How much more maintenance will a 4 year older boat need? (Beneteau)

[Oceans247]

Hello,

I am looking for a 37 foot Beneteau Oceanis to live on for a couple of years.

I have two models in mind, the older Oceanis 373 and the newer Oceanis 37.

I want heating and a bow thruster and it should be in good to very good condition.

I can spend up to 90,000 EUR (65,000 GBP). I would rather spend less but not at the cost of having to settle for a boat in bad condition. I will pay as much as necessary, but as little as possible.

What I cannot decide on is if I should rule out the Oceanis 373 because it is an older boat and will probably require more maintenance.

I should be able to get the 373 cheaper than a 37 because it is an older boat. But will I end up spending more on maintenance on the 373 because it is an older boat? It would be a false saving if I were to buy an older boat and then spend money (and time) on maintenance.

I would be looking at an age gap of about 4 years. i.e. a 2005 Oceanis 373 vs and 2009 Oceanis 37. Is that a big enough of an age gap for there to be a noticeable increase in maintenance costs?

[skipmac]

To quote Indiana Jones, "It's not the years, it's the miles."

Or to make it more relevant to your question, it's not the age of the boat but how well maintained and to a degree how the boat was used and how much it was used.

All other things being equal, a well maintained older boat is always better than a beat up, neglected newer boat.

Of course maintenance is not the complete answer. For example, a well maintained older boat with an engine with 5-10,000 hours on it will be a concern, no matter how well maintained the engine.

So you really need to evaluate on a boat to boat comparison to decide.

[Cheechako]

I think the actual condition and maintenance will be a big part rather than year for a 6-10 year old boat as you are stating, but there are some things that seem to have a limited life:
*pumps of all sort; all electrical items; 7-8 years maybe
* Standing riggng; insurance may require renewing after maybe 10 years? If going offshore.
* Tanks: watch out, certain tanks, especially those in the bilge can go south pretty quickly.
*batteries; ~6 years
* Rudders; can become waterlogged, even as soon as 7-8 years. IME

[skipmac]

One question. Why do you have to have a bow thruster? Unless you sail and dock in a really tricky area; very fast currents, high winds, etc I don't really see the need on a 37' boat. Except in strong winds or currents you can pretty much manhandle a boat that size in and out of a slip, even singlehanded.

[lesterbutch]

I think the major issues in a boat 4 years older will be engine and refrigeration. These two items tend to go south due to simply sitting and getting old. I would far rather have an engine thats 7-8 years old and used regularly than one 4-5 years old thats just sat at the dock. Gaskets, seals, anything rubber/ compound, is degrading when it does not get lubricated and heated regularly.

[Oceans247]

Originally Posted by skipmac

One question. Why do you have to have a bow thruster? Unless you sail and dock in a really tricky area; very fast currents, high winds, etc I don't really see the need on a 37' boat. Except in strong winds or currents you can pretty much manhandle a boat that size in and out of a slip, even singlehanded.

@skipmac - I plan to be in the med quite a bit. Greece specifically, and I will be doing a fair bit of stern to mooring. Greece has some pretty strong afternoon winds.

Thank you for your replies so far.

[valhalla360]

For two boats that are both well maintained, I doubt you will see any maintenance cost differences on a statistical basis. You could easily run into a situation where the older boat has been refit with equipment and the newer boat has much of the equipment life used up.

[MarkJ]

I think there will be a difference in maintenance costs.

My Beneteau 393 is an excharter boat so had a busy life and I wougt her when she was 7 years old and now she is 14. In that 7 year gap I have been upgrading a lot of stuff, improving things and adding more.
I think that a lot of things have about a 10 year life - I think its about the same on any boat not just mine. So one is prudent to budget for it.

There is one slider to this particular situation of yours: The newer Beneteau 37 maybe much smaller than the 373. I know the 393 is HUGE compared to the newer 40.

So there may be another consideration.


Mark

[lordgeoff]

Originally Posted by Oceans247

@skipmac - I plan to be in the med quite a bit. Greece specifically, and I will be doing a fair bit of stern to mooring. Greece has some pretty strong afternoon winds.

Thank you for your replies so far.

You will find in Greece it is mostly dropping the anchore as you reverse to the dock. The anchor and chain you are dropping as you reverse generally holds the bow against a crosswind or current.
Bow thrusters seem to be the first item that get stuck with growth and if you have come to rely on it......

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by skipmac

To quote Indiana Jones, "It's not the years, it's the miles."

Or to make it more relevant to your question, it's not the age of the boat but how well maintained and to a degree how the boat was used and how much it was used.

All other things being equal, a well maintained older boat is always better than a beat up, neglected newer boat.

Of course maintenance is not the complete answer. For example, a well maintained older boat with an engine with 5-10,000 hours on it will be a concern, no matter how well maintained the engine.

So you really need to evaluate on a boat to boat comparison to decide.

+1

Maintenance demand is much more dependent on how a boat was maintained. Age is a second order effect.

Your skills and capabilities to do maintenance work will also have a significant bearing on what you consider a feasible boat.

Nobody has ever complained about buying a well maintained, well equipped and well sorted boat.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by leftbrainstuff

+1

Maintenance demand is much more dependent on how a boat was maintained. Age is a second order effect.

Your skills and capabilities to do maintenance work will also have a significant bearing on what you consider a feasible boat.

Nobody has ever complained about buying a well maintained, well equipped and well sorted boat.

DIY skills are definitely a major factor to consider. If you can't do your own repairs and upgrades then a boat with all major systems in good order would definitely be a better option.

Also, to expand on Cheechako's point, even a well maintained boat the age of many things is limited. Sails, life will depend very much on how much they're used and tropical vs northern sailing. Rigging, the experts (and insurance companies) rate them at 7-15 years depending on who you ask. Pumps could be an issue as well, depending on the use.

[David M]

There are maintenance/replacement items that can be either time or usage dependent.

For example your sacrificial anodes and anti-fouling paint are mostly time dependent. Sail wear would be usage dependent.

Some items can be both such as your engine oil. You want to replace your oil after a given number of engine hours or one year, whichever comes first.

[rognvald]

In my opinion, you must ask yourself will you maintain the boat or will you pay someone to fix it. This is a major factor in buying any used boat. Does the boat have a maintenance log or was it "fixed" when it was needed? If there is no log, you'll have to take the brokers/owners word about what was done. Finally, you must compare the cosmetic condition of the boat, the freshness of the sails, drive train/engine hours, functional ability of all onboard systems and condition of the hull and bottom. Do Benes still use iron keels? That should be checked. When buying a boat, the condition/builder is more important than the year. The year only tells you when the boat was built. Nothing else. Good Luck and good sailing.

[spaman]

Originally Posted by lordgeoff

You will find in Greece it is mostly dropping the anchore as you reverse to the dock. The anchor and chain you are dropping as you reverse generally holds the bow against a crosswind or current.
Bow thrusters seem to be the first item that get stuck with growth and if you have come to rely on it......

agree totally. I have a 393 in Greece and have fitted a bowthruster (another long story!), but never use it when med mooring. the important part is where the anchor hits the bottom. it is however a great stress reliever when getting into tight spaces in a marina, especially with a crosswind.
another vital extra to add is a ropecutter. regretfully there is far too much rubbish in the med and it is inevitable that your prop will get fouled at some point without one.