Would you Buy Now and How Far?

G

Golfman25

Well-Known Member
Sep 12, 2009
7,669
IL
Boat Info
1998 370 Sundancer
Engines
7.4 MPI
So for us northerners, the end of season is rapidly approaching. A few more boats on the market, but nothing spectacular. Deals are still hard to find. Found something 5 hours away, but have had bad luck with two boats trying to buy longer distance. What say you -- Pass or suck it up buttercup?
 
I would hold for now and wait for next season to see if the bubble deflates a bit rather than go pay an inflated price even if it were local. You will not get to enjoy it until next year anyway unless you are planning to use the winter to personalize one. I also pretty much decided that I don't need a boat bad enough to deal with the hassles of buying one at a distance of more than a couple hours drive. I am a creature of convenience and realize that narrows the market by 80 or 90 percent but life is too short for the stress that distance buying brings. Just my 3 cents.
Carpe Diem
 
Make it an adventure.

Is it anywhere close to where you could have a nice weekend out of your trip?

What kind of boat are you looking?

Trailerable or would it have to be broken down and shipped?
 
Little Ducky said:
Make it an adventure.

Is it anywhere close to where you could have a nice weekend out of your trip?

What kind of boat are you looking?

Trailerable or would it have to be broken down and shipped?
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Exactly what we did for the last two SRs. 6 hours to Pensacola Beach in the summer of 2017 and 6 hours to Orange Park, FL last fall. We had fun on both trips. They were primarily boat finding missions, but we did other stuff too....

Bennett
 
Larger boat, would need to put on a truck and trailer it 4 hours (but not taken apart), then take it across Lake Michigan. It's not a great deal, but is a make/model with the options I have on my short list My issue isn't really with the initial inspection -- I could to that in a day. It's really with coordinating the survey/sea trial, and then the prep and shipping from afar. Then as carpediem says -- by the time you get it all done, it's time to put her in storage for the winter, which means I'll need to scramble to find her a spot (plus the current boat). The boat market in my area sucks -- either way overpriced or doesn't exist.
 
I would wait to see what market does and I now vow to buy my next boat locally. Previous 2 boats were out of state and I no longer want to deal with that rigmarole. Plus the shipping costs are no longer economical. Unless I somehow end up in a boat less situation and am desperate I'll bide my time to get what I want somewhere on Lake Michigan
 
Carpediem44DB said:
I would hold for now and wait for next season to see if the bubble deflates a bit rather than go pay an inflated price even if it were local. You will not get to enjoy it until next year anyway unless you are planning to use the winter to personalize one. I also pretty much decided that I don't need a boat bad enough to deal with the hassles of buying one at a distance of more than a couple hours drive. I am a creature of convenience and realize that narrows the market by 80 or 90 percent but life is too short for the stress that distance buying brings. Just my 3 cents.
Carpe Diem
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I agree to wait to see prices come down. The 2020/2021 new owners who bought on the high end and found that boating isn’t for them will be selling in the coming months in my opinion. I have a neighbor in my marina with a 420 AC who fits that profile. He bought in August of 2020 and never uses the boat. When it was his new toy it was washed every week and there were signs of some activity. I doubt he has even visited the marina in the last 8 months and the boat shows it with the lack of simple maintenance. I’m guessing it, along with a lot of other boats will be on the market soon.
As far as how many hours you should travel, it just depends on the boat and the deal. Our boat was 7 hours away and I made the trip to see it, sea trial and spent some time to get to know it every weekend for a month (4 or 5 weekends total) before we took delivery. It was worth the drive for us based on the price and condition of the boat. :)
 
I think we are discussing the wrong question. The pertinent question is, is it the right boat? That you were asking the question of when and how far may be an indication it is not.

One thing to keep in mind, and this goes for the vast majority of boats that are discussed on this site, they made very few boats 10 years ago, due to the market downturn so the hot market for 10-year-old boats has grown to a hot market for 20 year old boats. I believe there is a boat shortage because of that lack of production 10 years ago. That is not going away.

