Boat Prices On the Rise

[saurav16]

I have been looking for sailboats since March here in the Northeast. Noticed as the weather is getting nicer the prices of boats have increased. Is the best time to buy sailboats in the fall? What time of year did most of you buy your boats?

[TrueBlue]

Of the 6 boats I have purchased - two were brand new, but all were bought at season's end. That is obviously the time when sellers are at a disadvantage.

New boat dealers need to reduce their inventory before year's end due to depreciation and taxation, and all boat sellers know that off-season storage preparation will require more unrecoverable cash to be tossed into the hole.

[sailingdog]

basically, if you buy at the beginning of the season, you're going to be at a slight disadvantage...since the buyers will be trying to re-coup the costs of the previous winter's storage... and more people are on the market looking... buying in the fall puts the pressure on the seller, as TB has pointed out, since they will have to winterize and store the boat... and there are fewer people looking.

[SailorMitch]

Bought my current boat in October 2003. The seller was very motivated not to have 2 boats to store for the winter.

[sailingdog]

Also, boat prices in general are starting to climb drastically again... since most of the industry uses chemicals that are derived from petroleum products...and the cost of crude oil has gone through the roof in the last two years.

[Cruisingdad]

Also, boat prices in general are starting to climb drastically again... since most of the industry uses chemicals that are derived from petroleum products...and the cost of crude oil has gone through the roof in the last two years.

Yes they are. The good ones are starting go for premiums (as new boats are out of sight) and the junk is even starting to move. New boat shave gotten rediculous.

No boat is a good investment, but a used one is getting to be a better one than it used to be.

- CD

[Valiente]

Originally Posted by SailorMitch

Bought my current boat in October 2003. The seller was very motivated not to have 2 boats to store for the winter.

September 1999, same deal. Knocked 8,000 off the price.

June, 2006: I'd made an initial viewing the previous October, and there was little action over the winter, however. Knocked off $10,000, $2000 of which was for an inflatable I didn't want, but the boat was fairly close to the "right" price already and surveyed very well.

You have to factor in your desire to get sailing quickly against what needs doing and what *doesn't* need doing...that why sometimes it's good to look at a boat with minimal gear you can chuck as opposed to lots of gear approaching the end of its life that you'll have to endure or replace.

[Valiente]

It's still a great time to pick up a 20-35 year old cruiser or cruiser-racer under 30 feet. People are a lot wimpier about their creature comforts these days, but if you can cope with a couple of 12 VDC auto lights, a Koolatron, a sleeping bag, a six-pack and 175 cms of headroom, you can grab a perfectly good fin keeler for $10-$15K.

35 feet is now the "sweet spot" for entry-level used boat owners, it seems, and 33-36 feet is where the prices take a big jump in all categories. One of the reasons I bought last year is because I expected the market for all boats in the 40 foot plus category (even steel behemoths like mine) to be dragged upward in the draft of all those Bendylinas going for $20,000 more than last year.

[christyleigh]

Originally Posted by Valiente

You have to factor in your desire to get sailing quickly against what needs doing and what *doesn't* need doing...that why sometimes it's good to look at a boat with minimal gear you can chuck as opposed to lots of gear approaching the end of its life that you'll have to endure or replace.

There is another side to that coin though - My NC came with 4 or 5 systems I had never had before but some I'm now very glad that I do even though some are getting tired at the 6 year old mark when I bought the boat. The Air Cond may or may not have many years left but if it dies it's a simple swap instead of wiring and ducting nightmares. Same with the Panda Ficher Generator that puts out blue smoke and I've been hearing has a short life expectency - but if it goes it's just a swap out. The water maker and lectra-san just take up space and may be removed - but again the connections are in place. I already had a Walker Bay and 2hp Honda but a big Caribe and 20hp combo hangin off a major set of beefy davits came with the boat so I can decide which way to go in the long run. Just saying all is not black and white....

[Cruisingdad]

There is another side to that coin though - My NC came with 4 or 5 systems I had never had before but some I'm now very glad that I do even though some are getting tired at the 6 year old mark when I bought the boat. The Air Cond may or may not have many years left but if it dies it's a simple swap instead of wiring and ducting nightmares. Same with the Panda Ficher Generator that puts out blue smoke and I've been hearing has a short life expectency - but if it goes it's just a swap out. The water maker and lectra-san just take up space and may be removed - but again the connections are in place. I already had a Walker Bay and 2hp Honda but a big Caribe and 20hp combo hangin off a major set of beefy davits came with the boat so I can decide which way to go in the long run. Just saying all is not black and white....

Like I said, Stan, it is a good time to trade up!!! HAHA!

- CD