Buying a used Cooper: a single yard's compact, long-closed production run
A used Cooper is a boat from one closely held Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, operation — Cooper Enterprises Ltd. and the related Cooper Yachts Ltd., both owned by the same man and sharing staff and finances — building almost entirely to designs by one naval architect, Stan Huntingford. The company went out of business in 1990, so every surviving Cooper is decades past any factory support; condition, maintenance history, and the specific hull in front of you matter more than chasing a particular hull number.
Which era to target
Cooper's own line began in the late 1970s, with the 353 and 416/416 TM models, and ran through 1984's 367, built as a direct development of the earlier 353, with the larger 508 flagship arriving in between. Cruising World described Cooper's boats as each carrying "a bit of a different look," tailored to Pacific Northwest sailing conditions rather than a fixed house style, so don't assume two hulls built years apart share identical construction details even under the same model name. By the mid-1980s, the same yard was also building the Maple Leaf and Sea Bird lines under one roof; a Maple Leaf or Sea Bird from that period shares a builder with Cooper's own boats, but earlier Maple Leaf models — such as the 42, which Svend's Yachts Ltd. of North Vancouver held exclusive rights to build — came from other companies altogether, so confirming the actual builder behind a given boat is worth doing before assuming a shared production history.
Navigating the lineup
Cooper's range moved from smaller fin-keeled, dual-steering cruisers up to the pilothouse-style 508 flagship, while the related Sea Bird line added Lloyd's-certified hull construction and, on the 37, a layout close to a true pilothouse boat. Weigh how much deckhouse and pilothouse living space matters against a more straightforward cockpit-sailing boat, then use the full model directory on this page to compare specific hulls within whichever line and size fits.
Where they're listed
Cooper listings appear across 4 countries. United States has the most listings with 5 (45.5%), followed by Canada and Malaysia.
Country view
11 listings · 4 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $76,900 | 5 | 0 | 45.5% |
| Canada | $17,845 | 3 | 0 | 27.3% |
| Malaysia | $370,000 | 2 | 0 | 18.2% |
| United Kingdom | $4,044 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
All Cooper models
2 models grouped by length overall. Open any model to see recent asking prices and active listings.