Which Has Better Quality

[SIXTYSLOVE]

I'm Stuck Between Purchasing An 89 Pen Yan, Or A 77 Fiber Foam....which Is Better For My First Purchase (used)...???????

 

[Bondo]

Re: Which Has Better Quality

Ayuh,... For 25/ 30 year old barges,... Buy the 1 with the least Rotten wood in it...

 

[JimS123]

Re: Which Has Better Quality

Condition IS everything. However, if they are equal, go with the Penn Yan. They made quality boats for many years, while Fiberform was a short lived company with much lesser quality to begin with.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Which Has Better Quality

Condition IS everything. However, if they are equal, go with the Penn Yan. They made quality boats for many years, while Fiberform was a short lived company with much lesser quality to begin with.

Even Penn Yan's longevity is no guarantee unless they've had the same ownership for all that time. And, depending on the size and model, the tunnel drive can be a handful at low speeds and in reverse

The Chris Craft name, for example, has been in continuous production for 135 years, but in the last 30 years it's been passed around more times than a 50-cent *****. Most of the boats made in the 80's and early 90's severely tarnished the reputation.

I'm with Bubba and Bond-O. 30 year old boats? Just buy the one that isn't falling apart.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Which Has Better Quality

Even Penn Yan's longevity is no guarantee unless they've had the same ownership for all that time. And, depending on the size and model, the tunnel drive can be a handful at low speeds and in reverse

The Chris Craft name, for example, has been in continuous production for 135 years, but in the last 30 years it's been passed around more times than a 50-cent *****. Most of the boats made in the 80's and early 90's severely tarnished the reputation.

I'm with Bubba and Bond-O. 30 year old boats? Just buy the one that isn't falling apart.

I guess you missed my point. I was agreeing with everybody else regarding condition. Personally, I have never seen a Penn Yan that I found to be junk. Conversely, I never saw a Fiberform that wasn't junk.

On the other hand, I didn't consider a Tunnel Drive beacuse that was never mentioned by the OP. If he's looking at a tunnel drive, then I would nix that as well.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Which Has Better Quality

Hi, Jim- I got your point about "all things being equal" and I basically agree. If I wasn't inclined to have a survey done I'd choose by brand name. And yes, there's a better chance that a Penn Yan will be a quality boat

I wanted to point out that even Penn Yan might have had some number of "bad" years depending on who actually owned and ran the company. That's all.

People point to names like Penn Yan and Chris Craft as being "quality boats". The real answer is... usually. Mine is. Build quality and materials are top drawer, though I question the sanity of whoever made some of the design decisions. A 1980's Amerosport is not generally considered to be up to C-C's normal standards. (I know that's gonna tick somebody off, and I'm sorry).

Survey, survey, survey!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Which Has Better Quality

Of course condition and maintenance are paramount, but after that, the Pen Yan name would be among the classics, so having or restoring an old boat with that name would be a lot cooler than fixing up and riding around in a generic. I especially like the way Pen Yan kept that lap-strake hull.