Value?

[miket]

I have long admired the Bates Starcraft motor cruisers from the mid 1960's. My father owned a 33 ft version for 15 years. Beautiful lines.
Thumbing through the classifieds I noticed an advert for one of the 2 original 45 footers with the Command bridge helm position.
I have seen it on the river, but mainly on her mooring at Goring, for many years and she does look wonderful. I also know how much time and money was expended on her restoration by John Alkin at Thames & Kennet marina but that must be well over 10 years ago so I imagine she has been well maintained ever since to look as she still does.
Valuation?
As one that follows their prices, as much as one can, I would say the market price for a well maintained starcraft of this type might be £100k +/-.
I also accept that anything is worth as much as someone will pay, but the asking price of £270k does seem a tad OTT?

 

[burgundyben]

Given how rarely these things change hands its difficult to establish a market value, each sale needs to be taken on its own merits, there is a Fairey Swordsman on the market for the wrong side of £200k at the moment.

I'd have thought £100k was too much for the Bates, more like £60k odd.

There's a nice one on the Hamble, Mystar, nice boat, I've spoken to the owner a handful of times, pleasant fellow and clearly attached to the boat.

 

[miket]

Exceptional

I know of Mystar and nice as she is, is not in the same league as Amorena.
Whilst the 40 (Mystar) and 45 (Amorena) are similar in style Amorena has been totally refitted from stem to stern, way in excess of the original Bates finish.
I guess, as with the £200k Swordsman, if someone with enough money wants a particular boat that is hard to find, then Bingo, you have a sale.
It is finding that person!!
Take a look at the photos on www.morganmarine.co.uk or maybe .com. S/be www.morganmarine.com
Don't like the rather period tongue and grove ceiling in the saloon, but hey, that's just me.

 

[Tranona]

Pretty sure this rebuild was written up in Classic Boat. Asking price is more related to the enormous amount of money spent than any notion of market value. However there isn't really a "market" in the sense of lots of similar boats for sale so a potential buyer can only reflect it against what else he could get for the money.

 

[Akers_like]

As a 40 foot Starcraft owner, winner of the Bates Wheel 2008, I would be delighted if the boat was worth this sort of money.

IMHO I doubt very much if she would pass £100k but she does look to be in fanatstic condition

 

[Latestarter1]

Given how rarely these things change hands its difficult to establish a market value, each sale needs to be taken on its own merits, there is a Fairey Swordsman on the market for the wrong side of £200k at the moment.

I'd have thought £100k was too much for the Bates, more like £60k odd.

There's a nice one on the Hamble, Mystar, nice boat, I've spoken to the owner a handful of times, pleasant fellow and clearly attached to the boat.

Ben I would tend to agree.

Way way back I was working for a while at JG Meakes. As Tempest main agents we would go down to Bates frequently. The hire fleet was in the main powered with ex ministry Chrysler Crown gasoline engines and there had been some nasty accidents. We were involved in discussions regarding repowering several of the hireboats with BMC Commodores. I got to know a few of the guys in the yard and as a result was invited to go on the sea trials of one of the new 40 or 45's. On the river Star Craft were beautiful to the point of arrogance. We went down to the Thames Estuary for sea trials and it was apparent that what made them slip along sweetly on the river made made them an absolute pig of a sea boat. With main engines directly under the enclosed saloon noise levels were awful. I realised Star Craft were intended to grace the the end of a well groomed riverside plot.

I would suggest your valuation is correct as boats have a very limited market, and whilst the vessel in question has had machinery overhauled, longer term the horizontal Perkins has to represent a question mark. Getting a vertical engine in under the cockpit sole will be a challenge.

Overpriced boats even the the Fairey Swordsman with particularly nasty screen will stay on the market as overpriced boats. This Swordsman has been up for sale for two years. the Dutchman who collects Fairey boats went to see the April Knight and made an offer which represented less than a third of the current asking price.

 

[burgundyben]

This post is a little bit off thread but bear with me.

I realise of course that much of the factors defining the value of something is to do with supply and demand but there are other things to consider.

Some classic Ferrari's fetch millions, maybe £5M or £8M, the Coburn Spider, 250GTO etc, where a Supermarine Spitifire in working order, ready to fly, might fetch £1M

Stirkes me as an odd imbalance.

I think the reason is, with the Ferrari you could pop it in a dehumidified bag and not touch it much and it would maintain most of its value if not appreciate. With the Spitfire, its got limited hours on the air frame, much higher running and servicing and repair costs.

I think this is what holds back a wooden boat's value. Given the spanglyliest lovely restored Bates, Fairey or any other left for five years it'll need a repaint, maybe the teak deck needs re-caulking and so on. There is a bit ongoing cost. Much of which the frozen snot boats dont require.

All money spent with boatyards at £xx an hour on Awlgrip, chrome, fancy teak etc is money that will be gone in short order! ITs just not sense to pay a high price for a smashing looking boat with a £xxK paintjob cos in 5 years the value of the job will be gone.

The sad irony is that the wonderful natural material that wood boats are built with is the very thing that detracts from their value and results in them being left to rot sometimes.

 

[ianc1200]

Interesting to hear Mystar is on the Hamble, haven't heard of her whereabouts in many (20-ish) years.
Did an article for the Thames Vintage Boat Club magazine and for some reason went to see Amorena many years ago when she was being worked on at Thames & Kennet. There was only the front bench seats and the engines inside the hull everything else was stripped out. A total top to bottom restoration.

IanC

 

[burgundyben]

Mystar is well kept, can be seen from the M27.

Barry someone, he's had her for many years.

 

[ianc1200]

Barry was the owner back when the boat was on the Thames, used to come to some TVBC events.

IanC

 

[burgundyben]

Barry was the owner back when the boat was on the Thames, used to come to some TVBC events.

IanC

That's the chap, into TV, stuntman or something.