Is an older yacht good or bad

I'd recommend hiring a full time captain to help you find the right boat and then to captain it for you. Am I serious? Partially. Someone very inexperienced isn't close to being ready to cruise to Grenada. Nor do you know enough to match your boat choice to the cruising location and to your experience level. What about boat maintenance? Are you unprepared there as well? If so, then I understand the broker's concern about the age of the boat. Budget for both purchase and operating? Does it take into consideration paying for all maintenance?

Newer and smaller has disadvantages in terms of living arrangements and comfort and possibly in terms of sea worthiness since a lot of open ocean travel appears in your plans.

I think you need to back up and match plans to experience and budget. Perhaps charter some. Then decide are you really an ocean cruiser or a coastal and Bahamas cruiser in the making?

If you purchased a 53' Hatteras today, you'd probably not be able to get insurance to operate it if very inexperienced, and, if you did, it would probably become a dock queen as you'd be scared to operate it regularly and cruise. See, that's my biggest fear, that you'll buy a boat you're not prepared for.

So, I suggest to back up and detail your experience, how you intend to gain more, and what you see as your potential. Then think of how you will actually use the boat over the next few years. Do you really intend to take off for the Caribbean or is the west coast of Florida more in line with reasonable plans? Until you have resolved all those issues in your mind, I don't see you ready to shop for boats. Look is fine, but no serious shopping. If the broker didn't ask these and many more questions when you were together, they they're not really in position to know what boat to suggest. They probably suggested newer and smaller due to inexperience but do they know your cruising plans?



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What IS your experience so the members can establish a baseline for advice? areas of operation, sizes and types of boats, number of years, etc

I have answered this question before.
These boats are fine for coastal cruising and the Bahamas. The minute you go south of the Bahamas there can be some BIG seas. This is NOT the place for inexperienced boaters.
I did this trip on a 48 foot wood Grand Banks 30 years ago. A 49 plastic Grand Banks 8 years ago and an 80 foot Jongert, Dutch built motor yacht, two years ago. On the two Grand Banks we never went out over 4 to 5 feet BUT we were caught out sometimes. NOT fun. We were and are very experienced. The Jongert can go into 10 to 15 feet without problems. Our Jongert is run by professional crew.
Some of these older boats are built better than ANYTHING you can buy new. You are going to loose money on any boat. Since the price of new boats is expensive older boats can offer great value. There are lots of 5 year old boats in my marina that have not sold for over a year or two.
Buy an old Hatteras, spend some money on refit and you will be happy. Hire a captain until you are VERY experienced. Will you every make it to Grenada? Maybe not but there is lots of great coastal cruising

As others have mentiomed, the bahmas is one thing, the Caribbean is another. Yes it can be done with the boats you re looking at but with careful planning, the right weather and an experienced crew.

Taking any boat to the bahamas requires some preparation and system upgrades, and this is even more critical for the carib. For instance a watermaker is pretty much a must. It s not just money but space to install which may not be feasible on a smaller boats. Generators... some older larger boats have two generators. Having a back up when cruising in some remote areas is important as parts and mechanics may be hard to get to. If not a back uo generator, a large inverter battery bank will be a close second and add some convenience. Good luck adding 6 or 8 batteries on your average 45 footers. Oh... and tankage. You soend a lot of time on generators in the bahamas and fuel docks can be 100 miles apart... smaller boat = smaller tanks which means your schedule and tankage will be set by fuel availibility

Finally, storage is critical. You wont find a publix supermarket around every corner like you do here in florida. You need storage which again will be a challenge on smaller boats

Bigger older vs newer smaller is a common question but it s pretty much a meaningless one without going into specifics of actual boat, how they were used, maintained and upgraded. As a 1970 53' hatteras owner i m obviously a little biased but i ll take an older Hatteras to a 15 year old taiwan built boat or carver or silverton or...many others. A 10 year old boat can require as much maintenance as a 40 year old boat...

Hiring a captain during the purchase process, then for training and during the frst few months is a good option for someone inexperienced. While it may seem costly, it could save you a lot of money.

It may be that the broker is steering you to a smaller boat in order for you to gain experience.
To get your feet wet, if you will................
It is possible the broker is maybe a little concerned for your well being in taking on a larger boat w/o past experience.

Of course it could be he's got a specific boat he wants to sell you too...

14 years ago, we purchased a 1978 Bertram MY project boat. Few months later wife moved us aboard ahead of schedule, even with stb main rebuild on going.
Were still on board, Bertie will be 40 years old this year. Still a solid ship with many years left on her.
From Jax, Dry Tortuga & Keys tour, 4 Abaco tours, Countless runs just up/down FL east coast & St Johns river.
Many weddings, Many offshore fishing trips, local over nighters.
Many hours and miles.
We have done 99% of the work ourselves. There would be no way in heck we could of paid a shop for work and survived.

Our answer for you; If the old boat your looking at is not storm damaged or sank, there is nothing wrong with an old boat.

In my opinion any older boat that is in good to very good condition that is kept that way will be worth pretty close to what you're paying for it now.

The depreciation curve has pretty much flattened out, if you let the boats condition go or get behind on maintenance they you will lose money on it. I just sold probably the most pristine example of a 1984 56 Hatteras this summer that I was in charge of for the last 5 years, it sold for double what Florida broker told me we would get for it. I do not think there are many turn key older boats out there, but they do exist. The cost of entry is the cheapest part.

