I had a call with a perspective client who was looking for two quads for their program and wanted to sell an 8+ they were no longer using. As we talked about their program and their needs it became clear that they wanted two quads to get their top 8s sculling while maintaining similar boat speed to what they would have in the 8 and have the sweep riggers to race the straight four events that are currently under subscribed.
To make this happen, they were considering trading in an 8+ (valued at $12,000 on the used market) and purchasing two ten-year-old quad/straight fours that would come with new shoes, tracks, and wheels for all seats. In total this team was going to pay $24,800 for the two used boats, which seems like a decent deal to them, but that package price included the trade in of their 8+ – which meant they were really going to pay $36,800 plus delivery for ten-year-old boats.
Because racing was a big part of what they wanted the boats for I recommended the Swift Racing Elite Plus shells. These boats feature a Kevlar outer skin for incredible durability, a honeycomb core, and a carbon fiber inner skin, seat decks, and gunnel – resulting in a boat that is an imperceptible 1.5% over World Rowing minimum regulation weight and significantly more impact resistant than a full carbon boat. In total these two shells cost $38,600 – only $1,800 more than the used boat package before delivery – but includes both sets of riggers, 3-ply padded boat bags to protect the boats, rigger bags, our quick release rigger system to make switching from a quad to a straight four easy, a pair of slings for each boat, tools, and delivery to their club!
Buying used can be a good value but you’re always getting a older boat, potentially one that weighs more than a new boat, and a shells that is almost guaranteed to need more maintenance than a new boat. And at the prices of Swift Racing shells, used isn’t always the best option.
If you’re in the market for a new or new to you shell, be sure to look at Swift Racing. With transparent pricing and the ability to order boats right from our website, it’s never been easier to purchase a new shell.
