This is only the second boat that I have sold but what a pain. It is suprising to find out how many potenital buyers do not have a clue at what they are looking at when looking over a sailboat. I'm standing their explaning the upgrades I have made and they just have this deer in the headlights look. I know I am for a long afternoon when they pull out a hardcopy of questions to ask that they got off some web site. Ted
Selling my boat. What a pain!
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Selling your boat
Tedd, I feel your pain. Remember one thing when selling something: "Not a single drill bit has ever been sold, but a billion holes have been purchased." That means to tell the buyer what the product will do for them, rather than describing it. Saying "I upgraded all of the running rigging to Spectra", while great, is meaningless to the massses. "The lines are going to last you another 5 years" means something to everyone. Anyway, just my opinion.
Tedd, I feel your pain. Remember one thing when selling something: "Not a single drill bit has ever been sold, but a billion holes have been purchased." That means to tell the buyer what the product will do for them, rather than describing it. Saying "I upgraded all of the running rigging to Spectra", while great, is meaningless to the massses. "The lines are going to last you another 5 years" means something to everyone. Anyway, just my opinion.
he's right
I recently sold my 33' sailboat and found the same things to be true. Most of the people who looked at her were so unaware of what I was actually selling. I found that the bottom line for the majority of them was the price. Cheap was all that mattered to most folks. We had this boat loaded with everything from a brand new RIB with Yamaha 4 stroke and new stern davits to all new Newfound Metal port lights. Again, all they cared about was the price. We finally decided to strip the boat and sell the equipment on its own (including spare sails, engine parts, sea anchor, extra ground tackle, ect, etc). At that point we were able to sell the boat at the rock-bottom price everyone wanted. In the end we still got what we wanted out of the boat it just took a bit more work. Oh yeah, once the boat was stripped we signed up with a local broker. This turned out to be the best decision we made, I couldn't take one more person jumping on the deck of my beautiful boat in cowboy boots. I just let Ed handle them and paid him his money in the end, much easier on what is left of my sanity. If I were to do it again I'd turn the sale over to a broker first, than if I didn't get a fair price I'd strip her, drop the price and give her back to a broker.
I recently sold my 33' sailboat and found the same things to be true. Most of the people who looked at her were so unaware of what I was actually selling. I found that the bottom line for the majority of them was the price. Cheap was all that mattered to most folks. We had this boat loaded with everything from a brand new RIB with Yamaha 4 stroke and new stern davits to all new Newfound Metal port lights. Again, all they cared about was the price. We finally decided to strip the boat and sell the equipment on its own (including spare sails, engine parts, sea anchor, extra ground tackle, ect, etc). At that point we were able to sell the boat at the rock-bottom price everyone wanted. In the end we still got what we wanted out of the boat it just took a bit more work. Oh yeah, once the boat was stripped we signed up with a local broker. This turned out to be the best decision we made, I couldn't take one more person jumping on the deck of my beautiful boat in cowboy boots. I just let Ed handle them and paid him his money in the end, much easier on what is left of my sanity. If I were to do it again I'd turn the sale over to a broker first, than if I didn't get a fair price I'd strip her, drop the price and give her back to a broker.
Strip it!
We had to sell our Ericson 38 last fall, and arranged with a local broker for it to be shown at the Detroit Metro Beach Boat Show. Their advice before we dropped it off was to strip every single thing off the boat but the cushions. They wanted it to look just as it would on a showroom. Fresh, uncluttered, and with plenty of room in all the empty lockers for the new owner's gear, not all of my spare parts. It was great advice, and the boat quickly sold. But since I had taken everything off the boat (two van loads!) I figured I wasn't going to put it back and give it away with the boat. So we sold it all on eBay. Took a bit of work, but after about 300 auctions we cleared about $10,000 for all of the gear - which we figured just about made up for the broker's comission. I was amazed what some of the gear sold for. I had a used, spare Autohelm ST400 autopilot aboard that I bought for $100. I started the auction at $99, and it went for $550. Weird... Steve Christensen
We had to sell our Ericson 38 last fall, and arranged with a local broker for it to be shown at the Detroit Metro Beach Boat Show. Their advice before we dropped it off was to strip every single thing off the boat but the cushions. They wanted it to look just as it would on a showroom. Fresh, uncluttered, and with plenty of room in all the empty lockers for the new owner's gear, not all of my spare parts. It was great advice, and the boat quickly sold. But since I had taken everything off the boat (two van loads!) I figured I wasn't going to put it back and give it away with the boat. So we sold it all on eBay. Took a bit of work, but after about 300 auctions we cleared about $10,000 for all of the gear - which we figured just about made up for the broker's comission. I was amazed what some of the gear sold for. I had a used, spare Autohelm ST400 autopilot aboard that I bought for $100. I started the auction at $99, and it went for $550. Weird... Steve Christensen
Strip it!
