Buying Boats in New Zealand

[Boatingbabe]

Who, What, and Where is the best place to go, when buying a boat in New Zealand. Willing to travel North/South Island.

Also positive/negative feedback on boatyards you've experienced would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[paradix]

Can you be more specific about what type of boat you're after? Makes a big difference to where you should look.

[Al Walker]

Trade Me is as good a place to start as any, seems as if a fair number of the brokers list there as well as private individuals. You'll need to do a bit of judicious sifting to sort out what is what, and some of the prices are "optimistic" but there's heaps on there.

FWIW, I bought Silhouette through there after checking out a few, I'd not hesitate to go the same way again.

Alastair

[Boatingbabe]

Obviously the kind of boat is still in question, something not too big, but yet big and safe enough to live in over long periods of time. Either motor or yacht.

[dana-tenacity]

You will get more choice around the larger centres, Gulf Group are the biggest brokerage, Also try Tony Smith at Westhaven. As stated Trade me is as good a start as any

[roger.waite]

Also look at the Picton brokerages (Vinings etc), as the area is more accessible to you for inspections, and closer to home for use in the Sounds or transport home.

Thumbing through Trade-a-Boat (as well as visiting Trade Me) may give you a better idea of the market and what you might want ...

[barnakiel]

Auckland area. Plenty of US boats from disillusioned US sailors. Prices high (taxes). Quality low (very rainy). Given time, knowledge and patience you WILL find a good boat there though.

The good side of NZ is that expensive as their marine services may seem, the high number of good riggers, sailmakers and engine mechanics will let you not only have everything fixed but also fish for a good deal. I had my rigging renewed there and some sails made, both jobs were top notch and the men new what they were doing. My engine mechanic was a let down though.

I used the ORAMS boatyard which was famed to be the most expensive, somehow they gave me the lowest quote from all North Island placed I asked (Opua, Whangarei, Tutukaka, Tauranga). The Orams not only gave me the best price but their staff went a long way towards making sure I got all I needed for my planned sail from NZ to Europe. This included machining some impossible-to-get parts, at no extra cost ....

b.

[Pacific Jewel]

Really depends on the kind of boat you want. I live in NZ and ultimately went offshore to buy a yacht because there simply were'nt any here to meet the specs we wanted. More info please.

Generally speaking though, Gulf Group is the largest and I've found the guys there to be very professional and extremely helpful.

[Trebek1]

Looks like a lot of nice looking boats waiting for a home in NZ. Many unique wooden and steel boats on the menu, as well as some excellent looking Glass and ferro boats. The prices look pretty reasonable as well. For someone looking to sail the Pacific, buying in NZ or Oz, then island hopping from there could be an excellent idea.

[blu]

Just bought mine through Gulf Group. Boat was advertised in trademe, brokers were knowledgable and helpful. Shop around and you'll get a good deal. Mine is a H28 at less than 1/2 what it would cost here in oz. Best of luck.

[Trebek1]

Yeah, I noticed a few H28's for bargain prices on the sites. 1/2 the price of of what they would cost in the US too. Enjoy your new boat.