Trojan Boat Forum

What’s it worth?

I am looking at a 1977 F-32 Trojan Flybridge Express. It has been sitting for about 4 years (out of the water) some of which it was wrapped. The previous owner (now deceased) overheated the port engine (Chrysler 318) and it is seized tight. The history on the other engine is uncertain but I saw that the thermostat housing was removed as was the thermostat and the block plugs and the water sending unit prong was broken off but it does turn. There are no maintenance records available. The batteries are not charged so I am unable to confirm the condition of the operational components of the boat. The boat itself appears to have been taken care of and I have confirmed this from someone who new the previous owner but only could offer limited information on the boat itself. There were some cosmetic and appliance upgrades but the mechanicals, generator and other drive train components appear to be original. It has the original galvanized fuel tanks (full of 4 year old plus fuel). The boat was winterized but I am concerned about the quality of the fuel in the tanks. I also understand that some owners have experienced filter clogging issues due to deterioration inside the original galvanized tanks.

I was hoping to get some census as to what it might be worth? I realize that this is a tall request given the short dissertations I have provided, but any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. I am an ASE Certified mechanic and I am not intimidated by the prospect of replacing the engines and would welcome any suggestions or warning as to where to purchase the new engines or what other issues I should be aware of if I decide to make this purchase. Thanks in advance for your help.

Ken from eastern PA

Well I have been trying to sell my boat for while now and I am asking $10,500.00 for it and can not get the first phone call and it has two good running engines. A boat is only worth want someone is willing to pay for it, with that said if your are interested in buying this boat I would offer $2K and start from there

agreed, I have been an automotive mechanic my whole life, I am now almost 50, I work on high end exotic cars, and know my way around most any system, so I dont mind getting involved with an old boat, especially fiberglass, The market is shot,,, I paid over 12000 for my Trojan F31 in what I would consider to be excellent shape, last year, and I cant sell it for half that now,,, if your not a mechanic or inclined to work on a project people are reluctant to get involved with a boat of this vintage,, they dont know what their missing as far as Im concerned. But with that said, theres alot to be said about buying a new boat with no headaches, (for a while anyway) thats providing you have the funds. There is a guy a my marina who purchased a two year old boat last year, I think its a 07 , real nice, I believe its a 29ft Chapparal or something like that,, I mean its a beauty, and no doubt a wonderful boat to enjoy in the summer, but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 1500 bucks a month for 20 years,,,,, ya gotta be kidding me, and you know what, mine does the same thing. and its all mine, lol of course being a technician has its advantages, but as far as the old boat market,,,,,,, forget it,,,
So what I would do is shoot low,, the worse that can happen is they say no, you can work from there its truely a buyers market, but if you really want it, pay what you think its worth, you may loose it

I agree with WilleTrojan - offer them 2K....all they can do is say no. I bought my F36 Tri-cabin last fall and got it for less than half of what it is worth. I bid way low and the offer was accepted without even a counter-offer. The market is bad so now is a great time to buy.

Having said that, I still have my old boat and have not even put it up for sale yet. I am waiting until the market comes back to get a better price for it.

My advice is to look around for something in running condition. Even doing most everything yourself, you can easily put $5K into each engine, and it doesn't take long to ring up $20K as you find more things that need fixing. That's money that you shouldn't ever expect to get back. With gas prices ticking up again, power boats are out of demand. Take your time, and look at a few, compare, and put together a budget and time frame for repairs. Once you buy the boat, you are in for a lot of work to get things in working order, which is fine if that's what you want. An important question is are you looking for a boat or a project? If you decide to take the plunge, consider some owners will just be happy to have you take it off their hands. You don't know what someone will accept until you make an offer. You can always go up, if they don't like the first price.

not sure about the market where you are up in PA (used to live up there...too damned cold for me. hehe), nor could i offer a good guess as to the value with the boat in the condition you stated...but...

i bought my 77 f-32 back in february of this year. the guy was asking 28k for it, and i got it for a lot less, but not much. so far (fingers crossed) it's been a great boat. had to have an impeller changed the day after i got it, and i've upgraded some electronics on it and some other things, but as a whole, it's as it was when i got it. maybe i'm a sucker. lol but, there's only two other f-32s in the chattanooga area, and i didnt' want to pay a buttload on shipping, so i guess i did okay.

point is, i think it depends on your local marked as well as the condition of the boat.

I second chucka's opinion.

Even if this boat is free and you do all the work yourself, you will very likely end up spending more fixing it up than you would spend for a boat that is in comperable condition already. I know a lot of guys disagree but those of that have done it and really kept tabs on expenses- know it to be true. Boat "PARTS" haven't depreciated like "boats" have.

It's a great time to be a buyer and the bargains aren't the fixer uppers... they're the cherry boats that just aren't selling.

Unless- your looking for a project and not a boat. I tend to do this and enjoy the work immensly but it makes no financial sense even with free labor. Add in any labor costs and you quickly realize your the leading candidate for the Darwin award.

Thanks for all the great advice. It sounds like the census of opinion is to search the market for something running and that makes a lot of sense in today’s economic environment.

It,s just that I am always looking for an opportunity to jump on a great deal and that usually means buying someone else’s problem or jumping on something I was not looking for but can’t pass up on a moments notice. My wife calls it a compulsion; I like to think of it as an opportunity. I get a lot of personal satisfaction and solace in restoration work. My wife sometimes has a hard time believing that when the expletives start flying because something isn’t going the way I had hoped. She shares your opinions that it would be great to buy something running that did not need a lot of work for a change. I Guess old habits are hard to break.

In any event, I will take the advice you have given me and keep looking. It does not sound like this boat is going to get sold any time soon. In the interim if anybody knows of a Trojan F- 32’- 40’ in the 1975-80 era that runs and the owner is anxious to get out from under it, please let me know. Thanks again for all your help.

Ken

PS - Willie(F-32) – Please provide me with he details of your boat.

Ken,, I understand completely I am the same way, sometimes its not about the money, sometimes I look at an old machine, whether its a boat, car, whatever, and I just have to breath new life into it, I am known to do that,
my personal car has 385 thousand miles, I bought it brand new and we call him the old man, It has no monitary value at all, but to me he is worth everything and I keep him on the road, I just put Historic Plates on it and pay 125 bucks a year for insurance, its an 83 BMW 528e, I wouldnt trade it for a new car, (we do have another vehicle) , but some people just dont understand.
I felt the same feeling when I saw my 71 F31, at the dock , it looked like it needed me,,,, lol, so I jumped in, It wasnt about the money,( well at first it was, it was the only boat I could afford,) but after seeing it, I had to have it, So the moral of the story is, if you see a boat that you like, and its not exacxtly what you thought, if you get " that feeling" and you will know,, just do it,,, you never want to say , I should have
when I go to my marina, my boat is the oldest in my dock area, I mean by a landslide, but,,,,,,,,,,,, everyone comments on it, and they say how outstanding she looks and how they dont make em like that anymore,, I dont know if there being polite,,,lol or just sincere. Or maybe they feel sorry for me,,,lol lol... but for whatever reason , she is known by all. Ya gotta love that feeling.

look on craigslist.org probably find a good deal on a running boat.

Ken .... good luck with your search. Do yourself a favor and take a gander at Willie's post where he's pulling a tube. She sure sounds good.

mpulsev 10 is right, google " craigslist trojan f32" and it brings up all the trojan f32'son CL. For example http://providence.craigslist.org/boa/1247637589.html for $9900.

ken, please check your private messages as i have sent you one.
aaron