Best geographic USA area to purchase used trawler?

[BDofMSP]

All in I spent about $18k getting Gopher Broke from Florida to Wisconsin - about as far a delivery as you can make without going through the Panama Canal. That included the additional engine/gear service that the hours created, fuel, provisions, a captain and a crew member, marinas, hotels and airfare for my wife and I to view the boat, then to survey and close on the boat, and then to prepare her and bring her home. Plus air and hotels and rental cars for captain and crew, me getting home and back to the boat once, plus all incidentals. Also we were going UP current up the Mississippi River in spring, ON plane. Fuel costs were about as high as a we could make them.

So I'd say $18K is about as much as it could reasonably cost. Probably significantly less. A slower boat would rack up more captain/crew fees, but would save on gas too. Maybe a wash?

I got WAY more than $18k worth of value from the premium features and condition of this boat compared to what I was seeing up here. Plus I had a tremendous experience and got to learn and trust my boat. I say cast a very wide net.
BD

 

[slowgoesit]

As for location, I grew up in San Francisco and am familiar with the West Coast. I have never been to FL or the Great Lakes or the Gulf. Many people mentioned how tough the sun and salt water are on boats in FL. Well, wouldn't it be just as tough on a boat in Southern California?

Since salt water is so tough on a boat, I am mulling over the idea of a Great Lakes boat to be lived aboard year round, but spending the warm months there and the cold months moving the boat somewhere warm but without hurricanes preferably. I just don't currently have a preference to WHERE I buy the boat and wanted to know if particular parts of the country were usually better places to buy than others.

Thanks again for all the great insights. Have a super day.

An interesting point regarding salt water vs fresh water boats. We are closing on a boat that spend all it's life in the PNW. The last 31 years of which was in Seattle, Lake Union. So when not actively been used, it was moored in Fresh Water. When they came in from a cruise, they had a minimum of 45 minutes running the engine and systems in Fresh Water coming up through the Ballard Locks into Lake Union. So, the best of both worlds, cruising in Salt, mooring in Fresh! Other places like in the country as well. Florida and the East Coast have lots of marinas that are in rivers, but with ready access to the ocean. Don't discount an area as "Salt" without looking at the many marina's that allowed the boat to be moored/spend most of it's time, in Fresh Water!

 

[PPandE]

My best advice would be to decide which side of the rockies you want to be on, set your budget, narrow down what you want the boat to do then.... Find a broker!

 

[backinblue]

Hey Trawler fans,

I'm wondering if anyone knows or has an opinion on where in the country might be a good start to look for my first trawler. I currently live in Denver, CO so would like to have an idea of where to start my search.

Does it make sense that places particularly hard-hit financially (Great Lakes area, Gulf Coast areas) would likely have better deals/more motivated sellers than high cost-of-living areas such as southern Florida or most of the west coast (especially Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego)?

I'm a first time used trawler buyer who wants to live aboard it. I just don't want to start my search in the most expensive place in the country. I'd appreciate any geographical guidance. Thanks so much.

I would start looking locally (meaning a couple hundred miles by water). Why look a few thousand miles away where the price savings will be eaten up in transport?

 

[backinblue]

I think Florida, only because its the land of many boats and dreams sometimes end here... Good deals can be found anywhere on the Loop..if you look long and hard enough. Have your cash or financing in order before you get serious. Don't look for a Fl boat if your boating are will be West coast or Alaska ,obviously.

I think just the opposite. If you are on the East coast, a boat from Maine will have much less use and much less UV exposure compared to a FL boat of the same year. A 10 year old ME boat may be "newer" than a 2-3 year old FL boat.

 

[ssobol]

... Does it make sense that places particularly hard-hit financially (Great Lakes area, Gulf Coast areas) would likely have better deals/more motivated sellers than high cost-of-living areas such as southern Florida or most of the west coast (especially Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego)?
...

The thing about some areas like So. FL and San Diego is that there are a lot of retirees there who have boats. Once they get to old for the stresses/hassles of owning a boat or die, then their boat is for sale. Either they just want to get rid of it or their heirs do. So even in expensive areas, bargains can be found. This happens a lot in the RV biz in FL.

 

[Andiamo2018]

Your first boat will probably NOT be your last. You learn from the process and you learn what you actually like and don't like on the boat itself.

We had serious financial limitations when we were looking. The cost of traveling to look at boats in our price range didn't make sense. The ones we saw that on paper looked perfect for us sold before we could even begin making travel plans.

We got a local boat that we easily visited and looked at several times. It isn't the boat we dreamed about but it has turned out to be great.

