Boatbuilding Price Question

Hello and welcome here rysa.
Why should´nt he get a good boat at 200k$ ? There are many excellent made 40´boats on the water which have cost less. And how do you know (what nobody else here knows) what the real demand is, and that a second hand boat is the better choice?
Maybe you have overlooked something in the first posts?

Regards
Richard

 

Dollar for foot, your choices in that class of vessel are metal or GRP. 40' is about the cut off point where wooden (in one of the many different methods) becomes less viable as a build material, in terms of weight, strength, maintenance, resale value, insurance, etc.

Depending on how specific your requirements are a custom may be necessary, though many 40' metal and GRP hulls are currently available, some quite cheaply. I know of a 39' (wooden) bill boat (swordfish) that has a low hours (less then 500) Caterpillar diesel, 4 year old A/C unit, working chillers, rig and gear, etc. and you can have it for less then 40K. This is a working boat, in good condition (I personally caulked it's bottom 3 years ago). The owner's wife has cancer and he's up a creek for money. There are deals everywhere.

Fishing fleets around the world are folding up, the boats are auctioned off or dragged to the land fill. The market is buyer ripe at the moment.

A full up custom for 200K sounds like a pretty good deal. I'd avoid the western side of the big puddle to your left, as far as builders. A lot of less then scrupulous folks building real crap over there, many of which can't come into the country without lots of additional "upgrades", which in itself is sufficient enough of a commentary on their efforts. There are some exceptions to this rule, but not many.

In the end you need to refine you desires, develop a "wish list" and start doing some leg work, if interested in a conversion, bare hull or remodel.

Each yard will have various rates for a "dirty space", where you can work. Some don't permit it at all, other then minor stuff like replacing a cleat. Other marinas, known as "working" yards, will have good facilities, tool rentals, even skilled labor for hire. Which one? Who knows, but you can do some leg work and check out the local yards.

 

can you tell us what gear you want on your boat, is it a displacement hull, what tanks, what systems, what electronics,is there a certain engine you want , if you get a used boat all the time you spend removing old construction is wasted money, you have to price this in, yes old hulls are cheaper initially, but then you have an old hull, & generally if its older than 15-20 years its a lot of maintanence, & you lose your resale value, i'm not presuming you dont know all this, but any quote is a wild number without specifics

 

its a pleasure to be here richard,
all im saying is that $200k seems far to cheap for a quality, custom made, 40 foot fishing vessel. you yourself said that costs could exeed $550k, this is more than twice the price you have just stated!! even Ohare who is the one looking to buy this vessel has found that $300k-$500k is a more realistic price. now if someone has $200-$250 to spend on a boat then these realistic prices of $300-$500 are out of that persons price range. making the 2nd hand boat a much better option.
im not saying go out and buy any old boat just because you can afford it, still do your reasearch and buy the right for the application, in this case a fishing boat that can handle a bit of chop.
as par has said fishing fleets around the world are folding and auctioning off their boats, so you will be able to pick up a good 2nd hand boat for a really good price.

i don't see why you are so against a 2nd hand boat richard, it will cost the buyer less to get something better thats a couple of years old, yet has nothing wrong with it. its that simple.

 

I'm fairly confidant that Richard is asserting, rightly so that a used boat will cost nearly as much as a new or slightly used boat, once all is said and done.

Unless the owner is especially skilled in a number of the aspects of assembling, building, wiring, plumbing, electrical, hydraulics, problem solving, fabricating, welding, 'glassing, etc. then a "Fix 'er upper" isn't a wise choice.

This isn't what I or others would suggest. With a little leg work (okay maybe a lot to find the right boat) they may find a fine deal on a reasonably well equipped boat, with most if not all of the gear they need. Some upgrades, maybe some repairs and their off to the happy hunting grounds.

Considering the current market any 500K price tag could be offered a cash deal for 1/2 with likely takers being the rule, rather then the exception. This brings a whole new line of vessels into view from the buyer's perspective.

 

rysa
I am not against a second hand boat, just against wild guessing. And when I say cost could exceed 550k that does not mean 200k is far to low a price! It all depends on too many factors we still do´nt know!

PAR in this case I have to disagree (unusually) with one of your statements. In my opinion the 40´to 50´range fits the wood epoxy method perfectly. And we produce very competitive in that range. I must agree though that wood epoxy has not the reputation it deserves, in the US, so resale value might be a issue.
Regards
Richard

 

In yachts I'd agree that wood works in the size range, but not working vessels that need much stouter construction. Weight and maintenance become issues. This is particularly true of fishing vessels, where bashing into docks, over loading holds and lugging a overly burdened boat through rough conditions can be norms, not exceptions.

It's at the boarder line, but If I was contracted to design a fishing vessel of this size, metal (preferably alloy, if the client can afford it) would be my first choice, GRP second, wood a distant third.

 

Paul, you say all the thread was related to a commercial vessel? I could´nt build a commercial boat, and would´nt like to do! So, was I riding the wrong horse here?
Regards
Richard

 

You are in a reasonably mild climate in the Washington area (regardless of whether DC or the state). If it were me, I'd construct a temporary building on either my own lot or a rented lot. the cost is low and the materials reclaimable. A yard will charge quite a bit more, enough to cause you to consider another option.
There are also other choices. In this economy a lot of owners of commercial space are anxious to make a deal as they've lost their paying tenant.

 

I'm not sure Richard, he mentioned fishing boat, which I assumed was a working craft. I could easily be mistaken.

 

THIS 39 FT BOAT IS A BARGAIN , buy it now

 

If I had 40K I didn't know what to do with . . . hell I know of much better deals then this.

 

you guys are so lucky, europe is so expensive in comparison