[C320-list] 320 vs. something just a little bigger

[Scott Thompson]

And then after all of that you probably have to buy the boat your spouse likes best!  😀

> On Dec 18, 2020, at 5:14 PM, Troy Dunn <troutwarrior at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Jack et. al.-
> 
> I'm not sure I can get fully on board with what Jack is saying here, mostly
> because it simply wasn't true for me.  My final decision came down to two
> somewhat similar vintage boats when shopping for my 320.  Shemara and the
> boat we now know as Wonky Dog.   Shemara had a lot of things going for her,
> newer canvas, newer sails, newer electronics, recent bottom job, and in
> general it was clear that some other maintenance was recently performed
> that i would not have had to do on Wonky Dog (new batteries, etc.).
> But.... the price tag reflected these items and it also reflected that the
> owner clearly intended to recoup his "investment".  Here was my issue...did
> i want to pay a $30,000 premium for someone else's customization choices
> or...go with a boat that ultimately would have my sails, my canvas, my
> electronics, my bottom job, my batteries, etc. etc.     At the time I'll
> readily admit this was a really hard choice.   I was diving into the deep
> end of the pool without full confidence that my choices would ultimately
> reflect a better boat at a lower price point.   In hind sight....i am so
> happy I made the choices I did.   I love my new Genoa that isn't yankee
> cut, but isn't quite a deck sweeper either, i love the loose footed main
> and stack pack, I love my Raymarine electronics, especially that 12" Axiom
> Pro MFD and autopilot, i love my bottom job and the piece of mind of
> knowing exactly what's underneath all that Micron CSC, My canvas has a lot
> of features (like a window above the helm) that I now take for granted.
> The list is actually quite long.   But....to arrive at a decision like
> this...i had to do one very important thing.
> 
> Make a spreadsheet.   Put down all the things you are going to want.   Put
> a real no kidding cost against those items. (get honest to goodness quotes
> from someone in your area not a guess or something you read on a
> board/forum/list).  Then as you compare boats add and subtract those costs
> from the asking price.   Come up with some sort of way to account for the
> age of an item as well (I applied a "usable life" age and then scaled the
> cost vs. the life of that item, but there are probably other ways to do
> this.  I copied this approach from an article I read about buying used vs.
> new I wish I could find that article....maybe it was a blog.   Also, be as
> realistic as you can about the work you will do vs. pay the yard.
> 
> I still haven't broken even with the price I would have paid for Shemara
> and I have so many things I never knew I wanted.... (e.g. completely new DC
> Power system, electric flush toilet, tank monitors, etc. etc.)
> 
> Getting back to the question of frugality...IF you do all this work AND you
> still think the price is too good to be true....it probably is...and
> perhaps that's all folks are really getting at...assuming you actually want
> to cruise and not just take on a boat project....I'd set a bottom floor for
> asking price around $50K in the current market.   If you see a boat for
> less than that...there's much work in your future...not necessarily a bad
> thing...but....what is your time worth?   That's a question only you can
> answer.
> 
> Brian's note about his experience with Bear is solid.   I'm about where
> Brian was when he got Bear.   Is Wonky Dog my forever boat?   Dunno yet.  I
> think for a couple cruising the Chesapeake who takes the occasional
> additional couple along for a weekend,,,, it's probably perfect.   On the
> other hand I wouldn't refuse to take an FP Lucia 40 off someone's hands if
> they wanted to downsize to the 320.
> 
> FWIW-
> 
> Troy Dunn
> Hull #514