Quality gib sea boats

[Rogier]

Hello there,

I am currently looking for a boat to buy and have seen a few gibsea's 442 for sale. These are from around 1988.

Can anyone tell me something about the general quality of these boats ? Are there any faults or other quality errors which occur in these boats?

Rogier

[Pblais]

Gibsea boats were a pretty popular production boat. The things to watch for are all the things any 1988 boat might have problems with. Fundamentally well built boats can be in great shape still but the stuff attached to the boat starts to age and usually requires some replacements and can add a lot of refit costs to the purchase price. It becomes a cost issue for all the things you have to buy even if you do all the work. All the work can take a long time. All the gear costs more than the boat.

The better way to shop for boats is by condition and less by brand name.

It will really boil down to how well the boat was maintained. Those are the factors to look for in any boat 20 years old. If you search you find the asking prices are all over the range it's a clue. Some of them are not as well maintained as others and some were better equipped. You probaly want to pick from nearer the top of the list rather than the very bottom. If only the bottom of the range fits your budget I would say it's a problem. You might have to spend 30% more than the purchase price after you buy it but expect to pay 20%.

Internet pictures are a poor way to evaluate the boat. You need to walk in and about to see them to really figure out how good a shape they are in. You can sometimes find a distressed sale and get a good price on a good boat but don't go by the ads alone.

[Rogier]

Hello Pblais,

That sounds all very logical.
What about charter boats? i can imagine that on these boats the costs of maintenance are kept low to increase profits...Would it be tricky to buy an ex charterboat?

[SaucySailoress]

We know a few couples who own charter boats. Largely, they are privately owned, and the charter company maintains them. Since the owners sail them on a fairly regular basis, the maintenance on them seems to be good. All our friends are happy anyway.