Tattoo pricing and options

[mastreb]

The admiral and I are considering buying a boat and leaving it on the east coast--We thoroughly enjoyed our trip out there and sailing with the MUCK-about crew, but we'd like to be able to fly out to do that rather than have to take a month to trailer.

I'm again considering a Hake 26 or 32RK, but once you get used to paying MacGregor prices, those start to be really big dollars. We're committed to not keeping a boat in the water, especially when we'd be gone for 11 months at a time, and want to be able to rent an RV to move it around from Cape Cod to the keys from year to year.

So I've contacted the Tattoo factory to see what the new deal is, and I thought I'd share some of that info here.

They're currently running a six-month backlog, which is great for them but it means we won't be able to get a boat until March at the earliest. That's okay since we wouldn't be out before next summer anyway.

MSRP for the basic boat ready-to-sail with mainsail only is $24,900, or $2000 more than the last MacGregor sold for. It's still by far the best deal in sailboats. Otherwise the option pricing is about 25% more than when I bought in 2010.

Lewmar winches are now standard.

Matt

[RobertB]

I think that $2000 difference is really less than it looks. Some items are now listed as stock that were accessories: vang, halyard aft to the cockpit, and interior LED lights.

They have added a few other items that make life easier such as messenger line up the mast for stringing wire and color coded lines.

[mastreb]

I think that $2000 difference is really less than it looks. Some items are now listed as stock that were accessories: vang, halyard aft to the cockpit, and interior LED lights.

They have added a few other items that make life easier such as messenger line up the mast for stringing wire and color coded lines.

Former options that have become standard:

Lewmar aluminum winches
halyards led aft
Vang
LED lights
Anchor roller at the bow (no longer an option)
Draw bar and wheels are galvanized
centering rails on trailer
Trailer ladder
Pressurized water system with 9 gallon tank
Dinette table has built-in storage (?)
Cabin lock

I'd say that's close to $2000 worth of kit.

[Russ]

Lewmar aluminum winches
halyards led aft
Vang
LED lights
Anchor roller at the bow (no longer an option)
Draw bar and wheels are galvanized
centering rails on trailer
Trailer ladder
Pressurized water system with 9 gallon tank
Dinette table has built-in storage (?)
Cabin lock

I'd say that's close to $2000 worth of kit.

Cabin lock...what about a hasp?

Not so sure that adds up to $2k. My 2008 trailer has a built in ladder, not sure it was an option. I'd be interested in how they do the pressure water system.

Still the cheapest boat for the buck on the market I say. With that said, if I were only using it 1 month out of the year, I might consider a used Mac. One that has already been setup and used. Moving it from Cape Cod to the Keys means a trailer boat and the Mac is perfect for that. If that were negotiable, I'd buy a used Cat or something to play with in the summer.
Do your homework on where to store said boat as some states charge property tax on boats left on their soil.

[mastreb]

Yep, we are considering a use boat. My issues with that are that I won't be around to perform maintenance or mods on it except during vacation, and I'd hate to spend my vacation time doing that. Also, the ETEC is lower maintenance and far more able to sit than anything with a carburetor--it'll start right up after 11 months sitting no problem, and I can fog it for storage easily each time I leave.

The other option is to take our current boat out to the east coast since It meets all of our criteria, and then buy a different boat here. But that's two cross-ships since there's nary a boat made in CA anymore.

Matt

[Russ]

If mods are an issue, then a new boat will take up all your time there. Your idea of bringing your modded boat out and leaving it makes sense. Then buy a new one for local and mod it up.

The ETec isn't the only low maintenance motor. I've read the literature and all and frankly would still change oils etc regardless. My Suzi is fuel injected and I don't fog it. Probably should, but never have. Starts right up each year after a LONG winter rest.

Might be more fun to have 2 different kinds of boats. One for trailering and one for other stuff. Different flavors.

[mastreb]

Might be more fun to have 2 different kinds of boats. One for trailering and one for other stuff. Different flavors.

I'd love to have two different kinds of boats, but I really won't pay for a slip again having tasted the sweet nectar of not feeling like I'm wasting a ton of money every moment I'm not using my boat. Slips here in San Diego start around $500 and go up from there, and you'll have a full garden grown on your bottom in four weeks. Bi-weekly cleaning is mandatory here. So that really limits me to trailerable boats.

Adding to that the fact that I really dislike noise, smell, and cost of powerboats, and that I know that the Trailerable Trimarans are too small for our needs (and not at all easy to load/unload), and that we want a boat big enough to camp on routinely, I wind up right back at the 26M. The Hake Seawards are really the only other game in this tiny little town.

We would consider renting, but summer rates are high, the pump-outs are never pumped-out, the engines conk out constantly because they get zero maintenance, and there's always something critical broken on them that the last renter didn't report so he wouldn't be charged. We've gone that route in the past and decided its cheaper and less frustrating to own a Mac than to be a member of a rental club.

