I would like to purchase a new Hunter 25. I am having trouble figuring out what to pay for it. Can any of you who have purchased new boats give me any advice? My local dealer says the basic boat and trailer price is 29,495. It seems very hard to find out who the other dealers are, but I found one (StrictlySailing) that seems to be advertising the same boat with a basic price of 24,950. Help... Kevin
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A Real Pain Huh?
I'm in the same boat myself (no pun intended). I contacted dealers within a reasonable radius from where I lived and requested a quote on the boat the way I would want it equipped. That way you can see how each is structuring their prices and compare apples to apples. Don't forget to get freight and commissioning prices as well. Also, remember that commissioning involves a fair amount of work and the end result depends on the quality of the dealer. Try to get some references on your potential dealer and Good Luck!!
I'm in the same boat myself (no pun intended). I contacted dealers within a reasonable radius from where I lived and requested a quote on the boat the way I would want it equipped. That way you can see how each is structuring their prices and compare apples to apples. Don't forget to get freight and commissioning prices as well. Also, remember that commissioning involves a fair amount of work and the end result depends on the quality of the dealer. Try to get some references on your potential dealer and Good Luck!!
A Week Ago I Would Have Told You to Contact Govert
At Mid South Sailing in Gulfport Mississippi. His office is gone now not sure wher or how he is doing. He could be hard to get a hold of before the storm he was busy all over the place doing all sorts of stuff. Hope he is doing OK. If anyone has heardfrom or about him let us know.
At Mid South Sailing in Gulfport Mississippi. His office is gone now not sure wher or how he is doing. He could be hard to get a hold of before the storm he was busy all over the place doing all sorts of stuff. Hope he is doing OK. If anyone has heardfrom or about him let us know.
wait a little longer, purchase in the off season
and you may get a better deal. Also prices will vary based on the inventory. Too many boats on the lot, better deals. Also boat shows during the off season give better deals. good luck abe
and you may get a better deal. Also prices will vary based on the inventory. Too many boats on the lot, better deals. Also boat shows during the off season give better deals. good luck abe
Here is Another Place
Panama City is not real close but always a nice place to visit except during a hurricane or spring break. They are quoting a $25,000 "intro" price. Maybe you can talk them into picking up the hotel tab and taking you sailing while you are there. http://sunjammers.com/Hunter25.html
Panama City is not real close but always a nice place to visit except during a hurricane or spring break. They are quoting a $25,000 "intro" price. Maybe you can talk them into picking up the hotel tab and taking you sailing while you are there. http://sunjammers.com/Hunter25.html
thanks
Thanks for the suggestions. Does anyone know of any magazine reviews done on the new 25 yet? Panama City pricing matches the other (lower) one I found. Look like maybe the Portland dealer is hoping to keep the difference between the regular price and the intro price, or perhaps the intro price has expired... Kevin
Thanks for the suggestions. Does anyone know of any magazine reviews done on the new 25 yet? Panama City pricing matches the other (lower) one I found. Look like maybe the Portland dealer is hoping to keep the difference between the regular price and the intro price, or perhaps the intro price has expired... Kevin
Show Specials
This Feb. at the Chicago Strictly Sail Show the introductory price was $25k with several good options included. The wife and I both want one. We've got something to look forward to while we learn in our H170. Is the 25 considered a "big" boat or "little" boat by the Hunter dealers? Some Hunter dealers in our area only sell the "big" boats. Good luck, hope you get one. Jerry
This Feb. at the Chicago Strictly Sail Show the introductory price was $25k with several good options included. The wife and I both want one. We've got something to look forward to while we learn in our H170. Is the 25 considered a "big" boat or "little" boat by the Hunter dealers? Some Hunter dealers in our area only sell the "big" boats. Good luck, hope you get one. Jerry
The dealer's margin on boats varies greatly. In addition, options can add 25% or more to the price of the boat. Spend lots of time thinking about how you'll use it. Will this be a 30K “learning experience” or do you have a good grasp of what you need/want? As a general rule, "show specials" are pretty good prices; however, you should have a good idea of the going rate, "WITH OPTIONS", of the boat you want. It's amazing how quickly these add up. I think the consensus so far is that the new H25 is more like the H240 in size. More suitable for day sailing or very limited weekend coastal cruising. Do you and your family have a backpacking mentality or are you looking for a more upscale experience? Will you launch/rig it every time you use it; will the use be primarily day sailing or do you want to do some cruising, how big is your family, are you an experienced sailor or just getting started?
