Conference unifix::sailing

    
    
    	Ah justification of the high price of fun! A fine diversion from
    matters less practical.
    
    	OK the FUN is out of production. So what! Cape Dory isn't even
    laying up much these days! If you take care of her, and she holds
    together, maybe add some shiny topsides paint, she'll still be
    desirable to someone like yourself. 
    
    	One of my longtime crew is buying a used Catalina 30. Turns out the
    owner just can't make the payments. He still loves sailing, just can't
    swing the 30. He's taking my buddy's 23' Paceship (out of production,
    no rocket) and everybody's happy!
    
    	I think that the market is probably about as bad as it's gonna get,
    give or take maybe 20%, so buying should be great.
    
    	BTW, have you looked all over? When I was shopping, I was looking
    for another S-2, and even tho the company is only making stinkpots,
    they gave me all sorts of dealer leads; who sold a dozen or more.
    Anyway, turns out shipping from the Michigan-to-Canada area was a minor
    factor; the owners would be willing to pick up the shipping. One used
    boat dealer was ready to lay out for an airplane ticket so I could see
    a couple!
    
    	So all in all, get what you'll be happy with. You can always trade
    in in on a bigger one... everybody's going under so everything's out of
    production... or liquidate it in >120' of mucky harbor!  {8*o
    
    	Have FUN!!!!!
    
    	Scott.

Since the price is OK with you (regardless of the market), go ahead and 
buy it.

First of all, the article you refer to probably has buying a *new* boat in 
mind.  There the price you pay is set by a combination of the dealer's 
view of the world and the builder's costs + profit.  It's possible to buy 
something that costs a builder umpty-ump bucks to produce that isn't worth 
a fraction of that -- there are many home-builts which sadly illustrate 
this point.

But in this case, you're already in the used market, as a buyer.  Either 
the FUN sloop is worth more because it's unique and suited to your needs 
and desires -- it's worth up to $10K to you -- and thus is likely to also 
be appealing to another future buyer sometime, if you maintain/improve its 
condition.  (As an example, the 23' Paceship Bluejacket sloop, long out of 
it's rather short production run, is still in considerable demand, and one 
in good shape sells for the same number of $ as it did new.)

But if the FUN is not as strong a retainer of value used, then your price 
in buying it should reflect that also.  Bottom line is that if you buy 
low, then expect to sell low; if you have to buy high, then you probably 
can look forward to buying high.  The only concern outside of damage you 
inflict which could reduce value dramatically is if that particular brand 
or model becomes known for a problem not generally recognized today, such 
as osmotic blistering.  (If these boats are usually trailed and left out 
of the water much of the season, then this probably isn't a valid worry 
for you.)  

Since boats are inherently a rather irrational use of money anyway, 
succumb and relax!

J.

I would expect that selling a less known or little known boat will take 
more time and effort than selling a popular boat, especially when 
selling a small(er) boat. Buying a boat is time consuming, and I (if I
were buying a boat) would be less likely to take the time to look at a
boat I knew nothing about than one I knew something about. You may have 
to do more advertising and invest in a brochure and pictures (or 
something) to find and educate possible buyers. On the positive side, 
with a popular and numerous boat (eg, the Catalina 30 to pick a random
example) it is much more difficult to get a high price for your boat as 
it is easy for the buyer to go elsewhere. With a (semi)unique boat, the 
buyer may have to choose between your boat and no boat. In these times 
of woe, I wouldn't buy any boat unless I was absolutely sure I could 
afford to keep it if worst comes to worst (like being unemployed) or 
could afford to sell it at a big loss. The fact that so many people own 
boats demonstrates the falsity of a basic premise of economics -- that 
people behave rationally. Owning a boat makes no economic sense 
whatsoever, but it makes much noneconomic sense.

    Many years ago, I sold our family's 18' daysailer, a strong and
    competent but idiocyncratic Swedish design (similar to a Rhodes 19 with
    twin rudders allowing up to a 40hp motor between, brandnamed "Ski
    Breeze".)  Certain no path was beaten to our door, and it took special
    thought in writing ads since a prospective buyer's interest depended
    entirely on what they read.
    
    I got a few interested people, and sold it to the second one who came. 
    Just as you are taking time to nose around the market, learn what you
    can, and make a careful informed decision, so did he.  I agree with
    Alan, it may have taken a bit longer, but the extra trouble at selling
    time was nothing in comparison with the enjoyment we'd had with in for
    16 years.
    
    Carrying Alan's observation a step further, boats are an entirely
    rational response to an irrational urge, unfortunately these days at a
    sometimes irrational cost.  Searching the used market is an excellent
    initial strategy, since a new FUN (if still produced) would certainly
    cost twice as much or more, and you'd still be just as intrigued by it.
    
    "Throw caution to the winds" must indeed be a sailor's expression!
    
    J.

    
    	Hmmf. Seems like some Sailor's Logic is what's needed here!
    
    	You can sleep in a boat, but you can't sail a house. And nobody
    ever got first place for Well Vacuumed living room. (This doesn't work
    at all on my wife...)
    
    	Some people lay out big bucks for zillion hp. cars capable of
    traveling 3-4 times the legal limit, maybe twice the physics-laws
    limits (a `vette cannot pull 3-4 g's, even with those new Eagles).
    
    	Ever try to put a good coat of wax, or even teak oil, on stock
    certificates? Not overly satisfying.
    
    	So invest in something that will keep you away from hospitals and
    analysts. They cost more than 3 season's worth of Micron.
    
    	You want illogical? Drive your nice car on 128 and park it in
    Boston!
    
    	Well it's off to the bathtub with me...
    
    	Commodore Freud.