1963 36' Chris Craft Constellation - for under $10k?

The guys says it needs engine work on the port engine, new plywood decking in several places, a windshield wiper motor, but that overall she's ship-shape, to coin a phrase.

I know a 36' motor yacht would be a sizable first project but I looked up the boat and in top-notch condition she's worth close to $30k... for less than $10k? If it's actually that sound, I'm thinking about going for it.

Anyone have any pre-first-peek input on it or things that I should specifically check out before I think about actually buying it?

Re: 1963 36' Chris Craft Constellation - for under $10k?

Hello and welcome AD,

I just read your other post about possibly starting a biz in this industry...

I am by no means any help whatsoever when it comes to business, I have never had the "Midas Touch"...

I can only relate certain bits of knowledge from my own experiences...

First off, starting with this Chris Craft...any boat this old can have huge amounts of hard to detect defects, deficiencies and worst of all rot...all can be very labor intensive and cash vacuums...

You mentioned having a lot of experience in the mechanical department, you know how much "some engine work" can cost...maybe as simple as a tune-up all the way to a complete and total overhaul, not to mention the age and availability of parts for that particular engine...plus who's to say the starboard engine isn't close to needing the same level of attention...

To make this as short as possible, I don't mean to take the wind out of your sails...but a 10K boat can easily exceed 30K in your own free labor and materials to put back in very good to excellent condition, and in the end, it is still a 50 year old boat...

I hope and pray you can make a go of it, but make double sure that you take every precaution and have both eyes WIDE open...

You have heard the expressions, "money pit", B.O.A.T.[Break Out Another Thousand], and a "Hole in the water you throw money into"...

They are never more true, than when it comes to trying to start a new business and trying to make a decent living for you and your family...

If you decide that this is the course of action you want to take, be assured that all of us here will make every effort to help you out in any we can with a vast amount of knowledge and experience available.

Best regards and best of luck,
GT1M

Re: 1963 36' Chris Craft Constellation - for under $10k?

+1 to what GT said

Re: 1963 36' Chris Craft Constellation - for under $10k?

I always thought if I won the lottery I would build boats until I ran out of money. 10K for a 50 year old boat with known problems, start with something manageable like a low buck tinny with a good trailer and see if you can flip it for a profit.

Then move up to a glass boat and try it again. Boats are a luxury and an expense and rarely do owners see any positive ROI.



Check out this boat http://mohave.craigslist.org/boa/3135563579.html

Re: 1963 36' Chris Craft Constellation - for under $10k?

ArmchairDeity said:

The guys says it needs engine work on the port engine, new plywood decking in several places, a windshield wiper motor, but that overall she's ship-shape, to coin a phrase.

I know a 36' motor yacht would be a sizable first project but I looked up the boat and in top-notch condition she's worth close to $30k... for less than $10k? If it's actually that sound, I'm thinking about going for it.

Anyone have any pre-first-peek input on it or things that I should specifically check out before I think about actually buying it?

Click to expand...

Looks can be deceiving, especially with boats.

New plywood decking in several places means new decking throughout, and when you start the tear out on the decking I'm sure you'll find rot in the framing and structural members too... it'll be like Pandora's Box when you start opening that boat up, the rot and water intrusion will be deeper than you could ever have imagined.

The seller of this boat is selling it cheap because he knows what it will take to fix it and what the boat is worth and just wants to get rid of it.

Have a marine surveyor come out and inspect the boat if you're serious about buying it, he'll tell you what is wrong with the boat and what it'll take to fix it... and I'm sure it's not the deal you think it is.

Re: 1963 36' Chris Craft Constellation - for under $10k?

Are you aware this is a wood framed and wood hulled boat? This is not the project for a beginner. You would need a massive knowledge and skill base to properly inspect, determine and fix the potential hull issues. I'm not talking wood cores decks, and stringers, this means lots of wood framing that needs to be steam bent, scarf jointed, etc...

Add in questionable machinery, I wouldn't take it for free. You could find a glass project in the 30+ foot range for less than $10,000, and be in a better starting point. I've looked at over a dozen 32-40' glass boats, some that ran some that didn't for that kind of money. No wood hills to deal with either.

Re: 1963 36' Chris Craft Constellation - for under $10k?

Wow folks, thanks for the input.

Thanks for waving me off. On to the next boat, which I went and looked at tonight. But that's another thread.

Thanks again folks. So far it seems like this is one heckuva cool community.