New boat, how much does it really cost? INQUIRY

Phy does getting to determine the final price of a new boat to buy always seem so difficult?
A grand conspiracy of shipyards and dealers shuffling the deck between price lists, packages and discounts?
Or is the cause the cluelessness of potential owners, obnubilated at the time of purchase by passion, by the desire to have the coveted object of desire at all costs?
Or perhaps, as many argue, the reason is that the boating world is, by its very nature, still “immature,” unable to adapt to the business rules of other industries?

New boat, how much it really costs

It is actually not that difficult to figure out, even quickly, what the price of the new boat you want to buy will be.
Maybe a little experience in the field helps, but still, in the end, the rules (and formulas) for understanding it are not that many.
The big misconception is to consider boats as mere objects and liken them, for example, to automobiles; or to think of them as houses, those on land.
Of the former they have that they move, of the latter they have that they are places to be inhabited.
In reality they are something quite different, and even the rules and customs for buying them are completely different.

New boat, the “bare” price

As an example to understand them, we took the case of a standard fast-cruiser of eleven/twelve meters in length. Why this choice? First of all, we opted for a model made in large numbers because delving into the world of small semi-custom builders (and the related price thicket) would have been impossible.
Moreover, this is a type of boat in a price range that is still reasonable and extremely versatile: racing temperament, but also perfect for pure cruising.
This allows for multiple levels of outfitting and makes it possible to delve better into the world of price lists.

It is precisely from these that we must start and, in particular, from the zero point, the price of the “bare” boat, in this specific case the figure is 245,000 Euro (excluding VAT, as well as all the values we will discuss below) an average price taken from the average of standard hulls of this size and type.
Obviously, the boat at this price is not offered completely bare, it rather has all the bare minimum to sail, just the minimum… what is missing?

Dimmi how you navigate and…

First of all, what can be imagined that each individual owner will want to customize from the perspective of his or her specific way of going to sea.

Here, then, are fittings: more or less for racing (for example, with or without a carbon mast, which, as we shall see, is one of the points that makes the most difference in terms of the final price); more or less attentive to autonomy from the energy point of view (with or without an inverter, to have 220V even when not at the dock, or photovoltaic panels to keep the batteries charged at all times); more or less “chic”-how much does the look matter to you, owner?
You can have non-standard finishes, colors or materials; on the opposite end of the spectrum, the base price also does not include what, with an oxymoron, we might call “necessary optional extras,” basic accessories such as an anchor, because every shipowner often trusts and wants only “his” model (e.g., “Deltians” versus “Danforthians”) or even fenders (cylindrical, flat or inflatable?).

In short, sailors are demanding characters, and you have to try to accommodate them while staying within the economies of scale of the big brands.

However, we tried to imagine four configurations; three cruising “Minimal,” “Medium,” and “Luxury,” and one “Regatta.”

Facilities and propulsion

The engine of course is there, and almost always on this size of hulls no alternative is given (30 hp).
Instead, higher-performance propellers with retractable blades can be had for about 2,000 euros more.

Even for the keel there is a basic version, in this case with a longer draft since we are talking about a performance boat, while if you want the shallow draft one you need an additional 4,000 euros, and this is evidently a specific need for those who sail in shallow waters, typically in the Adriatic.

The electrical system is also complete, but options include an inverter, while in the kitchen there is a standard icebox but a refrigerator with compressor (1,200 euros) and an electric saltwater pump (1,000 euros) are missing.

Staying on the plumbing side, you can add the water heater (1,200 euros) and the ever-present outdoor shower (150 euros).

New boat, rig and deck

This is where the budget can vary greatly.
As we mentioned, an aluminum mast is standard; for the carbon racing one you need 29,000 euros more.

Also from a racing perspective, performance winches, backstays, vangs, halyards and blocks are needed, plus the jib furler flush with the deck (7,000 euros).
For sails, the mainsail and genoa cost about 18,000 euros, the masthead gennaker is priced at about 7,000 euros, about the same as the rollable gennaker plus its furler combo.

These are performance sails but not extreme, the choice at the “pro” step, is obviously up to the owners.

From a cruising perspective, on the other hand, there is sprayhood, lazybag, bimini and awning (7,000 euros) and everything needed to turn a cluttered racing cockpit into a comfortable place for dining and sunbathing (table, supports and cushions (5,000 euros).

Finally, again regarding the deck, there are also anchor packs (bowsprit, anchor, chain and windlass: 3,800 euros) and mooring with ropes and fenders (1,000 euros) to be added.

Instrumentation and electronics

Standard here is basically just the compass with its mount.
For instruments we then start from a basic configuration with the two cockpit displays and three repeaters at the mast, echo sounder, log, AIS, Vhf (9,000 Euro) to a richer one that also includes the autopilot with stabilizer (15,000 Euro).
For the chartplotter (without the cartography) you need about 2,330 Euro.
Finally, for a good sound system another 1,200 Euro must be added.

Bottom line.

All these words (the synthesis of analytical reading of the lists) can be told much more easily in numbers.
As we said in the beginning, the idea was to create four profiles.

Let’s start with the cheapest, we called it “Minimal,” the one for cruising and being very budget-conscious but not missing anything necessary.

For example, you can’t do without everything you need for mooring and anchoring, and the same goes for the cockpit table or lazybag, but you can do without the more sophisticated electronics (but not the chartplotter), the inverter or the electric saltwater pump in the galley.
Hard to do without the refrigerator and be left with just the icebox.
And, of course, sails.

Overall this comes to 296,000 euros, which is 51,000 euros more than the base price.

Let’s move on to our “Medium” set-up, so rich, but without overdoing it.

In addition there are, on deck, sprayhood and awning, richer electronics, mosquito nets, inverter, and folding-blade propeller.
In short: luxury, but with restraint.
With this configuration it comes to 315,000 euros (70,000 euros more than the bare price).

On the other hand, for those who, in cruising terms, do not want to miss anything, here is the set-up we have called “Luxury,” with exclusive colors, heating/air conditioning systems (such as heating that uses on-board diesel), anti-roll sheets, solar panels for battery maintenance, and covers for the rudders.
In this case it goes up to 327,000 euros (82,000 euros a more than the starting price).

Finally the “Regatta” configuration, here the investment is not towards comfort, but in the direction of performance and lightness.
So: away with everything superfluous and everything heavy (cockpit table, bimini, awning, etc..) at the opposite we need sophisticated deck equipment, carbon mast and high level electronics.
This outfitting, in terms of final price, is very close to the Luxury one: 332,000 (plus 86,000) Euros.

New boat, the 20 – 40% rule

In a nutshell then, it starts from a plus 20 percent of the Minimal set-up, compared to what was the basic list price, to a plus 37 percent of the regatta set-up.

And these numbers (plus VAT, of course) are the ones you have to have in mind to add to the starting value: maximum luxury about 40 percent more, maximum practicality and convenience about 20 percent more.

All this, of course, should be considered as a rough guideline, some yards as a commercial policy tend to have price lists already full of optional extras included in the price, others push instead to stay as “low” as possible.

Certainly it is that having, from the outset, “stakes” of reference can help to have a few fewer headaches at the moment, as beautiful as it is intense, when one decides to become a shipowner.

Luca Sordelli

• Find this article in the October issue of the Journal of Sailing, on newsstands and digitally.