I KNOW opinions are going to vary on this one but I am in the market for a "new" boat as I need one with a very shallow draft. I was wondering if you all wouldn't mind sharing your thoughts on getting a new WB 260 vs. one up to about 5 years old? Has Hunter made and major changes in the last few years? Looking forward to the input!!
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
F
Frank Ladd
26 vs 260
I'd say all the 260's are pretty much the same boat. The older 26 is still water ballast and very similar and it will sail about the same but the 260 has struts instead of wires and that makes raising the mast a little easier. Both are really nice boats.
I'd say all the 260's are pretty much the same boat. The older 26 is still water ballast and very similar and it will sail about the same but the 260 has struts instead of wires and that makes raising the mast a little easier. Both are really nice boats.
N
nick maggio
Look around
I would compare both its great to have new but,some times you can get really good deals on used. What I found when I was looking was people are always up grading to go bigger and 260 is a good starter boat for some and than they soon want to go bigger. When I was looking at a new 260 the dealer was looking to sell the boat at a good deal but than when he added the prep and other thing's plus tax it was $36,000 for everything including the trailer and motor. I got a 2001 -290 it was the dealers demo and we love it and there was plenty of used 260 around. Nick
I would compare both its great to have new but,some times you can get really good deals on used. What I found when I was looking was people are always up grading to go bigger and 260 is a good starter boat for some and than they soon want to go bigger. When I was looking at a new 260 the dealer was looking to sell the boat at a good deal but than when he added the prep and other thing's plus tax it was $36,000 for everything including the trailer and motor. I got a 2001 -290 it was the dealers demo and we love it and there was plenty of used 260 around. Nick
B
Bill
Alternative
If you're looking for shallow draft, have you considered a used 25.5? There are a lot out there in really good condition with an inboard or outboard for a third of the price of a new 260. Several in Florida. You can do a lot with the difference in price.
If you're looking for shallow draft, have you considered a used 25.5? There are a lot out there in really good condition with an inboard or outboard for a third of the price of a new 260. Several in Florida. You can do a lot with the difference in price.
S
S. Sauer
New Boat Loan %
Years ago when I was ready to move up from my Hunter 25 to something larger, I found several used boats in the 27-30' range but financing was five year money, while new boats were 15 year loans, albeit at a high percentage at that time (12% in 1985). I bought a new 28.5 and soon payed it off by incorporating it into a 15 year home equity loan at a much lower rate, with the interest tax deductible. Yes, I was effectively able to get a new boat at a lower monthly payment, however, I did incurr all the depreciation buying new instead of used. If you buy new, you should include any major add-ons, instruments, genoa, roller furling, etc. into the loan as well.
Years ago when I was ready to move up from my Hunter 25 to something larger, I found several used boats in the 27-30' range but financing was five year money, while new boats were 15 year loans, albeit at a high percentage at that time (12% in 1985). I bought a new 28.5 and soon payed it off by incorporating it into a 15 year home equity loan at a much lower rate, with the interest tax deductible. Yes, I was effectively able to get a new boat at a lower monthly payment, however, I did incurr all the depreciation buying new instead of used. If you buy new, you should include any major add-ons, instruments, genoa, roller furling, etc. into the loan as well.
new vs used
Sailboats to me fall into a unique spot when comparing new to used to any other commodity, most people who buy new are constantly adding , and so in many respects a used boat will actually have more amenetities than a new boat, some people have addressed the depreciation aspect but then finally when some have talked about moving up , to me when you get over the 26 ft size you are getting into an area where you need to pay for outside help, hauling , painting etc, I think it would be nice to buy a new boat with all the bells and whistles but for some of us money is a limiting factor, also most of us feel that the more work you do on your own boat , the better you get to know the boat , hope this helps , good luck Mike Bacome
Sailboats to me fall into a unique spot when comparing new to used to any other commodity, most people who buy new are constantly adding , and so in many respects a used boat will actually have more amenetities than a new boat, some people have addressed the depreciation aspect but then finally when some have talked about moving up , to me when you get over the 26 ft size you are getting into an area where you need to pay for outside help, hauling , painting etc, I think it would be nice to buy a new boat with all the bells and whistles but for some of us money is a limiting factor, also most of us feel that the more work you do on your own boat , the better you get to know the boat , hope this helps , good luck Mike Bacome
J
John Trim
My Opinion
I just bought a New H260 this summer. I love the boat, she sails easily singlehanded. But, I want buy another new boat. The price of the boat is the least of you expenses. Setting it all up with Bimini, all the canvas covers, any electronics including radios and GPS, and all the other things that you may need is the expensive part. I'll buy a 2-5 year boat next time that usually has everything already there so when you look at the boat, and settle on a price with seller you know that is everything. Good Luck!
