NO for Tukki Bird

[Waffle]

Wow, I did ask but not Ross

I had to look back through all the question.Ross, I would think you should open a boatyard with all that experience. That is not for everyone. It is not for me that is for sure but I respect someone for doing.

 

[Ross]

Waffle, I certainly hope that you have enjoyed the

work that enabled you to go sailing as much as I have enjoyed the time I spent working on my boat.

 

[Ross in Tampa]

Waffle you are very thought provoking... Thank you

Waffle,Thanks for response, and you are correct. I love the Catalina 25's, I especially love the Pacific Seacrafts. I would have to say the latter is in a totally different class of boats, wouldn't you? As far as the liveability, there are few boats in that size class and general age that compare with the accommodations of a 25 Oday. It's not fancy, it's not expensive, but they were well built for what they are.But you are right, there are some really nice boats out there. I wish that I had the patience and pockets to restore one back to it's former glory. But for now, I will be ecstatic about my weekends on the water, enjoying one, and looking forward to the next one.Have a good one and once again, thanks for getting my wheels turning.Ross in Tampa1979 Oday 25 "Lola"

 

[Waffle]

Ross, In Tampa

Yes, the PS is in a different case and a lot more money!I really like the O'Day line of boats. My best friend has a 1987 O'Day 272. She is one big 27' boat. I really like the 35 too! Great layout inside. I think for 240 and the 25 are great too!Best Wishes,Wiff

 

[Waffle]

RE: Waffle, I certainly hope that you have enjoyed

there was a time when I did but that time is over! I never say I didn't think you did things the wrong. We play the hand we are deal the best we can Ross.

 

[Ross]

Waffle, What do you do now to support your

sailing habit. If you don't find pleasure in that endevor why do you continue?

 

[Waffle]

That is easy to answer, Ross

money! I miss being a hands on engineer. Now I am in the project controls field. I had a small break down running large construction project and took a step down. I would like to do something in the marine field. I have been sailing and studing sailboats since 1968. I got my father into boating when I was a little boy. He used to go to the marine store to buy expoxy and I started looking at the boats. Next thing you know my dad and I were off to buy our first boat, a Venture 17. Next boat was a 1974 Clark SJ-21. That was a GREAT boat. No core rot on that boat. We keep it coverd when we were not using it.Then my dad got me a Kingfisher 14 day sailor of my own. I got Clark SJ-21 when my dad died. Then I purchased a H-28 in 2001 and soon later the C-36.I read all the boat review serveral times and try to get a feel for each and every boat but you have to experience the boat for yourself to give it a fair shake.

 

[SEADANCE]

Private Seller and Kubota engines

Question about Private sellers and need your opinion on these two boats.I'm steering towards the Hunters and Catalina's again.I got a private seller to come down on his asking price on a 1980 33' Hunter from $17 to $12. I have spoken to this guys several weeks ago and he was firm on his asking price then. He also slipped and told me he has had no nibbles. This boat looks to be in great shape,new bottom job, has lots of goodies and has been babied. He told me, "It looks like I bought myself a boat if no one else comes along up until July 4th and offers more". I asked what was the July 4th deadline for. I'm thinking boat slip runs out, add runs out. Nope he is going away on vacation for 6 weeks. He won't commit to a deal if we want to come out and look at her even if I wave my cash. I do not want to spend the money to travel and have him say no come July 4th. He's just yanking my chain isn't he? Any ideas how I can rope this in? 1981 Catalina Sloop 30'. I got them down to $12,5. Has a Kubota engine (just rebuilt) with 10 hours on it. 45 gallon water holding tank, Draft is nice. 20 gallon fuel holding tank. Max speed 6.5 knots. Cruising speed 5.5 knots. Autohelm. She looks pretty. What do you think of the Kubota engines? Got 3 sailboats sitting in a bay around here. One looks to be a Hunter and the other an Ericson I want to say.The other is a Hunter but its mast is down and looks bad. You know how I feel about the Katrina boat problem around here.I am not enthusiastic about these by any means. I dismissed these boats several weeks ago so why did I agree to look at these two tonight....I think I am bored or need a good laugh. Diamond in the rough...I don't know.

 

[sailaway78]

Seadance

For these two boats, at the same price, I would lean a little towards the Hunter, all other things being equal, primarily for the size. What I would do with this guy is tell him you are a cash buyer, willing to look and pay if the boat is as advertised. But flip the deal on him. Tell him your offer is only good until you get a look at the Catalina, and if you like it you will buy it. That might get him off the fence, since he has admitted he has had no nibbles.

 

[sailaway78]

Kubota

Seadance,Have no working knowledge of the Kubota engines, but have heard no bad about them. They ( I think ) are a replacement for the gas Atomic 4's.

 

[Steve_Catalina]

Kubota - Universal

A major portion of all Catalina's built with a diesel engine have a universal. Kubota parts are a direct replacement for these.Which boat is better? not my call and not a discussion I want to start. If you review yacht-world and others, used Catalina’s command a higher resale price. You can draw your own conclusion.Steve M.

