Why buy a new (not used) boat?

[dproujan]

Hello all!
I have been doing a lot of reading of these forums and other information sources. I am just wondering what, if any, benefit is it to buy a boat new instead of used?
I am not planning on buying a new boat, I will be buying a used one (hopefully soon)..but was just wondering.

Dave

[tomandchris]

Why buy a new car and not a nearly new car? Why build a new house and not buy a nearly new house from someone else? Same answer for a boat.

Sometimes you want new, built as you want it with the options that you want, and you are willing to pay for that pleasure. Sometimes you buy a car, boat, house that is not exactly what you want, you add options as after market or remodel the house, and in the end you have spent the same amount.

You can buy a great used boat. You can buy a great project boat. You might find that they are one and the same. If you are happy....who else matters?

Buy what you can afford and what makes you happy.

[soulfinger]

I clicked on this thread, because I too have wondered at this question, and was curious to see what the peanut gallery would say about it. I think tomandchris gave about the perfect answer. It will be hard to top that.

[dproujan]

Thanks for the quick responses. Gives me yet another thing to ponder in the boat buying universe.

[sailingdog]

There are plenty of reasons to buy a new boat... the reason I bought a new boat is that there were no used boats that fit the criteria I had for the boat I wanted. At the time I bought my boat, there were no used boats of the same make and model available.

Some people buy a new boat to get one built to their specific needs, with the options and equipment they want.

Some buy a new boat because they don't want to have the problems that previous owners can cause.

Some buy a new boat so that they can have the security of a warranty and the backing of the dealer and/or manufacturer.

[mitiempo]

Because you just won a large lottery?

Seriously, houses do not vary much in price from used to new. Cars are priced less for used but there are thousands of miles of wear and tear and while there is a saving it is not always massive unless the car has many miles on it. But boats, due to the market glut of used boats, can be purchased for a fraction of the cost of a new one. Even after extensive upgrading you are still many thousands ahead of buying new. For example Yachtworld lists a 2011 model 309 for 109k. The Catalina 30, which it replaced and is very similar, is available in large numbers for anywhere from under 20k to the mid to high 40k range. The higher priced ones are probably in pretty good shape, the lower priced less so. Say you buy a mid priced Catalina 30 and spend about 30k. Spend 10 to 20k over a few years to upgrade electronics, upholstery and fix any issues. You have a boat in pretty good condition for less than half the price of a new one. There is obviously a higher resale with the newer boat but you have to spend more to start with.
And as dog posted, sometimes you can't find what you want in a used boat.
In my case I purchased used in pretty good condition and am modifying to suit what I want as well as upgrading older systems. I will end up with a boat for many thousands less than new and equipped exactly as I want. I am doing all the work myself so will know the boat inside and out.

[dhays]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

There are plenty of reasons to buy a new boat... the reason I bought a new boat is that there were no used boats that fit the criteria I had for the boat I wanted. At the time I bought my boat, there were no used boats of the same make and model available.

Years ago we bought a new minivan for that reason. The features we wanted were available in the new vehicle, but not in any used vehicles since it was a new model year. The Catalina 445 is tempting for that reason. As I'm looking for a used Catalina 400, I'm not finding many used boats that have the features I'm looking for.

Some people buy a new boat to get one built to their specific needs, with the options and equipment they want.

Exactly, if you have a specific list of requirements that you can't find in a used boat, it could be less expensive to buy new with the features you want than to buy used and retro-fit.

Also, there is a percentage of folks (I'm not one of them) that just like the feeling of buying something new instead of used.

Dave

[dhays]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

Cars are priced less for used but there are thousands of miles of wear and tear and while there is a saving it is not always massive unless the car has many miles on it.

Actually, percentage wise, the depreciation on a new car is absolutely huge, making a new car purchase second only to buying a lottery ticket the worst financial investment one can make. As near as I can tell, new boats depreciate much less than new cars.

Dave

[mitiempo]

True but a 20 year old or older car is pretty used. Boats are not used like a car and a 20 year old boat might not be heavily used. In addition even if purchasing a new boat of any size, say 30' and larger, there are many things to be added that can still add increase the price by 10% or 20%.
There are many used boats available which is a contributing factor to the low used prices. And there is the opinion of many that some older boats are either better made, better designed or both.

ps I bought my last new car in 1978.

[dhays]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

There are many used boats available which is a contributing factor to the low used prices. And there is the opinion of many that some older boats are either better made, better designed or both.

Very true. Here is a question that I simply don't know the answer to. Back before fiberglass was used extensively for boat construction, wooden boats which were not maintained properly, simply slowly decomposed.

Fiberglass boats suffer from lack of maintenance in a different way. What exactly happens to all the old fiberglass boats that have been built and are no longer salvageable (or worth salvaging). How are they disposed of?

Dave