Horizons

More research has revealed finally, some helpful information. Apparently in this world of political correctness, no one wants to come right out and say this or that boat really sucks. I guess I can understand the reluctance; no one wants to be sued. So barring lack of real facts, everyone (even most reviews) shy away from the it sucks ruling.

Well that attitude makes it very difficult for newbies, such as myself to get a grasp on what to look for in a boat. Sure, I know how to estimate how much room we might need. I have an idea of how we might use the boat (and thus the types of boats we are looking at). But barring that I need a 40+ foot semi displacement or no displacement boat, that is really all I know. And guess what, everyone making boats about make boats that fit this class. Sure there seem to be a few big players out there (eg. carver, Brunswick, SeaRay and they are sold all over the US. But what even distinguishes these boats from one another. How do we know which one is the Honda and which is the kia?

Finally one website I found stepped out completely on a limb. This guy, David Pascoe, speaks the plain truth and lots of it. He is a surveyor. Surveyors are used to review the boat, after the buyer is ready to purchase. Sort of and odd way to do things, but there it is. The buyer pays the surveyor to review and assess the boat, only after the seller has decided on the boat.

Anyway David has been collecting data over the last 20+ years about the boat surveys he has been conducting. So, his reviews accomplish 3 things for me, 1) he rates used boats, 2) he gives an indication of quality boats construction, and 3) which manufactures are concerned at all about quality.

I have only read through a portion of his website, but this is what I have learned thus far. Now mind you, his reviews are for used boats, and the information on his website is about 5+ years out of date, but here is what is there.

1) Carver of the 1990s was a Ford of the ’80s. The quality and consistency sucked, big time. These boats would not last a few years seaside. Most were freshwater buys and even then, after years of sailing, they were leaky, moldy, barely fixable messes.

2) This class of boats seems similar to the compact car set. No one gives a damn about how shabbily is constructed because they know the users will rarely put the boat to any use other than a floating barge just off the beach.

3) trawler class (semi displacement and displacement hull) boats inherently seem to be better built, since the manufacturers know the boat may actually be sailed somewhere. 

4) modernization and style in the boat world (for this size boats) seems to equate with cheezy construction. Best looking boats, have worst ratings. They value flesh over form and additionally think the buyer will not know the difference.

This is a big blow for us. We are back to square one, on boat choice. Since we can not obviously pick a boat that suits our comfort needs, but wont sail. LOL. That makes no sense, and in this boat world. That is they way things seem to be shaping up. Back to more research.

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There are a lot of models of boats out there. You might recall me doing a cost analysis on a particular Silverton yacht. The Silverton is one of many out there. In fact, for yachts in our size range (38-47′) there are over 50+ manufacturers. This page details a list I found out there.

Some are manufactured outside of the US, a lot are here. Either way, some come here. The fact that we are looking for a used boat means that if some diligent soul has already ordered one of these beauties and managed to get it to the mainland, we can evaluate it for our purposes.

Main brands we have lately been discussing are: Carver, Meridian, Silverton, Formula, Silverton, Cruiser and Four Winns. All of these guys are made here. We also like a few other brands not from here Absolute, Cranchi, Sealine, Lagoon Power ( a cat). We keep being drawn to boats with 3 criteria: flybridge, aft cabins, pod drives. While we are sure we want a newer boat (since 2002) and sure we prefer a fly bridge, the other stuff might just be gravy. We like the aft cabin idea, but also know we are not going to be using that extra room much. But the aft cabin boats tend to have wider beams and more room throughout the rest of the boat as well

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Tis the season for financial distress. Housing markets are plummeting and lots of people across various sectors are getting laid off or fired. Companies that were on the brink of failure have failed, some like Circuit City and Linens n Things, never to return.

Amidst  all this tragedy are little bright spots. This is apparently the land of much opportunity, especially if you have much money. So, as the housing market tanks (today we found out that more than 40% of the population owns a house that is underwater), there are deals to be had. Foreclosures are at a record high, so guess what, now is the time to buy. And, notably, the house does not go first. If you are laid off and have to cut expensive, all those other toys must go as well. And in this society, sometimes those toys are plentiful.

So what does that mean? Well boats! Most boats are toys for folks, not residences. People use them on the weekend as a true leisure toy. And if bad times means out with all the toys, boats will be effected, and they have been. There are reams and reams of lists of boats for sale, for auction, for almost give away. But, we are just entering the boat sailing season. It is still March, most people don’t give their boats a second thought until April (at least this far north). What this means is that those reams of lists will grow. By the time the summer comes, there will be more for sale. And more for sale means the prices will be good.

That’s right I said it. The prices for boats will be good, possibly great. Because of all the unfortunate people who must forgo their expensive toy in lieu of their expensive house, boat prices will be great. We are already seeing the 400k boat selling for more that 30% its price. Some are thinking we will see deals south of 50% pricing.

How does that affect me and my aspirations to buy a live aboard boat? Well it means I might actually be able to afford one.

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