new boat

[dirtvet]

This weekend I have to chance to buy a 1973 Spectra 20, with a fresh B.B chevy, Berkeley jet with a new A impeller. The finish has some "stress cracks" in the paint, but the hull looks good, and it needs upholstery work, the trailer is in great shape. It's the boat I have allways wanted. Is $5500. to much?
Thanks for ant input!
-Steve

[Rude]

if the boat is in good shape overall it doesn't sound too bad. i have a 20ft '83 nordic viking (should be very similar boats) that i paid roughly the same price for although mine is an outboard. it seems that once they get to a certain price (around $4000-$5000) they don't come much off of that unless they are a real basket case. good luck!

[RiverLife]

When I was buying my boat (used from a family friend) it also needed work done, but that is what I liked about it. It needed new gel (about $4,000), freshened up interior (another $4,000), and trailer work (about $1,000)........ so that's about $9,000, call it $10,000 to keep things simple, in "fix-ups". I asked myself, "self, is an extra $10K on top of the asking price worth it for a brand new looking boat that I've always wanted?" I decided yes. I paid $15,000 for my boat, and will have a total of almost $30,000 invested by the time it is complete this winter, BUT have been told by Jim Wilkes (Wilkes Marine) that my boat cannot be duplicated for less than $60,000 and will be worth about $45,000. So I would just think of it that way. What would it cost to get a similar boat new vs. having this one fixed up!? I think you'll find that this boat you're looking at will look better and better to you. Sorry I type so much, I'm kind of known for that. Good luck with your purchase, and WELCOME to the site, look forward to seeing whatever you buy on the water.

RL

BTW - I think a new 20' Spectre (or similar) would cost you about $30K + set up the way this one is. If you put $5,000 into fixing it up, you would have a total investment of $10,500. Could you re-sell it later for $10,500?......... probably. See what I'm saying?!

[got river?]

You might also try boattraderonline.com to compare prices. Also, look at NADA, the blue book of boats. nadaguides.com

Good luck.

[BADFISH II]

Also, I will have my boat trader site up this week.

Check out www.nationalboatauctions.com later this week - let me know what you think. It's new, but should be awesome after it catches on.

Nadaguides.com is great for boat values, but for a boat like that I don't think you'll find the true value there - just my opinion.