I'd say do what is easy and comfortable for you while keeping in mind that you can correct any mistakes on your next boat

 

[Begorrah]

Go on Yacht World and do a search. You can search the whole USA along with the Gulf area.

 

[BDofMSP]

The thing about some areas like So. FL and San Diego is that there are a lot of retirees there who have boats. Once they get to old for the stresses/hassles of owning a boat or die, then their boat is for sale. Either they just want to get rid of it or their heirs do. So even in expensive areas, bargains can be found. This happens a lot in the RV biz in FL.

Exactly what happened to us. The owners were older and one had health issues. More importantly they were Canadian which meant that they were out of runway for how long they could stay in the US. They were looking at either storing the boat again, which would make showing and selling difficult, of just getting rid of it and being done with it. They listed at a very reasonable price and it moved instantly. With health problems, who needs that stress hanging over your head? They were just happy to be done with the stress (although they miss the boat terribly).

Now FINDING that boat is another question. It was truly fate that joined us, because as I mentioned before I wasn't even looking at any boats in FL. But that boat was in WAY better condition, with better history, and with better features (like a dinghy with a console and a 30hp, a bow thruster, and a Glendinning as examples) than boats that we had viewed that cost $50k more. Easy decision, even with the cost of travel and getting her home.

BD

 

[sledge]

No offense to others but I don't think "buying near you" is very realistic. If you constrain your geographic search, it could easily force you to compromise on the boat. I searched for about 2 years thinking we might find something on the SE coast, yet ended up getting one in the PNW; best decision we ever made. If it is found in an area new to you; don't move it out of there right away. Keep the boat temporarily where you found it and use that as an opportunity to explore a new area on water.
The cost of moving the boat to another coast might well be worth it when the alternative could be buying a lesser boat or one with problems... this and 2 bucks might get you a cup of coffee....

 

[Goldcar]

Agree with most of the comments, buy where you will boat. We just purchased a trawler in FLA and shipped it to Seattle ($60K), then you have to remove Florida from the boat: cockroaches, sun wear/tear and more. Glad to discuss that with you. But Florida boats wear much differently than other places. BE WARE

 

[Kintala]

I have a question for you all. Everyone always says that fresh water boats are better but fresh water boats almost always come with freezing temperatures and my experience is that a good many trawlers have leaks into the core which would freeze, expand, and crack. So I'm not convinced that fresh water boats are any better, at least not the lower end of the price market where I can afford to buy. Maybe the million dollar Nordhaven that gets stored in a heated building, but unless I win the lottery that's off the table. Convince me?

 

[BDofMSP]

I told this story before here but since you asked, once I was helping the local Coast Guard guy who was off-duty and launching his boat at the ramp near my Marina. He was a mechanical engineer guy. I asked him how he liked being up here since he told me he had just gotten here. His reply was "if I had any idea how easy maintaining boats was in freshwater I would have been up here my entire career. My life went from showing up every day wondering what was broken to showing up everyday, checking everything, and wondering what I was going to do for the next 7 hours"

The boat is shrink wrapped. If you have compromised decks it could accelerate it somewhat but if not the winter isn't a big deal. And indoor storage isn't that big of a jump. Ours will be indoor next year and there are plenty of regular fishing boats in there now.

BD

 

[friz]

Regarding Florida boats. It is true that there are a lot of boats for sale in Florida. Could be that a lot of older boaters end up giving up the sport and move aground in Florida. Could be other reasons also.

And, not all boats for sale in Florida are Florida boats. Many come from other places and end up being sold in Florida but remember... Salt waster ages boats a lot faster than fresh water. Even just a few years in Florida water and sunshine will add many years to the boats appearance.pete

Which reminds me, buy your cars in Florida, buy your boats in Michigan.

 

[Benchmark]

When I was shopping for a trawler a few years ago, I started in the Great Lakes and travelled to look at most of the 20 or so that were available at the time. Good reason to start there was the fresh water and low seasonal use. When that strategy did not yield a suitable candidate, I expanded my search to trawlers North of New York. These boats, although used in salt water, get hauled every year and as a result get regular maintenance, close inspection,, care and attention. That's how I found current boat. My third area priority would have been Mid-Atlantic region, Florida last because of sun damage. Lots of neglected boats out there. Regardless of where you find your dream, get good engine as well as hull surveys before final decisions. Even low horsepower engine replacements can run $60K, so be very careful. These are big complicated machines used in hostile environments and can be eyewateringly expensive to repair.

 

[Begorrah]

go on Yacht World and do a search