What is a Classic Boat and why is it worth more

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X-Yachts – X-452 – 1986

Not all used boats are the same. The past century has been able to “churn out” some of the greatest designs that sailing has ever seen, and it has been able to do so in series, creating boats that, despite the several years on their shoulders, still today do not hesitate to excite and give satisfaction. But, indeed, not all boats are the same, and not all boats are worth the same, despite having, perhaps, the same age. In the case of boats that are more than 25 years old, in fact, there are many components that define their value, starting with the shipyard builder or designer, as well as the innovations made or the rarity of the boat itself.

What is a Classic Boat and why is it worth more

But, first of all, what boats are we talking about? Of those built since 1967, when, with the advent of fiberglass as a construction material, they are built in series. Since that year, finally, even in boating, boats are no longer like an original painting, one different from the other. There are more boats all the same. Serial production was born, and among the many designs, some have become true masterpieces, true cults of sailing. The ones we call Classic Boats.

Classic Boat
Alpa – Alpa 12.70

Because some are worth more

First, it is necessary to determine one point. The year of mass production does not alone determine the value of the used car. Always, where there is serial production, the value is not the same for all models. One only has to look back to the automotive, watch or design market to realize this. The value depends on the individual model and not the year of production. In short, the more apt products are worth more, consequently demonstrating how not all items are worth the same. The quotation thus transcends the age of the artifact built in multiple examples and focuses on historical value, its recognized aesthetic, technical, and qualitative originality. Simply put, it is the totality of design qualities, from lines to construction, that determines a canon of judgment, not the year, not the single signature, not the single element.

Classic Boat
Cantiere del Pardo – Grand Soleil 34

Becomes historic after 25 years

As those who have already followed our series on Classic Boats will know, our survey focuses on the mass-produced fiberglass boats of the first generation, that is, between 1967 and 1998, the boats of the early days, at least 25 years old. An age sufficient to classify them as historical according to the parameter defined by the charter of FIVA (International Federation of Older Vehicles), which was created to classify and preserve the historical interest of cars and, in general, moving objects. Criteria that also fit well with boats. In short, after 25 years even a boat can be called of historical value.

Nautor Swan – Swan 43 – 1967

The “fiberglass” factor

Why start from 1967? Canonically, the answer is simple. Before that time, boats were mainly built in one-offs or very small series, made one by one, by hand. The material used was mainly wood, some made of iron or ferrocement, the most sophisticated of aluminum. World War II brought the great industrial revolution of fiberglass, which from ‘1967 onward also came into full swing in shipbuilding, allowing more shells and decks to be “molded” all the same. Thus industrial mass production takes off. And finally the one-piece boats, like an art painting, are replicated.

At first there was a looming unknown: the question was, “How long will a fiberglass hull last?” Today, after almost sixty years, we can say that the fiberglass boat is practically eternal, does not destroy and indeed, if well maintained, lives intact.

Dufour – Arpège – the first large boat mass-produced in fiberglass

The value of signature in a Classic Boat

As we said at the beginning, not all series-built used fiberglass boats that are at least 25 years old are the same. There are those that have greater historical value, others less. Again to exemplify, some came out better, some worse. To make a classification, there is not only the aesthetic parameter to classify a “Classic Boat” of excellence. The signature is a relevant element of evaluation. Even more so at that time.

Classic Boat
Baltic – Baltic 38 DP – 1982

Thanks to the emergence of mass-produced boats, new boatyards were born in 1967, starting from scratch. These yards drew on a new generation of formidable planners/designers, children of the world economic boom. They had courage and innovated. Rest assured, a signed boat is worth more than one without noble fathers. The signature counts in determining the value of the object in the world of fashion, furniture and even cars. And so also in the world of boats. But not all boats are the same when signed by the same designer or built by the same shipyard.

Additional evaluation criteria intervene to determine a selection of historical value: the degree of innovation, quality, sailing characteristics, and the originality of the boat as a whole. This is where we at the Sailing Journal step in. We have been in existence for 48 years, we have an immense archive that contains all the information and data necessary to classify which models of used boats at least 25 years old, built from 1967 to 1998, have greater historical value than others. And so we did.

Mariver – Pierrot – 1973

The Great Classic Boats

After a great deal of selection work, we have selected 120 Classic Boats for you. Boats that we have presented to you 5 at a time, in order of increasing length, then analyzing their context of birth and development in a subsequent series of analyses, broken down by historical period. Let me be clear, this is not a definitive list. We will update it, as we go along, also with your suggestions, which are always welcome both in the comments and on the page dedicated to the
Your Classic Boats
, a portal dedicated to collecting all your boats and the descriptions you would like to leave us. Below you will find all the links to better explore the world of Classic Boats!

Classic Boat
Nautor Swan – SWAN 51 – 1981

Three “tidbits” about Classic Boats

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