To buy or Not To Buy

Scott B · Jun 23, 2014

Where is the boat located and how many hours on the engine. Is this a sailing school or club where several owners can use the boat. Are you keeping it on Lanier?

#1, most likely if they are a club they would do the maintenance, depending on who was responsible. If the engine has low hours, then may not be an issue. General maintenance would be oil change each year and fuel filters, impeller etc.

#2. A new boat will have many commisioning problems, that is typical with any new boat. The 2006, has already gone through the commisioning. We bought ours 2 years old ( 50 hours on engine ) and have had very little issues.

Larger cockpit on the new 33 is nice and we'd love to have the drop down transom as we anchor out every weekend and would use the platform.
Not sure how much larger the aft cabin is, but shouldn't be all that much larger.

Are you sailing on Lanier? I doubt you'd often be out where the chop is noticble. We're on Georgian Bay ( Lake Huron) and I can only remember a few times it was rough enough that the boat was pounding where it was uncomfortable. ( burying the nose every few waves. )

Electronics on a new boat a typically dealer installed so would be your choice?

The slow down in the US economy really hurt boat values. Ours is down roughly 25% from when we bought 7-8 years ago. If I could predict the future, I'd have a much bigger boat in the Carribean.....

richk · Jun 23, 2014

We bought a new Marlow Hunter 37 and are very happy with it. The only commissioning problems we've had are missing some cup holders in the cockpit, a rattling lock on the companionway and a cockpit table which is hard to open. Sails, engine, electronics and interior are good.

duality · Jun 23, 2014

is it 10 to 20% cheaper than similar one user hunter 33 in your area? if not keep looking! i am sure it was rode harder than one owner boats. but if its a bargain, have a survey done.

mike

Kermit · Jun 23, 2014

"Plus she is keen on getting a NEW boat, not 'someone else's problems'.."

There's your answer. Emphasis on SHE. And I'm not kidding.

Benny17441 · Jun 23, 2014

New or used? It is a tossup. A new boat may have modern design features not available in the older models. I would consider the warranty feature to be nil. In a new boat it may protect against premature failure in components and structural failures while an old boat may have already proven to be free of them maladies. In a new boat any desired upgrades will come at full retail price while in a used boat the cost of upgrades might be included in the boat year, model valuation. When buying a new boat the Dealer's reputation may offer the best comfort while buying a used sailboat it may be the surveyor's reputation that offers comfort. There are good and wrong reasons for getting a new boat. I have seen new boats develop sanitation problems with the head. If you are betting that you are getting a good smelling boat with a new boat that may be short lived. Chances are that with an old boat you will know what you are getting in that regard. The standing rigging on a new boat is likely to outlast any on a used boat. Air conditioning and refrigeration units in new boats are likely to outlast those in old boats. The auxiliary engines regularly last beyond 30 years so unless there is a big difference in age between the new and old models the engine hours is a non issue and more a surveyors opinion on condition and maintenance. There is always the social value where a person may need a new boat to support and enhance his economic condition while a person in an already secure environment might go for value. I guess the answer is whatever would work best for you.

Hello Below · Jun 28, 2014

OS2Dude said:
My wife and I were looking at a used 2006 Hunter 33 that a loacal sailing club is selling. It looks to be in very good shape from what I could tell. (A few minor issues, but that is to be expected.)

Question 1: Would you buy from a club? They say they maintain them religously, but when asked they have no log to show what and when they did anything. They said they may be able to put together a folder of some of the more recent receipts.) Is this a huge RED FLAG to anyone?

Question 2: They are selling this 33 to make room for a new e33. My wife and I looked at them on-line and we both really like the extra room in the master's cabin and cockpit, as well as the drop transom vs the walk-thru. Is the hard chine a noticable difference when sailing? I had read tehy slap pretty hard in a chop, but are smoother in general. (Plus she is keen on getting a NEW boat, not 'someone else's problems'...) Does anyone have any experience with the new 33s? Is the redesigned stern worth it? How about the electronincs? (She is a huge APPLE fan and loves the built-in connectivity.)

Question 3: I prefer the 'open' NMEA 2000 method for connecting electronics, and have always used GARMIN for the most part. Can you get a boat from the factory with GARMIN instead of the standard RAYMARINE? (Or at least wired for NMEA 2K and I'll purchace/install my own devices.)

Question 4: Is a NEW boat worth it? Do the new Hunters keep their value well? The price is deffinitaly higher, but it will be under warrenty and it wont have any 'modifications' done by someone else who may or may not know what they were doing. Plus it is NEW and has the latest gizmos.

Thanks!

1. Buying a used boat is always a risk. This risk can be mitigated somewhat by employing a reputable: surveyor; rigger; sail maker; and mechanic, of course at a cost to you.

2. Any new boat will have the benefit of current technology and innovations. Hunter seems to lead the way in many of these. Sometimes for the good and sometimes not. The drop down transom is almost worth the price of admission in itself. The transferring of goods and people from dinghy or dock to the boat (and vice versa) is a breeze. It also increases cockpit usable space significantly. The fold down Nav table is a versatility that increases usable space down below. There are many others that you will find in a number of sail magazines reviews. I have about 4, that if you wish, I can provide. (send email).

I will refer you to this article discussing hard chine:

http://empireyachtsales.com/hard-chines-explained/

Chine starts just aft of midships so I am not sure how this could contribute to slap at least from seas forward of the beam. In fact on the contrary, because of the slightly concave bow, the boat slices through waves forward of the beam. You will find, however, that there may be a noticeable slap when stern to wavelets when tied up alongside. I don't think this is any different from other recently manufactured boats that carry the almost full beam to the stern.

3. All current Raymarine MFDs are NMEA 2000 certified:

http://www.raymarine.com/view/?id=5536

I believe that if you order a new Hunter you could have the Raymarine instruments omitted from the boat. The dealer or you could then install whatever manufacturer you want.

My instruments are pretty much all Raymarine including a Seatalkng backbone and an "e series" (e95) MFD. The latter has a built in WiFi (and Bluetooth). I am also a fan of iPad. In essence, with any tablet and Raymarine's free app(s) (Raycontrol and Rayview) you have a secondary plotter. Earlier this week while alongside, I walked about 400' away from the boat and was still able to get a strong enough signal that I received all data including an accurate radar picture. Pretty impression given the bandwidth required for radar.

4. Like a new vehicle, the day you take delivery the value of your new boat commences to depreciate at a greater rate than a used boat. According to John Peterson, President of Hunter Marine, their boats now carry a 2 year warranty on the any part manufactured by Hunter and 5 year warranty on the structural integrity of the hull. The individual items manufactured by "other" companies (and there are oodles of them) are covered by their own warranties (Selden, Lewmar, Harken, Raymarine, Yanmar, Jabsco, Bowmar ... to name a few). Having said this I cannot emphasis the importance of the dealer support in addressing warranty issues. I have had my share of issues over the past 2 years. But every one, as in ALL/TOTALLY, and without complaint have been dealt with by the the dealer's service department. They call in and coordinate the "other" repair work required. All transparent to me.

ScottsHunter306 · Jun 28, 2014

I've had success on my boat mixing NMEA2000 with RayMarines Seatalk, so I wouldn't worry too much about the electronics. I purchased my boat used, and have been extremely happy. Good Luck!