I just bought a New H260 this summer. I love the boat, she sails easily singlehanded. But, I want buy another new boat. The price of the boat is the least of you expenses. Setting it all up with Bimini, all the canvas covers, any electronics including radios and GPS, and all the other things that you may need is the expensive part. I'll buy a 2-5 year boat next time that usually has everything already there so when you look at the boat, and settle on a price with seller you know that is everything. Good Luck!
T
Tom
26 vs 260 & new vs used
The 260 came out around 1998 or 1999 and had a few nice features compared to the 26: +Struts for raising/lowering mast as well as adding support so mast is lighter. + Slightly larger sail plan. + About 6" added to LWL. +"Sugar Scoop" stern with integrated, fold up swim ladder. + Option for wheel steering. + Center Stern seat with storage under. + Opening port in aft berth (under stb. cockpit seat). + Small cabinet in galley. + 20 gal. water tank in bow (26 has 5 gal collapsable jugs under sinks). + Eliminated the cockpit table that came with 26 (stored under vberth) As far as buying new or used, I'd buy a used one in good condition unless the newer ones have features that you have to have that are not available in the older models. I purchased a new 260 (in 1999) instead of a used 26 (which would have saved a lot of $$) because I wanted wheel steering and liked the opening port in the aft berth and the sugar scoop look of the stern. Fair winds... Tom
The 260 came out around 1998 or 1999 and had a few nice features compared to the 26: +Struts for raising/lowering mast as well as adding support so mast is lighter. + Slightly larger sail plan. + About 6" added to LWL. +"Sugar Scoop" stern with integrated, fold up swim ladder. + Option for wheel steering. + Center Stern seat with storage under. + Opening port in aft berth (under stb. cockpit seat). + Small cabinet in galley. + 20 gal. water tank in bow (26 has 5 gal collapsable jugs under sinks). + Eliminated the cockpit table that came with 26 (stored under vberth) As far as buying new or used, I'd buy a used one in good condition unless the newer ones have features that you have to have that are not available in the older models. I purchased a new 260 (in 1999) instead of a used 26 (which would have saved a lot of $$) because I wanted wheel steering and liked the opening port in the aft berth and the sugar scoop look of the stern. Fair winds... Tom
D
Dave Crowley
My two cents...
We went through the same process this summer and decided to buy a 1998 H-26 instead of a new H-260. I really wanted a wheel (in retrospect, I'm not sure why since the feel of the tiller on a blustery day is pretty awesome.) The boat we ended up with had been treated like a baby, used only as a day-sailor (the stove is still in the shrink wrap!) and had just about all the major upgrades I would have ended up with (electronics: depth/wind, roller furler, self tailing winches, pop-top dodger, etc.) As an aside, our h-26 has the rear berth opening hatch too (which is very nice to have.) We don't go out long enough to miss the extra 10 gallons of water (although we have 5 gallon Coleman camping jugs if we ever do) and the stern, while not as cool looking as the full sugar scoop, does have an integrated swim ladder. We paid about $7,000 less (list-to-list) and ended up with about $4,000 worth of upgrades. Pretty hard to argue with the Admiral that the h-260 wheel was worth that much! ;-) Dave Crowley s/v Wind Dreamer
We went through the same process this summer and decided to buy a 1998 H-26 instead of a new H-260. I really wanted a wheel (in retrospect, I'm not sure why since the feel of the tiller on a blustery day is pretty awesome.) The boat we ended up with had been treated like a baby, used only as a day-sailor (the stove is still in the shrink wrap!) and had just about all the major upgrades I would have ended up with (electronics: depth/wind, roller furler, self tailing winches, pop-top dodger, etc.) As an aside, our h-26 has the rear berth opening hatch too (which is very nice to have.) We don't go out long enough to miss the extra 10 gallons of water (although we have 5 gallon Coleman camping jugs if we ever do) and the stern, while not as cool looking as the full sugar scoop, does have an integrated swim ladder. We paid about $7,000 less (list-to-list) and ended up with about $4,000 worth of upgrades. Pretty hard to argue with the Admiral that the h-260 wheel was worth that much! ;-) Dave Crowley s/v Wind Dreamer
- Status
- Not open for further replies.