Yacht Values

The common rule of thumb with boats is that it will cost 25% of the purchase price to maintain it each year.

 

Here's a good 50 foot project yacht just waiting for you. An old wooden Chris Craft Constellation. (Darth loves this particular photo, so I thought that I would post it again for him as well.)
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I have a 2001 Model Sea Ray 340 Sundancer for sale. I have owned it for 15 months, we have used it a good bit and now I want to move up to a larger sailboat to keep on the ocean.

My boat has just under 370 hours on the engines, loaded with all the options and toys, in perfect condition, always on freshwater, always in a covered slip and its still under warranty which I think can be transferred. If not MarineMax will sell you a warranty.

Since I bought it, oil change costs are my only expenses other than insurance, slip and such. It has been a rock solid and fun boat. Its plenty big enough for a family of 4 to enjoy a weekend but still small enough that handling it is a snap. It has A/C, generator, full galley, head, cockpit refrig and wet bar, hot water heater and transom shower.... all the fun stuff. PM if interested.

Sea Ray makes a great boat. For a production boat at their price point I dont think you can do better.

As for holding their value.... thats not what boats do. That said, a 4-5 year old boat will depreciate much less than a brand new one! The only way buying a boat makes sense is if you REALLY plan on using it frequently!



Terry

 

Hey HORSEFLY,

just a little gelcoat and some elbow grease, it'll be looking good as new.

 

Avoid the boat maintenance headaches and do what I did: buy waterfront real estate instead, then buy a small boat to go run around on when you need your water fix. My little 20ft boat is a piece of cake to handle and take care of, and my house is appreciating nicely with minimum upkeep. I have the best of both worlds.

 

I prefer the look of older boats but I've heard that the old wooden Chris Crafts are massive work to restore. I found a 45 footer and a 49 footer of early 1950s vintage, but both need a total restoration. How many weekends can any one person devote to non-stop sanding and varnishing? Most projects of that magnitude have no light at the end of the tunnel. Probably better to just buy a vacation ticket to the Bahamas instead of pumping money into that "hole in the water". Even if you could get an old boat for FREE, the time, effort, and money required for a proper restoration would put you deeper into "the hole".

 

That picture makes me cry! This is one one of the last wood boats... Ok guys, who receieved the LAST wood boat Chris Craft made?

He was in Baseball, but not a player...

 

An educated guess off the top of my head,...........Gene Autry???

 

As soon as I saw your name on this thread I rolled my eyes!

You are as predictable as the sunrise!

 

What do you expect Darth, photos from other angles?
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I know the answer, and I think you meant football and not baseball.

 

Since Darth needs some "fresh" nautical meat, here are 2 photos that I received of another old Chris Craft. They are both the "allegedly" same boat. The top photo was supposedly taken years ago, and the boat is currently stored on a trailer, i.e., the bottom photo. But several things make me believe that they are not the same boat. Yellow lines indicate some differences in a comparison that I had photochopped a while back.
It's an old Chris Craft of about 1953 vintage. Supposedly a 45 footer. But the top boat looks longer than the bottom boat.
What say ye old Chris Craft aficianados? Same boat or "bait & switch"? Or perhaps merely dazed and confused and I was sent an incorrect photo of it "in the water?"
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I think you are right! Sorry, I do not have my Chris Craft book here!

 

Do you realize this is the most you've said to me in 3 years?

I may shed a tear.

 

Different boat. Take a close look at the side glass on the main deck. Bottom boat only has a single one, top boat has much more glass, and also looks longer.

Darrell.

 

Here's my guess... Overall it looks like the same boat to me.

There appears to be plastic over the front window and some sort of tarp over the side windows (making it look like a single window).

Boat on the trailer looks like it's been sanded, in prep for paint. It would have made sense to remove the side trim/bumpers when doing this.

I think it's just some junk on the front, not multiple holes.

Paint line looks the same to me.

Bow trim/detail looks the same.

Bow light appears to be in the same position

Lookout (?), while seemingly more offset on the bottom pic seems like a special detail that not every model would have.

I'm no expert....

I would love to have one of those old boats someday though.