Helping a Friend Sell his Catalina 30

[Rick Webb]

A buddy of mine who has his boat at our club is not doing well and asked me to help him sell his boat so that his wife will not have to do it from Atlanta on her own. He has typically come down once a month or so and spent a week or so. He is no longer able to make that trip, hopefully just for the time being if he can make a rally and get healthy again.

Anyway, over the years we have seen many families who are too emotionally attached to the boat that meant so much to their loved one and thought it was worth more money than was offered and keep paying to store and maintain the boat that is no longer being used or properly cared for. He does not want that for his family. On the other hand, he does not want to just give it away.

He has it listed on Craig's List and I hung a "For Sale" sign on it in its slip. I remember seeing somewhere a listing showing what prices boats were actually selling for and not just what was being asked but cannot seem to find it now. It is not an exceptional boat but is a solid well maintained and cared for ready to enjoy one.

I guess ideally, he will get better before it sells or another club member will take an interest in it and it can be a friend-to-friend good deal for both sort of transaction. Hopefully that will all work out.

Looking for opinions and strategies on how to sell it sooner than later while not denying his wife the best return for the boats value.

 

[dlochner]

Remove all personal gear and have the boat clean and neat, would be the first thing.

Brokers who have access to YachtWorld can get a listing of actual prices of boats sold through Yachtworld.

Advertise broadly. Ads here on SBO are affordable.

When considering a acceptable price, remember the cost of owning the boat, insurance, dock fees, routine upkeep, continue, if it costs $3K a year to keep the boat, it would be better to accept $10K today than $12K a year from now.

Good luck.

 

[shemandr]

You have to price it realistically. Take the emotion out of it. Advertise it as "Turnkey."
If you can get a broker to list it do so. But don't expect them to advertise a low value boat very much. You're looking for the customer that was attracted to another boat but who doesn't want to spend that much. The broker can say "I' just got this xxxxx that's in good condition and at a very attractive price..." And don't give them exclusivity. Make use of bulletin boards at marinas, yacht clubs or anywhere you find them locally. Including club houses in communities that have them. If there is a class association or face book group post it there. Take quality pictures that are well lit, not with a boat cover on and show a clean boat without clutter.
I've never had much response from the internet boat selling websites. I don't know about social media.
Imagine someone who would be well suited to the boat and try to find them - a family, a geezer that is downsizing, young people wanting to have some adventure in an environmentally agreeable way ... whatever.

 

[rgranger]

Rick,
You’re not new to this, so none of this will be surprising...but here are my two cents.
I’ve bought and sold quite a few boats and done a lot of boat shopping (I also just enjoy looking at boat ads). The sites I typically check are:

• SailboatOwners (SBO)
• POP Yachts
• Facebook Marketplace
• Craigslist
• SailboatListings.com

I don’t spend much time on YachtWorld...the heavy advertising gets distracting.
It continues to surprise me how poor some listings are. Photos are free, so include plenty—but make sure they’re good. There’s no reason to post unattractive images. A quick pressure wash of the deck is essential; green or black algae screams “musty interior.” A bucket of Woolite on the running rigging will brighten things up considerably.
A few other basics:

• Remove all personal items from photos.
• Please, no cleaning products in view—I don’t want to see a toilet brush or Windex.
• Photos of the head are common; they’ve never sold me a boat, but stains in the bowl will definitely turn me off.
• Make the bed and smooth the wrinkles.
• Skip the fisheye lens—it fools no one.
• If you’re photographing lockers or holds, empty and clean them (or at least organize them).
• Take some shots under sail, plus plenty at the dock from every angle.
• If possible, get a teenager with a drone for some aerial shots.

Sorry to hear about your friend. I suppose we all get there someday.

 

[dLj]

I've always found figuring out the correct listing price to be the hardest part - at least for me. I'll spend a lot of time looking at the same or similar boats everywhere I can find them and try to figure out what would be a realistic price. You don't want too low of a price or too high. Finding that middle number has always been hard for me to find.

I've found it can help to work with a local yacht broker to get their take on pricing. That's if there is a good one close by. Depending upon your availability to show the boat - and that can be a serious time commitment - it may be beneficial to have a contract with the local broker. That said - this is a Catalina 30 - it's not going to bring a lot of $'s.

