Best strategy shopping for a 260?

[Starshooter]

Hello all,

I am seriously shopping for a 1999-2005 Hunter 260 near Florida.

I continue to check online ads (boat trader, yacht world, craigslist, sailtexas, sailboat listings, etc.). Prices are all over the place. Some are near NADA values (were i am prepared to purchase) but are located in California :cussing:
Some are asking double that amount I know a lot has to do with level of outfitting and maintenance, but twice the book value?

I am prepared to wait for the right boat to enter the market, however, are there any strategies to finding a boat that I am overlooking?

Thanks in advance for any advise, capttony at hotmail dot com.

 

[sesmith]

I had good luck with eBay on a previous boat. Best if you can inspect before you bid. The boat that I bid on was a Hunter 23.5. The seller seemed legit from the communications I had with him before bidding, though he had 0 or very little feedback. He also wasn't asking for any money down, before pickup of the boat. I figured I could always bail, if it wasn't what he advertised. Turned out to be a great deal. I drove several states over to pick that one up, but it was worth the trip.

 

[Deucer]

How far are you willing to drive to get one?
We're in Mississippi, but bought in Ocala Fl. We took some vacation time and had a list of boats to see. Already had financing lined, so could seal a deal within a couple of days and make it all in one trip.

Recommend you develop a checklist of what you're looking for and what to inspect.
Must you have wheel steering, or is a tiller ok?
Year and type of outboard.
Does it have shore power (and who installed it)
Is the marine radio installed?
Safety gear?
How good is the bottom paint, if any? Do you need it (salt water sailing = YES)
etc.

Depending on the options, you might want to get two receipts from the buyer. One for the boat, and one for all the gear. Might make registering the boat a little cheaper.

Finally do you think you can inspect the boat, or do you want a profession to do so? Depending on how much your spending, a professional inspection might be wise.

 

[Clark]

Just Be Patient . . .

Hello all,

I am seriously shopping for a 1999-2005 Hunter 260 near Florida.

I continue to check online ads (boat trader, yacht world, craigslist, sailtexas, sailboat listings, etc.). Prices are all over the place. Some are near NADA values (were i am prepared to purchase) but are located in California :cussing:
Some are asking double that amount I know a lot has to do with level of outfitting and maintenance, but twice the book value?

I am prepared to wait for the right boat to enter the market, however, are there any strategies to finding a boat that I am overlooking?

Thank in advance for any advise,

One other thing we did was get a list of all the brokers in our shopping area and regularly checked their web sites for information. While twice the price sounds awful; a pristine 2005 could be fairly worth 2x the price of a rough/abused/neglected 1999.

 

[Starshooter]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I will be patient; I am old enough to know the search is half the fun, but young enough to want to sail tomorrow!

I hope to keep it under $20K, maybe a bit more for a special boat. Would love to find a 1999, 2000, 2001, with no bottom paint (I will keep her on a lift) that has been recently repowered with a Yamaha 9.9 high trust, wheel steering w/ engine controls, roller furling, fabric cushions and shore power! That would be my ideal boat.

I feel comfortable assessing the boat myself. I am happy to travel the southeast for the right boat. I have a tow vehicle rated for 6,500lb.

Thanks again for all the suggestions. Can't wait to get my hands on my next boat, and dig thru the numerous great ideas on this forum!

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

When looking at an older boat, you may want to check with the insurance carrier first to see if a marine survey will be needed before insuring that boat. I have always said, if you cannot see the boat yourself and/or you do not know what you are looking for, then get a competent marine surveyor to look at the boat for you. Good advice.

crazy dave condon