Caveat emptor?

[zoidberg]

I have a friend - yes, really - who has asked my views of a 25 y.o. Beneteau First 35s7 with a 'nominal' 981 hours on the 40hp Volvo engine.

I offered what I thought would be the normal caveats, but what would more experienced and knowledgeable types suggest I add to my cautionary tale?

( Oh, and asking $57000 )

If anything.....

 

[dom]

What are nominal engine hours and why is this tale cautionary?

Nothing has happened yet!

 

[doug748]

I snitched a look.

Is it 10981

.

 

[dom]

I snitched a look.

Is it 10981

.

Aha, you got me interested so I also had a look!

Friday night sleuth award probably yours…

….but the two pics of the counter seem inconsistent?

 

[zoidberg]

I snitched a look. Is it 10981

I snitched a look, too. Just now....

My 'cautionary tale' was a brief and early response to a friend's query. Here, I'm asking for more perspective, even ammunition, for a 'follow on'.

 

[Stemar]

Am I right in thinking that the First is Beneteau's racing series? If so, she may have had a hard life. How's the GRP around the chainplates and other high strain areas? When was the rigging replaced? How many times has the keel been bounced off the bottom?

10981 hours wouldn't scare me off if the engine's been serviced properly and passes all the cold start and similar checks, though I wouldn't tell the seller that; he'd get the sucking of teeth. 981 would scare me more over 25 years - too much time spent sitting there quietly rotting.

 

[Moodysailor]

If correct, that's over 400 motoring hours per year, which in my opinion is a lot for a yacht given that the engines are usually run quite hard when they are used.

If correct, that engine should have had a full rebuild by now, or it should be considered as 'without engine' for valuation purposes. Chances are it's already had a replacement and those are the cumulative hours of both engines.

 

[zoidberg]

Thanks. Should my expatriate friend come back for more 'de'ils advocate' stuff, I'll pass on the views.

 

[Wing Mark]

A 25 year old engine, if it works well at the moment, fair enough, but I would take the view that I might have to replace the engine in the time I owned the boat.
But that would then mean in say 5 years time,I 'd have a slightly more valuable boat with an engine only a few years old.
$57k value boat, the value in a used or very used engine is not such a big %.
I'd pay a little more for the same boat with Beta less than 10 years old and sensible hours on the clock.
I'd pay a little less if the engine was clearly on its last legs, i.e. badly down on power, reluctant to start, dripping oil or smoking etc.

It's a much bigger deal if you're trying to put a value on a £10k boat.

Also a lot older boats IMHO could use a power upgrade, but this 35ft race boat with 40HP seems plenty,.

I wouldn't trust the hours meter too much either way.
I've heard of boats having engines swapped out for an identical model that isn't new, in order to meet a racing commitment. The old one gets fixed out of the boat and may end up in a different boat.

 

[gordmac]

With that annual engine use I would imagine the sails are immaculate!

 

[zoidberg]

Interestingly, I forwarded a 'melange' of comments from here and other sources to my friend in Upstate New Yoik. He mulled over this for a week with his wife, than came back to me. Essentially, she told him she wouldn't support buying a boat that had 'the best use taken out of it' but if he really wanted, she'd buy him a new one!

It seems the local dealer is asking 50% on Beneteau's list prices, so he's decided to wait a while until the current 'panic buying of boats' subsides, and a few near-new specimens appear on the market.

In the meantime, he'll take her on an extended sailing holiday/course in the Virgin Islands....

It's tough at the top!