Great advice above - the only comment I'll make is on the "turnkey" term. If the boat is ready to sail away - then fine, good term to use. But when you get an inquiry, be ready to explain any work the boat may need. It always irritates me when I hear turnkey, talk to the owner and they say everything is perfect, then go to the boat and see blaringly obvious things that need attention. I simply won't buy the boat. As a buyer, I'm evaluating both the boat and the seller. If the seller appears to be misrepresenting their boat, it's highly unlikely I'll spend very much time looking at that boat - this is especially true for a common boat like a Catalina 30. There are hundreds for sale ...

dj

 

[FastOlson]

Besides the great advice about showing a Clean boat, empty inside and obviously ready to move onto... pricing will have to reflect the year of the boat, as this model was built over many years with many running changes. There are solid reasons for C-30's newer than 19XX to sell for a lot more than early ones. Make of aux. engine and its condition are very very important.
40 years ago a group of about 6 of us spent a day cleaning up - very completely - a 27 foot sailboat belong to the widow of our club's commodore, who had just died relatively young of cancer. We cleaned it right down to the bilge areas. It sold thru a broker, but took a few months. Sometimes the 'market' is slow, no matter what era we're in. Good Luck!

 

[Hayden Watson]

Besides the great advice about showing a Clean boat, empty inside and obviously ready to move onto... pricing will have to reflect the year of the boat, as this model was built over many years with many running changes. There are solid reasons for C-30's newer than 19XX to sell for a lot more than early ones. Make of aux. engine and its condition are very very important.
...

For the Catalina, that year is 1987 Mk2. This is a big difference in the value of a Mk1 and a Mk2.

 

[jssailem]

I would post it here on SBO. You might also see if the Catalina Association or the Facebook page also allows posting of boats for sale by owner.

Boat classes like Catalina have a following. The 22 owners like to move up to a 27 or 30-footer. Use that channel interest to market your boat.

 

[dLj]

Just an additional note, I'm sitting here reading up on something else and ran into an interview with Jonathan Klopman where he's talking about being a marine surveyor and more. Here's a question and answer that you might find interesting - bold added by me....

Q: Describe the qualities that go into your idea of a well-constructed boat?

A: For the average production boat, I would rather not have experimental construction. I tend to be more old-school. I don’t believe that boats should be “twice as thick” or grossly overbuilt, but I do believe in old-school handwork – hand-laid, rolled-out fiberglass. It just tends to be a lot more predictable. Any subsequent defects are a lot more minor than the ones we talked about with the glued construction methods. For the average production boat for the average person, there are a lot of old-school techniques that produce a predictable boat. A great example would be the good old-fashioned Catalinas. I used to be a real snob when I was a kid, but you know what, they figured out how to build a decent boat and it’s very rare that we see a bad one.

dj

p.s. here's the link to the interview

18Talkin Boats with marine surveyor Jonathan Klopman

Jonathan Klopman has been a marine surveyor for more than 20 years. While he continues to perform prepurchase surveys, the bulk of his work involves damage

soundingsonline.com

 

[Hayden Watson]

We allow C30 for sale adds on the Facebook group "The Catalina 30 Sailboat Owners Group".

 

[Rick Webb]

Sold, all it took was a flyer on the club's bulletin board and a single sign from the Dollar Store zip tied on the bow rail.

 

[dlochner]

Sold, all it took was a flyer on the club's bulletin board and a single sign from the Dollar Store zip tied on the bow rail.

Wow, that was easy.

 

[higgs]

I think an important consideration is what the costs of holding out for that magic price is. Slip fees, insurance, and maintenance add up quickly and holding out for that 15k can easily cost that much in ownership in a few years.

 

[higgs]

One more thing: The Catalina 30 is a good boat, but they are a dime a dozen and there are dozens of them for sale out there.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

I always say, having been in the business for over many decades, that there is a buyer for every boat. The Catalina 30 is a well respected boat that sails well, but the biggest plus is it is huge down below (more than most 30-footers) so the comfort for staying on board for a weekend, week....whatever, has a great appeal for a family. There are brokers who are only interested in representing expensive boats (more money), but there are some who will take on the older boats too. That has to do with the area they are in. If their company does more than sell boats, they can stand to make a buck storing, commissioning and outfitting it and maybe transporting too. It's a beginning, perhaps, to develop a relationship with someone in the business you trust who can be of help down the road and maybe even find you your next boat.
Depending on where you live or sail, dockage can be expensive. In some cases docking and storing a boat can be more than the value of the boat. But, there are plenty of places where older boats can go without swallowing your wallet. The buyer should have some sort of handle on that too, but a good broker can be very helpful with this too. If a broker is on Yacht World then in most cases he/she is also on Boat Trader and Boats.com since they are all owned by the same company. Boat Trader sells more boats like this Cat 30 than YW. But, since we are all on this Sailboat Owner's platform, it would be respectful to list in here as well. Another place to consider is Facebook Market place. Of course a clean and tidy boat suggests a conscientious owner and that goes a long way too and it has to be priced right. Good luck.

 

[shemandr]

In the car business they say ... "There's an ass for every seat!"