Advice on choosing the right SportFish Yacht 1980’s-1990’s

That seems like a lot of staterooms in 46 ft! 2 Staterooms fit much better in that size range, would you be willing to have 2 staterooms and a pullout couch?
Best,
Maldwin

The 3rd stateroom on a boat that size is usually not much more than a closet. It's only really good for a little kid or two. Check listings on Yachtworld dot com. BTW, have you checked shipping from LA or San Diego? Also, search some of the threads here on transporting. I recall seeing some that gave a lot of advice on different modes.

Hi,

There is also a member here called Kafue who has just shipped something about that size from the East Coast area to Queensland.

Hi Cam,
I have imported boats from the US before. One a 58 in 2007 and another a few months ago, a 53 Hatteras (1970).
Your budget for shipping is about right. Work on $1K per foot if it is over 40 foot. Under 40 ft. can be a lot cheaper.
Your budget for the boat is too light!
Any quality boat of that size will likely cost more than $100K. Sure, there are many advertised at that price and less but you will find you will spend PLENTY to bring the boat up to standard.
Here’s my theory on that: The cost of shipping a cheap “bargain” is the same as shipping an honest good boat. So that should be a starting point.
Don't be fooled by cosmetics of the boat, it’s amazing what a good buff & polish will do for an older boat.
3rd stateroom is a typical request from guys like us, for some reason many Aussie/NZ boaters think anything over 36 ft. needs a 3rd cabin. But I agree with the comments from the other YF guys that it’s not going to be much more than a store room. My Hatteras is 2 cabins, galley down & we love it.
Buddy Davis: Check with members on YF, some years these boats were built great, other years NOT! Buddy had an interesting business life.

Viking, Bertram, Hatteras are the way to go as they “usually” built top quality in those years. Plus are a known brand Downunder.
Budget for a good transformer to handle the change from 110 volt to 240 volt.
The transformer is cheaper and BETTER to buy/install in Florida than Downunder. I found a GREAT transformer.
Do you want to keep the boat 110v & use a transformer to handle 240v feed or change the boat completely to 240 volt? Costs are very different. If the former, then buy kettle, vacuum, toaster etc. in the US.

Some great help can be found on this forum re: Surveyors, Brokers. Get an Engine survey no matter how many hours on the motors.
PM me as I don’t want to be an advertiser.
I found this time round that there were a lot of people in Florida who knew the procedure to export from the US as there are a lot more guys who are doing this now.

NOTE: Florida is safe in regards to escrow accounts of licensed brokers, BUT, not all states are safe in regards to sending money to brokers.

Short list a few boats and then get a local to do a general report on them before you spend $’s on a surveyor. The history of the boat is VERY important and available if you ask around, the locals know the boats available.
Repossessed boats can be a trap, tread lightly! No one maintains a boat they are about to lose!
There are NO bargains! Just some good buys that will need less spending after purchase than others.
Also the best advice I got was to remember that if you can’t afford to maintain a newer 53 foot boat then you can’t afford to maintain an older one. Maintenance remains the same or MORE for the older boat.
Our dollar is at a great rate as you know but don’t be rushed by this, if you think it may change then buy the US$ now and keep looking.
West Coast is more to ship from due to less traffic to Downunder. BUT if the boat is a good one maybe it will offset the extra.
Dockwise costs more but once they give you a date, they stick to it IF they fill the boat, although have been known to cancel at the last minute.
7 Star are very good & know there stuff BUT are not in control of the cargo ship so their schedule can be months out, my Hatteras arrived 7 weeks late.
Electronics are a lot cheaper in the US, if the boat has dated electronics, change in the US, warranties should still apply.
Outriggers from Rupp are GREAT & not comparable to what we have here, in cost or quality.
Enjoy the search and good luck!

Many areas for the deal to go bad for sure ... $100k budget is tight so it will need some work ... which probably means HUGE amounts of work. On a 46 in anything but pristine condition, it might be hard NOT to spend an additional $100k on it.

Also, my experience having a bunch of work done (in my case, Orange Beach Alabama) and ultimately bringing the boat home to the Northeast is as follows .. The primary contractor absolutely took me to the cleaners like a masked gunman. That one is getting his a** sued off for the rest of my life if necessary but the point is .... I'm in the middle of overhauling the engine they overhauled for me in Orange Beach Alabama a year ago for over $50k. Now I'm doing it again. I have not had a bad contractor experience since and have had plenty of work done where I spend the summer and live for the remainder of the year. I know the folks ... I am a regular in the town and reputation matters. That is 1/4 of the amount of money I spent with the crooks.

So, if you're from away and are going to have some work done, be careful.

I have had 3 boats, first one a good 10 years + old, second one 3 years old, third one new.

All boats have problems, but old boats, even after you have spent a "alot" on fixing it up, the problems are more frequent - not necessarily big things, a corroded whatist there, a leak here etc, but things that need fixing before you can safely head out.

Suggest you consider getting the work done in Auckland, not the US as :

• You can moniter and control the refirb process if its done locally;
• When you have problems - and you will, you can go back to the guys who did the work;
• A US warranty on a part that can't be easily mailed is not one I would want to rely on;
  
  So if you can find good people in Auckland, suggest you get the work done locally and build up a relationship with them. They are the people you are going to call on the Thursday of a long weekend asking if they can fix the [insert part name] by Friday night so you can go up the the Bay of Islands etc.
  
  By all means buy inert things like outriggers in US (rupp good), but if it goes beep or needs fuel, pay more in NZ and get after sales support.
  
  Put yourself in a position where you can ring the Mat the mechanic/ Phil the sparky/etc and have him help you over the phone or drop by at the end of the day because he has done the refirb work.
  
  Scrumpy

Very good advice Scrumpy for that reason, and one other: You'll be supporting your local marine industry and local economy. I always buy local whenever possible even if it costs a few dollars more. If you don't support your neighbor who will?

Sometimes, even if the 1st job is more expensive, you make it up on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th after forming that relationship.

Sometimes.

Sometimes the relationship gets too comfortable and "oh he's my buddy, he'll wait a couple more days" is too easy for the shop to say.

Sometimes the relationship is tempestuous, and "let him wait, he's a PITA" or "let him wait, he's going to try to chisel us anyway."

Sometimes it's best to go in and date before getting married. Provided there is someone trusted stateside to manage the jobs to be done prior to shipping, you can get things done at a favorable price with a known and trusted entity. Then the relationship close to the home port can start off with "The boat came over with this work done, I'd like you to look it over before I start running it." This can give you a better idea of the shop's work without relying on it as an unknown. You'll be able to see how they operate as well as peeking around other boats being worked on. You may be at the back of the line or front of the line as a new customer - you'll be able to see how they handle that aspect of the relationship as well. And if they're unfamiliar with the particular builder or model that is the ultimate purchase, you are giving them an opportunity to familiarize themselves with your boat before you're putting big pressure on them.

And ultimately they're still getting your business.

Seafarer, Willight I am guessing you have had some issues in the past that a couple of beers have not solved!

i seem to have been lucky in my dealings. When i have found a good mechanic etc, through trial and error, i have had good service from them and we keep the relationship going through the various boats. They are not always perfect, but as long as they do the right thing by me, I do the right thing by them.