Lancer 42... Why so cheap??

[slowasigo]

I have decided to upgrade to a slightly larger boat. I have found a Lancer 42 1983 in reeeely good condition that seems dramatically less in price than the rest of the field.... Is there a fundamental reason for this? I don't know Lancer or the quality of construction from the early 80's. Any experience with this Model? With Lancer?

[gbanker]

probably because you get what you pay for. they are not known as quality boats.

[David M]

They were indeed cheaply made boats. The boat would probably be fine for protected areas. Get a survey from a surveyor who has no problem giving you his honest opinion about these boats.

[JakeatSail]

Any feed back from a survey.

The lancer 40's seem to have alot of the same parts of the lance 70's.

[boatpoker]

I have surveyed only 3 Lancers (almost) , a 28', 30' and a 42'.
In each case the buyer pulled the plug early in the inspection because there were so many structural problems.

[JakeatSail]

Thanks, what kind of structural problems? Any other info. would be good - thank you.

[JakeatSail]

found this passage on-line, see below. i am genuinely interested in real stories and actual known items about the Lancer 40. The LOA says 39.5ft or 40ft but some refer to it as 42ft? Swimdeck not in the LOA?

"... I think the test of time tells us that good examples of these boats actually have a lot less issues than many boats that have much higher resale values. I certainly feel safer thinking about striking a deadhead or other floating debris while surfing down a wave in my Lancer than I would in an awful lot of brand new factory boats. I've always had rugged boats (Cygnus 20, Hinterholler Shark 24, Haida 26) and the Lancer 36, while comparatively lightweight, is pretty well-built from a structural perspective.

By comparison, I've been on 2 year-old boats in Charter fleets (Bavaria for instance) that had enormous voids in between the gelcoat and fibreglass, that had 'popped' when stricken. Not impressive compared to a bit of crazing after 28 years...

The upshot IMHO is that Lancers don't have as good a reputation as they deserve, and are hence, often priced below the market for a boat of similar quality. This is great from a buyer's point of view, not as great from a seller's. I'd suggest that before purchasing any boat, you look at a number of similar boats in the price / age / size range so that you can get a good levelset of how the market values the boats and what you can expect for your money. Then look at as many examples of the specific model that you are most tempted by to get an idea of pricing from one specific boat to the next. Overall, I am very pleased by how this boat performs and by the overall build quality. But then again, I am the sort of fellow who would rather drive a 20 year old Mercedes than get behind the wheel of a brand new Kia. Just my 2 cents' worth..."

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by JakeatSail

Thanks, what kind of structural problems? Any other info. would be good - thank you.

All three had rotten deck core (not unique to Lancer) all three had delaminated bulkheads and all three had many failed bulkhead/hull FRP tape joints.

[Bash]

Part of Lancer's valuation problem is that it was part of the motorsailer wave in production boats in the 70's. Motorsailers that succeeded tended to be heavily built, such as the Nauticat. Motorsailers that fell out of favor tended to be lightly built, such as the Lancer. Either way, there's not much of a market these days for motorsailers because developments in sail-handling technologies have tended to make them obsolete. If a modern production boat performs better under motor and/or sail, why bother with a motorsailer?

[JakeatSail]

Thank you very much for the comments - I certainly do wish to learn everything I can about the Lancer 40's ASAP.

I am looking at a Lancer 40 currently. It does have water intrusion issues at the aft and all ports. Other than that she is stoutly built with generously oversized steering quadrant, beefy standing rigging, nice cockpit controls, and big ground tackle.

A: A Lancer 40, although typically thought to be not 'kind on the eyes', really supports my family's lifestyle on the water: 50% relaxed day sailing, 25% overnighting, and 25% more traditional sailing.

[jdlinda]

Would anyone know if the 1984 45' center cockpit also has a balsa core hull?
Thanks

[CaptWho]

Originally Posted by Bash

Either way, there's not much of a market these days for motorsailers because developments in sail-handling technologies have tended to make them obsolete.

I've been looking at purchasing a motorsailer as one of my options. I like the way they look, I like the extra space in the cab and the dual helms. They seem like they'd be awesome passagemakers. Why are they obsolete?

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by CaptWho

I've been looking at purchasing a motorsailer as one of my options. I like the way they look, I like the extra space in the cab and the dual helms. They seem like they'd be awesome passagemakers. Why are they obsolete?

If you are expecting a reply from "Bash", well, he's been gone from the forum for nearly a decade now. Dunno why.

You might consider starting your own thread on the subject .

Jim

[CaptWho]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

If you are expecting a reply from "Bash", well, he's been gone from the forum for nearly a decade now. Dunno why.

Sheesh, didn't even look at the date of the post. I guess that Bash doesn't necessarily have to be the one answering that question if anyone else has something to chip in. It's not worth starting another thread, I know what I like. I've seen designs like the Newporter that I think are beautiful, but I'm probably not going to get something that has a shorter mast and really requires motorsailing since my object is to sail and not burn a lot of diesel.

[mvweebles]

There was a recent thread on Pilothouse sailboats so you may want to expand your search terms. In my mind there is a continuum from Pilothouse to motorsailer to trawlers with sail assist (Diesel Duck these days)

Not sure that PH or MS are obsolete, they just have limited use case applications and thus a narrow market. Most cruisers dream of gin clear water and scantily clad crew. Not exactly the sweet spot for protected helm boats.

Willard made a few motorsailors. For as beautiful as their trawlers are, the MS versions were ugly and atrocious sailors.

Good luck with your search

Peter