Should you buy 20 year old boat to fix up or 10 year old boat?

[catfishhoward]

I'm looking for a 19'-21 center console bay boat around N. Florida and really don't want to go over $15,000 since I might only use it 12 times a year. I've seen a lot of 20 year old boats around $10,000 which would leave me $5000 for repairs. If I buy a boat for $15,000 it's still around 15 years old, doesn't seem worth the extra cash for a 5 year newer boat which I might still have some repairs?

Do these boats have a life expectancy or is it how the owners have kept it up. I use to have a 23' center console and it started showing fracture cracks which scared me but I've been told there not to worry about but I thought if might have to be sealed? I also worry about the gas tanks in the floor since I don't know how to check them. I don't mind working on boats and fixing them up.

Which would be a good direction to go: Buy a 2000 fixer upper and overhaul the motor? or spend all my money for a 2005 and roll the dice?

I will be going 10 miles off shore.

 

[Grub54891]

Open ended question! My newest boat is a 1985, My oldest is a 1977. Both are still ok, just not as pretty as they used to be. Depends on many factors. Life of a boat is generally 15 years, Most of the time the motors don't need overhaul, unless they were abused. Never touched my motors besides regular maintainance, and I bought them used.

 

[catfishhoward]

Open ended question! My newest boat is a 1985, My oldest is a 1977. Both are still ok, just not as pretty as they used to be. Depends on many factors. Life of a boat is generally 15 years, Most of the time the motors don't need overhaul, unless they were abused. Never touched my motors besides regular maintainance, and I bought them used.

I've never owned a salt water boat or boated in waters with large waves. My cousin said he wouldn't go off shore in a 20 year old boat (I told him to buy a new boat then). I don't know if fiberglass losses strength as it gets older, hit a large wave and knock a hole in her? I didn't mean re-build the motor, just a really good tune up, maintance and carb job since you really don't know how the motors been kept up, don't want to break down 10 miles off shore.

My gut filling is to buy a 1995 for around $7000 and fix her up. But I don't now if the boat will last another 10 years or the fiberglass will start breaking. No way do I want to loss $15,000 for a boat that will only last another 10 years.

 

[dingbat]

By the time a boat hits 10 years of age, everything rubber or plastic needs to be replaced from atmospheric degradation, ie UV and ozone.

That includes fuel and vacuum lines, scupper hoses, plastic thru hulls, plastic pump housings, etc.

 

[catfishhoward]

By the time a boat hits 10 years of age, everything rubber or plastic needs to be replaced from atmospheric degradation, ie UV and ozone.

That includes fuel and vacuum lines, scupper hoses, plastic thru hulls, plastic pump housings, etc.

How about the fiberglass body it self? Will it start major cracking and falling apart at a certain age? Could the gas tank break or stop working in the hull?

 

[Pierce89]

Personal opinion but I'd always buy the older boat and fix it up, not just because it's way cheaper but it's like having a brand new boat structurally when you're done. I restored the transom, stringers, bulkheads, and deck on a 16ft fiberglass boat from '76 and it was like a rock...never worried about hitting a wave too hard and the transom falling off. I still take it offshore and hit the wave combos with pride.


A 10 year old boat can have wood structural issues if they've added a transducer and not sealed it, or the deck wasn't properly sealed, etc. Way better to restore it and now it's 100% ocean ready than worry about what mistakes a previous owner has made. To restore the 16ft boat was about $1200 in wood, poly resin, 1708, CSM, etc. Add another $1000 to be safe for your extra footage and the price of lumber has changed in the last year.

 

[catfishhoward]

Personal opinion but I'd always buy the older boat and fix it up, not just because it's way cheaper but it's like having a brand new boat structurally when you're done. I restored the transom, stringers, bulkheads, and deck on a 16ft fiberglass boat from '76 and it was like a rock...never worried about hitting a wave too hard and the transom falling off. I still take it offshore and hit the wave combos with pride.


A 10 year old boat can have wood structural issues if they've added a transducer and not sealed it, or the deck wasn't properly sealed, etc. Way better to restore it and now it's 100% ocean ready than worry about what mistakes a previous owner has made. To restore the 16ft boat was about $1200 in wood, poly resin, 1708, CSM, etc. Add another $1000 to be safe for your extra footage and the price of lumber has changed in the last year.

Most of the boats I've seen have said they are wood free hull? Would it be better to buy a center console wood free?

 

[dingbat]

Will it start major cracking and falling apart at a certain age?

The short answer is no….as long as it was designed for offshore use, maintenance has been kept up and was quality construction to begin with.

Lots and lots of hulls out there I wouldn’t take out of the inlet if you paid me.

