Sales Advice

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M

MagothyBoy

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Oct 27, 2009
18
Morgan 321 Arnold, Maryland
Hello Everyone:

I am considering selling my boat. The value of the boat is perhaps below the price point to make a brokerage a feasible option. Most brokers in the Annapolis area will only deal with a boat with a sales price of about 40K and higher. Mine boat is not in that range so I am thinking about how to sell it myself (arrange for a lawyer for escrow etc.). The question that I have for you all is (aside from obviously putting an add on this sight!) what sites or publications would you place an advertisement in? There are a lot of options out there and I would appreciate the your views on the best or most effective ones to try first.

Thanks,
Kevin
 
T

tommays

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Oct 2, 2006
1,517
Jboat J24 commack
Well

I just sold my J24 and they range between 5000 and 50000 depending on age in December in about 6 weeks

So i was in the same situation as you with no broker that made sense BUT and its a BIG but the boat was in MY backyard not a boatyard and this is generally and issue around here

In my case there is and active J24 class sight on the web with free adds and this sells A LOT of boats.

I also did Craig list which allows 4 pictures and i had a big package prepared that i e-mailed to people who responded

There were some serious inquires from Craig BUT be prepared to deal with scams which you will figure out pretty quick by tracing the e-mail before replying

The only other thing i can think of is things that are local to you
 
Shooter II

Shooter II

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Jan 22, 2009
133
Hunter 31 '83_'87 Blue Water Marina
you might consider www.grabbagsailboats.com
they have a wide variety of boats and are located on Cadle Creek, just off the Rhode River in Mayo.
Bought my boat there.
Worth a look.
Seems everybody on the bay at one time or another buys or sells a boat through Greg.
 
N

n624ma

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Jan 27, 2007
48
Hunter 33_77-83 Groton Ct
Clean It!

Probably the best thing you can do is to clean it up and clean it out.

Clean the bilge with Dawn dish detergent it cuts through dirt and smells good.

Take everything out of every locker and ask yourself "Is this an essential part of the boat?", if it is clean the item and put it back neatly. If it isn't get it off the boat! If it is useful and you want to include it with the boat, clean it and put it in a box labeled "Extras that go with the boat" and give it to the new owners after the deal is finalized. Anything that isn't in one of these two categories it goes in the trash.

Get a couple of rolls of heavy duty paper towels and a bottle of spray cleaner and spray and wipe every locker and then get a can of Lemon Pledge and spray and wipe every hard surface in the boat. Vacuum all the cushions, get a couple of small throw pillows and put one on each settee.

Clean the anchor locker and lazerette the same way.

This should take about 3-4 hours, but when the prospective buyer (and especially their mate) opens any door they will see "neat and clean".

I did this when I sold my last boat and the broker was blown away, so were the two couples that looked at the boat. The second one bought it.
 
S

Steve Dion

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Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
I would advertise it right here on this website. If you discount the brokerage fee off the front end, you can probably make a quick sale.
 
R

Ray Bowles

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Oct 6, 2008
857
Hunter, Island Packet, Catalina, San Juan 26,38,22,23 Kettle Falls, Washington
Clean it up and clean it out!

Joe is right about the clean aspect. We have sold, by ourselves, 2 trailer sailor boats ranging in price from $5,000 to $19,000 and our 38' IP for 155K+. We had all the boats in spotless condition including totally waxing the hulls and top sides. Lockers cleaned out, equipment presented properly. Nothing on the boat should fall into the catagory of "I have the parts to fix that but haven't got to it yet"
Buyers want to sail their new boat now, not fix all of someone's problems.
Boats presented that way simply say the owner was too lazy or didn't care about the boat and imply that he didn't take care of anything.
Time taken now to present your boat in the best way will pay big dividends when the sale takes place.
Write a good ad and list all the equipment that make your boat a good buy. Have good pictures that show her well, and most of all..... be sure that everything works when you go out for sea trials.
We sold all three boats to the first person that looked at them for close to our listed price.
Good luck, Ray
 
Shooter II

Shooter II

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Jan 22, 2009
133
Hunter 31 '83_'87 Blue Water Marina
Kevin,
You may want to think of Bay Weekly and SpinSheet.

Good Luck
 
S

Steve Dion

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Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
I could not agree more about a clean/uncluttered boat.

Diesel smell with kill the deal if a woman looks at the boat. Smelly toilets & bilges are a quick turn off. All of your bilges & lockers should be scrubbed and bright. Sometimes it is worth putting a coat of paint in a bad locker so it looks like you care.

Rub down all of your interior with citrus oil (lemon or orange). This will clean the wood and make it look good. All of your extranious wiring should be bundled and tidy.

I am sure that you have the idea by now. NCO (Neat Clean and Orderly. Remember you only have 1 chance to make a first impression.
 
Bill1565

Bill1565

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Jan 22, 2008
1,483
Hunter 37 C sloop Punta Gorda FL
Boat Trader is big here in Florida. BTW, I have bought two and sold one boat with a simple notarized Bill of sale. Neitther was doccumented, only state registered.
 
Warren Milberg

Warren Milberg

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Dec 1, 1999
2,391
Hunter 28.5 Chesapeake Bay
I agree with Shooter that Greg Rutkai at Grabbag Sailboats may be the best bet. I've known this guy a long time and he is honest and sells a lot of mid-to-low priced boats. I think the key to his success is that he is very candid with buyers about the condition of the boats he sells and he prices them competitively. I'd suggest giving him a call and discuss selling your boat through him.
Phone: (301)261-4079
Fax: (410)798-8679
E-mail: sailgbs@aol.com

I would also follow the advice given here to clean your boat thoroughly and make sure everything on the boat conveys with the sale and that it works. If it does not, make that known beforehand and be prepared to negotiate.
 
Shooter II

Shooter II

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Jan 22, 2009
133
Hunter 31 '83_'87 Blue Water Marina
Kevin,
For a fee, Greg will do or have done most of the work you need done if you wish.
You won't likely find a more experienced, knowledgable sailor to talk to about your boat.
As you can see from his inventory, he pretty well has you covered. His boats are on the hard at Casa Rio on Cadle Creek Rd in Mayo. Go take a look at what he's got and see if yours seems to fit.
I'm told by reliable sources that when Greg goes out to race, he doesn't lose. That was told to me by his race rivals. He does know boats.
 
Dan Johnson

Dan Johnson

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Oct 14, 2005
2,191
1983 Hunter H34 North East, MD
Kevin...

Since you're so close to Baltimore, give Tony Tumas at Great Blue Yachts up in Baltimore a call (800-267-1774). He's listed boats from 25 foot up and has sold boats for almost a half dozen of my club members.
 
Ron20324

Ron20324

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Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Shooter II said:
you might consider www.grabbagsailboats.com
Seems everybody on the bay at one time or another buys or sells a boat through Greg.
Click to expand
I also suggest Greg at GBS. I bought a 222 from him, sold it through him 5 years later, then he sold it again. And he sold a friend's B235 last year. Tell him the ladder man sent you.
 
B

butchrobbins

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Jun 25, 2004
146
Catalina 310 Hilton Head
boats.com is pretty good. Good luck selling it. Mine was on the market for 18 months with nary a nibble.
 
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