Gulfstar 43 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a used Gulfstar 43 means looking at an American cruiser designed by Vince and Richard Lazzara and built by Gulfstar Yachts in the United States, a recreational keelboat first built in 1971 and now out of production. These are vintage long-keel fiberglass cruisers with wood trim and a Perkins diesel, and the used fleet reflects both the boat's original cruising intent and the decades of owner modification that distinguish one example from the next.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Gulfstar 43 was designed as a cruiser and is a recreational keelboat built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, a raked stem, and a vertical transom. Its fixed long keel and keel-mounted rudder controlled by a wheel define the underbody, while the rig is a masthead sloop or optional ketch. Because the boat is out of production and the original build spanned a single early-1970s configuration in the documented record, layout differences on the used market are less about factory plan variations and more about how individual owners maintained or reconfigured the interior over time. The 115-gallon water and 65-gallon diesel capacities set the provisioning baseline regardless of cosmetic changes above.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, used Gulfstar 43s commonly carry a watermaker, air conditioning, solar, lithium batteries, an inverter, bimini, dodger, swim platform, teak decks, and a chartplotter. These are the fittings most often found already installed rather than added by the browsing buyer. Less universally present are an autopilot and a short-handed setup, which appear as sometimes-seen or owner-upgrade items rather than standard equipped features. The boat itself was originally fitted with a British Perkins Engines diesel, and any example should be assessed for whether that engine remains or has been replaced outside the documented baseline.
What to Inspect
The documented record for the Gulfstar 43 does not list model-specific structural defects or recurring systems failures, but the boat belongs to Gulfstar's early-1970s production context before the mid-to-late-decade improvements in encapsulated lead ballast and hand-laid laminates. Buyers should inspect the fiberglass hull and wood trim for moisture and delamination typical of vintage construction, verify the keel-mounted rudder and fixed long keel for impact or degradation, and confirm the Perkins diesel's service history. The absence of documented flooding paths means inspection should follow general early-fiberglass cruiser practice rather than a known-issue checklist unique to this model.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Used Gulfstar 43s typically appear in the United States and Panama. For a shopper, the takeaway is a simple one: confirm the rig configuration (sloop or ketch), verify the Perkins diesel and fiberglass-and-wood condition, and expect to find common cruising upgrades already aboard while treating autopilot and shorthanded setups as possible absences. A short buyer checklist:
- Confirm sloop or ketch rig and mast/rigging condition
- Inspect hull, wood trim, keel, and rudder for vintage-fiberglass issues
- Verify Perkins diesel or note any replacement
- Check for commonly fitted gear (solar, inverter, A/C, chartplotter)
- Expect autopilot or shorthanded setup only as an owner upgrade
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Gulfstar 43. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 4 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25 | 1 | $ 15,000 | — |
| Nov 25 | 2 | $ 57,500 | +283.3% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $ 65,000 | +13.0% |
| May 26 | 4 | $ 44,900 | -30.9% |
Where they're listed
Gulfstar 43 listings appear across 2 countries. United States has the most listings with 5 (71.4%), followed by Panama.
Country view
7 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 44,900 | 5 | 4 | 71.4% |
| Panama | $ 65,000 | 2 | 0 | 28.6% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gib Sea Classic 43 | 43' | $ 76,668 | 35 | 9 |
| GibSea 43 | 42.67' | $ 74,380 | 17 | 6 |
| Gulfstar 50 | 50' | $ 100,000 | 17 | 7 |
| Gulfstar 41 | 41' | $ 28,000 | 13 | 5 |
| Gulfstar 44 Kth | 44.67' | $ 44,500 | 13 | 4 |
| Gulfstar 37 | 37' | $ 25,000 | 11 | 4 |
| Gulfstar 43You are here | — | $ 44,900 | 7 | 4 |