If you were buying a used boat, would you rather?

[billgewater]

A common observation for new electronics (like smart phones) is that by the time you understand how to use them, they are out of warranty and obsolete and probably need replacement or updating.... and you have managed to save enough dollars to replace them (if the kids and spouse go without food). Pray desperately for no lightening strikes. Zap! It's all gone!
It's a tragedy that we are so dependent on such an unreliable collection of electronic bits and pieces.

[Hoodsail]

As noted earlier, "buy the boat, not the electronics" is sound advice. Since owning her I have replaced the chartplotter, VHF, stereo, stereo speakers and this winter will replace the mast-mounted VHF antenna. But i did keep the hand-held gps and the hydraulic-below deck mounted Cetrek propilot 700 autopilot, that works flawlessly...Cetrek manual is dated 1994 so guessing its 20ish years old...I figure the gps & autopilot were a unexpected "bonus" in the purchase..Best of all is the Your Safety advice on the welcome page of the Cetrek manual, "The use of an autopilot does not avoid the need for normal watchkeeping."...ya think!!

[hermann.l]

When I bought my boat 50 years ago , there was only an old Seafarer Echolot run by a 9Volt internal battery. Some years I fell no need to get more Electronics.
I think , it is better to buy all you need by yourselve . Then you have new a equipement fitted to you .
Greetings from the River Ems
Hermann

[Cheechako]

I consider existing electronics no value. If installed with too many holes and a mess ..... negative value.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Any electronics unless bang up to date have value = zero

I disagree
If they weren't there I would have to buy them
New sounder, radar, autopilot, plotter, the quick $20,000
Not saying the old ones are worth that to sell but thats what it'll cost if they are not there.
Therefore, they have value.

Originally Posted by Jdege

And when it comes to electronics, everything is obsolete.

Rubbish

I have commercial quality sounders, radar, plotter and autopilot on board
And backups for all.
Whilst old, they are still perfectly functioning and do exactly what they were designed to do and will only become obsolete when the smoke is released.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by billgewater

A common observation for new electronics (like smart phones) is that by the time you understand how to use them, they are out of warranty and obsolete and probably need replacement or updating.... .

Why?
My current $40 smartphone is about 6 years old and still works as intended. (ZTE Qlux, release date June 2015)
Are you one of these guys that lines up to buy the latest iPhone at every new release?

[CassidyNZ]

Obviously it depends on the electronics. When I bought my boat there was an autopilot, an old JRC radar, a depth sounder and a VHF.

I’ve now had the boat for going on 14 odd years. I still have the autopilot, the radar and the VHF and they all still work as they originally did. The only reason I replaced the depth sounder was because I installed a suite of sailing instruments which included a new depth sounder. The AP has guided my boat for many 1000’s of nm with not a single glitch, still does.

My point is, if you’re the sort of person that wants the most up-to-date kit or sees a flash new plotter on your mate’s boat and you simply have to have one, then you probably won’t miss anything buying a boat that doesn’t have it.

Just because electronics is not latest generation doesn’t mean it’s junk. Sure, if it packs up, buying the latest gear is a no-brainer but temper that too with your desires. I still don’t have a dedicated chart plotter on my boat - don’t see the value when I can have similar functionality on a device that I can also use to store/read all the books I’m going to need for 6 months, download daily weather from PredictWind and can be seen from anywhere on the boat.

A friend has a plotter which he brags that he can divide into, I don’t know, a dozen partitions to show radar, charting, engine parameters, instrument data, AIS overlays, his girlfriend’s wardrobe contents. Then the screen died and he had nothing. But it is the latest tech . . . .

[Mike OReilly]

And of course not all electronics are equal in value or necessity. A functional, but old, autopilot is still worth adding into the calculation. Maybe radar. An old chartplotter, probably not.

As I said, for me they're not really part of the value calculation. It's great if the boat comes with functional electronics, but I care far more about the basics: hull, deck, rigging, engine, storage, berths, electrical, plumbing. Then move on to ground tackle, galley, safety systems. Then I might start to consider electronics.

Priorities...

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

And of course not all electronics are equal in value or necessity. A functional, but old, autopilot is still worth adding into the calculation. Maybe radar. An old chartplotter, probably not.

As I said, for me they're not really part of the value calculation. It's great if the boat comes with functional electronics, but I care far more about the basics: hull, deck, rigging, engine, storage, berths, electrical, plumbing. Then move on to ground tackle, galley, safety systems. Then I might start to consider electronics.

Priorities...

Totally agree but I wouldn’t write a boat out of the buying proposition because the electronics wasn’t latest iteration. And I wouldn’t set about changing stuff just because it isn’t the latest either.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by CassidyNZ

Totally agree but I wouldn’t write a boat out of the buying proposition because the electronics wasn’t latest iteration. And I wouldn’t set about changing stuff just because it isn’t the latest either.

Yup, agree on both counts.

[Hesti]

Old displays can have tricks up their sleeves. Ours has not a lot of contrast by day and is more or less unreadable at night, whichever illumination brightness I set. I heard the story, that UV can kill the fluid cristals, not sure if it is that, but ...


So - yes, do not expect a used 25 year old display to provide much joy ...

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Hesti

Old displays can have tricks up their sleeves. Ours has not a lot of contrast by day and is more or less unreadable at night, whichever illumination brightness I set. I heard the story, that UV can kill the fluid cristals, not sure if it is that, but ...


So - yes, do not expect a used 25 year old display to provide much joy ...

Have similar issue plus no backlighting with our TMQ AP500 autopilot but it was readable
Found another complete unit online for $400 that was better but still no backlight and relegated the original as a spare.

My easy fix was to shape and paint a bit of divinycell white, put two orange led bulbs in it, stick it to the ceiling and have it pointed towards the dash

$1:50, problem sorted and $5000 still in my pocket

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Jdege

If you were buying a used boat, would you rather have obsolete electronics, that you'd either need to

• Figure out how to keep working,
• Ignore and work around until you could replace it, or
• replace it?

Or would you rather have a boat with no electronics in it at all?

All installed electronics are obsolete. So i would and have continue to use them

[SalingSue]

The electronics ether meet the mission spec, or they don’t.

If they don’t I adjust my offer accordingly.

[rejas]

I would see old electronics as a good thing. Since what the current owner might see as new is very likely still quite old. If it really is old it should lower the price of the boat giving me the opportunity to buy new electronics.

But I also love electronics and have the knowledge to install them myself.