Who buys brand new boats?

I bought new this year. It was for a few reasons.

1. We had a local seller with the boat we wanted, a 290 SDX. His was 2018. But he was a little high on price (last August), and was inflexible. For a little more we were able to get a new one, and order to our spec.
2. The one local boat we found was the only one available within a reasonable distance, so we didn't really have many options.
3. I was nervous about being able to sell the old boat. It was nice, only 2 years old (we bought as a demo at end of the season), like new condition. But, I was afraid we'd have to store 2 boats, winterize 2 and have 2 payments, for at least the 5 months of non-boating season. It turns out that would have been true, and we'd have both until probably at least late March. On the other hand, we'd have gotten an extra $10k on the sale. But, it was a big risk.
4. Trade was easy. Zero risk on resale. No storage on either boat, no winterizing, no worries. Of course, you pay for that convenience...
5. Wife really wanted to pick the color. She wanted the metallic red. And, of course, they stopped offering that color for the 21 model year. :-(

We paid a little extra, but got exactly what we wanted. Service has been stellar so far with Marine Max in Excelsior MN. The boat is great, if we can only get a few warm days to give it a run!
 
Steve in Minneapolis said:
I bought new this year. It was for a few reasons.

1. We had a local seller with the boat we wanted, a 290 SDX. His was 2018. But he was a little high on price (last August), and was inflexible. For a little more we were able to get a new one, and order to our spec.
2. The one local boat we found was the only one available within a reasonable distance, so we didn't really have many options.
3. I was nervous about being able to sell the old boat. It was nice, only 2 years old (we bought as a demo at end of the season), like new condition. But, I was afraid we'd have to store 2 boats, winterize 2 and have 2 payments, for at least the 5 months of non-boating season. It turns out that would have been true, and we'd have both until probably at least late March. On the other hand, we'd have gotten an extra $10k on the sale. But, it was a big risk.
4. Trade was easy. Zero risk on resale. No storage on either boat, no winterizing, no worries. Of course, you pay for that convenience...
5. Wife really wanted to pick the color. She wanted the metallic red. And, of course, they stopped offering that color for the 21 model year. :-(

We paid a little extra, but got exactly what we wanted. Service has been stellar so far with Marine Max in Excelsior MN. The boat is great, if we can only get a few warm days to give it a run!
Click to expand...

Steve - now that you have used the boat a bit, what can you tell us about the build quality, fit and finish, electronics installation, etc? So many bad stories from first time posters, would like to hear from a seasoned one. We are in our fourth season, and once the pandemic shortages subside, will likely order a new one. I have been exclusively SR but will look at Crownline and Formula this time also. Both have a model we like as well.
 
It makes no financial sense but I can understand how one would convince themselves into doing it. My brother just purchased a 23ft Sea Hunt with a Yamaha 200 and the damn nicest trailer Ive ever seen. We went out this last Sunday and it was 4-6, there were several 6ft swells, 5-6 seconds apart, so it was doable for trolling. Inside the bay was choppy and I have to tell you I was not impressed with how that boat handled wind chop. I would never say anything to my brother but he purchased that puppy brand new. I could smell the fiberglass, kind of like that new car smell but for boats.

Given the sorry state of the used boat market, I could definitely see why he bit hard. His thinking was he purchased a payment and that anything can pop up at any time so he is living life as hard as possible now (health).

I have 3 brothers and of the 4 I am the most cautious, skeptical and reluctant buyer but I have to admit that i am starting to entertain the idea of buying new just because of all the over priced junk out there.

Its not fun being in the used boat market right now.

My Dream Boat is a simple modest SRV240 cuddy, 1980's vintage. I love the classics but there aren't any out there. The CL listings are either sold or they're junk.
 
paulswagelock said:
Steve - now that you have used the boat a bit, what can you tell us about the build quality, fit and finish, electronics installation, etc? So many bad stories from first time posters, would like to hear from a seasoned one. We are in our fourth season, and once the pandemic shortages subside, will likely order a new one. I have been exclusively SR but will look at Crownline and Formula this time also. Both have a model we like as well.
Click to expand...

