Boat value vs hours used

[mraz72]

I was looking through the classified and I see boats from 2008 with 150 hours on them, and I got to thinking, I do that in 2-3 seasons.

I just bought a 242 x that I plan on keeping for at least 5 years. At the end of 5 years I might have 200-250 hours on the engines.

Will my value be shot because of the somewhat high number of hours at the end of 5 years?

I don't see many of these boats for sale with 200+ hours on them.

 

[JTC1016]

That is a good question. My thought on it is that savvy buyers will probably care less about the hour count if it is clear the boat has been well cared for. Last year I sold a 10 year old boat that I estimated (it didn't have an hour meter) to have around 450 hours on it. It looks like we use our boats about the same amount each season based on that average. I got over blue book high value for it on a private sale. But I had records and the boat looked brand new.
This year we put about 40 hours on our '16 AR240 and it probably would have been a bit higher but we had a baby in August. For me though, as much as we spend on these boats we might as well put as many hours on them as we can. That's what we get them for.

 

[Joe Hellaby]

I don't think so. These engines and boats are built for long hours. Heck, I think Yamaha has a 50,000 engine hour warranty or something like that? I too am always surprised when I see the low hours people put on their boats. In my 3-4 month short season, I still managed to put around 100 hours in my first season.

 

[mraz72]

@ Joe lol, you are crushing the hours, especially for our area.

I agree with JTC, we buy these things to use them, I am just surprised at boats from 2008 with 150 hours on them, that seems like they were barely used. When it comes time to sell mine, and I list it with 500 hours, I hope that doesn't scare everyone away!

Who knows, I may keep it longer, time will tell....

 

[JTC1016]

@ Joe lol, you are crushing the hours, especially for our area.

I agree with JTC, we buy these things to use them, I am just surprised at boats from 2008 with 150 hours on them, that seems like they were barely used. When it comes time to sell mine, and I list it with 500 hours, I hope that doesn't scare everyone away!

Who knows, I may keep it longer, time will tell....

It would be interesting to see if those are actual or estimated hours too. 150 is low.

 

[MrMoose]

That is a good question. My thought on it is that savvy buyers will probably care less about the hour count if it is clear the boat has been well cared for. Last year I sold a 10 year old boat that I estimated (it didn't have an hour meter) to have around 450 hours on it. It looks like we use our boats about the same amount each season based on that average. I got over blue book high value for it on a private sale. But I had records and the boat looked brand new.
This year we put about 40 hours on our '16 AR240 and it probably would have been a bit higher but we had a baby in August. For me though, as much as we spend on these boats we might as well put as many hours on them as we can. That's what we get them for.

@JTC1016 you and I are on the same page. If it's a great boat, and it always works, then you'll have lots of opportunities to use it and enjoy it... and that's the idea. Owning a boat and worrying about what you can sell it for is not why I own my 2015 AR240. I use it. We enjoy it. We create memories.
All that being said, buyer beware that there are owners who buy a used boat from someone who loved it, do nothing to maintain it for a couple of years, and dump it before it starts to cost them money. It's no different than with buying a used luxury car.
I had a guy look at my boat this past weekend for the purpose of buying it. They had to sell their '04 first, so I assumed that they understood the basics about their boat. After the test run (which I thoroughly enjoyed), I had the prospective buyer observe me pulling the drain plug and removing the clean-out plugs for storage. He was amazed that no water came out of the bilge because his boat always drains lots of water after an outing, and he had to admit that he has never removed his clean-out plugs (other than the time that he sucked up a rope) because they are really hard to remove. Simply put, some folks don't have the passion to join jetboaters.net, and it shows.
During the demo event, the prospective buyer said "you really don't want to sell this boat do you" ... I said no, I don't, but...

 

[Julian]

I think most people looking at buying a boat look at the following....and in this order:

1. Model Year
2. Condition
3. Hours

I sold my 2005 SX 230 and she had only 300 hours on her (a little less than 30 hours a year). Why is that? Well, we do a lot of trips where we will go out...find a spot, drop anchor and eat, then the kids swim and later we take them tubing. Combine that with my travel schedule and we don't get to go out anywhere near as often as I'd like! My 242X will end the year with <30 hours on her. But I've been to Chicago (3 times), Vegas, Boston, Dallas, San Antonio, Nashville and India and interlace that with rainy weekends and you see what can happen!

But the key is as @MrMoose says....if you are creating memories....doesn't matter how many hours of them you have!

 

[captras]

In June, I sold my 1987 (owned it since 1998) Four Winns 210 Horizon, I/O, 5.7L, 260 HP. This 29 year old boat had the original engine and ran like a top. The boat didnt have an hour meter, but in 29 years, had to have had at least 1000 hours. I had all the maintenance and service records since new. The boat was never left outside, was always covered in the boat house, had regular maintenance either done by me or a shop, and was kept clean. I sold it for very close to NADA book value. So I agree, a savy boat buyer will know that hours are not the measure of a boats condition alone. More importantly is how the boat was taken care of and maintained during its life.

