What's a reasonable price to pay?

[jewlz]

Good afternoon,

I've been looking at building a DN for a little while now.  This winter made me really want one, but I was a little busy with school to commit.

What I've decided is that I would like to buy a used boat to try out before investing the time/effort/money into building one of my own.

I have made contact with a fellow from Sailing Anarchy, who has an old (early 80s) boat in my area that he is willing to let go.

Details are as follows:

1 x Hull (marine ply - painted)
2 x Sets of Runners 1 set cruising 1 set racing... (although i realize that this boat wont be competitive if raced)
1 x Aluminum mast
1 x "Original Sail"
1 x Plank (Laminated Sitka Spruce)

So the question is, what is a fair price for this lot?  It's difficult for me to judge being new to the game.

Cheers,
Julian

[Geoff Sobering]

Anywhere from $500 to $3000, depending...

A couple of details are necessary, things like:

1) What are the runners exactly?

2) What are the sideboards of the hull made from?

3) How much does the hull weigh?

4) What kind of hardware (blocks, etc.) are on the boat.

Some photos would be a big help.

Cheers,

Geoff S.

[jewlz]

Thank you for the reply, the seller's asking price is in the middle of that range.  I have yet to see the boat except for a distant picture (more promised this weekend).

I will ask for some of those details as well.  Can you give me a short list of desirable look fors vs watch out fors?

Thanks
-J

[rpotcova]

If you plan to race then the equipment that you describe will not make you competitive in todays fleets.  Avoid the aluminum masts.  You want a bendy composite or older wood strip mast.  They are a lot more fun and safer. Only runners needed for a beginner is one set of plate runners and/or one set of 3/16 inch 36 inch long.   If you can not afford what I describe then just buy a $500 boat and have fun until you have the funds to upgrade.

[jewlz]

thanks, so what i said in my original post was that i'm looking for a stater boat to see if ice boating is for me. I already knew it wouldn't be a good racing rig.  There isn't a huge number available for sale in my area, which is why i have trouble determining how much i should be paying for this one.  Eventually, I would like to build my own, and outfit it with all of the latest hardware etc... but for starters, I like this boat, I just don't know whether I'd be getting a good or bad deal on it.  does that make sense?

-J