Hi, Paul! Well, we now have about 80 hours on her... she hasn't been sitting still! We have had no run issues, and no issues with electronics or controls. We added some drive lube in the first few hours, but that's normal. It used about 1/2 a quart of oil during the first 20 hours too. Since then, it's stable. As for quality overall, I'd give it an A-. There was an issue with the battery switch that was identified immediately on delivery. Easy fix. We have the fiberglass inserts for the tower, and on one side, it looks a little faded. I think it should have been caught at the factory, but may have been covered with plastic to protect it. The dealer should have caught it, and they had it all winter and could have fixed it. Lastly, the head door is a little bit out of alignment. They will fix it for me, but it's not high on the priority list. Basically it "sags" about 1/2 inch from the hinge not being aligned perfectly.

There is one design issue. The rear lounge seats lift from the front to access the engine compartment. And, the port seat lifts from the rear to access a storage locker. If you lift that port seat while the seat back is up, it puts pressure on the hinge. We didn't realize this, and ended up bending the hinge. They are going to replace it under warranty, even though it's really my fault. We certainly appreciate that result, but we will need to be careful about opening that hatch. We are waiting for the part, and it's going to be a difficult repair, I think.

All of these are minor and don't impact how we use it, except the hinge. Overall, we love it. It gets compliments all the time. Everyone who's been on it has loved it. It handles very nicely around the dock, takes a wave much better than I had anticipated, and the upgrade stereo on it really rocks! I've been very impressed with the sound system, and I'm a bit of an audiophile. We have the 350 engine. With just me and the wife, it will run about 43 mph. Over the weekend, we had 10 of us, full tank of fuel and water and got it up to about 37. Not bad! We don't care about top speed. At a slow cruise we use about 4 gph, and at a 3k rpm cruise, around 10 gph. All very respectable for a 29 foot boat.

We are happy, and we're glad we bought new. Nothing like warranty support to ease your mind.
 
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We have owned nothing but new boats and have enjoyed many years of care free boating. That is the primary benefit of buying a new boat. Do the maintenance on time, wax and wash it on a schedule, and you have a nice boat to sell when you are ready for another model. We also tend to buy boats when the economy is in the dumper or when boat sales are soft. Purchase price negotiations work better although trade values are not as good. Still, less cash out the door.
 
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I've always bought used, and love my Sea Ray. But, if I ever hit the lotto big, and with the wife's permission, I'm going for a new World Cat 230SD. Guy's gotta have dreams, but a Bookkeeper's salary does not buy them.
 
I thought about buying a new boat, but being my first and realizing my level of stupidity, I did not want to go through the learning curve with something perfect. So, I boight a used Sea Ray. Nothing works except the engine. I've been learning how to repair it. It's the most rewarding love/hate relationship I've ever had.

I'm so happy and miserable at the same time. Feels like a divorce.
 
Used boats are a labor of love. I love tinkering, but I'd rather be boating with something new.

Just imagine having to scrape off the PO's name off the transom. Undoubtedly your new name won't cover the old faded spots. Screw holes everywhere, misplaced with crappy equipment. He installed trim tabs and a new transducer and none of the holes were not properly sealed and now you got a rotten transom.

Depreciation is a nasty word. We kept our last boat for 35 years, maintained her meticulously and when we sold her she went the first day at full asking price. My "loss" was $200 per year. Wholly mackerel, she didn't depreciate at all!!

But then again, we can't all afford the full price. However, nobody ever said boating was cheap.
 
I just got the report back from a reputable boat mechanic regarding the state of my recent purchase.

I'm going to buy a new boat next time :-(
 
FFE34259-17AA-4882-AFE4-87EF21070032_1_201_a.jpeg

Steam is sort of like seeing your breath when you exhale warm, moist air on a cold day. Very normal. Boat exhaust is warm and moist. Lake water is quite cool on northern lakes. Hence, steam. Time to move on.
 
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