Classic Hatteras Values?

[Boss Lady]

Well said there Walter!

[Pascal]

i look at the value of a classic Hatteras by comparing to a new boat of the same value. How much do you think that new $200k Baycarseasilum will be worth 4 years down the road compared to a $200k 53 classic ?

probably $130... it's a safe bet that the 53, if properly maintained will still be in the high 100s...

the only downside to our boats is the speed, or lack of, when compared to the newer boats. But if cruising at hull speed works for your cruising style and location, the fuel economy makes up for it. My previous boat, a 98 express gasser, used to cost me nearly 3 times more per mile than the 53 !

[REBrueckner]

There are many different philosophies. One says "buy a boat, a the right price, with crappy engines then you can rebuild them and KNOW what was done". But if you know the yard/rebuilder, maybe buying a recent rebuild makes a lot more sense.

If the upgrades suit you, such as color chartplotter, dual radars, for example, super. If you don't need,like nor want many of the upgrades, it's likely the wrong boat.

Also, always ask how long the boat has been on the market and how much the price has been reduced so far...and why ity's being sold...all may greatly impact "the deal"...You have nothing to lose from making a low bid nor asking the broker "what's the lowest offer you think the owner will take?"

The market for used boats, I suspect, follows homes, and both seem slow for the past year..at least here in the Northeast.

[newinlet]

Been watching this thread and I gotta put my 2 cents worth in....

Old V.S new My 1978 37C 671N power is in overall nice shape updated electronics,hardtop,ez2cy,gen, softgood Ect. It has been very well taken care of all its life Approx 2,100 K hours on Original power. I paid under 120K for this boat. Most expensive upgrades, Gen,hardtop were done before I bought her. I have owned this boat for 4 years. I have spent Approx 6-10K a year on upgrades & repairs.... most of wich upgrades I did not need to do.
I use this boat every weekend to travel mostly Marthas Vinyared from my home port of Marshfield, Ma. About 4.5 Hour trip each. way..The waters around us (Buzzards Bay, Vinyard Sound) can be very rough at times. This boat is very solid & seaworthy, and when I tie up at the dock there is somone always wanting to talk about "My old Hatt".
That being said, A few years ago a buddy of mine bought his 97 48 ft Ocean About 480K purchase Maybe 20K in upgrades in Florida before we brought it up to Mass. not to mention the Cyl head we had to replace in Ga. Once she was home he hauled it had to replace the rotted bow pulipit , A bunch of other stuff including rebuilding the other engine 692- 635 H.P. A total off $100K + on top of original purchase. Just like myself some upgrades needed & some wanted, but mostly needed I/E repairs...
Well I gotta say My old Hat should still be worth what I paid, In fact my buddy has spent as much in upgrades as what I paid for my boat. I dont think he could even get his original purchase price back on what he paid for the boat never mind repairs & upgrades..
My friend or I do not own our boats for money reasons just enjoyment. However I think my Hatt gives me the better bang for the buck, for my family and I love her and do not see us letting her go anytime soon.
Sorry for the long post.. Just my thoughts...

[REBrueckner]

Rereading this again, several additional thoughts come to mind:
(1) If you are really looking at a ranges from 70 ft and then found a 50 ft Hatt you like, you need to first decide what size,style,accomodations and most important, what use you will make of the boat. While I agree with almost all the comments here, the first thing is to decide what you want to do with the boat. For example: lots of gunkholing?diving? if so a cockpit is just great. Living aboard in a cold climate during winter? Then maybe an extra interior cabin instead of a cockpit would be more useful. Running 100 hours annually? Then who cares what fuel consumption is..it's a very small part of your annual costs. Running a thousand hours annually? Then fuel consumption (efficiency) may be very important. How many people will be aboard? Generally a bigger boat is more fun but only if you can handle it. If you need crew, for example, even only for moral support, you'll find you may not be able to go out whenever you like.

(2) If you like the look of older boats, go with that preference. That's my preference and you also get better value and less depreciation. I'd never buy an Ocean Yacht because I know of just too many problems with them. But they do have snazzy interior accomodations and styling.

(3) Value is not so easy to determine. A high first cost, for example, could be worth it if the resale down the road is also higher. Trawlers tend this way, like Hatt LRC's, Seatons,Nordhavens, etc. Even Grand Banks, not my favorites by a long shot, seem to hold price fairly well. But in general, used boats like autos don't suffer that incredible early year loss in value of new units.