My boat was 3 yro when I bought it. It will be 25 yro in May. Two total refits to date. Regularly out 40-50 miles. Would go further but limited in fuel capacity (154 gallons @1.9 gpm) until I repower with something a bit more fuel efficient.

Too answer the question… newest boat I could afford. Boat maintenance suxs unless your into that type of thing…..lol

 

[Scott Danforth]

every boat has a design life

many in the 15 year range
some in the 20
some in the 25

maintenance determines its service life

yesterdays hulls with wood structure in the stringers and transom suffered wood rot

todays hulls with stringer tubs glued together with plexus suffer from joint fatique

delamination continues to be an issue even today with 5hp vacuum pumps and vacuum infusion

soft surfaces such as vinyl lasts 2-3 years in the sunlight, about 7-10 years with constant use and maintenance. todays vinyl is not the vinyl of 30 years ago where arsenic was the anti-microbial

plastic parts fail after 5 years

so, it depends on what you buy, how it was maintained. its all about condition.

 

[catfishhoward]

every boat has a design life

many in the 15 year range
some in the 20
some in the 25

maintenance determines its service life

yesterdays hulls with wood structure in the stringers and transom suffered wood rot

todays hulls with stringer tubs glued together with plexus suffer from joint fatique

delamination continues to be an issue even today with 5hp vacuum pumps and vacuum infusion

soft surfaces such as vinyl lasts 2-3 years in the sunlight, about 7-10 years with constant use and maintenance. todays vinyl is not the vinyl of 30 years ago where arsenic was the anti-microbial

plastic parts fail after 5 years

so, it depends on what you buy, how it was maintained. its all about condition.

I guess I need to start looking at some of the cheaper $7,000-$10,000 and really look how the owner has maintained it like you say, if if looks like junk it might have been abused, but I'll still see if it feels sturdy. I don't mind replacing most stuff but I don't want to tear into the floor to repair it or replace the fuel tank.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I don't mind replacing most stuff but I don't want to tear into the floor to repair it or replace the fuel tank.

suggest you buy an FLIR camera and moisture meter

 

[catfishhoward]

suggest you buy an FLIR camera and moisture meter

Is that a way to test the floor for rot? I haven't seen any good videos how to inspect the floor structure (other than stopping on the floor) or gas tank.

 

[dingbat]

Is that a way to test the floor for rot? I haven't seen any good videos how to inspect the floor structure (other than stopping on the floor) or gas tank.

First thing I do is to remove deck plates to throughly inspect the bilge, fuel tank and storage compartments.

If the bilge and compartments are not clean, top of the fuel tank isn’t dry or I smell mildew or rotten wood in any compartment, I go no further and walk away.

 

[Pierce89]

Most of the boats I've seen have said they are wood free hull? Would it be better to buy a center console wood free?

If they're wood free I wouldn't worry as much, you're probably overthinking it. Fiberglass isn't going to just split out of nowhere especially on a 10 or 15 yr old boat, and you're not going to be pounding through chop very fast in a 19 - 21ft boat it'd be too uncomfortable! The fiberglass on my 1976 trihull is 45 years old and I'm pretty sure boat builders in the 70s just worked for beer money. I could see their drunk worksmanship when I removed the cap to restore it. The last thought on my mind was the fiberglass hull would split...I was more worried about the transom falling off due to rotten wood.

 

[catfishhoward]

When I start looking for the boat will all 15-25 year center console have spider cracking in the clear coat or should I pass on them? How big crack is to big?

 

[Lou C]

Save your money longer, buy a boat that's about 5 years old, old boats have old outboards and old outboards in many cases can't be rebuilt due to internal aluminum corrosion and then you are stuck with new or late model used outboard prices. Its just not worth it between possible wood rot and having to replace an outboard.

 

[tpenfield]

I bought a 12 year old boat . . . needed to fix it up

Then I bought a 16 year old boat . . . needed to fix it up

Just bought a 5 year old boat . . . will be fixing it up.

What was your question again?

 

[Scott Danforth]

if you buy a boat, you are either making payments or making repairs.

 

[Lou C]

I bought a (then) 14 year old boat...fixed it...then you're good a few years....then you fix it again....good a few years....then fix what comes up next....and so on....and now....that boat is 33 years old....
I think someone put it well....there are used boats...and used up boats....the former are the ones you want....the latter....only if you have tons of patience for long term projects. Been there done that, won't do it again....

 

[briangcc]

Let me sum it up this way....

The very first boat in my sig, the '56 MFG, my parents bought in the mid 80's, as our first "boat". Each and every summer, without fail, the boat was at a marina for about a week being worked on to get it running.

My first purchase is the '99 Bayliner, which I ordered. Then the '05 which I ordered followed by the '17 which I bought new in 2017 off the lot. I like warranties. My wife likes turn key and swimpad/sunpad.