We own and are still refitting a 1993 cat. Overall great
purchase for the right price. Love the boat and yes she
sails great for a fraction of the
new boat price. That said, you will spend
money upgrading systems - somewhere, somehow, almost guaranteed.
Consider the following;
1. Offer less based upon the following surveys. Do not just get a typical
surveyor. Yes, even if they say they are the best, that means they are very busy and all of us have only limited time. This
boating season has seen a huge increase in boat
sails and you will likely have trouble finding a top level
surveyor in short order. All
marine industry is jammed with
work orders at the moment and much is still backordered. (Thank you corona virus- sarcasm intended here) In addition to a surveyor, hire specialists for the following:
electrical (have them pull
panels and engage in other detailed non-destructive testing) go over full DC and AC systems, open the
helm and all
panels. Check voltages. Cats have
solar typically., how is the
solar and
battery bank?
Steering - hydraulic? Check
pump and all lines. Crawl into these spaces yourself and use all five senses. Touch for oily stuff? Smells?
Plumbing - carefully inspect. Changing shitty
parts at sea just plain sucks and takes the shine out of a “new”” boat quite quickly.
Electronic systems - Get a specialist to look at the systems. Why? Because this stuff changes more quickly than a teenager changes outfits. Your best surveyors are hard pressed to be expert in everything and remain on the cutting edge of technology.
Surveyor. - Of course Hire the bet surveyor you can in addition to the above three or four. Check the basics -
fiberglass above and below waterline, rudders, standing rigging, etc.
insurance company will insist on a standard survey anyway.
My point is that you are spending a lot of
money on this and there is definitely work that needs to be done since it is an older boat. You should plan to spend 5-8k on detailed inspections and I bet you will both save more on “unexpected “
repairs as well as save on the
purchase price.
One other point. Call for insurance prices NOW. Before you spend $ on surveys.
Boats older than about 18 years can be great but hard to insure. We got a recreational quote for ours at about $8,000 per year and we have 3 highly licensed and qualified captains in our immediate
family. Since we take out passengers for hire, we then looked at
commercial insurance and saved thousands per year. Consider
commercial insurance if you are licensed to obtain. Consider getting licensed if you want to save over $5,000 per year on insurance The knowledge is antastic even if you are not planning to
charter much. Commercial insurance is much cheaper for good reason but that is a different thread. Insurance companies offer lower commercial rates because we are always at the boat, fixing, maintaining and yes, sailing when all systems are working.
Bottom line: older boats are great and can be a deal Most boats will last longer than you can sail them. But the
marine environment degrades systems quickly and you deserve the opportunity to know exactly what you are
buying. So insist on several specific surveys - more eyes on specific systems will save you money in the long run.. We have done this on older boats and when we did.not, we have paid more for certain
repairs later. A
catamaran of that size is like a small floating city. Roll the dice or at least get separate
electrical,
electronics and a great surveyor.
Good luck, Inam betting you find about $30-50k in repairs you still need to do after
purchasing a “very well maintained” cat in that size Could be a great value. Do your homework.
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