Answers, and another question
I sailed a dingy (Coranado 15) for years, then fell away from sailing for many more years. Recently, I got some sailing time in a Catalina 25 on Puget Sound, and the bug bit hard again. Until I sailed one ;-) I thought I wanted a Mac 26M. Don't want one any more. I am looking for enough cabin room for my wife and my 6'4" self to stay on the boat overnight for weekend trips, and maybe one 7 day trip in the Sound per year. I live in Portland, and plan to keep the boat in the water during the season, and extract it and trailer it to the Sound once a month or so during the good months of summer. I will river sail it in Portland the rest of the time. I *really* like the layout of the 25, and the swimming/diving platform on the back. If you have any suggestions for me, I would very much like to hear them. Meanwhile, I plan to tow the boat with a '00 Dodge Durango 4WD with 5.9L engine. Towing capacity on this vehicle is 5650. Wheelbase is 116". Hunter site lists weight of boat as 3700, and "loaded weight" (whatever that means) as 4650. Anyone have any comments on whether this vehicle will be acceptable to tow the new H25? I cannot find a trailer weight listed anywhere. Thanks, Kevin
I sailed a dingy (Coranado 15) for years, then fell away from sailing for many more years. Recently, I got some sailing time in a Catalina 25 on Puget Sound, and the bug bit hard again. Until I sailed one ;-) I thought I wanted a Mac 26M. Don't want one any more. I am looking for enough cabin room for my wife and my 6'4" self to stay on the boat overnight for weekend trips, and maybe one 7 day trip in the Sound per year. I live in Portland, and plan to keep the boat in the water during the season, and extract it and trailer it to the Sound once a month or so during the good months of summer. I will river sail it in Portland the rest of the time. I *really* like the layout of the 25, and the swimming/diving platform on the back. If you have any suggestions for me, I would very much like to hear them. Meanwhile, I plan to tow the boat with a '00 Dodge Durango 4WD with 5.9L engine. Towing capacity on this vehicle is 5650. Wheelbase is 116". Hunter site lists weight of boat as 3700, and "loaded weight" (whatever that means) as 4650. Anyone have any comments on whether this vehicle will be acceptable to tow the new H25? I cannot find a trailer weight listed anywhere. Thanks, Kevin
H25
Your truck is probably OK. However you only have half the information you need. You should know the GCVWR (gross combined vehicle weight rating)of your vehicle. This is the manufacturers maximum load weight, in pounds, allowed for the trailer/boat AND tow vehicle. This rating includes the weight of the trailer and tow vehicle plus fuel, water, propane, supplies and passengers. These weights usually assume the tow vehicle has a tow package. Also, you have to know the tongue weight which should be about 8-10 percent of towing weight. Also, lots of discussion on this subject in the archives. Best source is your owner's manual or the Mfgr. A good dealer will try to nail the towing stuff down for you with precision. However, since the H25 is so new, he'll probably have to call Hunter for the boat data. Failing that, send an e-mail to customerservice@huntermarine.com asking about boat/trailer/tongue wts and if that includes water etc. Once you get your rig, run it across a commercial scale to verify everything.
