Where Do Old Aluminium Boats Go To Die?

[swmcl]

As I have a look at buying a boat, is it right to say that the value of an aluminium boat drops significantly after a period of time ?  And this drop would be because ... ?  (I think I see a drop at about the 10 year old kinda age)

What does happen in the end to aluminium boats of some age ?  Do they get to a point where they are scrapped / recycled ?   ( Where are the boat recycling businesses ? )

Is it viable / sensible to purchase an older boat and 'do it up' ?  Or are there too many unknowns like cracked welds ... ?

How many years is too many ? (too many for repairs or too many to purchase in the first place ...)

As I understand it, I ain't gonna pay for a marine surveyor any time soon so its buyer beware I guess.

Boating is a serious burn in the wallet methinks - even with low-maintenance aluminium.

 

[Drop Bear]

its a very good question.

I sold my perfectly good 10 year old 3.75m tinny with a perfectly good 15hp Yamaha on a perfectly good trailer, all registered and finally got $1,000.00

Small tinnies drop in price very quickly. 

I found it a tricky balance. A 10 year old engine is somehow worth 2 bits of frack oil. 

You can sell your tinny for scrap aluminium. They are worth a fair bit for scrap and im sure there are plenty of good hulls that go that way. A mate of mine bought his boat this way and just put a new engine on it and now has a cracker of a boat. He was mates with the aluminum recycling yard but you could easily get good contacts. 

I got burnt buying an old tinny that I tried to do up and later realized it was rubbish. The new tinnies have great stable hulls but this one was the old style and was very very tippy. Even at 14 foot. 

Sooo if you don't know what you are doing, like I didn't, be really careful buying a "Bargain" but in saying that a 10- 12 year old boat from a reputable brand that looks in good nic should be a good buy. 

[swmcl]

Thanks DB,

Yes, I am aware of the old tinny thing.  I have a memory from my adolescent years of being stuck with others on one of those things between some very imposing rocks with an approaching rain squall out of Bremer Bay on the south coast of WA.  It was a frightening experience as the anchor wouldn't come free of the rocks and the terribly maintained pull-start 2-stroke didn't want to start.  At the time I was thinking I was going to die out there ...

I'm excluding dumb stuff in my thoughts like badly designed hulls etc.  I do appreciate improvements in all sorts of areas like motor reliability, hull design, etc., etc.  But a good boat 10 years ago is still a good boat - I think - and the costs of new are seriously many times the older stuff.

[Tybo]

I do see some old tinny at the scrap yards, and why not, aluminium generally trades at about $1/kg. I once saw one that had been completely flattened like a pancake, they must run over them in the excavator, take up less room in the bins.

I bought my 36 year old tinny a couple of years ago for $400. It'd been repaired a few times over it's life, with bog and some dodgy aluminium welds. I re-did it to a better standard, just 'cause I'm OCD. But it still leaks, is corroded in places, and is overall a little rough. However it's great for crabbing, throwing the cast net, and dragging up and down creek banks. And that's why I bought it.

1 hour ago, swmcl said:

Boating is a serious burn in the wallet methinks - even with low-maintenance aluminium.

BOAT = Bust Out Another Thousand. You'll spend money on a boat no matter what the age, the only thing that will influence how much you spend, is how much you've got.

[swmcl]

Hmmm ... BOAT = Bust Out Another Thousand.

I am trying to justify the spend to the wife ... "It'd be great for the kids ... "  They'll never have the opportunity again ... "  "We are in Queensland!  This is what it's all about ..."  "It would be way cheaper than a charter every year coz of the benefits ... "

"Bust out another thousand" is not what I say next ...

 

[kmcrosby78]

I'm not sure what your budget is mate but if you are patient enough, you should come up with a good buy. The key is checking frequently (if you're looking at the lower end of the price range, I'd check Gumtree) and acting quickly. Preferably, if you don't know a lot about boats (not saying you don't .... ), try to take someone with you that does so they can run your eye over it. And also preferably, ask for a water test so you can check for leaks, how it rides, whether the motor pushes it strongly enough.  Also ask them not to pre-warm the engine before you go to look at it - that way you get a better indication of it's condition.

My 14ft tinny and motor are about 25yrs old and still going strong apart from a couple of little pinholes that have started appearing. Easy enough to fix cheaply though. If you buy cheap you won't lose much money as you should be able to also sell it for something eventually.