 

[Smassey22180]

200 hours is considered low for a 5 year old boat in FL. In NY they see it is completely worn out .

 

[Ronnie]

What is considered high hours depends on where the boat was used. Here in NorCal I can boat for around 6 months a year so 50 hours a year seems about right too me. When I am considering a used boat or Pwc, I'm looking mostly at the condition of the hull and engine(s) as well as if all the recommended maintenance has been done or is due (rebuilding superchargers can be expensive even if you so it yourself).

 

[pagekl]

200 hours is considered low for a 5 year old boat in FL. In NY they see it is completely worn out .

I guess I have nothing on my boat then. It's a 2010 with 103 hours on it.

 

[Mainah]

Seadoo 2 strokes like the rotax 717 and 787 engines are the ones to run away from with high hours unless they have had a full rebuild. They will need rebuilt about every 300-400 hours. On the plus side they aren't too bad to rebuild.

 

[Glen]

We just cranked through 100 hours on our '16 242X, and plan on adding some more today!! (likely last 80+ day in VA for year).
She gets washed and vacuumed after every trip.
Maintained meticulously (myself).
Waxed twice a year.
Always covered.

Now, I will say that I am not used to having a boat with stickers on the side. They are completely unforgiving to showing the contact with any/every rough edge when docking. And I just am not going to worry about it. I just may pull them all off.

I am shooting for 100+ hours per year, while I still have my kids around (youngest graduates HS in '21) to share it with.

A little life philosophy here (sorry, or turn the channel now):

Boats are not an investment.
They are a depreciating and decomposing, consumable.
They need to produce a lot of 'blessings', to be worth the $'s.
When they don't meet the blessings/$ quota, they gotta go.
We love keeping a clean and reliable boat because we like using (creates, 'blessings') a clean and reliable boat.
(this is how we decided to sell our catamaran last year, and buy another Yamaha).

Soapbox session is over, you can now return to regular programming ;-)

 

[mraz72]

@Glen I agree with the stickers, also, if you want to buff out any swirls in the paint, you can't really buff out the stickers.

I am not going to worry about resale value and I definitely didn't buy a boat as an investment.

 

[Glen]

We need your X with mine in Bimini next year @Michael Rasmussen .
Put it on the calendar (once it's announced @Bruce

 

[mraz72]

I would love to go, for me to drive to florida from Rochester would costs me 300-500 in fuel plus whatever the wear and tear is, plus the driving eats into vacation. I actually checked prices for having a boat shipped from Rochester to Miami, it was 6000

 

[stever40]

There are multiple factors that go into each boat consideration and each boat/circumstance is unique.

With that being said, in general, I am more wary of a 10 year old boat with low hours over a late model with "relatively" high hours for its age. Marine engines do not fare well when not used regularly...(this is a general statement).

My experience, friends experience and word of mouth from marine mechanics tend toward this generalization. There are certain hour milestones to avoid if approaching and the service has not been performed and those vary per engine and manufacture.

An often run, high hour, well maintained engine (with records) is less likely to result in breakdowns for the next owner over a sparsely used low hour engine.

I appreciate your opinion but feel....maybe... just a bit on the opposite. I will look for wear and tear on the hull seats etc and it generally points me in the right direction regardless of hours. Also look for who is selling. Is it a young gentlemen that likes to keep everything at WOT or someone that is moving on up in years that like the relaxation.

I have 2 2006 SeaDoo RXP's that have 50hrs each on them. These are now 10years old. Have been maintained meticulously. Oil change and required. SC's rebuilt as required, Service intervals completed as required, etc. Does this mean they would not have a higher or lower value than others that have 200hrs on them? I might stay away from the higher hour machines as they might be ready for something to break. But then again it could have already happened and now its like new.

I think the OP asks a great question but it is a very subjective one at that. It's all going to come down to records, upkeep, where you see the market is at, who is selling, etc.

Cheers

 

[Ronnie]

Marine surveys can get expensive fast. I considered getting one when I was looking at a used boat online but ended up passing since the finance company ended up looking at the boat before I did, just to verify it existed plus I new I would be taking it for a sea trial and also did my homework so I knew about known problems to look for (e.g. Missing tines on the seadoos surge grate/intake grate, missing bolt heads on the Yamaha 2010 oil coolers, etc.) during the inspection.

I also remember thinking about how many hours of use per year is normal for a boat and finding no standard or industry average, like they have for cars (I.e., 10k to 12k) per year. Even Nada / blue book don't consider hours of boat use in its pricing, at least not that I recall.

One thing I have always advocated when looking at a pwc or jet boat, take it for a ride if at all possible (even if it means donning a wet suit and / or driving a little farther, paying for gas or the launch fee), don't just look at it and run a compassion test. I've bought pwcs that checked out fine on the trailer only to find they wouldn't start in the water with a load on the impeller or started but ran like crap requiring extensive and expensive repairs to make them run right.