So the question remains, is this the right boat for you? Most of us are not 25 with our whole life ahead of us, we have a somewhat defined period of time that we can enjoy these Boats, particularly the larger Boats. Time is of the essence for all of us and figures into the equation.

So what is good and bad about this boat? How well does it fit you and your needs? How good of condition is it?
 
Well said Mike. I'm younger than most on here, but I've always waited and travelled for the right boat. Atlanta, Ft Myers and then grabbed one on Lake Michigan.

I'd have no qualms traveling or waiting for the right boat. But just keep in mind, as more time goes on, the supply of good, clean boats is only decreasing...
 
Do you have a place to keep the boat if and when you buy it? Most locations slips are scarce and expensive.
 
Some good points. To answer a few.

Place to keep it -- my current marina has more slips than boats. I get half of the second slip. So I am good thru October. Winter space is a little more tight, but I should be able to swap my current boat's spot for the new one.

Is it the right boat -- well that's the $64,000 question. I have spent a lot of time compromising with the admiral to find that boat that fits both of our wants. Truth be told, I'm doing the compromising -- something about a happy life. With that I have narrowed down to a defined list of applicable boats. Then it all comes down to condition, location and value.

This one is on that list, in fact was the first year & model I was considering before the shortage caused me to expand my list. Location -- a bit far. Condition -- looks good. Value -- between deal, fair, and stupid, it's probably on the high side of fair.
 
@Golfman25 have a local CSR member put eyes on it for you. Everyone's happy to look at boats!

I did it with one in Florida I was considering and marked it off my list.
 
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You guys back east aren't used to traveling like those of us who live in the PNW and west coast states.

For me, a 5 hour drive is a piece of cake for the right boat. I've done that many times and make a road trip out of it. A chance for lunch at a new restaurant, possibly a hotel stay, dinner out, etc.

When we were looking for a motorhome we drove about 6.5 hours to look at one. It turned out to be a mess so after an exhausting 10 minute look at the RV we turned around and went back home. It was a long day, but I enjoy those long days in the car with my wife.
 
Golfman25 said:
So for us northerners, the end of season is rapidly approaching. A few more boats on the market, but nothing spectacular. Deals are still hard to find. Found something 5 hours away, but have had bad luck with two boats trying to buy longer distance. What say you -- Pass or suck it up buttercup?
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“End of season” , thats just sad. Just past half point here. Cant imagine.
 
I was in the same position this time last year. Either buy near the end of the season (2020) and most likely put right into storage due to no slip availability .... or, wait until early 2021.

I ended up buying last year. I was able to see the boats in the water (not on blocks) and get a survey/sea trial. Plus I figured when spring rolled around I'd be ready to go.
 
Phil S said:
I was in the same position this time last year. Either buy near the end of the season (2020) and most likely put right into storage due to no slip availability .... or, wait until early 2021.

I ended up buying last year. I was able to see the boats in the water (not on blocks) and get a survey/sea trial. Plus I figured when spring rolled around I'd be ready to go.
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And you had all winter to fix/upgrade the stuff you needed to. Fall best time to buy. Buy in spring like I did last year you spend half the first summer fixing stuff.
The is no such thing as a turn key boat, even new. You are going to want to do stuff, wife wants to decorate.
 
I think the bubble is starting to deflate, if not burst. At the low end of the market it seems like the inventory is improving and prices are coming back down. Still some holdovers asking 19k for a 25 year old 20' bow rider, but many others back down in a reasonable price range.

I'm also seeing some larger inventory that isnt moving, and owners are going to start to see winter coming and those prices will drop.
 
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Pirate Lady said:
Jeez, its august 4, and y’all talking like it’s December. winter, just NO.
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I know. I got my haul out packet a week ago. But here's the thing. I always delay, thinking we have plenty of "summer" left. But once Sept hits, the good days (less than 2 footers) on the big lake become few and far between. By Oct it's even more rare. So while I wait for that perfect day, I am always challenged to get everything ready for winter. It sucks and why I am leaving this god foresaken state ASAP. Gotta go by Lotto tickets.
 
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