Reality of maintenance costs of a Cigarette Boat

[glasshoppa]

Hi guys, I am looking for a well-maintained second-hand Cigarette Boat (38' +) with Mercury Engines capable of giving her a speed of 85 knots (100mph). The search is underway; this thread is not about that
The plan is to use her in the Maldives during yachting season (November - April). Does anyone have a similar experience of actually using these expensive powerboats and enlightening me on the costs of running and maintenance? Ignore petrol costs; that will depend on usage.
1) What is an approximate annual cost of maintenance, for engines, drives, hull, upholstery, miscellaneous equipment like A/C, toilets etc? Assuming the engines have 100 hours on them already.
2) Do these boats need continuous looking after, or is it enough to store them away for non-season months in an open storage area?
3) Are these machine more finicky than most sellers and brokers let on (read: hidden costs)? Or are they solid and robust for the most part for rough use?
4) Any alternate to Cigarette Boats you may suggest, for more durability and dependability?

Any inputs welcome.
Many thanks in advance.
Cheers.

 

[dingbat]

Break Out Another Thousand..$$$$

The old adage for expensive toys……If you have to ask you can’t afford it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

A good friend of mine owned a few. the down side is the engine overhauls about every 200-400 hours. the high performance nature means they eat valve train. especially if you run at WOT often

compare that to 4000 hours for a non-performance run-of-the-mill I/O motor

that should cover question #1 and to answer #2, yes, they need constant maintenance.

you should look for enclosed storage. Open storage kills a boat

for #3.... think of it like trying to use a Ferrari as a daily driver.

cigarette is a name brand. just like Donzi, Nor-Tech, Fountain, wellcraft, MTI, hustler, and a bunch of lower named brands

I personally would look at a center-console boat with outboards. something with a cabin, head, and a few other amenities.

Nor-Tech, Fountain, Scout, Aviara, Freeman, etc. all offer boats with outboards

they have less bling, more substance and designed to get you hundreds of miles off-shore and back. they are slightly slower than their go-fast cousins.

 

[racerone]

They say.-----A boat you buy takes about 10% of it purchase price to operate every year.-----Any qualified shops in that area?-----Plan to maintain overhaul the " go fast " engines yourself?----Priced fuel in your area?----Do you know how much fuel they take at 100 MPH ?