What chance of a Sealine 330 Statesman for £50k?

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Granthsmith

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All the brokers I speak to say it's a buyers market at the moment which is good for me as I'm looking to get my first motor cruiser. With up to £50k to spend and wanting a Sealine, I thought I was going to have to settle for a 310 Statesman but I'm wondering what the likelihood is of being able to bargain someone advertising a 330 Statesman for £70k-£75k down to my budget?

How much of a buyers market do you think it is at the moment, do I have a cat in hells chance???
 
depends how good the boat is and how desperate the seller is, but worth asking youself is it better to have a real nice 310 or the shabbiest 330. That's not to say you might not get a 330 but something to bare in mind...
 
You can try. Some buyers might already be at their very lowest point at £70k, others might be desperate.

Do bear in mind that condition is in many ways the most important factor when buying any boat, and older Sealines are no exception: a bargain boat that then costs you £10k in repairs 'cos something major goes "bang" isn't really a bargain.

Personally, I would look at a selection of them, become familiar with their foibles by talking to owners if possible: pick the two that are in the best condition, make a couple of low offers (not at the same time!), and see what happens.

dv.
 
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I recently worked on a 330 with mercruisers in that one didnt make much about 55k but had a hard life in the med and the survey list was a mile long!!!

You only get what you pay for and buying a sealine at that vintage and price will bite you back in years to come.

Id search for sealine post on here, theres one on here now, I know its a newish boat and to be blunt, no offence here switch BUT it should not have leaks like it has, I know of another newish 38 thats been back to the factory to be rewired and completely retrimmed due to leaks, its now got electrical faults and will ahve for the rest of its years!!!

Sorry to all you sealine owners but you dont get the same probs with P and F.

There also might be a sunseeker post lurking soon regarding a 2 year old manhatten.................... watch this space.
 
The quality does seem to be a bit variable, but maybe I have been lucky: three (small) Sealines, several thousands of miles, and no major problems so far, apart from one cooked AD31, which wasn't anything to do with the fact it was a Sealine...

dv. (happy owner of a leak-free S28, even in the torrential rain we have had recently)
 
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"Sorry to all you sealine owners but you dont get the same probs with P and F"


VP I see you mentioned Mercruisers in that post before the line above. Did that have a baring on the statement or were you referring to the boat in general not just the engines?
 
Obviously anything is possible and there could be a chance to pick up a bargain.
I bought this exact boat this year and was told by most Brokers that they were having their best year yet, as the silver haired guys were fed up of trying to save their money to see it all go pop. Instead of investing, they were buying boats for some fun with their money.
My car experience, which is vast, says that if you want to buy cheap, use it for spares!!
 
Look at the Essex Boat Yard website; they have a 310 and a 330 for sale that with a bit of haggling will be within your £50k budget.
 
I've been looking for one for under £60k for several months now and the cheapest 330 Statesman I'd found was £67k. Most were in good condition but too expensive for our budget. There is a nice 310 in Brighton which I viewed 2 weeks ago.
 
Corky said:
I've been looking for one for under £60k for several months now and the cheapest 330 Statesman I'd found was £67k. Most were in good condition but too expensive for our budget. There is a nice 310 in Brighton which I viewed 2 weeks ago.
Click to expand...

There is a 330 at boatshed Essex it's up for 69 but will probably go for 60k, it is low spec though.
If you were to add a bowthruster and some heating for about £7k you would still be left with AD31's and white cabinates, so you would be 3k under what you could expect for one with Ad41's and wood finish as well as already having heating and a bow thruster.

I have a 310 with no bow thruster and marina mooring with a strong cross wind is definately a challange.
 
Looked at it but the cost is prohibitive as we are currently also looking for a 330/F33

If we intended to keep the boat then a bow thruster would be top of the list as we moor stern to and the bow can be lively on a 310 with stern drives, problem is at circa 5K it would be unrecoverable money, the benifit would be an easier to sell boat but knocking the 5K off the asking price would be a bigger incentive.

Edit to add, very happy with 310 but other half is suffering mobility issues that mean she can no longer climb the ladder to the flybridge and is getting fed up with the unceromonious journey on my shoulder. She can do the steps on a 330/F33.

If you have the budget for a good 310 it will have the same hull as the 330. Finding a cheap good one is purely luck, right place, right time and having the cash to put on the table there and then. Very different to finding an owner that has had a shed on the market for 2 years and has finaly decided to get rid, the shed will cost you dear in the long run.

If you are keen to start boating buy the best 310 you can find or be prepared to wait a very long time.
 
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Hi all, There are "bargains" to be found,But the Best Bargains come by Word of Mouth and in my experience a well maintained boat is worth every penny,as when it comes to dealing with a Broker they find it much easier to resell a well maintained boat than A Bargain Basement.Be patient,visit plenty of places on-line and also get to know some of the Brokers in person.Enjoy.:)
 
Deleted User said:
Ho, ho, that'll make a few P and F owners laugh
Click to expand...

Agreed - all boats have their problems, and it's not at the exclusivity of S owners.

I'm on my 2nd Sealine, and have not had anything to grumble about yet. Also found their customer
service to be good - although as with most things, I realise many peoples mileage can vary on this subject!
 
Newbie

Partly because I read a thread last week criticising newbies for not 'contributing' (hard when you by definition are inexperienced) and partly beacuse I have an F33 with a leak;
I bought from a broker (prosser's in Glasgow) because I was getting the boat prepared, cleaned, in the water, at a berth, and with a guarantee. We realised that this carried a premium and have been happy to pay the extra as we were pretty clueless (I know, I know, you will say that I still am :) ) but it has been a real pleasure to get and sail the boat. It is everything that we hoped for despite the teething problems which are all being solved.
I thought that I could buy what we needed for even less (£30k) being fooled by the internet, but we have spent over three times as much and yet feel that it has been worth it. I may write very differently next year, but so far that is my experience.
Plus;
definitely get a bow thruster
and biggest engines you can afford to run (unless you are on a river)
check the canvas

Hope that helps
 
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