing/making a flybridge enclosure, but decided that was a bridge too far - and have found a very good guy to do that work - flybridge is 9' wide and 13 ft long - but I am sewing new phifertex window covers for the salon and front windows - more my speed. Again, eyes wide open.