We just bought an '81 Carver 3007 Aft Cabin to begin our crusing
adventures in Puget Sound. (We've become a little bored with the
Columbia River).

Anyway....we looked at all 30 footers with a flybridge and fell in
love with the layout of this Carver.

http://tinyurl.com/34lgk8

What if, in 5 years, we have the means to buy a more modern 30 footer
but decide that none compare to our 30 year old boat. Could we put
40k into our Carver, repower it (perhaps with diesels), replumb,
rewire, repaint and come out ahead vs. sinking 150k into a nearly new
modern boat.

I read with interest Chuck's decision to refit. Is it the best
solution for a classic boat which isn't made anymore? We have yet to
see a modern boat that uses space as well as this Carver model.

-Greg

On Feb 22, 10:56�pm, "dene" wrote:
We just bought an '81 Carver 3007 Aft Cabin to begin our crusing
adventures in Puget Sound. *(We've become a little bored with the
Columbia River).

Anyway....we looked at all 30 footers with a flybridge and fell in
love with the layout of this Carver.

http://tinyurl.com/34lgk8

What if, in 5 years, we have the means to buy a more modern 30 footer
but decide that none compare to our 30 year old boat. *Could we put
40k into our Carver, repower it (perhaps with diesels), replumb,
rewire, repaint and come out ahead vs. sinking 150k into a nearly new
modern boat.

I read with interest Chuck's decision to refit. *Is it the best
solution for a classic boat which isn't made anymore? *We have yet to
see a modern boat that uses space as well as this Carver model.

-Greg

You would be very lucky indeed to repower with diesels and repaint for
$40k.
The $40k might cover the repower for twins at today's prices, unless
you can do almost all of the labor yourself.

It's a tradeoff. Most of the money you spend on cosmetic upgrades is
gone the moment you write the check. I think we improved the value of
our boat by perhaps 1/3 of what we spent on that huge project last
year, but I'm more likely high than low. Upgrading to new diesels will
improve the value of the boat by a higher percentage than cosmetics,
but nowhere even remotely close to a 1:1 ratio.

We upgraded our boat because we couldn't find a new or newer boat that
we like as well for an affordable price. We're both still working, so
like most people our boating is mostly limited to weekends and
vacations. We are too frugal to spend the few hundred thousand it
would take to get something
we would like as well and then get only about 150-175 engine hours
use out of it each year until we retire. Our plan is to get another 5
or so years from the present boat and then think seriously about a
splurge for something more elaborate about the time we stop working.
That "last boat" (famous last words) will serve us the 20 years or so
we can boat after retirement if we're lucky enough to remain in good
health. (If we hold this boat another 5 years, we will have had it
about 20 years overall so we can't be considered frequent traders).

In the end, the money aspect has less to do with a decision to refit
vs replace than the personal circumstances of the owners and their
affection (or lack of) for the boat in question. A lot of the money
spent on cosmetic and even mechanical upgrades simply dissolves- but
then so does a major portion of the price of a new boat with first
year depreciation and the very high cost of initial commissioning.

Once you have a few years cruising on Puget Sound under your belt, you
will be in a better position to know whether adding a few more years
of enjoyability to your Carver or swapping it off for a different
model would better address your needs at that time. Expect either
option to cost a lot; as we all know, this isn't an inexpensive hobby.

I can say that having an older boat in near bristol condition is
pretty interesting. Most people assume our boat is new or almost new,
and they can't figure out what brand it is. We typically hear, "Is
that a new Nordic? I don't recognize the model- and when did they
start using teak on the exterior?" There's a unique pride of ownership
that is tough to quantify in dollars and cents.

Would I go through the upgrade and refit process again? In my
particular circumstances and with my particular boat absolutely yes.
But whether or not it makes sense for others is a highly subjective
decision, and no money spent on the purchase or refit of a pleasure
boat can ever be truly "justified" in any reasonable sense of the
word. :-)

Welcome to Puget Sound. I assume you're mooring somewhere in the south
sound to reduce driving time from home?

On 23 Feb 2007 01:12:09 -0800, "Chuck Gould"
wrote:

In the end, the money aspect has less to do with a decision to refit
vs replace than the personal circumstances of the owners and their
affection (or lack of) for the boat in question. A lot of the money
spent on cosmetic and even mechanical upgrades simply dissolves- but
then so does a major portion of the price of a new boat with first
year depreciation and the very high cost of initial commissioning.

