Looking for advice on selling my boat

[Greg2230]

I am thinking of selling my boat and not quite sure how I go about it or what my obligations are. From what I've read in the past, a lot of folks have had good luck just hanging a 'For Sale' sign on the boat. My boat has great visibility from the restaurant at the marina so I think the for sale sign is the way to go for sure. Should I put the price on the sign to avoid calls just inquiring about the price? Am I obligated to take a prospective buyer for a sail just so they can kick the tires? I bought my boat sight unseen over 500 miles away so the face-to-face used boat transaction is unfamialer to me. I appreciate any help or advice. Thanks!{EDIT}I guess the ad here was deemed inappropriate :/

 

[Drew]

Depends...

...on what kind of boat you're selling. "For Sale" sign might do it for a Sunfish, probably not for a Hylas. Just my two cents...

 

[Daryl2400]

Use ebay!

A cheap method to get maximium visibility. Someone out there wants it and many folks will see it. Take some good digital photos to post

 

[jmcclain]

Selling your Boat

Not much different than selling anything else. Exposure to potential buyers is the key. Marinas are filled with boats with "For Sale" signs that are faded from age. It rarely works. Advertise! As for your obligations, you have none. You do what ever is necessary to clinch a deal.

 

[Bill C320 Papillon]

signs

The slip contract with my marina says that if you put a "for sale" sign on a boat in the marina, they get up to 10% of the selling price. They sell used boats and consider any sale based on a showing in the marina as their sale.Read your marina contracts fine print.

 

[Greg2230]

Thanks for the fast replies!!

It's a C27.Bill, that's a good point. I don't have a contract with the marina but I will be sure to ask about that.As far as eBay goes, I've seen a lot of boats on eBay and it seems they sell a bit under market value. One of the great selling points with my boat is the slip. The waiting list around here is going on two years at a decent marina. This would certainly appeal to locals. But then again, with eBay, its a done deal in 7 days. I might just consider this route.Finally, about a test sail, while I'm not obligated to take out a buyer is it considered customary? Should I offer or wait to see if I'm asked?Thanks all again!

 

[DaveM10278]

If the buyer has any sense, he will want a marine

Hi, You are not required to give a test sail, but if you want too¡­ If the buyer has any sense, he will want a marine survey of the boat for which he/she will pay for. When I purchased my boat, the surveyor turned on the motor and all of the electronics. I also paid for a short haul to inspect the underside of the boat. I never did go for a test sail but looking back the marine survey caught a lot of small items that a test ride would not catch. Money well spent!Dave

 

[Ned8417]

Trial Sail

If you offer a trial sail, many people with no intention to buy will take you up on it. The usual way is to get an offer, have the marine survey and do a sea trial, which may or may not be part of the survey at the option of the buyer. The sea trial is when the buyer makes the final decision on whether he wants the boat.

 

[Phil Herring]

A note about eBay

If you set a reserve price, you pay a higher fee. And either way, at the end of the auction your fees are due, sold or not. I believe they have some program where part of your re-listing fee is refunded if it doesn't sell the first time, but read the fine print! Auction fees on a large purchase are not insignificant, especially if you're racking them up weekly.

 

[John Tesoriero]

My experience

I am also in the proces of selling our boat. We put the boat on the market last September with a sign on the bow at our active marina. For the two months the boat was in the water I got perhaps five inquiries from passers-by. I listed it in the magazine Soundings and get maybe one inquiry per month from that source. I also listed it on the HOW web site and get about two email inquiries per week. Have not sold the boat yet but am hopeful that things will pick up when the weather gets better.

 

[Trevor - SailboatOwners.c]

Selling

Hi Greg -Good points here so far. As far as the test sail or "sea trial", it's up to the prospective buyer to make an offer, usually subject to survey and sea trial. The survey (at buyer's cost)/sea trial part should be done after a sales price has been established and a sales agreement signed (noting any privisions). As far as getting the word out, once you've checked with the marina, I see no harm in hanging a FOR SALE sign with price and contact info. But don't just stop there - put ads in local media (sailing rags are best, but your type boat will get reasonable exposure in newspapers - you have a large market for a C27!). Better options are to advertise online here at CatalinaOwners.com - you are really targeting prospective buyers with this option. Alternatively, there are several "free" online sites to advertise, but don't count on reaching as many prospects. After all, you want to sell the boat as quickly as possible to avoid further moorage, maintenance, and insurance costs. As for eBay, freight usually becomes the limiting factor unless the boat is extremely rare or priced well below market. I'd try local options first. But you never know, I bought my 43' cutter on eBay in Japan!Best of luck - you have a good boat with a large market, so you shouldn't have too much trouble if you price it right.Best,Trevor

 

[Mike]

Info and Pictures

I sold my first boat last year, and tried several different ways. I advertised in the local paper. I got a few calls, and one person actualy drove a couple of hours to look at my boat, but wanted to offer about 1/3 of the asking price. I got out my digital camera, took several photos, and downloaded them onto my computer. I then made a list of all of the positive features, upgrades, and wquipment that was to be sold along with the boat. I made a flyer on the computer which included what I felt was the best picture. I drove up to the nearest state park marina and put one copy in each of their two bulletin boards. The next afternoon, I sold the boat for the asking price. I asked a fair price, but a little higher than what I was willing to sell for, for negotiating room. I also put the boat up for sail at the very beginning of the season. Just a rule of thumb, sell your boat at the beginning of the season, and buy your boat after the season has just ended, because people do not want to pay storage fees over the winter. The bottom line is, really give a good listing of all of your extras. People who know boats will add up all of the costs and realize the bargain of the sale.