I agree. If the maintenance and upgrades are done, there can be little to no value loss. However, the costs of getting there and staying up on it is significant and/or staggering if you can't be involved to a large extent vs. paying outside contractors.
Not sure what the percentage of these good boats are compared to the usual neglected ones.... maybe as low as 2 - 5%... ? That's how they retain their value.

If you're looking at an 80's boat, you want one that has been used regularly, maintained regularly and upgraded. If you can find one like this, you might pay 1/2 what the owner has into it. It can be very wasteful to get a smaller boat only to find yourself immediately wanting to get a bigger boat. In my case, I have to say, it has taken years to get my 1984 Bertram 54 the way I like it and reliable. The more I boat, the slower and more conservative I become. Water can be shallow in Florida and the Bahamas. Grounding one of these boats will generally require a prop tuneup if not something worse. The slower you are going when grounding the better off you will be. Any systems that are 10 or more years old without being meticulously maintained or replaced will likely need to be replaced. Bottom line. I would buy the nicest and best maintained boat I could afford. It is more expensive to fix a beater boat than to buy one already in good shape.

Agreed.
I'd rather be boating than working on one.

What he said.

I'm too old for messing with fixer-uppers now. Find a really well loved older boat with simple systems and you will not go far wrong.

Or at least an older boat not much molested. I don't think the previous owner of my boat went below decks much, it was just a commuter to get him to his house on an island somewhere in Georgian Bay. The fluids and filters were changed regularly. Other maintenance items that weren't tended to, I can deal with once, and they will be back to new, or better if upgraded to more modern versions.

Neglected or tired engines/driveline items, will be expensive. Neglected structural/hull/deck items will be expensive. Neglected waste system or appliances or electronics, can add up to significant money, but not as urgent or expensive. And replacing or refurbishing those systems to new, will significantly improve the ownership experience, money well spent.

My wife and I held a similiar discussion a few years ago - for nearly 30 years I owned sailboats and have over 15,000 single hand off shore miles logged. I decided to move to a motor yacht and anguished over the questions new or old or really old boat, big boat little boat, off shore or coastal hull, etc. I concluded the answers to all of my questions really were determined by my reasons for having the boat in the first place.

We ended up purchasing a well maintained 1985 50 ft Chris Craft Constellation and I will share the logic we applied when making our decision

New or old - perhaps the easiest decision to make - a function of my check book - new ones depreciate and old ones must be maintained. Both depreciation and maintenance are non recoverable costs. New the my "perfect boat" would have required a lottery winning number. The well maintained Chris Craft purchase price was 20% of the cost of an equivalent sized new boat and less than the depreciation loss for the new boat.

Although well maintained by the old owner, I knew we would have to spend good sum to I retrofit and recondition and oth

other - runing gear, possible engine (s) rebuild, cosmetics, canvas, and of course new ELECTRONICS, dinghy, interior furnishings, etc. - costs that could be equated to the intial purchase price and we accepted before writing the check.

Maintenance of a new boat or an old boat is the same - salt water, sun, wind and mold do not care about the age of the boat they are attacking - a bottom job costs the same, new boat or old boat. Beware of new boat warrantees - the salt water ennviroment is pervasive and gives manufacturers many options to obfuscate their warrantee. Investment in a roactive maintenance program on an old boat will be as cost effective as paying the premium to acquire a manufacturers warrantee.

Dated lines and layout vs contemporary - new boats have neat lines - old ones are boxy - w0oden classics are for rich people who can afford to maintain them but not use them. Because my wife likes "space" and we found the older boats seemed have more interior volume for the advertised length than the newer boats. Length measurements on newer boats include bow and swim platforms and older boat lengths were advertised without these extensions. Thus the interior volume of a 1975 Carver 35ft is equivalent to a 2017 Carver 42ft. Personally when my pocket book was involved I generally opted for function over form.

Boat Insurance and resale - liability cost is the expensive part of boat insurance - hull insurance a function of your pocket book and appetite for the deductable. Hull insurance on a wooden boat is nearly impossible to obtain but the liability insurance is the same as a brand new boat from the factory. Boats are not an investment and while they sit in water they definitely are not a liquid investment - a lot more boats exist than there are buyers.

Financing a 30 year old+ boat is very difficult but financing a boat period is not the best of ideas in my opinion to begin with. If you plan to own only a couple of years and then "move up" your broker is right. If liquidity is not a concern - do not sweat the older boat.

Safety off shore - this is a function of your level of appreciation of the sea and your seamanship. Over the years of sailing off shore I have learned that humility and common sense will protect you far more than engine horsepower and speed and bravado. I have meet a lot of sport fishermen and "yachtsmen" who think they can outsmart mother nature and allow their egos to place them in danger. An appreciation of the sea is acquired over time, but common sense is God given. Our Chris Craft is a coastal cruiser - in sailing terns a day sailer - do not go offshore any further than it takes to get back in one day. It takes the same amout of time to learn about the sea and maneuver a boat whether you have a big boat or a small one. Choice of boat length is determined by your pocket book not your boat handling skills - more often than not bigger is much more forgiving when learning - at nd a little fear when handling a boat is a good thing.

Well I have rambled enough - but the advice is free.