 

[Waffle]

Nice and Easy and Seadance

Older boat are harder to sell. People like new boats and that is why the price is much cheaper. How far do you have to travel to see the boats? We were looking all over the Northest for a boat. We even drove down to N Carolina to look at one. I passed because the boat was not perfect and my wife said NO MORE. She put a 100 mile radius on the search zone.I know people go so far as make an offer based on a visual inspection buy I don't think it is a good idea but ball parking a number is a good idea. You did a good job on that. I think I like the Hunter too but becuase it has a Yanmar 22 HP engine. There is one in Texas listed at 19,000. They look nice. Try to get a equipment list and pics for us. Did you read the info on the surveyor site? Nice and Easy, thanks again for helping. What a great man you are for doing that. If I were close I would help too.

 

[Ross]

My knowledge of Kabota engines is limited

to the land side of things. That said I have talked to our local dealer and they get very few calls for engine repairs on small construction machines if routine care was kept up. Oil changes, etc.

 

[Waffle]

They are around the same price

for this year but the Hunter is bigger....Hunter had a grid bonding problem in the early years. They talk about it in the link I send you earlier. I don't think it is a big problem if the boat lasted this long.I have owned both Yanmar and Universal and like them both the same but the Yanmar seem to be better accepted (more boats use them). I remember Yanmar was rank worst by mechcanics in Sail Mag. I never understood why? Maybe they don't break enough.

 

[SEADANCE]

Radius

Waffle, still sticking with Florida, Alabama and Texas for now. Have seen some beautiful boats along the east coast and California coastline. Then there's the cost of shipping we may just have to break down and do.

 

[Ross]

In this realm of boat values I have a question

about the retail price of new boats versus used and older boats. I suppose that there is a depreciation rate that attaches to new boats just as it does to cars. What I am wondering is, at what age does the price of a boat reflect its condition and not its age? The "new" wears off everything very quickly and then the degree of "used" becomes a factor.With houses I know that at about fifteen years you can begin to expect certain equipment failures and then a house may be kept up or be allowed to become run-down. I should think that similar factors are applicable to boats and that simple age ceases to be a major factor for determining a fair market price.Is this an accurate premise?

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Catalina 30

I am a big fan of Catalina's so I may be prejudiced in this matter. I owned a Catalina 25 and then a Catalina 30. When i had the 25 there was no doubt that the next boat was going to ba a CATALINA. They handle up to foul weather better than most would suspect. They probably sold more Catalina 30's than just about anything else in that size. I also think that when you check them out, you will find the Catalina 30 much bigger inside. This is not to take anything away from the 33 Hunter, which I think was a Cherubibi designed boat and is also a good choice. I know that the storms have really changed the market prices but I'm a little weary of a 1981 Catalina 30 for $12.5. That seems awful low. Find out the HP on the Kubota. If its anything less than the 23 or 25 HP model, that would explain the lower price. Back then some of the Catalina's had different engine options. I'm not sure , but I think one was as low as 13HP and it is very hard to sell that model. You could row faster than that. Any kind of a head wind, and I mean any kind, and you wont go anywhere. That might explain the lower price.If you look at both and are not sure which one to pick, pick the shorter one because almost anything you do from slip fees, transient fees, and haul outs are based on length.The old rule of thumb was anything over 25 years old on the Gulf was hard to insure. Now everything is difficult to insure and probably not even insurable at a reasonable rate.I know some people will argue this, but see for yourself. When i purchased my last boat at 30 years old, many agents told me that insurance would be no problem as long as I had a survey. Well, a few days before the closing, they all backed out. I now have insurance from an agent in Florida using an underwriter in England for a company in the Ukraine. I hope i never have to put in a claim.As for buying from Private sellers, anything you bargain on or for will be an oral agreement and if someone gets in there with cash before you, they will sell it out from under you. The only way that you can prevent this is by signing a contract which is useless unless you put up a deposit of a reasonable amount. Then if you decide that the boat wasnt what they said it was and you want your money back, they may have spent it already thinking that it was a done deal. Your only option then is to hire an Atty for $5K minimum to get back your $3K deposit about a year or two from now. Its OK to buy from a private owner as long as you know that there is nothing binding until the actual final cash payout and paperwork exchange.  IMHO Tony B

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Ross

It seemed to me, that again, up until the Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the breaking point seemed to be at about 25 years old. I dont know if this was because of insurance reasons or not, but when i was looking for my Cat 30, it seemed that even between 1980 and 1985 models there was a noticable difference in price. Then beyond 1980, the prices seemed to more or less stabilize and condition became a bigger factor. The next big jump down in prices seemed to be when you hit the 1960's vintage boats. This was all around the year 2001 when i was looking. Maybe it was psychological and the decade they were manufactured in was the thing and not the 25 year mark. Maybe a 25 year old boat made in 1980 seemed more attractive than a 26 year old boat made in 'the late seventies'?I hope my answer may be of some help to you. It sure helped me kill the boredom out here at work. Cheers Tony B

 

[Jim]

Re: In this realm of boat values I have a question

That is a GREAT question. You can't say there is a depreciation rate. Some boats go up in value becuase of inflation. For example classic boats that are well taken care of have a replacement value greater than the orginally cost to the owner, therefore depreciation rate is a function of builder and condition.There are many factors that have to be considered when considering boat value over time. The only real measurement, index or gauge is to take snapshot in time and compair them. Many boat review provide a graph of the boats value over time. Yachtworld is a good source for current boat asking prices. Brokers can see what the boats are selling for after the offer was accepted.I am sorry I cannot answer your question. There is no answer.

 

[Jim]

I like the Catalina 30 too

it is a mre modern looking boat with a nice layout. Does it have a aft cabin or qtr berth in the 1980 model?