 

[Bob Todd]

How to sell a boat:

Last year I sold my O'day 272LE in two days for more than my asking price and a signifigant amount more than I paid for it even after sailing it for three years. Additionally, I achieved a record price for this model as it was just under the "new" price for the boat in 1987. Three years prior I did the same with my C&C 25 MkI and it only took seven days. The key to my success is curb appeal. People do not want to pay good money for a pigsty and they want everything to work or they will deduct from their offer accordingly. You wouldn't believe how many boats I have been on that the owners wanted top-buck for and they were absolute toilets. Many people just pass those boats by. The dumb-founded owners don't have a clue. 1. Unless you are disclosing problems up front and your price reflects that, fix all problems correctly. No short-cuts, no bubble-gum and baling wire jobs.2. Clean like you've never cleaned before. Chances are the buyer has just finished looking at a half dozen or so dogs and will be immediately taken by appearances.3. People LOVE to look at "sail-away" boats. Include everything the prospective buyer needs to go sailing. I let a handheld GPS and handheld VHF go with both of my boats. As inexpensive as those items are these days they are easily replaced. Make it a point to tell the buyer that all sail-away gear is included and there is nothing they need to buy.4. As stated in an earlier post, eBay is cheap advertising. Exposure counts and you'd pay a broker much more for much less exposure. Even if the boat doesn't bring a bid on eBay you will still get e-mail queries.5. Maintenance records are invaluable as are ships logs. These documents demonstrate that you have taken care of problems and that you are meticulous when it comes to the proper care and feeding of your boat. It also shows repairs that are not normally visible such as replacement of internal engine parts, etc.6. As far as a sea-trial; if that's what will make up their mind and may be the difference between making the sale or not...do it!Now, I'm not guaranteeing that your boat will sell as quickly as mine did, but you never know. All I did was hang a for sale sign on the pulpit. By the time I got home I already had a message. The following day I received several more; same with the C&C.I have helped many people successfully sell their boats just when they had given up hope. If you live in the East Greenwich, RI area and would like an evaluation I'd be happy to help out (time permitting). You can e-mail me at:bat@sailonly.comHope this works for you, and best of luck.Cheers,Bob

 

[Trevor - SailboatOwners.c]

Bob has great advice

Hey Bob -Very good input - I agree that cleaning, cleaning, and then cleaning some more is like paying yourself a very high wage in when it comes to the selling price you'll fetch. Looks like a Nonsuch (based on the boom) on your link - is that your new boat?Best,Trevor

 

[BarryL]

Don't Lie

Hello,You have received great advice so far. My only addition is to be honest in your description of the boat. If it has some problems, especially obvious ones, please let people know BEFORE they show up.I bought a boat last year and I can't tell you how many people wasted my time. I was clear that I wanted a boat in good condition. Not new, but in good condition. So when I inquired about a boat I would ask "Is the interior in good shape or are the cushions all worn out? Are there leaks in the hull and deck?" I would be told "Of the boat is very nice" only to arrive and find a dirty, worn out, soggy interior on a few boats. All that did was waste my time, and the broker / seller.So either fix it up like Bob wrote, or let people know the true condition.Barry

 

[Herb Parsons]

Sea Trial

While I've never sold a boat (I still own both of the ones I bought), I'll chime in on this.On the sea trial - I'd say offer a sea trial (with you still as "skipper") for each prospective buyer that sounds remotely serious. If they accept, it's not only one more opportunity to go sailing (you DO like saling, right), it's an opportunity to show them how the boat performs with someone that knows what they're doing on it.Cleaning - I can't think of anything less expensive and more effective to increase a boat's appeal than to clean it. My O'Day 25 is a 1976 model, that's almost 30 years old. We bought it after it sat on a trailer in a driveway for 6 years. It still has the original gelcoat and brightwork. All we've done to the exterior so far is CLEAN it. And we do that a lot. We scrub it bow to stern at least once every 2 months, and oil all of the teak at the same time. We constantly have people tell us how great it looks and ask where we've had it reconditioned. On two occaions, I've even had people ask if it was NEW! (To be fair, they were on the dock as we sailed by).As stated before, a ship-shape-ship indicates that someone cared for the boat.

 

[Bob Todd]

Trevor...

Yep...that's the new one, a Nonsuch 30 Classic. She was a real tub when I bought her. The old Volvo MD-11 was so tired it died during the survey. The owner re-powered it with a brand new 2004 Volvo (Perkins) MD-2030 and new saildrive.My friend and I ripped every inch of wiring out and rewired with all marine grade wiring. New Blue Sea breaker panel, instruments, canvas, T&H cabin sole, Seahawk Slipstream stainless folding prop, and one helluva scrubbing.The link below is to my Yahoo photo album under my profile (outhaul). The pics are with the old canvas.As I stated earlier, all work done to the highest standard.Cheers,Bob

 

[Jon6436]

Sell Your Boat on This Website

It seems that somehow the obvious has been overlooked. Last August I listed my boat on this Website (The O'Day Owners section) and sold it within one month, during which the ad received more than 500 "hits" which resulted in 15 or 16 direct inquiries. Two perspective buyers made the trip to check out the boat, and a third had made an appointment to arrive on what turned out to be the day after I had cash in hand for it.For a fair market/asking price, I used the services of Boat/US "value check."PS. This was the only place that I listed the boat, and I did not have a "For Sale" sign posted on it.