Would you buy a new boat?

[rockDAWG]

Let say that you can afford it, but you are a fugal, sensible and relative low ego emission type. What is the main advantages of buying a new boat or a demo?

[deniseO30]

reasons....bragging rights, ego, thin hulls, cored hulls, low grade stainless, austere, no charm, very little real wood, stress cracks, falling rudders, keel to hull problems. Just sayin...

[Hesper]

What Denise said . . . . Sure, it's nice to be able to get all the bells & whistles you want and then customize to your heart's content, but that also means you go through the teething troubles and the trial and error. By buying a Good Old Boat, I had two previous owners do all that for me. my biggest frustration after buying the boat was that I culdn't buy anything FOR it. It was all already there.

[casioqv]

Originally Posted by rockDAWG

Let say that you can afford it, but you are a fugal, sensible and relative low ego emission type. What is the main advantages of buying a new boat or a demo?

I don't think it makes any sense at all. A well maintained older boat will be much cheaper and more reliable. At comparable price points the older boat will have drastically superior build quality, equipment, etc.

Well made and maintained fiberglass hulls basically last forever, so the difference between a new boat and an older one is the quality and condition of the paint, rigging, accessories, etc.

Cars are another great example of this. I drive a 1987 Diesel Mercedes which is in practically new condition at 230k miles, and only cost $3,000. If I had bought the absolute cheapest of new cars for three or four times the price I wouldn't have a fraction of the same quality, reliability, comfort, efficiency, etc. My $3000 car is comparable to new $50,000 cars, not new $10,000 cars.

[Insails]

only good reason to buy a new boat...

SPEED!!

The Columbia 32

other than that..............all of the above

[sailingdog]

You can often get what you want in a boat... and don't have to deal with the problems caused by previous owners... but that doesn't mean you'll have a problem free boat.. You may have a warranty, but the warranty might not mean much—see Tartan/C&C if you wonder why I say this... and you'll take a huge hit on the price in terms of depreciation.

[casioqv]

Our consumerist society has a strong bias towards things that are considered "new" even if they're considerably inferior. Because of supply and demand, this makes used things an incredible value for people whom consider the value of things more objectively.

I hardly buy anything new, and as a result I have much nicer and higher quality products for less money than people whom insist on having "new." Plus, when I don't need something anymore I can usually resell it for as much as I paid.

[night0wl]

I bought a new boat. Here is why I did it.

1) Dealer warranty
2) Got it at a price lower than 5 year old used boats (dealership needed it off floorplan)
3) Modern equipment like electronics & windlass without having do major surgery to install on a boat not designed for those things
4) Modern construction techniques...poly/plastic water tanks and fuel tanks....I can hold city water without tanks getting eaten up from the inside from chlorine and hold fuel without having to worry about additive damage. Electrical system that wont dim or spark because it needs upgrading to modern standards.
5) Modern engine that can run for years and years without having to worry about whether it will work when I need it most.
6) foot for foot, much more interior room and much more utility...makes it more comfortable than even coastal cruisers from the past.
7) Modern conveniences like in-mast furler
8) I have features (skylights and larger ports) that make the interior bright and air flow easy...not like living in a cave. I understand the compromises that go along with said features.
9) I have a swim platform...many older designs down. This is a great feature at anchor, and I'd say a safetfy feature when offloading/onboarding.
10) Construction techniques that save weight have opened up many more days that I can sail rather than bob around in the hot sun and light air days of the florida summer. Try doing that in a full-keel 35 footer from the 70s that weighs 18,000 lbs rather than my 12,000 lbs


BTW, I have plenty of teak on my boat (I'd say too much, I'd rather have less) and my stainless is just as shiny as any vintage old shoe.

I bought our boat because its perfect for the sailing I intend to do right now...and for the next 10-12 years. I can sail in Florida and go anywhere up and down the US Coast. I can go over to the Bahamas and basically anchor almost anywhere with my sub-5 foot draft. I could even take sabbattical and go down island if I wanted.

Would I go across the Atlantic or take her to Hawaii...likely not. But I'm not in a position to do that right now anyway....I'll get my PSC 40 in due time! Would I ever buy the PSC 40 new...heck no, couldn't afford it! I'll have to live with the compromises of a used boat at that time, but thats another day. For now...I sail

[cormeum]

Custom build or a new production boat?

New custom build- sure if you have the $$$. You get exactly what you want (and are willing to pay for)

New production boat? Well, you'll have a warranty.... and a lot of depreciation. Quality of items will be up to the builder ( you can guess what that means)

[sailingdog]

I'd point out that custom boats, properly done, aren't really all that expensive. I priced out a custom-built Hammerhead 34 trimaran for a friend and it comes in at less than a NEW CORSAIR 31 trimaran does, and is larger to boot.