Blackfin Yachts for Sale

Blackfin began in Miami in 1973 and made its name in the 1980s and 1990s with inboard sportfishermen that rode better than almost anything their size. Carl Herndon, later the founder of Jupiter and twice a Bertram president, ran the company for about 25 years. It fell on hard times in the late 1990s, Detroit Diesel ended up with it and sold the assets to the investor Alvin Wright, and in the early 2000s the tooling and the brand rights passed to Gustavo Cardona, who built Blackfins with Jose Suarez in small numbers: 25 and 27 center consoles, the 33 Combi and 38, 40 and 42 Express models, around 100 boats in all. Monterey Boats of Williston, Florida then put the name on a new outboard series from 2013 and relaunched it properly with new hulls in 2018. The current range is 11 models of center console, dual console and hybrid bay boat.

That history matters, because two quite different boats trade under one name. An older Miami Blackfin is bought for the hull: expect to renew most of what sits on top of it, price in a repower on the inboard boats, and accept that there is no factory behind a 1988 boat. A post 2013 Blackfin is a current production outboard boat from an established builder with a live dealer network, warranty records and parts on a shelf. Do not compare the two on price per foot. Decide which market you are in first, then survey accordingly: stringers, tanks and transom on the old boats, engine hours and electronics on the new ones.