Michael wrote:
Boat Buying Sailboat

I have been doing research on boat purchasing.


Working on a very obscure Ph.D thesis?

It has been suggested that the NADA values of boats are relative to
the asking price and not the actual selling price.

Don't think so, AFAIK it's based on the reported sale prices.


Many of the boats I have seen lack any detailing. Namely, it can be
seen by how clean the heads floor is.


Almost every single boat for sale will have been lacking in preventative
maintenance. It's the nature of the beast... but you want to look very
carefully at potential problems to avoid the nightmares that are
*definitely* out there.

Most boats at the 20 year mark probably need:

- rudder rebuild

Why? Bearing rebuild, maybe. If I suspected that a boat needed to have
the rudder itself rebuilt, I'd pass... even if it was free... unless the
boat had some really really special characteristics.

- standing rigging replacement

Again, why? Careful inspection... some boats will need standing rigging
replaced, but I don't believe in simply "changing out" stuff that's
perfectly good. One often hears about people replacing & up-sizing their
standing rigging... this is downright stupid, unless one believes that
the boat designer was a moron... in which case one should buy a
different boat!

- running rigging replacement

Yep. You'll need to replace running rigging every so often anyway. Don't
sweat it, just tot up the projected expense and subtract from your offer.

- bottom paint

Ditto above, except that you won't get far marking off the price for
this. It's a regular maintenance item.

- motor maintenance or replacement

If the motor is that bad, look for a different boat.

- battery replacement

Why? Again, not a big deal... get a smart charger if the boat doesn't
have one, and then go to a farm supply store for some truck/tractor
batteries. Not much money or hassle here.

- many have original sails

See above, same as running rigging. OTOH if a boat has 'original sails'
then it probably has not had other items replaced, maintained, or cared
for, and may indicate a boat best left alone. Sails are more expensive
that you'd believe.


- cushion replacement and uphostering

See above under "running rigging."

- port lights

??


The most signicant would be deck moisture or delamination. On a older
26 ft sailing crusier that needed a recore what would you figure as a
price of this repair and how much would or should it effect the
purchase price?

Free, or maybe they should pay you to take it off their hands.


How would you figure what the value of a boat was given the above or
combination thereof?

Would the cost be:
-what it would cost to have a third party do the work like the Yard


If you're not willing & able to do the work yourself, don't get a boat.
Seriously. Even a relatively small boat with some combination of the
above problems will keep you in penury to the end of your days, and
you'll spend far far more than the boat will ever conceivably be worth.



-would you figure what the cost of the parts are and not consider the
value of the work that you would do yourself.


Yes... although my own work is priceless, it's time spent on the boat
and thus is (mostly) recreation in itself.

How would you determine what the actual worth of the boat is?


By figuring how badly you want it... one way to compare is to look at
what else is on the market.

As a percentage, is there a standard that you would use to make an
offer less than asking price?


If the boat is cherry & is just what you want, 10% less. If there are
'issues' then it's roll yer own. A boat that's been on the market for a
long time may change hands for a tiny fraction of the original ask
price. Others simply get left for the boatyard to recycle.



If you get a remarkable deal, go with it.

The "deal of a lifetime" comes along about once a week.



prodigal1 wrote:
alright that's enough ;-) quite ****ing around
you want to buy a great old boat, buy this

http://www.clic.net/~dcooper/hinterh...a%20vendre.htm

boat is located just outside Windsor, Ontario on the Detroit River
no relation to seller


Seems like a nice boat, but isn't the price a bit steep?


Ryk wrote:
Why pick that one over this ODay 28 on Martha's Vineyard?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...8730 118&rd=1

There are incredible deals out there on boats this size because people
are mostly after something bigger and/or newer.

You're kidding, right? It's true that the Hinterhoeller is a much nicer
& better built boat, but is it really 3 1/2 X nicer? Consider relative
costs.

OTOH the HR-28 might take less updating than the O'Day, and will
certainly fetch a higher price when you eventually sell it. I've seen
the case made that an older higher priced higher quality boat is
actually less expensive to own in the long run.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King