OLD vs NEW boats. Contradictive experts' opinion.

[skipperpete]

I thought I was alone in having Irwin and Hunter at the bottom of my list, I was interested in buying an Irwin once, parked on the hard for 2 years but the surveyor casually mentioned that it was the second boat he’d seen that had sagged on its keel by more than 6“which made the bottom a gentle concave. ( other was a Tayana. ). I don’t much like the underfloor engine location much either, we had an Irwin 65 at Hamilton island as a charter vessel and it had very complex bilge and raw water plumbing with solenoid operated valves instead of vent loops and the engine and bilge flooded on several occasions, never good to lift the access hatch and see water lapping up to the tappet cover. The old Nautor Swans were lovely boats, well made, solid construction but the more recent models like the 80’ foot cruiser racer are very different, ultra lightweight, twin Volvo common rail engines and 2 very large gensets crammed into a crawl space under the saloon floor and almost no creature comforts on deck..... and the same comments apply to the contrast between the two era’s of Amels, the old ones were solid, well thought out and well appointed cruising yachts but the latest models abandoned the founders rules and adopted the fully electronic cruiser racer type and made matters worse by installing an engine that has an unenviable reputation.

[ABJ87]

Originally Posted by ranger58sb

I might add there can be ups and downs in boat condition versus age. Not so much to do with the hull, but individual systems instead.

10 year old boat, maybe everything that was new still works.

15 year old boat, maybe original equipment is starting to fail (freshwater pump, ACs, fridges, freezers, microwaves, etc.) and any electronics are past their sell-by date.

20 year old boat, maybe a lot of stuff has already been replaced, so aside from the hull it's back to almost new.

Et cetera.

Throughout all those ups and downs, the engines were either (well?) cared for... or not. Age not necessarily the concern here, usually just treatment over time.

-Chris

This really needs to reiterated.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

We had friends with a Hunter and although it still floated afterwards, ithadhuge holes in the hull above the waterline, caused by the wood decking of the dock they were tied to.

100% NOT Hunter's fault and 100% your friends fault!

[Cheechako]

Generally..... GENERALLY!
I think older than say the early 80's there are more issues with construction details, industry learning curves regarding materials used etc. For me, the 70's are definitely out.

The effect of time and sun on fiberglass construction is not spoken of much either. I have seen some very brittle fiberglass that has simply sat out in the sun for years. And we all have heard of old boats, highly stressed in rough water, simply coming apart at the toerail. No, it's not common but has happened.

This stuff aside, "So please tell me your opinion!
What are the problems of the older boats that I need to be aware of?"

The age problem is very much a problem with too many components going bad.
Fuel tanks are common problems, water tanks a bit less so,
rudders full of water or corroded,
chain plates for rigging with hidden corrosion,
rigging failing,
mast corrosion,
wiring with green corrosion inside,
of course engines,
keel bolts if it has them.

The list goes on and on. I have learned you can spend a lot of money "making a silk purse out of a sows ear", but you will never get to the point of it being really "as new". Add all that work and expense to the fact that the boat doesn't look new or great if it's 40 years old and then you wonder what makes sense.

Is there a "sweet spot" age wise?
I think maybe. It seems the smaller peripheral things start to fail on a boat at maybe 8 years or so. Pumps, lines etc etc. But the basic boat and engine etc may have plenty of life left if you choose carefully. Maybe there's a sweet spot in the 8-10 year old range. But the dilemma is these boats are often modern construction, lighter weight, different designs.

[Goodxcharly]

Looks like your putting a lot of weight into the over and under 20 category which I have never heard of till reading this post. Which might apply to 5% of the boats out there.


Good luck with your search.

[Cynara]

Most people take the wrong approach. Buy the boat you want. Not based on the price. It may take you longer but you will be happier.

[Greg K]

Originally Posted by Cynara

Most people take the wrong approach. Buy the boat you want. Not based on the price. It may take you longer but you will be happier.

Personally, I'm in love with older boats, particularly the old school designs... full keel or long keels with skeg protected rudders, balanced ends. Love their looks, and their motion through the water.

New boats, modern flat bottom designs with Ikea interiors do nothing for me. Zero interest. They all look like they came out of the same Tupperware cookie molds.

Know what you like, everything else, including age, is secondary.

[CMH]

Originally Posted by Greg K

Personally, I'm in love with older boats, particularly the old school designs... full keel or long keels with skeg protected rudders, balanced ends. Love their looks, and their motion through the water.

New boats, modern flat bottom designs with Ikea interiors do nothing for me. Zero interest. They all look like they came out of the same Tupperware cookie molds.

Know what you like, everything else, including age, is secondary.

Agreed. Classic lines + woodwork = character

[Nicholson58]

Our boat is 1984, 58 feet Camper & Nicholson.

If you want an old boat do your looking on the Great Lakes. Oldies there have never seen salt. They have few if any systems you will want in salt water so anything added will be totally new. The standing rigging may be as old as the boat but is probably as good as new. You may need to service the rudder. They are usually waterlogged and several times frozen. GR boats are wet from May till September and most only leave the dock on a nice weekend day sail.

[alctel]

Also, different manufacturers had different designers/builders at different times.

The late 70s cherubini designed hunters are very good boats.