Classic Burger Yacht - Long Gone

Hi,

As someone who has been signed up here for 3 yrs it seems strange that your first post should be a complaint that the forums are now setup exactly how you want them.

The thread has a start date, subsequent contributions are saved in the order they are received. This thread was started in 2004 my the Forum Owner, it has a number of replies including yours that bring it up to the current date.

Just because it doesn't have a boat in it that you want to have for nothing or next to it does not mean that it is not or has not been an informative and useful thread to the other YF Members who have read and or contributed to it during it's life cycle.

If you are having trouble finding the boat of your dreams on a website like this why don't you contact a broker?

Burgers and aluminum Yachts

The biggest issue I have found with Al. Yachts, and I have one , is dissimilar metals contact, even Burger got that wrong early on, and the problem of isolating the teak from the Aluminum along with the fasteners, apart from that, they are no different that any other quality Yacht as to regular running maintenance.
If one has to go to the Yard for the above cosmetic issues then the cost of ownership can be onerous without deep pockets, if one can develop the skills to maintain the problems themselves, then it is much more affordable to own one of the classics and believe me, a well built Aluminum Yacht can give one a great feeling of safety when the seas rise and become potentially dangerous and you know this babe is not going to start coming apart.
That's been my experience with over 6000 hrs of cruising my Aluminum Yacht, if I was going to buy something else in that size range, I would lean again to well built Aluminum.
My 2c.
P>S I also have a plastic one as well, guess my favorite...

I agree that constant update of these older Burgers can be taxing. As an owner of a 1956 steel burger i constantly do maintenance. But after all she is a boat.I also recieve many compliments and everyone is surprised by her age. The Longhorn ( the original Sis W ) is a beautiful classic.

The classic Burger needs constant attention , same as any other classic Yacht, the problem is that many buyers want the prestige of Burger ownership and do not have the knowledge or want to have the knowledge as to what is required for cosmetic appearance to be close to Bristol.
whenever cosmetics need to to be done, it goes into the yard for estimate and repair and many yards do not tell the owners or do they know themselves the amount of work needed to do quality prep and paint work, hence, unhappy customers, if you want to spend upwards of a million dollars on one of these classics, educate yourself and enjoy many years of original excellent Yacht quality, the choice is yours as to whether she stays that way. Think and researc before you buy, that's why we have "Yacht Forums"

As a lover of Classic toys,(boats, broads, cars, etc.) I lusted after a Burger for years before buying my 'Burger Replacement', a 1973 Matthews. The fiberglass hull and stand up engine room was a big selling point, the wooden house, not so much. She is going back to the yard this fall for some new topside paint and body filler on the 'wrinkles' in her house that have developed since a refit in 2010. If you don't have the time or the cash to maintain an old boat, buy a new one and fight the mfg. for warranty claims.

I am semi-retired at the age of 72 (as of today!) and I spend all my waking hours maintaining the 1973 56' Matthews, a 1974 44' Trojan F44, a 1986 Donzi Minx, and a 1979 Chris Craft Dory, not to mention the 1989 11' Whaler dink on the Matthews and two supercharged XJ8s in the garage at home. You HAVE to love old boats, cars, and babes, to keep the passion alive.......

Hi,

Looks like you have quite a collection of oldies there to look after. Am I correct in my recollection that your Matthews has Mack Engines?

All the love and affection for old things to play with will however only be a dream if one does not make sure they have enough greenbacks to support this addiction. The quantity required can vary as much as the choice of what to lavish them upon.

K1W1:

Yes to Mack question. The boat was repowered in 1999-2000 and the mains have about 2,000 hours now. They are 650HP Turbos and push the old girl along smartly. She weighed about 72,000# in the slings at Merrill Stevens in Miami before heading north in 2011 and we got 25.2 MPH on the GPS. At cruise, on plane, at 20 MPH she uses 32 GPH and about 8 GPH just off idle at 10 mph. The engines are very 'civilized' in that they don't lunge like most turbo'd diesels when first put in gear.

We have an older sportfish here at the marina with Mack's and that is the only other one I have ever seen. Very happy with them so far......(knock wood)

Current Price:
US$ 118,000
Sale Pending

Long Gone is a custom 63 Burger that had her upper saloon and fly bridge added by Rybovich many years ago.
She has been enjoyed by her owner in fresh water since 2008 on Grand Island just north of Buffalo NY.

She is not stabilized and no bow thruster.

Main engines start quickly and sound healthy

All photos were taken early July 2021

well long gone is GONE .

Long Gone is a long way from gone. She will go through a two day survey next week when the buyer will be hit up the side of the head with the reality of the reason she is $118,000.
It is my listing. Sold it twice before. Old metal boats have a very narrow following.