Boat Buying

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Mar 25, 2011
52
None None None
I'm getting the urge to buy a sailboat after being away for many years. With spring here I've been looking online and haven't seen a lot of selection in my area(northern Ohio) in the size/price I'm considering. What tends to be the season when the most boats are listed for sale? I'm just wondering if things will be picking up in the next couple of months.
 
Nov 22, 2008
3,562
Endeavour 32 Portland, Maine
Must be a strange size/price point. It's a buyers market in this economy. I've heard of people having boats given to them just so the owners could get out from under the yard bills. Boats that are in usable condition will quickly get more expensive now as people figure they may as well get one more season out of them. Best time to buy is late summer and early fall. Listings probably won't increase much in the next couple of months.
 

Phil Herring

Alien
Mar 25, 1997
4,924
- - Bainbridge Island
Sales increase in the spring, early summer, listings increase late summer/fall. But keep looking, there are lots of boats for sale!
 

LuzSD

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Feb 21, 2009
1,009
Catalina 30 San Diego/ Dana Point, Ca.
Ya know, I am sure we are not alone in this but we have a 27 that is "for sale" but not. We sometimes have a sign on her but we are much much more interested in someone being in love with her than we are in selling her. Our price range runs from $10,000 to $5,000 depending on who is showing interest and truthfully, if someone could not live without her the price would not matter a bit. As it is, she gets far too little exercise and sits alone more often than she should.

So, I just wonder how many of those looking have a clue about this feeling many of us have about our boats. Just show a little passion, and alot of interest and it will go a long way. If a young, energetic, repectful new sailor crossed our paths and could pay the slip fee but trouble with the boat payment, it could even be a gift. Seriously, I doubt we are that unique.
 
Apr 15, 2009
302
C&C 30 Annapolis
boats

While you'll probably find a lot for sale in the upper $$$ end of the used market, the 32-38 foot and under 70-80K range possibly not so much. I suspect many of the people who were new boat (or very late model used) buyers in years past are now being more cautious and going the used route. If you hop on Yachtworld, you'll probably see most of the "deal pendings" in that range.
Around here, most boats get listed in the fall when people are putting them away for the winter (and possibly dreaming about another boat for next season) Not sure about Ohio but would assume it's similar there. In other words, I'd anticipate the selection of what's available to go down as we get into spring not up.
If you wait till late summer/early fall (after they're done using the boat but before they pay for winter storage) you may get a better deal but you also wont have much selection since at that point, what's out there has been pretty well picked through.
 

higgs

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Aug 24, 2005
3,736
Nassau 34 Olcott, NY
If you are willing to go out of your area you will expand your pool from which to pick. There's a nice looking C&C 25 in our club yard for sale and moving it by water to Lake Erie would be a great trip. Those are the kind of deals you need to be open to in order to get a good price.

As we get into the summer, there may be some good deals from those who did not sell their boats during the fall or spring. These people are looking at additional storage charges for the summer and possibly the following winter. When you have a boat you think is worth 7k and suddenly are looking at another 1k in storage fees, you start to reconsider what your willing to take.
 
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