This year is the best time ever to buy a yacht

In the current economy, you can leverage so much more for your money whether your investment is in a home or a luxury item–especially when you buy a yacht. In 2010, you will get so much more yacht for your money than at any previous time.

If you are ready to buy, yacht shopping can be much simpler if you answer a few basic questions first:

When you buy a yacht, would you want to have the layout and features you want?

[ ] Yes, I want to choose how the room sizes and features are customized.

[ ] No, I want the builder to choose.

Would you like to be included in the customizing your new yacht specifications?

[ ] Yes, I want to be able to participate in the process or customizing.

[ ] No, I want the builder to do it all before I get there.

Do you expect greater than normal quality in the work?

[ ] Yes, I expect quality as part of every step in the yacht customization.

[ ] No, I figure if they make a lot of the same production yachts, that’s already worked out.

Would input from crew, designers, and decorators make a difference to a yacht build?

[ ] Yes, I expect designs that make life easy for all aboard.

[ ] No, I expect only that everything looks great and works.

If you answered “yes” to any one of the questions above, then you have selected Hargrave Custom Yachts as your new yacht builder.  If you answered “no”, you might want to consider some of our yachts for sale.

Modern business is about quantity pricing—but not when you buy a yacht

Low price and quantity seems to be the mark of business in the modern world. However, Hargrave Custom Yachts is not of this age. The one type of yacht we do not build is the cookie-cutter, production yacht. The tradition of Hargrave Custom Yachts stems from the creative innovations of Jack Hargrave, himself.

Jack Hargrave was a naval architect and yacht designer of global fame. He is featured in both the National Marine Manufacturers Association’s Hall of Fame and the Westlawn Yacht Design Institute’s Hall of Fame. His innovations in how yachts where designed earned him a nickname of the father of American yachting. What made his designs unusual was that he gathered owners, crews, captains, marine architects, interior designers, and other seasoned experiences into the design and build processes. His dream was to create vessels with high usability, practicality, and unmatched quality.

His legacy is the continuing cornerstone of today’s modern Hargrave Custom Yachts. Quality includes hands-on workmanship with quality checking of every involved element at every stage of construction. The design specifics are left in the hands of the owners and how they wish their yachts to be customized. In that way, the Jack Hargrave tradition continues to serve as the benchmark for all modern new yacht creation.

New vs. Built new vs. Previously completed

Many of Hargrave Custom Yachts’ owners first become owners because we are one of the few—and maybe the only—70′ to 130′ yacht builder that encourages owner participation in the entire construction process – a true custom builder. Others become our customers because they see the enormous creativity in our custom creations once the building is completed. However, there is one class of “new yacht” builds that arises from those who have built and own a Hargrave and are anxious to put their creativity in custom design back into another creation. Either way you select, if you are ever to own a yacht, there is no better time to own one than right now when quality is up, prices are low, and depreciation is minimal.

This type of new yacht is one that is highly customized or even custom built from the keel to the mast by an owner who knew exactly what he wanted. A case in point is the 2009 101′ Raised Pilot House, SASSY, which is available because the owner-builder already has a new build in the yard. A truly innovative creation with unbelievable quality and style built into it, this new yacht represents many firsts and bears a wealth of ideas for improving all life aboard. Read the incredible review of SASSY by Risa Merl and see for yourself. It is unique because it is:

1) The first Hargrave yacht with a main deck stateroom

2) Built with crew requests for expanded galley food preparation area

3) A yacht completely built with collaborative criticism, critique and suggestions from crew, captains, owners, architects and design craftsmen

4) As a custom builder, all those great ideas are welcome at Hargrave

5) As beautiful as any work of art, yet SASSY is completely user-friendly

This kind of new yacht happens because Hargrave is a true custom builder and its customers are so happy to create other Hargrave Custom Yachts. In terms of usability and specialized design, such yachts can be new like no other new yacht, and only Hargrave has such yachts in the 70′ to 130′ range. That is, because this is our specialty.

Your checklist to buy a new yacht:

This checklist will help you prepare to purchase your new yacht. Of course, having Hargrave Custom Yachts as your selected maker will make this checklist very easy:

Quality should be the highest priority. Take a step down in size before you take a step down in quality.

Consider previously owned and restored to new condition if size is also a top priority, just so you can maintain the quality.

Calculate the full cost of ownership. You will find that now is the best time ever to invest in a yacht. Again, the higher the quality the lower the depreciation, the maintenance and the other costs of ownership that comprise the yacht’s true value.

Compare. Take tours. Walk any marina. You will likely find that Hargrave Custom Yachts has no peer when it comes to the quality of work and the level of customization.

Talk to owners. Over half of the previous Hargrave owners have returned to build another Hargrave—several have done that 4 times over the past 10 years. Hargrave owners have to be the happiest of owners.

Consider the after sale-customer service. Hargrave’s customer service will come to meet your yacht wherever it is located at the time of need.

When you buy a yacht, the smart money is on anything where you get to control the quality and usability. As with the beginning questionnaire, the right answer is the one where you participate in getting exactly what you want to see in your new yacht. At Hargrave Custom Yachts, the customer quite literally always comes first.