Hi All,

I have been reading the forum for a couple of years now, having recently sold my yacht for a price that could make a grown man cry I started to ponder maybe I dodged a bullet!

I had numerous people and brokers approach me showing me other boats for sale during the 6 months it took me to come to reality.

The question I ask is what is a boat from the mid 80's with original engine and electrical wiring, plumbing etc really worth if we put our accountant hats on.

A recent example I viewed was a late 80's Cavalier 37 with 2010 Yanmar engine low hours, Rigging done less than 10 years ago and the boat had been rewired etc overall in excellent condition. The broker was asking 55 and I assume it ended up somewhere in the 40's after haggling.

If you took then a boat that had nothing done but was in good condition to it what would a realistic price be?

Approx Boat value after work done 45k
Repower 30-35hp 15-18k incl install
Rigging Standing & Running 6 - 10k (cant get insurance without it)
Wiring and Plumbing etc 2k?
Misc Items 2k

Does this make the above hypothetical boat really worth 13k?

If you pay more for it you have essentially lost money the moment you take ownership.

Assuming there are other issues with a boat of that age e.g through hull fittings need replacing, Keel bolts might be looking sad, Stern and Rudder glands are starting to leak it wouldn't take much to bring the above into negative territory.


It is sad to think about but my business hat suggests a lot of older yachts are approaching the point where they are worth more for scrap a sad day indeed or maybe a happy day if you are a retired shipwright.

Graham.