Winter Yachts For Sale
Built in the sportfish mecca of coastal North Carolina, Winter Yachts build custom boats in multiple styles including convertibles, express sportfishing boats, walk-around, and center-consoles. Customized to the owner's wishes, each Winter Yacht is unique, traditionally styled, and outfiitted with the only the very best equipment. United Yacht Sales is pleased to have sold several Winter Yachts and are happy to assist you in the sale of yours or help you find the perfect boat on the brokerage market.
Learn More About Winter Custom Yachts And Find Your Next Boat
2023 is the 20-year anniversary of Winter Custom Yachts that began in 2003 with Hull W-1 (“GALOT”) built by 20-year-old Tim Winter and team, while completing his mechanical engineering degree. This first Carolina-Style custom sportfishing boat was a 62-footer constructed using the cold-molded method with three layers of Okoume plywood, on a CNC jig. Quite a splash for a first boat, which was designed to tournament fish the East Coast and travel. Though born and raised in eastern North Carolina, Tim Winter did not have the typical Coastal Carolina charter fishing background; but he dreamt of boatbuilding and was drawing boats since childhood. Growing up working in his father’s cabinetry shop, he learned skills and became an accomplished carpenter, all the while constantly drawing boats, developing his own style—a sleeker, softer exterior and, of course, with excellent carpentry and meticulous fit and finish. Tim Winter transitioned to boat building by working for local Carolina Style sportfish boatbuilders, gaining valuable experience, before pursuing his engineering degree.
List Of Winter Yachts On The Brokerage Market
Twenty years later, Tim Winter and his highly skilled team have launched, or are currently in-process designing and building nearly 40 hulls. Model varieties include Center Console, Walk Around, Express, Convertible Sportfish. The largest yacht to date will be the new 80ft Convertible Sportfish. Over the years, Winter Custom Yachts has gradually moved away from the extreme flare and tumble home associated with the “Carolina Style” for a sleeker, faster looking hull with softer lines and more interior volume for living spaces, especially the below deck accommodations. The hull running bottom has also been refined to improve speed and efficiency. Winter’s primary objective is to “build exquisite custom boats with flawless lines that perform like no other.”
A new division is being started—Winter Yachts, which will be a line of molded boats. A Sport Coupe capable of 50-knot top speed is on the drawing board. Winter Custom Yachts builds in a variety of methods and materials—wood, composite, and molded construction. Some of the design and style distinctives of Winter Custom Yachts are the predominant lines of the bridge and hull, along with the “belly lines” of the transom, while the last five Convertibles have established a consistent window style. Interiors also distinguish Winter Custom Yachts with appealing combinations of textures and materials—glass, leather, marble, and were one of the first to use quarter-sawn horizontal grain walnut (instead of the classic vertical teak) for a more modern and elegant look. Winter places a tremendous emphasis on design, in excruciating detail, to satisfy an owner’s specific personal preferences. Winter Custom Yachts doesn’t use subcontractors; eight different trades work on a project under the same roof—custom boat building relies heavily on highly skilled, experienced shipwrights to bring an owner’s vision to beautiful, finished reality. And they must adapt to new technologies, materials, styles, and production processes.
Some of those technologies include wake-adapted running gear, used on all new builds and any yachts coming back to the Winter yard for repowering. The multiple benefits justify the expense—smoother running with less vibration and noise; no prop blowout (cavitation), and greatly reduced prop burn (pitting). It also allows a boat to go faster for a given amount of power and fuel efficiency is improved across a range of speeds. Other technologies that have become necessities, especially on custom sportfish vessels, are Seakeeper gyro stabilizers and sonar. Power trends include higher horsepower inboard engines such as 2,200 hp V12s that are lighter in weight, 600hp outboards in multiples, and the CAT C32B with V-drives for a more aft position and enhanced performance.
All Winter models are custom designed, built, powered, and equipped according to the owners’ orders, and therefore, no two are identical. Yet all are recognizable as Winter Sportfish Boats and Yachts with refined classic Carolina lines, a seaworthy, performance hull, and the superb Winter joinery fit and finish.
The Convertible model is designed and built to handle every offshore adventure, traveling to destinations near and far in luxurious comfort, with efficient performance.
Hull W-1, a 62ft Convertible launched in mid-2000s, was designed and built for deep sea and tournament fishing with speed and extended run capabilities. She features Winter’s classic cold-molded hull construction and Carolina styling with moderate deadrise for stability and performance—characteristics of Winter Custom Yachts. She is elegant and comfortable with beautiful joinery. Hull W-9 is 64ft and currently the largest the largest convertible launched; larger convertible models are in the works.
The next model to be designed and built was a Center Console Hull W-2 in the length range of 25’ to 39’. Hull W-24 is a 24ft basic Center Console without a T-top built for pioneering offshore sail and marlin fisherman, Nick Smith, for inshore and near shore fly fishing. Hull W-31 is a new stepped hull with tower and quadruple outboards. Winter Center Consoles are often designed as tenders to superyacht vessels; they are easily towed and rugged to withstand the rigors of towing in open water, making them great support vessels for various activities—diving, fishing, or transport to and from shore.
Hull W-9 was the first of at least nine Winter Express models. The Express is a very versatile vessel, whether chasing the tournament circuit or island hopping with family or friends. The Winter Express features a similar hull and deck layout to a Convertible, but without a flybridge; navigation console is on a raised helm deck under a hardtop that is usually enclosed on 3 sides for air-conditioning comfort and spray protection. The helm deck includes seating, table, storage, and other amenities for socializing, meals and more with the captain included, which is one of the Express model’s benefits. The 30’ Express was designed as a compact sports fisherman to fit a marina configuration, but still features the details of larger Express models. Hull W-23, a 65’ Express launched in 2018, is the largest Express sportfish built in North Carolina. She was designed and built for bluewater travel and fishing with family, featuring plenty of comfortable living areas in helm deck, mezzanine, and interior cabins.
The Walk-Around model is the optimum fishing platform whether fishing shorthanded or with a party. The Winter Walk-Around is like a combo Sportfish and Center Console with a flybridge-style raised helm deck. The hardtop with side curtains and forward wind screen provides protection from weather and spray. The Winter WA models feature a fishing cockpit, mezzanine, tower, and walk-around side decks to the bow, protected by high side and forward freeboard. Gunwale rod holders are in the cockpit and bow coaming. Exquisite teak finishes and styling details combine with functionality for a great fishing or cruising experience with family and friends.
Currently there are less than half a dozen Winter Custom Yachts available in the brokerage market, ranging from a 27’ Winter Custom Center Console to a 63’ Winter Custom Convertible. Pricing ranges from under $200K to about $3.9million for a 2022 53’ Winter Custom Express.