Cost Of Custom Race Boats

[SloopJonB]

This is directed at the members who work or have worked in the industry.

I'm currently restoring an old full race 1/2 Tonner. It was custom designed & built pretty high tech for the early 80's - bagged foam core, titanium chains & rudder shaft, carbon & foam tiller, custom noodle spar, Harken roller hardware and so forth.

I'm curious what doing something like that would cost nowadays. I know it would be solidly into 6 figures but I'm hoping someone here can get it a bit more specific.

 

[doghouse]

What size, build spec, etc...? Basically a copy of what you have? Or the modern equivalent, which won't be the same.

 

[SloopJonB]

What I have - a 6000 Lb pure race boat - no interior to speak of etc.

Not a 30' current sport boat.

Bagged polyester & E-glass over varying density foam - heavier in the hardware areas - nothing exotic like carbon or Kevlar fabric or epoxy.

I'm not looking for a builders quote level of accuracy, just some sort of current ballpark number.

 

[doghouse]

So, 6,000 lbs will put you in the 33 to 35 ish foot range. To be honest, carbon isn't super exotic,  but there is a little saved not using it.

Being a custom one off, 350-450k is ball park. 

 

[Swimsailor]

I inquired about this sort of thing a few weeks ago, but asked the designer directly.  They said the sub-30 foot racer-cruiser I was asking about would be anywhere between $60 and $100k depending on what country it was built in.  I'm assuming $100k in the States and $60 in Asia.  

 

[SloopJonB]

I'm pretty sure it couldn't be done here for sub $100K - it'll need $40K of sails alone.

 

[Zonker]

0.5M ?  WAG because when I was designing those sorts of boats I didn't know about the cost. Really depends on the builder and build country too. (i.e. Spain is cheaper labour than UK or US)

When a Beneteau 36.7 is about $200K you can't imagine a custom boat being less than ~2x even though the Beneteau has a nice interior, it also has huge buying power so the company is buying fittings, engines, masts, etc etc. Molds are amortized over hundred boats, interior is all CNC cut

With a custom boat you have a nice design fee to the NA, then cost of building a plug, and fairing the outside hulls. Lots of fiddly little custom composite fittings these days are expected at this level. Hardware is of higher quality and cost, carbon mast is a given. 

 

[Rum Runner]

I'm pretty sure it couldn't be done here for sub $100K - it'll need $40K of sails alone.

That might be the cost of the hull only. Mast, fittings, instruments and any interior would be extra.

 

[Swimsailor]

Odd question, why would you rebuild an old design ?  Is this purely hypothetical ?

Seems to be a thing with billionaires and J-Class boats.

 

[SloopJonB]

Odd question, why would you rebuild an old design ?  Is this purely hypothetical ?

Exactly.

 

[Veeger]

No less than $400-500k for a new build of  a Half Tonner....and likely more!

 

[Veeger]

I’m available for that number 

Sloop John B will want to talk to you then.

Alas... it's not a Half Tonner that I want....

 

[bjp]

It seems pretty clear to me that this was a hypothetical question. Our sport doesn't currently have an equivalent to the frequently iterating custom designs in the quarter and half ton size range. When I think about custom race boats now I immediately assume millions of $, but how many 30' custom race boats built today don't have canting keels, foils, and lots of fiddly composite fittings?

 

[Cal20sailor]

For reference, in 1981, the price of a bare hull Serendipity 43 was 125K.  A limited run where the plug was amortized over a number of boats.  

SJB, who designed your project boat?   I love the half ton boats.

 

[Raz'r]

The c&c 30 one design was $137k 4 years ago

 

[pulpit]

This is directed at the members who work or have worked in the industry.

I'm currently restoring an old full race 1/2 Tonner. It was custom designed & built pretty high tech for the early 80's - bagged foam core, titanium chains & rudder shaft, carbon & foam tiller, custom noodle spar, Harken roller hardware and so forth.

I'm curious what doing something like that would cost nowadays. I know it would be solidly into 6 figures but I'm hoping someone here can get it a bit more specific.

SloopJonB,

To build a 30 footer custom with a carbon rig and basic sails I can see $100k + just in materials and labor and transport on top of that. So a 30 footer would cost you $250-$350 and would take 12-16 weeks at best with a good team.

pulpit

 

[doghouse]

Indeed

 

[SloopJonB]

For reference, in 1981, the price of a bare hull Serendipity 43 was 125K.  A limited run where the plug was amortized over a number of boats.  

SJB, who designed your project boat?   I love the half ton boats.

Nelson/Marek

I agree about the 1/2 Tonners. Years ago Ted Brewer said he thought they were the ideal size for a race boat - small enough to be handled by a small crew but big enough to take some weather. Seemed very logical.

I loved my old 1/4 Tonner but it came up short on the weather component.

 

[Cal20sailor]

Nelson/Marek

I agree about the 1/2 Tonners. Years ago Ted Brewer said he thought they were the ideal size for a race boat - small enough to be handled by a small crew but big enough to take some weather. Seemed very logical.

I loved my old 1/4 Tonner but it came up short on the weather component.

Agree completely but on the Lakes, G&S cleaned up with the 1/2 tonners.  Peterson had a 1/2 tonner that it took overnight races to beat.  

Would love to see your work if I get to Seattle.  Stay offline and grind/sand/prime/paint.  

Had a Mull 32 1/2 tonner in Detroit that didn't lose a buoy race all summer.  That would have been '76.  The G&S boats were more like '81 or so.