Renting a personally owned boat or co-owning with someone trustworthy would be an option, but that's a difficult thing to put together.

I've got time to think it over, there's no rush.

[Paul S]

Our M is still up for sale here in MA, if you are still considering used.

http://www.ne-ts.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=337 (I Have an ad on this site, but this ad is most up to date)

[Sea Wind]

Hey Matt,
Having a mobile rig on the East coast is a great advantage; it allows you to attend different events depending on when you arrive. As you know, our boat is just south of Annapolis and last year we went to the Keys in March, Beer cruise in June, MUCK-about in August and Pirate Sail in September; this year we went to the Cayo Costa trip in March, Beer cruise and MUCK. With the arrival of baby #3 we had to stop overnight trips and miss the upcoming Pirate Sail, but we are already planning to go to the keys next spring with the new swabbie.
Some thoughts:
Depending on which marina you use, you can pay the mechanic to have it ready at your arrival, kind of a spring commissioning so you don’t have to deal with any maintenance.
What about a tow vehicle? Towing is prohibited with most car rentals.
I have never been the leasing type, but you should run the numbers and see if chartering at different locations makes more sense. It would save you any maintenance headaches plus it would save time travelling to other destinations along the coast.

as some states charge property tax on boats left on their soil.

I have never heard of this in MD, our boat stays on the hard with about 10 other Macs

[Russ]

What about a tow vehicle? Towing is prohibited with most car rentals.

Is this the same for RV rentals?

I've seen some outrageous RV rental fees. What about buying a cheap used truck and keeping it with the boat?

[Seapup]

What about a hobie 33 for use in CA, and your M for the camper East?



The hobie is wicked fast and still trailerable.

[mastreb]

Our M is still up for sale here in MA, if you are still considering used.

http://www.ne-ts.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=337 (I Have an ad on this site, but this ad is most up to date)

That looks like a solid deal on a great boat that's already configured the way I'd do it. I've got a chartplotter (421s) that will hook up right where your 441s was.

The Admiral & I sleep on the table berth that the 2004 lacks however, so we'd have to to the Aft berth where I'm a bit too long.

We won't be ready to go out until Spring at the earliest, but I will keep an eye on this!

[mastreb]

What about a tow vehicle? Towing is prohibited with most car rentals.

El Monte RV and Cruise America allow towing with their RVs. We'd just use an RV company that allowed it.

I have never been the leasing type, but you should run the numbers and see if chartering at different locations makes more sense. It would save you any maintenance headaches plus it would save time travelling to other destinations along the coast.

I've been looking into this for a while. It certainly makes sense for larger boats in the 33' plus range which must remained slipped, but Macs stored on the hard are such a good deal in terms of total cost of ownership that leasing is more. Fixed-rate timeshare lease clubs all come out to between $500 and $1000/mo. and provide about a month of time, but summers are hard to book because that's when everyone wants them. Daily P2P charters have no club costs, but $400..$800 per day of rental. It doesn't take many trips to pay for a Mac at those rates.

as some states charge property tax on boats left on their soil.
I have never heard of this in MD, our boat stays on the hard with about 10 other Macs

California does this if they know about it (i.e., it's registered in CA or slipped in a marina)

[RobertB]

Maryland only pays attention via annual license/registration fees. No other taxes I am aware of. Now, since you would be registered out of state, I do not see any MD state fees. But consider, to register a used car, it needs to go through a very thorough state inspection (at least here). What are the CA requirements for the boat, motor, and trailer to get a registration on a used item?

[Russ]

as some states charge property tax on boats left on their soil.
I have never heard of this in MD, our boat stays on the hard with about 10 other Macs

California does this if they know about it (i.e., it's registered in CA or slipped in a marina)

I read an article in BoatUS mag a while back on property tax and cruising boats left in a state too long.
http://www.boatus.com/pressroom/release.asp?id=506
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) says boaters may be subject to various sales, use, excise, or property taxes when they remain in one location for a consecutive number of days, or over-stay their visit for a certain number of aggregate days per year. This “grace period” is often 60 to 90 days but as little as 30 days in two states (CO, NH). Also, if the principal state’s tax is not comparable to the tax in the state the boat is visiting, the second state can levy the tax making the boat owner liable for the difference.

My state doesn't have sales tax and all boats/RVs are registered with permanent (one time) registration. There is also no inspection.
So a cottage industry has popped up creating LLCs and registering expensive toys to them. I have a buddy in Kentucky who did this, registered his RV to avoid taxes etc. The LLC sent him the plates for his vehicle.

Owning boats kept in different states could pose complications. Especially if you are required to have trailers inspected and you are only there short periods of time to do so.