How New/Old Boat To Buy?

[boatman61]

How new or how old is the wrong way to look at it... the best bang for your buck is the way to go...
Decide on your minimum and maximum limits on length/price/age and take it from there..

[David_Old_Jersey]

3 ways that an Owner deals with (and pays for) maintainence:-

1) before something breaks.
2) after something breaks.
3) sells it to a new owner........

and the latter approach has much to merit it!, and is therefore popular - on boats of all ages.

[kthoennes]

I think one more thing is seldom mentioned on discussions like this, but it's big. The cost of all this maintenance will depend a great deal on the owner's tolerance and standards - galvanized anchor or polished stainless? I don't like cloudy, cracked, old aquasignal marker light housings, I want them crystal clear. Do I feel compelled to change every 12v bulb to LED's, or leave them alone? This kind of thing, over and over... The boat would cost a fraction of what it does if I could just let it go, if I could get past my OCD about one stripped setscrew in one rail fitting that is hounding my dreams like Javert in Les Miserables.

[GaryMayo]

I have almost one year of sailing my 37 year old bicentennial sailboat that took less than two months from shipping across the country to splashing. Survey was two thumbs up except for cleaning off three years on the hard and a minor engine issue of a rusted off mixing valve.

Maintenance, stewardship, goes a long ways towards making a sailboat, home, car, relationship, last and last.

I would say survey for any older larger sailboat.

I purchased two 32' almost identical sailboats in a couple weeks time. Night and day difference in the condition of these two boats. Go vintage, but buyer beware. If you are not careful, you will end up with a parts boat like I have.

[Cheechako]

My experience is that any items that are removeable (tanks, hoses, seacocks, pumps etc) are often ready to replace after 7-10 years. Also, boats that have been used too little can be as problematic as those that are used a lot. (especially for engines, shafts etc) So once you are buying over a decade, it doesnt matter much except for the actual condition. The older you get, the more likely you will have an engine problem, rudder problem, or keel bolt issues.... so If you can get one 10 years or less old, you're more likely to have a good engine etc. Avoid Saildrives!