Best place in USA/World to buy a used boat

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by MrCoppi

Having just gone through this process I would say: the best place is the place you want to start sailing. Starting with the dream of wanting to sail in my native and present home New Zealand I have scoured the world for a cruising cat, put offers on boats In France, the Bahamas, and Australia, and a boat that worked turned up on my back doorstep the other day. It was worth it to look at boats offshore but I am relieved none of them worked out. I am short on time and the prospect of doing the inevitable shake down and minor or major refit needed to get a boat home, while I would likely be in NZ, was in retrospect ambitious. The various versions of getting her home without me (shipping, professional delivery, short hops) all added up to a lot of money when I got the calculator out. There are a fair few great cruising cars for sale in Asia, and if that’s where you want to go sailing I would be looking right on your back doorstep.

And a key point regarding the inevitable refit: you need to BE THERE...even in the first world...or things will likely get of track. Thats a big logitics issue if you buy a boat remotely.

If you cant be present then you need a knowledgeable responsible representative...and that will add up too.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Ranshiro

Thank you everybody for sharing some of your personal experiences buying boats in different parts of the world. It's been a great help.



Interesting to see another Texas suggestion. As I said previously I have some family in that area. But with hearing about the how it's a good area to work on a boat, it's more motivation to possibly make a long overdue visit to see family.



Those are some good points to be made about Australia and NZ. I took a quick look at the websites mentioned and there seemed good choices. But also good info about how it might be a more challenging location from which to start my journey. A lot to think about.

The Kemah/Clear Lake area has one of the largest concentrations of recreational vessels in the USA/World...and all the goods and services to go along with it. Certainly a lot of candidate boats there and an easy place to refit.

[mvweebles]

In my opinion, boatyard labor rates in the St Pete FL area are no bargain. When contemplating a refit of my San Francisco based boat, I considered shipping to Florida, my new home. I did not find the St Pete rates materially different than labor rates in SF. I ended up in Ensenada, MX, 70nms south of San Diego.

[friz]

Buy your cars in Florida. Buy your boats in Michigan.

[gonesail]

best place to buy a used boat? Maine or the Great Lakes. Good prices and beautiful boats

[hamburking]

The Great Lakes region is a good place to buy older boats in surprisingly good condition. Most boats here have never seen salt water. And the boats get used only a few months a year. Combine that with the low Canadian dollar, and you've got good boats at low prices.

The region was a mecca of sailboat manufacturing in the 70's, with C&C, CS, Tanzer, Mirage, Whitby, Tartan, Nonsuch, Gozzard and others all made locally. Many of these boats still sailing locally today.

The US east coast is easily accessible via canal, seaway, or truck.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

The Kemah/Clear Lake area has one of the largest concentrations of recreational vessels in the USA/World...and all the goods and services to go along with it. Certainly a lot of candidate boats there and an easy place to refit.

Did a refit there in 2014/2015. All services you ever need are there, plus several choices for buying equipment. A very large West Marine store there as well, and Blackburns marine store just down the street. Yards in Seabrook, or a relatively short motor away in Galveston. And lots of marina slips and concentration of boats means decent supply for sale.

[Amapola]

Annapolis, Maryland is often called the sailing capitol of the USA. There are plenty of sail boats and places to shop for parts, labor, storage, etc.

[mcon12000]

The advise on locations is spot on in this post.

I used to live in Kemah Texas and I can vouch that it’s hard to beat for parts and marinas. I now live on the upper east coast and purchased my boat up here. Kemaha/Clearlake will spoil you with choices compared to the Upper East Coast but a twenty year old “life long” Texas boat is actually twenty years old. The same boat on the upper east coast will have ten years of exposure and use If it’s remained there it’s whole life. Often southern boats spend years sitting in the water while the owners deal with life and kids schedules aging them even further. Same thing can happen up north but odds are general maintenance has occurred each time the boat is stored or prepared for the season. It’s my experience that boats change hands easier up here due to the costs of storage. It’s not cheap in this area to store a 35-40’ sail boat. If I purchased my boat in Texas the seller would likely have been paying a flat monthly rate for a slip that isn’t really eating his lunch short term. Up here an owner pays a winter storage fee upfront and a summer slip fee upfront. In my case with a 38’ boat I’m getting a good deal at just over $6k for both. So if I’m selling during the winter and I have an interested party it’s in my best interest to entertain an offer that maybe below what I was considering since my summer fees due at launch are going to be $4.5k for a boat I’m not really using. You’ll find more than a few boats in Clearlake that have been for sale forever because the owners aren’t motivated to sell or consider anything but top dollar. I’ve found more than a few that seem to think they can recoup the retail value of their three year old electronics package. Up here not so much most people selling want the boat to sell quickly and seem to be more aware of the market conditions.

I also found my boat in fresh water on the upper Hudson which was a bonus. It didn’t spend its whole life there but most of it has been in brackish water.

Oh let me add even the best surveys miss things so look at the chain plates very closely and expect to find water intrusion around deck fittings that can cause structural issues especially on boats that have sat unused for a season or two. You’ll get a lot of information from other boaters in the marina who are familiar with the boat you’re looking at so don’t be afraid to ask.

Good luck!

[Medea]

Australia and New Zealand are not the places to find value. High prices and import duties. It is one of the reasons many of us antipodeans go to Europe to purchase

[Jimmyhenry]

If you choose NZ I am very happy to assist in identifying the best tradesmen and haul out facilities. We here are blessed with some of the most talented boat people in the world.
Plus our cruising areas are brilliant.
Plus the Pacific is on our doorstep.

Good luck with your search.

Pete

[sander.jorissen]

I looked around for several months and ended up buying in greece. But also croatia and turkey are high on the list. Look for a non Vat boat as this saves 20%. Bargain hard- the are always owners eager for a deal. Marmaris is a great place for refitting. Every service is available there.

[dwightsusan]

Check out Corpus Christi, TX. Least expensive place to dock in the US. Wide variety of marine services which used to support a large shrimp fleet. Cheap haul out / do it yourself / dry storage, and now multiple repairable Hurricane Harvey damaged boats. Best sailing on the western gulf coast with lots of inshore, near offshore, and offshore sailing waters, and relatively predictable good wind patterns.

[petermjdavies]

Buy where you want to start sailing. And be on hand to work or supervise everything that gets done.

Have you considered Europe? Plenty of vat free boats. Good rule of law if something goes wrong. Plenty of brokers to choose from.

[catchcryhamm]

If you are spending US dollars, Australia and NZ you will good value for $, as per comments above. Gold Coast area of Qld, particularly Boatworks, has a lot of marine industry with good tradespeople, and in a way may work out cheaper in the long run compared to having work done in Asia, as it is usually done properly, well, and efficiently the first time. Langkawi is duty free, so good for bringing in "stuff". Pangkor Marina also has good tradespeople, and with help, you can bring in items duty free. Labour at a reasonable price. Boatwork and marinas in Thailand expensive compared to Malaysia, but tradespeople may be more experienced. Singapore expensive all around and to be avoided.