We spoke to four brokers who have Cruisers Yachts express cruisers listed on BoatQuest.com, and here’s what they had to say about everything from inventory levels, to engine type, to the value of soft goods, and more. Learn more about a red-hot market and how the boat you want fits into it here.
Tania Andrea, United Yacht Sales; www.unitedyacht.com
“My office is located in Upstate New York and approximately 90 percent of my listings are freshwater. We’re on the St. Lawrence River and that makes the boats that I broker in high demand. I receive numerous phone calls based upon the fact that someone is looking at listings online and they see that there are five boats for sale and four of them are salt water and one of them is in fresh water. They are always interested to learn more about the freshwater boat because they typically have lower hours and less wear and tear than a boat that has been in salt. With this Cruisers in particular, I have found that potential buyers like the layout because it is quite a bit different than the other manufacturers that have models that are comparable. What sets this 4270 Express apart is that it has two separate staterooms and two separate heads and the mid cabin appears to be larger due to the layout. It feels a lot more separated and boaters seem to like it. The galley is very spacious and there is plenty of seating in the cabin and on deck. When I have somebody who’s looking at something in this market and I bring them on board a Cruisers like this, nine times out of 10 they are pretty impressed with the layout and the fact that it’s different than anything else they have looked at prior to this. This one has a hydraulic swim platform, which a lot of people have been drawn to as well. This boat seems a lot bigger than a 42, and I have been on boats from other manufacturers and they don’t seem as big or well appointed.”
George Ivey, HMY Yachts; www.hmy.com
“The market is pretty good actually. I’ll tell you things have changed in the last year so: New boats are selling more than ever. There’s not a whole lot of new or used boats on the market right now because that market did slow down for a couple of years so people that are in that preowned market are reaching out to something that’s a couple years older than what they might normally be looking at so it’s more important than ever to have a boat that’s in good shape. They’re really looking at them closely and checking the hours and the condition of everything: For this particular boat that I have listed, you’re probably getting a lot of people that maybe are beginning boaters. But you still get some experienced people in this market. These guys make a nice product and experienced people know that so they come looking for these boats. A lot of what we’re seeing here people are using both their boats a little differently than they used to. They’re still looking for some nice amenities down below for overnighting but more and more people are asking for features that are up on the helm level of the boat. More and more people are using their boats that way, so they’re looking for more features—grills, nice enclosures, things of that sort. Obviously were talking about a boat here. It’s not real estate so it does not necessarily go up in value but the key thing here is that the values leveled off—it’s kind of flattened out and it’s really never been a better time to buy a boat. There are some nice deals out there and some nice product, so it’s a good time for this size range.”
Donna White, World Class Yachts; www.world-class-yachts.com
“The engine hours are variable depending upon whether someone is an avid boater or they use the boat as a floating condo. Because the deckplan is so nice on these boats some owners use these just for a weekend getaway and they don’t run them as much as others do that are more active boaters. Some of the condition issues that I’m seeing the cockpit upholstery can take a beating unless it’s kept covered because of being out in the sun, especially in Florida. The interior is just a factor of the use that it gets. Of course if you have got a family with kids and a dog camping out in there, it’s going to look very different from if you have a cruising couple. And that can result in a substantial swing in price and we haven’t even gotten to the engines yet, in terms of engine hours. The soft goods can add easily $10,000 or subtract it from the price, and nothing kills a sale faster than the smell of mold the mold and mildew. You have to rip up carpeting and get a bleach solution and start wiping things down. Smoking also, the nicotine can stain headliners and things like that, but that’s all boats. Overall Cruisers makes a nice boat. It’s got a great reputation and people tend to consider them as a cut above Sea Ray, which is also a nice boat. What I found particularly attractive to many buyers is that aft cabin with en suite head. If you have another couple or a kid they have that aft cabin with their own head. Some people love Caterpillars and some people love Volvos and there was a Mercruiser gas-engine option in that boat as well, so when you see this boat, the diesels can add $20,000 to $30,000 in value to the price depending on hours of course.”
Darrell Squires, Temptation Yacht Sales; www.temptationyachtsales.com
“The express-boat market is probably one of the strongest markets out there right now. The aft-cabin-type boats and motoryachts don’t seem to be as popular. It’s very strong and its popularity has changed. I sold new boats for many, many years and I saw for a few years the market for one kind of boat would be really strong, then the express boat market would be really strong. An express boat like this, especially with good-sized diesels like this one has, it’s a fairly quick boat for a cruiser. It’s pretty fast. There are a lot of people who are afraid that a bridge-style boat, like a convertible-type boat or motoryacht-type boat is not as stable, which is somewhat true: If you’re riding higher up you’re going to rock and roll a bit more. We only had a boat on the market for about a week and a half and we’ve had a lot of positive reaction to it. It has two full state rooms and two full heads for an express style boat it’s got quite a living area belowdecks. The 40-foot range is kind of the perfect size I would say for most people. This size is getting to be too much for gasoline engines. I think somebody could jump from a 30-footer to a 45-foot boat and after a couple of days, handling is not going to be any more of a problem that it was on the previous boat. In most cases it’s an owner’s third or fourth boat and they have a pretty good idea of what they’re doing. The marina where I boat out of myself last year and this year for the first time in probably 20 years the Marina has been 100 percent full.
