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West Wight Potter Mailing List maintainer
dfarrell@ridgecrest.ca.us
List hosted by www.tscnet.com
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Hi Jim,
For an listing of representative prices for used Potters, go to the Potter
Yachter website and the ECPA website and look over the "For Sale" listings.
Be sure to factor in the expense of shipping from the factory in California
to distant parts of the country, as well as differences between supply and
demand in different locations. Also, there is a lot of variation in
options, so you'll have to adjust for that.
It's my impression that there are more P19's on the west coast than there
are on the east coast, and are lots of P14/15's on both coasts. It's just
an impression formed from looking at pictures on the various Potter
websites, so I'm not at all sure that it's correct. I haven't a clue what's
to be found in the middle of the country, though my impression is that
there's a fair mix of both.
Please keep in mind that with a used sailboat, *condition* is far more
important than age for determining a "fair" price. I can honestly say that
I would pay as much for an original HMS-18 from the late 1970's that's in
bristol condition (with a good trailer and a new outboard) as I would for a
new one.
If the 1988 P19 is in decently maintained condition and its price leaves you
with enough cash in your wallet to update/replace sails, lines, gear as
needed, then it's a good buy. I don't think you'll find any "fatal"
problems in it, unless it was badly stored or ill-maintained. I've
inspected a lot of new and old P19's, and while the newer ones are better
finished and have higher quality components than those built by Joe Edwards,
there are alot of very fine sailing older ones around that have sold for
very attractive prices.
A 1994 P15 is probably in very good condition, but again, that can vary
according to the care that the previous owner lavished on her.
I'll repeat it again, because it's worth remembering: Age doesn't matter as
much as condition with a used boat. There's a good reason that a used boat
sells for many thousands of dollars less than a new one: some of it's
original "usefulness" has been used up by the first owner. It will need
money and/or sweat equity spent on refurbishing sooner than an new one
would. Almost every 12 year old boat will have some deferred maintenance
and will need at some TLC.
A good price on a used boat is one that permits you to upgrade and customize
her to match your personal desires. Many of the older boats have been
beautifully maintained, with both money and sweat equity spent to keep them
in good condition. A few have been sadly neglected or abused. It's a
little like buying a used car -- some have been beautifully maintained and
some have been run into the ground. If you have to spend so much on a boat
to get her shipshape that you'd have been better off buying a new one...
well, that's obviously not a "good buy"
But used sailboats are really more like used houses than used cars - if they
were built well to begin with, and not seriously neglected to the point of
rotting, you can restore them to virtually new condition and they'll last as
long as as a new house.
Condition of a 1988 boat can vary wildly -- from excellent to awful. With
average maintenance, you'll most likely need to replace a few blocks and
most of the lines. The trailer could be in need of maintenance too (I'd
probably repack the bearings and replace old tires immediately, before I
took it anywhere.) And you'll probably need to rebed some hardware that has
developed leaks (12 year old bedding compound WILL leak).
If the boat was exposed continuously to the elements, leaks are the biggest
potential problem, since water in the wood core of the decks causes rotting
and is oomplicated to fix preoperly.
Condition of the sails is also big performance factor, so you should inspect
them carefully to see how stretched out they are.
If the previous owner regularly serviced and replaced gear as it got worn
and/or kept it indoors or covered all the time, you may not have to do a
single thing to the boat. A few years ago, Greg Yu bought a 20 year-old
HMS-18 that had been sitting in a barn for decades. It was in brand-new
condition, plus it had some gorgeous custom woodtrim added by the first
owner. All he had to do was hose off the dust!!! (Now that was a GREAT
BUY!!)
If you don't have solid expertise with sail boats yourself, you really
should have a professional inspect the boat to see what needs to be fixed --
that's the best way to avoid unpleasant and expensive surprises. You can
get a professional survey done on a 19 foot boat for $200-$300.
If you don't have the mechanical aptitude or don't want the trouble of
buying a 12 year old boat, then perhaps you should consider a new one from
IM or one that's only a couple of years old.
Fair winds, Judy B
> -----Original Message-----
> From: jim, julie, and cal smylie [mailto:smylie@pnx.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2000 7:58 PM
> To: WestWhite Potter
> Subject: Good Buy???
>
>
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> West Wight Potter Mailing List maintainer
> dfarrell@ridgecrest.ca.us
> List hosted by www.tscnet.com
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> I am considering buying a 94 P-15 that has had little use according to
> the owner. I haven't seen it and don't know any particulars at this
> time other than it has red and white sails (you were right Doc, if you
> don't ask, you don't get it!). Is there anything about the 94 models
> that I should be aware of or that I should check? What is the price
> range for a boat of this age (assuming it has been well kept and has the
> standard options)?
>
> There is also a 1988 P-18 in the area that is up for sale. Seems like I
> read on the list that some of the pre-1990 boats had some construction
> problems.
>
> i have really enjoyed being a "lurker" on this list - it has been a big
> factor in my decision to buy a potter! Looking forward to all comments.
>
> jim
> potterless til ????
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Feb 29 2000 - 03:27:07 PST