Why would anyone buy a new boat?

TiggerToo

TiggerToo

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... reading T-Ken's post on "Optional Extras", got me wondering: why would anyone ever want to buy a new boat? With all the amazingly good used vessels out there, the inevitable depreciation, the inevitable quibbles and ironing out of commissioning problems etc, anyone with a bit of sense would stick to used boats...

I am being naive - or plan stuuupid?
 
But there is finding a used boat that fits your specifications.

The cost of things is only an issue if money is an object. If you have a good budget and are prepared to spend the dosh then you can get the boat you really want, kitted out the way you want it. The teething problems are generally small - you just hear more of the major issues ...

I wish I had the money for a brand new boat .... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
It's the same with cars........

Some people are prepared to pay for that "new smell" even though it costs loads!
 
Oops - must be stupid as that is just what I've done.

New boats can be configured just as you want. You know the engine hasn't been thrashed, the rigging is unstrained, the keel hasn't hit a rock and it has a WARRANTY.

Yes we have had niggles and the brokers are putting them right and despite all the criticism of brokers, ours (Westways) have been absolutely fantastic.

As for depreciation I am not convinced that second hand boats always offer better value. We looked long and hard and in the end concluded there was not that much difference when taking into account the positives.

Oh and as a friend pointed out to me today - a new boat comes with all the manuals (about 500 in my case) so I can at least refer to something to find out how it works. he has just bought a ten year old boat with nothing and its driving him crazy.

Guess with all these things its horse for courses but I an really pleased wtioh my new home and happy with the decisions we made.
 
There is the other issue after 28 years of good previous owners teaching her, our boat obviously knew more about sailing that we did.

She corrected us a few times.

I do not think I could teach a new model to do it properly. I will leave that up to others.
 
We looked at lots of older boats - Moodys & Westerlys, but SWiMBO wanted a nice shiney new boat that had not been "someone elses". I wanted peace of mind - warranties.

So, a happy SWiMBO and peace of mind.

Yes, we had to buy our own fenders & warps, but OTH we got pressurised H & C water, electric pump out shower, mains electricity, holding tank etc, things most of the older boats didn't have, all included in the basic price.
 
Because in our free market economy stupid people acquire more money than smart people, when they spend they spend stupidly and buy new boats.

Fortunate for all the smart people heh?
 
I guess it depends on how old "old" is. We recently looked at a new and a 2-year old version of the same boat. Depending on the price one finally agreed on that second-hand boat, the same spec boat new would be £15k - £18k more.

that would buy me an awful lot of bottles of malt.... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I guess it depends on how old "old" is. We recently looked at a new and a 2-year old version of the same boat. Depending on the price one finally agreed on that second-hand boat, the same spec boat new would be £15k - £18k more.

[/ QUOTE ]
You forget two years of annual inflation applied to the official price list since the original purchase plus the extra % discount for a winter delivery.
 
Re: Manuals

[ QUOTE ]
500? 500?


Donald

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe a slight exaggeration but everything these days has some software and seems to come with an installation/instruction CD, manual etc. I've got them for the cd player, dan buoy, epirb, toilets, engine, chartplotter, watermaker, instruments, autopilot, battery charger, dinghy, outboard, liferaft, solar panels, water heater, electrical system, inverter, ............

Its gonna take me months to read em all.
 
[ QUOTE ]
jonjo, wasnt your Bav a new purchase?

[/ QUOTE ]
Indeed it was. My post was a tongue in cheek response to the many previous posts on this forum suggesting only a spendthrift moron would by a new boat.

Skippering an offshore yacht is a demanding pastime and tends to attract intelligent people by definition. From MAB seadog to new Bavaria owner, we are making a rational choice when buying into our form of yacht ownership.

I think many people who buy a new yacht are on a rebound from experiences in the secondhand market, either as an owner or prospective purchaser. There might be a sweet spot in the market for AWB’s between 5 and 10 years of age but it cannot be huge otherwise supply and demand would correct the anomaly.
 
I bought new cause, quite simply, nothing second hand came close to my requirements:

- High enough performance to put the fun back into sailing
- Able to take the ground
- Large enough berths to fit my 6'6" frame
- Simple for low maintenance

I downsized from a Moody 44 to a new RM880 because as soon as I found it, I knew it met the requirements. Budget was not an issue as I was downsizing.

The closest choice I had was another new boat, the Sadler 290, but the forecabin is way too small and the aftercabin means SWMBO would have to be under the cockpit which she finds too claustrophobic.

I personally think that after a long period of stagnation, cruising boat performance is becoming important again. If you look at boats of 2 years ago they performed no better than those of 12 years ago. Modern boats like the Hanse in this months YM offer a real stepchange from those of 2 years ago.
 
[ QUOTE ]

Yes, we had to buy our own fenders & warps, but OTH we got pressurised H & C water, electric pump out shower, mains electricity, holding tank etc, things most of the older boats didn't have, all included in the basic price.

[/ QUOTE ]

What older boats have you been looking at?
Guapa's got all that (apart from the holding tank - don't want it)
 
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