Resale issues with homebuilt boats?

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Sat Oct 26, 2002 1:47 pm

I have been looking at this site for quite some time and I am very interested. I had a conversation with my barber this morning about building a boat. He was not a great supporter of this idea. He has rebuilt a number of boats. Based in his experience, he feels that the biggest differentiater in boats, when reselling, is the brand of the hull manufacturer and their reputation. He believes that I may be better off buying a used boat with a good hull even if the interior is in need of rebuilding. My concern is this. This will be my first boat (my family has had many) and, like many, I will probably want to upgrade overtime. Will reselling one of these boats ever become a problem? Let´s assume that it is built as designed and the craftsman ship is good. Also, he didn´t really feel that any homebuilt boat could be a strong as a commercially built boat. Any comments would be appreciated. Thank you.

LarryA · Post by **LarryA** » Sat Oct 26, 2002 2:07 pm

Regarding the strength comment, hogwash. In many cases, home built boats are stronger than the production counterparts for many reasons. I have seen far too many production boats with bulkhead tabs delaminated etc. As for resale, it really depends on the detail with which you finish the boat. If you do a masterful job finishing then people think that such craftmanship is done throughout and that the boat is built by someone who was meticulous (meaning worth more). Most people do not build a boat for resale though. the boats generally are used until the owner moves on to a new project and gives it to a family member or friend.

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Sat Oct 26, 2002 2:23 pm

I think that if you build your boat carefully, use good materials, and -- probably most importantly -- finish it carefully, you should be able to recover a good part of your building cost. A friend of mine built a Glen-L Tubby Tug (a 9-foot character boat shaped like a tug boat) and powered it with an electric trolling motor. Since he paid fanatic attent to detail (a tiny ship´s bell, a small anchor mounted on a bow fitting, a small "ship´s wheel") and put on a fantastic paint job, he sold it for $3,500. The total materials cost for the boat was about $500. Counting labor costs, I´m not sure he actually made all that much money, but he certainly wasn´t out-of-pocket on it. It also did not *look* homemade. - Rick [ This message was edited by: Rick on 26-10-2002 14:24 ]

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Sat Oct 26, 2002 3:17 pm

Rember you are not building a home-built boat. You are constructing a custom watercraft with a unique monocoque composite hull utilizing some of the most advanced materials available today. Please let your barber stick to cutting hair as that is where his expertise lies. Listen to Jacques his experience in the boating industry is enormous. The resale value for these boats, as with anything else. is all in the marketing. Good luck and have fun, Cheesehead Say Cheese <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif">

Post by **jacquesmm** » Sat Oct 26, 2002 3:35 pm

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD>Quote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><BLOCKQUOTE> On 2002-10-26 13:47, Anonymous wrote: . . . I had a conversation with my barber this morning about building a boat. . . . </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE> We knew that in-laws and neighboors don´t hesitate to express strong opinions about boats but to let a barber´s chat influence your decision is a first. Maybe he should design boats, he sounds like an expert. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif">

jlowy · Post by **jlowy** » Sat Oct 26, 2002 5:55 pm

I happened to be speaking with my neighborhood boat designer today... He recommended that with the shape of my face I would look better with shorter hair and maybe a tint of blonde added in <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif"> Sorry, couldn´t resist...that just came across as too funny! Regards, Jay

MikeS · Post by **MikeS** » Sat Oct 26, 2002 11:23 pm

Asking my barber about boatbuilding would be like asking my dentist about hemorrhoid surgery. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_confused.gif">

JustRight · Post by **JustRight** » Sun Oct 27, 2002 1:12 pm

Let´s face it. Selling any used boat can be a long and disappointing experience. There are so many older FG small boats around that people are donating or selling for almost any price. What has made a difference to me has been to have the boat looking pristine and unique. Sooner or later, a customer will come along. Personal experience: I sold a Bolger dory by displaying it in a store for about twice the cost of materials. I sold a Dobler Pepita to a friend who just had to have it for about three times the cost of materials which was enough to build a copy with the best plywood and epoxy available. After using that Pepita for about ten years, I sold the boat once for $1000 but had to take it back. I sold it the second time for $600, more than the cost of materials. Notice that I didn´t include the cost for my labor or the refurbing to make the boat look like new in each case. In my opinion, the reasons for building a boat are: that you can´t find anything on the market to meet your requirements, that you like to build things, will enjoy a unique product, have the time and skills, have enough money allocated to the job that costs will not discourage you, and have the time patience, perseverance to finish the job. The least valid reason to build a boat is because you think it will save you a lot of money, particularly if the boat chosen is large and complicated. BUILD A BOAT ONLY IF YOU WANT TO. THEN ENJOY THE PROCESS AND THE FINAL RESULT. I CERTAINLY RECOMMEND IT.

JimW · Post by **JimW** » Mon Oct 28, 2002 7:07 am

Absolutey agree with Just right. I didn´t like the quality in commercial boats available for around $20,000. So I am building a C19. I will have almost as much money in it (4 stroke motor) as I would had I bought a bayliner or carolina skiff (w/2 stroke). But the boat will have twin livewells, freshwater washdown, 12" wide gunnels and will be much much much stronger. Buy a production boat now and let´s meet in five years and discuss current value then. I don´t blame you though, I wouldn´t argue with anyone who had my ears that close to very sharp moving blades! Jim

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Tue Oct 29, 2002 4:43 pm

While living in Southern California for many years I had a barber who was also a Country Western singer. After listening to the CD he produced I finaly understood the old saying, "There´s a reason your barber is a barber." <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif">

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