Your truck is probably OK. However you only have half the information you need. You should know the GCVWR (gross combined vehicle weight rating)of your vehicle. This is the manufacturers maximum load weight, in pounds, allowed for the trailer/boat AND tow vehicle. This rating includes the weight of the trailer and tow vehicle plus fuel, water, propane, supplies and passengers. These weights usually assume the tow vehicle has a tow package. Also, you have to know the tongue weight which should be about 8-10 percent of towing weight. Also, lots of discussion on this subject in the archives. Best source is your owner's manual or the Mfgr. A good dealer will try to nail the towing stuff down for you with precision. However, since the H25 is so new, he'll probably have to call Hunter for the boat data. Failing that, send an e-mail to customerservice@huntermarine.com asking about boat/trailer/tongue wts and if that includes water etc. Once you get your rig, run it across a commercial scale to verify everything.
Here's what the dealer said...
I test sailed the new 25 Thursday. What a lovely boat. I want one. I asked the dealer about why his price was 29,500 rather than the 24,995 quoted by other dealers, and he said the other dealers are not quoting freight and commissioning (what the heck is commissioning, boy am I a newbie, I never commissioned my Coranado 15, but I did buy a license, is that the same thing?). Anyway, please help with some questions: 1.) Is his answer reasonable? Is $4500 a reasonable freight and "commissioning" charge? 2.) Either way, what percentage discount would you say I should aim for getting off the price? I have no idea what is typical for this level of boat? Thanks for your help. Kevin
I test sailed the new 25 Thursday. What a lovely boat. I want one. I asked the dealer about why his price was 29,500 rather than the 24,995 quoted by other dealers, and he said the other dealers are not quoting freight and commissioning (what the heck is commissioning, boy am I a newbie, I never commissioned my Coranado 15, but I did buy a license, is that the same thing?). Anyway, please help with some questions: 1.) Is his answer reasonable? Is $4500 a reasonable freight and "commissioning" charge? 2.) Either way, what percentage discount would you say I should aim for getting off the price? I have no idea what is typical for this level of boat? Thanks for your help. Kevin
H25 Purchase
Kevin, it's obvious from all the heavy breathing on your end that you have a real bad case of boat fever. We all wish you a quick recovery... Carol Donovan did a 2 part narrative back in 1999 that might help. Search the archives in 1999 for "Carol Donovan". You'll see her articles. I think you'll find that there is no real good answer to your question regarding dealer margin. If there is, we all want to know. I suggest you look at the Buck Book retail/wholesale prices to get an idea of the spread for simlar late model boats and add a fudge factor. As far as comissioning goes, I'd nail down the price of the boat w/o commissioning first, then start asking questions about what is involved and decide for your self. For example, does commissioning involve little more than cleaning off the road dirt or does he have to completely rig the boat from scratch?
Kevin, it's obvious from all the heavy breathing on your end that you have a real bad case of boat fever. We all wish you a quick recovery... Carol Donovan did a 2 part narrative back in 1999 that might help. Search the archives in 1999 for "Carol Donovan". You'll see her articles. I think you'll find that there is no real good answer to your question regarding dealer margin. If there is, we all want to know. I suggest you look at the Buck Book retail/wholesale prices to get an idea of the spread for simlar late model boats and add a fudge factor. As far as comissioning goes, I'd nail down the price of the boat w/o commissioning first, then start asking questions about what is involved and decide for your self. For example, does commissioning involve little more than cleaning off the road dirt or does he have to completely rig the boat from scratch?
Goverts Phone is Working so I Guess he is Too
His office is gone I am certain so he is probably working out of his house. Mid South Sailing 228 863-6969 is the first place I'd tell anyone from Louisiana all the way over to Georgia to check.
His office is gone I am certain so he is probably working out of his house. Mid South Sailing 228 863-6969 is the first place I'd tell anyone from Louisiana all the way over to Georgia to check.
Heavy Breathing...
Yup, boat fever struck out of nowhere for me. I will be sailing all next week, starting Monday. So what did I do? I joined a sail class that starts on Sunday so I could get an extra day in to be prepared... ;-) I'll look for the Carol Donavan articles, thanks. Kevin
Yup, boat fever struck out of nowhere for me. I will be sailing all next week, starting Monday. So what did I do? I joined a sail class that starts on Sunday so I could get an extra day in to be prepared... ;-) I'll look for the Carol Donavan articles, thanks. Kevin
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