Age Sweet spot

[davidpm]

Do you think there is a sweet spot in the age of a boat. In my imagination the spot would be a boat old enough for the depreciation to have peaked and young enough so you are not going to have expensive maintenance items.

What do you think?

[Al Harmon]

No. It depends on the quality of the boat manufacturer's product and the maintenance performed.

[davidpm]

I agree that quality and maintenance is very important but still like a famous lady said: "It's
always something"

By that I mean that it seems like every owner does some stuff and forgets some stuff.
At least that is what it seems like.
So the older the boat I expecting a higher chance that something was not done properly and certainly if it was forgotten more damage would be done.

For example on one older boat we looked at the owner had meticulously re-plumbed and re-wired everything. I asked about zincs on the raw water diesel. He didn't know what I was talking about. They were never checked.

There is also the issue of getting something apart. If something has never been disassembled in 30 years. A steering pedestal for example, the bolts holding it together may take hours to loosen if ever. I stripped 2 out of 5 on the one I did. On a newer boat for example I don't have to worry about that as much, I'm hoping.

[bljones]

I like boats built in the mid-70s. Old enough to be cheap, new enough to have some life left, built in an era before blisters and particle board joinery. Maybe it's just my nostalgia-fogged eye, but it seems like many of the designs of the 70s still look attractive, while many later designs just look dated a decade or so later.

[davidpm]

Originally Posted by bljones

I like boats built in the mid-70s. Old enough to be cheap, new enough to have some life left, built in an era before blisters and particle board joinery. Maybe it's just my nostalgia-fogged eye, but it seems like many of the designs of the 70s still look attractive, while many later designs just look dated a decade or so later.

OK but Fastnet happened in '79 so some of those boats have designs that are not good for other reason.
I'm assuming you are referring to cruising boats though so the excesses don't apply.

I always enjoy your "historical" perspective so when you wrote the above what boats were you thinking of specifically.
PS. When did blisters start and end?

[bljones]

Maybe it's simply the fact that the 70s were the hey-day of Ontario boat manufacturing, so they are the designs that I see most often, but there were some great durable designs from that era- Grampian 26 and 30, and Sirius 28 are still hard packages to beat for their size, a 1975 Bayfield 36 doesn't look out of place alongside a current Gozzard, the Bayfield 29 was a unique layout thinking outside the box inside the cabin, O'days and S2s have held up well. It's hard to beat a C&C Landfall 38 for attractive and comfortable accomodations. The Whitby 42 is still the standard by which many are measured, and the entire Hughes/North Star line, with the possible exception of the bloated 26, are boats that have held up well aesthetically. Lastly, I'm gonna play the trump card:
CS 36 Traditional. Amen.

[emoney]

Depreciation is an often misunderstood principle, especially as it pertains to sea-going vessels. We think of depreciation as "monetary savings" when it's not. The amount of depreciation is factored over "usable life", so if a $400k boat "depreciates" to $50k, it's had $350k of it's "life used up". In essence, it's no longer the same vehicle. It's no different than my aging body. At 46, while I still have "lots of life left" (at least I hope), I'm no longer brand-spanking new....I'm "different". (I know, I know, it's a stretch). It's best understood in terms of initial affordability. The boat being 30 years old becomes more affordable for someone with a lesser budget. Although I've way overused the allowed number of words for response, all I'm saying is depreciation is relevant to budget so one man's "2 year old" response to the OP's question, could be the same as someone else's "30 years old".

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by bljones

Maybe it's simply the fact that the 70s were the hey-day of Ontario boat manufacturing, so they are the designs that I see most often, but there were some great durable designs from that era- Grampian 26 and 30, and Sirius 28 are still hard packages to beat for their size, a 1975 Bayfield 36 doesn't look out of place alongside a current Gozzard, the Bayfield 29 was a unique layout thinking outside the box inside the cabin, O'days and S2s have held up well. It's hard to beat a C&C Landfall 38 for attractive and comfortable accomodations. The Whitby 42 is still the standard by which many are measured, and the entire Hughes/North Star line, with the possible exception of the bloated 26, are boats that have held up well aesthetically. Lastly, I'm gonna play the trump card:
CS 36 Traditional. Amen.

Mark I C&C 38 - absolutely gorgeous and racy, if a bit short on headroom. Also fast and seemingly durable.

That period was truly a golden age of sailboat design and construction. The IOR was fascinating to watch as the boats changed so quickly - many good and beautiful boats came out of that rule despite the slagging it takes because of the Fastnet. Check out old photos of Heaths varnished wood Morning Clouds - absolute art and winners too. The rapid changes also fueled the careers of so many top designers.

That was prime time for small yards and home builders as well - there were kit boats and scratch builts being constructed everywhere. The sailing milieu was one of the only good things about that benighted decade.

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by emoney

Depreciation is an often misunderstood principle, especially as it pertains to sea-going vessels. We think of depreciation as "monetary savings" when it's not. The amount of depreciation is factored over "usable life", so if a $400k boat "depreciates" to $50k, it's had $350k of it's "life used up". In essence, it's no longer the same vehicle. It's no different than my aging body. At 46, while I still have "lots of life left" (at least I hope), I'm no longer brand-spanking new....I'm "different". (I know, I know, it's a stretch). It's best understood in terms of initial affordability. The boat being 30 years old becomes more affordable for someone with a lesser budget. Although I've way overused the allowed number of words for response, all I'm saying is depreciation is relevant to budget so one man's "2 year old" response to the OP's question, could be the same as someone else's "30 years old".

Depreciation is not the same as wear and tear although it is supposed to approximate it. Go to a Chevy dealership and buy a left over '10 Corvette - it will have depreciated about $20K but it's still brand new.

A very good reputation will ward of warranted depreciation in many cases as well - you actually get LESS than you should because there is so much demand for the used model.

Boats are generally regarded in similar term as cars for such purposes but in reality the boat market bears a closer resemblance to the real estate market. There are no hard & fasts. That's why the NADA values are so out of whack with actual sales prices - they use an automotive depreciation model.

I've seen lots of near new junk and lots of old gems - too many of each to say that age matters much. Come to think of it, that applies to people as well. All you geezers out there - have you noticed how hot many 50+ women are?

[pdqaltair]

Originally Posted by SloopJonB

All you geezers out there - have you noticed how hot many 50+ women are?

I thought it was about husbands, wives, and divorcees.

Back on topic, I've bought 3 used boats, and I see it as design, maintenance and condition. Will there still be a demand for it when I am finished?

Or maybe I'm still taking about husbands, wives, and divorcees.

____________

(No, I'm not divorced and never will be, but I thought it read better that way.)