A lot of key points in one paragraph.

My upgrade rationale/criteria is somewhat similar:

1. Do you *really* like the boat?

2. Is the design more or less timeless, or is it beginning to look
dated?

3. Does it have any major flaws that would be very expensive or
nearly impossible to fix?

4. Will the upgrade money be more than the market value of the boat
when you are finished?

5. Will the boat still suit your needs over the life of the upgrades?

On Feb 23, 1:12 am, "Chuck Gould" wrote:
On Feb 22, 10:56?pm, "dene" wrote:





We just bought an '81 Carver 3007 Aft Cabin to begin our crusing
adventures in Puget Sound. ?(We've become a little bored with the
Columbia River).

Anyway....we looked at all 30 footers with a flybridge and fell in
love with the layout of this Carver.

http://tinyurl.com/34lgk8

What if, in 5 years, we have the means to buy a more modern 30 footer
but decide that none compare to our 30 year old boat. ?Could we put
40k into our Carver, repower it (perhaps with diesels), replumb,
rewire, repaint and come out ahead vs. sinking 150k into a nearly new
modern boat.

I read with interest Chuck's decision to refit. ?Is it the best
solution for a classic boat which isn't made anymore? ?We have yet to
see a modern boat that uses space as well as this Carver model.

-Greg

You would be very lucky indeed to repower with diesels and repaint for
$40k.
The $40k might cover the repower for twins at today's prices, unless
you can do almost all of the labor yourself.

It's a tradeoff. Most of the money you spend on cosmetic upgrades is
gone the moment you write the check. I think we improved the value of
our boat by perhaps 1/3 of what we spent on that huge project last
year, but I'm more likely high than low. Upgrading to new diesels will
improve the value of the boat by a higher percentage than cosmetics,
but nowhere even remotely close to a 1:1 ratio.

We upgraded our boat because we couldn't find a new or newer boat that
we like as well for an affordable price. We're both still working, so
like most people our boating is mostly limited to weekends and
vacations. We are too frugal to spend the few hundred thousand it
would take to get something
we would like as well and then get only about 150-175 engine hours
use out of it each year until we retire. Our plan is to get another 5
or so years from the present boat and then think seriously about a
splurge for something more elaborate about the time we stop working.
That "last boat" (famous last words) will serve us the 20 years or so
we can boat after retirement if we're lucky enough to remain in good
health. (If we hold this boat another 5 years, we will have had it
about 20 years overall so we can't be considered frequent traders).

In the end, the money aspect has less to do with a decision to refit
vs replace than the personal circumstances of the owners and their
affection (or lack of) for the boat in question. A lot of the money
spent on cosmetic and even mechanical upgrades simply dissolves- but
then so does a major portion of the price of a new boat with first
year depreciation and the very high cost of initial commissioning.

Once you have a few years cruising on Puget Sound under your belt, you
will be in a better position to know whether adding a few more years
of enjoyability to your Carver or swapping it off for a different
model would better address your needs at that time. Expect either
option to cost a lot; as we all know, this isn't an inexpensive hobby.

I can say that having an older boat in near bristol condition is
pretty interesting. Most people assume our boat is new or almost new,
and they can't figure out what brand it is. We typically hear, "Is
that a new Nordic? I don't recognize the model- and when did they
start using teak on the exterior?" There's a unique pride of ownership
that is tough to quantify in dollars and cents.

Would I go through the upgrade and refit process again? In my
particular circumstances and with my particular boat absolutely yes.
But whether or not it makes sense for others is a highly subjective
decision, and no money spent on the purchase or refit of a pleasure
boat can ever be truly "justified" in any reasonable sense of the
word. :-)

Welcome to Puget Sound. I assume you're mooring somewhere in the south
sound to reduce driving time from home?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Great post....thanks to you and Wayne. We shall see in 5 years but it
wouldn't surprise me, assuming the hull is sound, that we keep this
boat for years and years. I cannot think of another 30 footer with
flybridge that compares to this one. Who knows...we may end up with a
trawler. I've decided that this boat is going helm speed much of the
time, not just for fuel economy, but to enjoy the experience. On the
Columbia, we went 25-30 mph, primarily because there wasn't much to
look at in many places.

From May through Sept, the boat is in Anacortes, being chartered. The
rest of the year (our favorite time to boat), it will be in Olympia,
just 80 miles from our home.

-Greg