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CC - I apologize for the "clueless" comment. It was uncalled for...again my apologizes. I had a toddler freaking out and using me as a jungle gym. I mean to come back and change it last night and never made it back here.

Yes, very good deal on our current boat. In fact, very good deal on all the boats I have owned. We owned our cruiser for 4 years, and sold it for only $2,000 less than what I paid. Boat was essentially brand new when I bought it. 6 weeks since new delivery and only 10 hours on the engine. It is just patience and willing to walk away and keep looking.

I am still struggling with the $10k added value to a 25' - 27' cruiser with a genny. If you buy a 2009 FW 278, the genny option is $12,700. Figuring a modest 25% off MSRP sales price you just paid $9,500 for the genny. Last time I checked...nothing on a boat increases in value and you have roughly a 20% depreciation drop once the boat is registered. Now we are at $7,600...where are we going to get the added $2,400? Just does not add up.

Some options are not depreciating IMHO. If you are accustomed to the cruising lifestyle, most guys are looking for the gen set. And to retrofit a genset you would spend more than 5-7K on some beat up used genset. I have priced out new (small) gensets for my 248 and for me to do the labor myself it's still 10 grand by the time it's all said and done.

I am not saying he is pricing himself too high, he probably is.. But those two options I keep bringing up, help increase the value of a boat, tremendously over a boat that doesn't have those options.

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Brett DiMichele

Well, congrats to all of you on your tactile courtesy but I am saying without equivocation that the boat is priced too high. I have an 03 286 that has been for sale for 12 months. You can find cozens priced from mid 40's to mid 50's, but I guarantee you they won't sell for that. My boat is absolutely pristine with every option including generator and nutra-salt system, Garmin electronics etc. The best offer I have had is $32k. The fact is that the book says it is worth a whole lot more, but that doesn't really matter because books don't buy boats; people do. The market is at least 30% lower right now. The generator option is a valid argument. Not knowing how many hours are on that generator it is hard to say how much it adds to the value.
Bottom line is the boat is priced 20k too high, but if you find real value in that 20k that you are willing to pay for, who is to say you didn't get a good deal.

A 8.1L is an upgrade and FW does list as 20k more, but on a used boat, I know that 5.7L vs. 8.1L will only affect price hundreds, not thousands.

If and when I need a new motor in my boat, it will get the 8.1L, the 5.7L is great for a small open bow!!! I knew what I was getting into buying a large boat with a small motor, but I am getting very anoid with it being so underpowered.
Before anyone flames me, I am sure the 5.7L works ok at sea level, but where I boat, I need more power!!

Bottom line, buy a boat with largest motor availble, no one ever regretted too much power.

Gen set would be nice, but I would not pay thousands for one when I can easily carry the honda EU 2000, there are pluses to having a portable, no vibration or noise on the boat while camped on beach. Gen set can be hundreds of feet away from boat/camp.
Down side, have to carry and may be in the way until you get to camp.

I would concider paying 50k for a 268, if it passed my inspection and was very well equipt. But one that has been damaged....????? I don't think so.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
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