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

[jeb6294]

We “inherited” my in-laws boat…they got a newer boat so we bought theirs. It’s a 34 year old Starcraft, but they took great care of it so it is easily in much better shape than a lot of 10 year old boats.

 

[racerone]

When you look at any older boat you see a shiny layer of gelcoat / paint.-----No idea whether it is structurally safe.-----No idea if it has ever been sunk or involved in a mishap.-----When you take a freebee or near freebee and do a makeover you know what you have.------It also depends on where you plan to go with the boat.-----A small pond in mid summer or a larger lake with ice cold water.----All makes a difference.

 

[Lou C]

We “inherited” my in-laws boat…they got a newer boat so we bought theirs. It’s a 34 year old Starcraft, but they took great care of it so it is easily in much better shape than a lot of 10 year old boats.

that's about the ONLY way I'd ever get another old boat and even then, unless its an outboard and you can afford to repower with new, if its an I/O even Mercruiser discontinues old parts. Something to consider.
other than those situations I stick to what I said, USED not USED UP. Meaning, 5 years old or newer. This way you are maintaining not tearing old stuff out, searching for engine/drive parts not made in 20 years, etc, etc. Old boats with very rare exceptions are not collectable cars, there just isn't the value in them, to make all this worth it in the end.

 

[racerone]

I know of a doctor that built his own 20' wooden boat.------Could afford ( has a 40' + sailboat ) to buy any new boat on the market.----He spent a small fortune on wood and epoxy.-----Wanted it to say----" I built that myself "------Not enuff people today that are willing or know how to repair stuff.

 

[Scott06]

We “inherited” my in-laws boat…they got a newer boat so we bought theirs. It’s a 34 year old Starcraft, but they took great care of it so it is easily in much better shape than a lot of 10 year old boats.

You can't kill an old AL hull Starcraft. My neighbors had their 1969 for 41 years, then gave it to a friend who used it a few more...

 

[catfishhoward]

It's a hard call. 50 years old, semi-retired, and I finally have everything paid off. I just can't see in my situation spending more than $15,000 or at the most fully decked out $20,000 for a boat I might use a dozen times a year and it will continues to lose value. I found a couple 2004s for around 11,000 but I still have to buy a trolling motor and other things that would take it up to that 15 grand. I'll continue to look for a very well maintained boat but I guarantee you it'll be 15 or 20 years old for that price range for a 20 ft bay boat, think I'm buying at the wrong time. I'll continue working on my pontoon in the meantime or I might look for some cash auctions if there are any anymore. Or I might have to go down to 18 or 19 ft I've seen some really good deals on those type of boats but I've had a 23 footer before and know the extra room is nice

 

[poconojoe]

It all depends on how well an older boat was taken care of and especially where it had been stored.

You could have a 5 year old boat that is trashed from being left out in the weather without a cover or an immaculate 20 year old boat that was garage kept.

Mine is nearly 20 years old and during the boating season it's kept in my driveway with two covers on it. The boat is bone dry. Not a drop of water in the bilge.
It really bothers me when I have to drain the engine block for winterization. All that water from the engine gets my dry bilge wet!

During the Winter it's in my garage.

 

[ahicks]

My Vote-
It would be way more about condition than age here. It's about what's going to be involved in the restoration.