tophatyachts.com

G'Day All,
I was talking to the friendly boat broker. There was a Mk1 for sale here (Lake Mac) for about 12 months, advertised at $9,900. It sold recently for $6,200. There are some bargains around.
Apparently the condition of the boat was putting people off. All it needed was a good clean up.

If you are looking, keep searching, there are some bargains around and the price of boats is crashing. I thnk that is mainly because there are so many boats being imported now.

See you on the water.

Greg.

Are there any Australian produced Yachts anymore?
As far as I know, I dont think so....Bluewater Yachts have gone (I think), plenty of ally runabouts being made, but I cant think of any yachts.

The global economy is playing a major factor I reckon, people are unsure of whats going to happen financially in the future(superannuation over the last 3 yrs would be one example), & that leads to people unloading indulgences such as yachts.
Plus in the case of the Top Hats, they are like say, the Lilli Pilli's in the garden, they get on with it, look good, low maintenance, hardy, & just keep going & going.

cheers

G'day Shaun,

I agree that the GFC has had a huge impact on prices of all 'luxury' goods. Five years ago a well kept Top Hat with an inboard would fetch $20K plus. Now you would be lucky to get $15K even for a really well kept and equipped Top Hat with a good inboard. I think they are real bargains at the moment. If you can pick up a good Toppy(which we all know are great sea boats) for $8-10K, it is bloody cheap blue water yachting.

I guess you just have to be philosophical about prices. I don't worry about house prices because I am not moving anywhere and it is the same with the boat. Perhaps these well-build old boats will start to appreciate in value eventually. You could not afford to build one today. Before the GFC, well designed, solid old boats were actually starting to increase in the value in the USA. People began to realise what good value they were and that they were not going to make anymore of them. But sadly this trend ended with the GFC which has caused all boat prices in the US to collapse.

As a shipwright said to me me recently: I would feel safer crossing an ocean in a Top Hat than any of the modern little yachts on the market today.

Anyway, I am going sailing.

Cheers,
Mark
'Storm Petrel'