I listed my last boat in local newspapers and free websites and Boat US. It cost around $150 for all of the paid ads I ran. I had a few people look at it, but they all wondered why I was asking so much, except for one guy who asked all the questions about what came with it. He caled me three months after it sold. I added: 160 genoa, two batteries with switch, shore power, battery charger, VHF, Stereo, two anchors w/200ft rode, boom vang, topping lift, new blocks and new wiring w/ fuse pannel. I listed it for $1000 more than I paid for it which was $500 under list. It sat for six months and didn't sell. When I finally bought my new boat the broker said that they would list it. It sold for $200 less than it was listed for and only took three days to sell I could have stripped it and made more money or used the stuff on my next boat. The broker was the way to go it costs a little but you're not sitting on two boats either. Dave
I listed my last boat in local newspapers and free websites and Boat US. It cost around $150 for all of the paid ads I ran. I had a few people look at it, but they all wondered why I was asking so much, except for one guy who asked all the questions about what came with it. He caled me three months after it sold. I added: 160 genoa, two batteries with switch, shore power, battery charger, VHF, Stereo, two anchors w/200ft rode, boom vang, topping lift, new blocks and new wiring w/ fuse pannel. I listed it for $1000 more than I paid for it which was $500 under list. It sat for six months and didn't sell. When I finally bought my new boat the broker said that they would list it. It sold for $200 less than it was listed for and only took three days to sell I could have stripped it and made more money or used the stuff on my next boat. The broker was the way to go it costs a little but you're not sitting on two boats either. Dave
Agree on strip it
The boat has a value. Your extras are your extra value. Sell them seperately or take them to the next boat. r.w.landau
The boat has a value. Your extras are your extra value. Sell them seperately or take them to the next boat. r.w.landau
selling, buying, extras
Hello, I have a different opinion on the selling and buying a boat experience. Last June I bought a 1986 Newport 28 and sold a 1981 Catalina 22. When I was looking to buy a boat I could not believe the number of people who misrepresented the boat, the number of brokers who didn't know a thing about the boat they were trying to sell, and the number of brokers who could not be bothered to return a phone call. I did my homework and knew what I wanted. I would find a boat (this site, yachtworld, boattraderonline, local paper), call, and if the boat sounded promising, I would go see it. Let's see, some of the 'winners' where a Newport 28 located close to me. The owners described it as very nice, clean, good condition, etc. When I got to the yard where it was stored, it was clear no one had been on board in some time. The bilge was full of rain water, the water has risen high enough to soak the cabin sole. The owner didn't know how to operate the bilge pump. Sure, that boat is in great condition! Then there was the Islander 30 Bahama that I traveled 2 hours to see. It was described as 'great condition.' Sure, it was great, except for the leaking hatch that allowed the deck to delaminate, the cabin ceiling liner to disintegrate, and other obvious (and expensive to fix) damage. Then there was the S2 9.2A an hour away. This one was being sold by a 'friend'. I was told the boat still had the owners belongings on it. What that meant was the owner sailed into the yard, then just left. It had rusted cans of food in the galley, dirty clothes, and lots of mold and mildew. The all time best was when I called a broker and arranged to see a nice CS 30 they had. The broker went on and on about how nice the boat was. When I got there, he could not find it! It turned out the boat was sold a month ago. Great job guy, I'm sure you are earning your commission! I was able to sell my 1981 Catalina in 1 week. The boat was clean, in good condition, and reasonably priced. I found the buyer online at the Catalina 22 mailing list. When we started the discussion I was very honest with him. I told him to look at a lot of boats close to him (he was about 5 hours away). When he got tired of looking at dirty, trashed, junk boats, to call me, and when he saw my boat, he would buy it. A week later that's just what happened. So, if you really want to sell your boat, try to help yourself. Make sure the boat is clean inside and outside. Take your trash off the boat. Pump out the bilge. Make sure the interior isn't full of mold and mildew. And, finally, price it realistically. It took me about 9 months to find the boat I eventually bought. During that time I watched the prices of many boats drop and drop and drop. Why didn't the owner just price the boat realistically from the start and save a lot of time and effort? The boat I did buy was for sale for almost two years! The price dropped from 28K to 24K to 20K to 18K to 16K and I bought it for 15. I've seen the same thing repeated over and over and over. One thing I want to make clear is that not all brokers are bad. I met a few good ones. The one that sold me my boat was excellent and I would call him first if I wanted a bigger boat. One last point - to me, the extras were very important. One of the reasons I bought the boat I did was because it came with a practically new asymmetric spinnker, Magma grill in new condition, dingy, and autopilot. Those were all things I wanted anyway, and I got them basically for free. Good luck to all. Barry
Hello, I have a different opinion on the selling and buying a boat experience. Last June I bought a 1986 Newport 28 and sold a 1981 Catalina 22. When I was looking to buy a boat I could not believe the number of people who misrepresented the boat, the number of brokers who didn't know a thing about the boat they were trying to sell, and the number of brokers who could not be bothered to return a phone call. I did my homework and knew what I wanted. I would find a boat (this site, yachtworld, boattraderonline, local paper), call, and if the boat sounded promising, I would go see it. Let's see, some of the 'winners' where a Newport 28 located close to me. The owners described it as very nice, clean, good condition, etc. When I got to the yard where it was stored, it was clear no one had been on board in some time. The bilge was full of rain water, the water has risen high enough to soak the cabin sole. The owner didn't know how to operate the bilge pump. Sure, that boat is in great condition! Then there was the Islander 30 Bahama that I traveled 2 hours to see. It was described as 'great condition.' Sure, it was great, except for the leaking hatch that allowed the deck to delaminate, the cabin ceiling liner to disintegrate, and other obvious (and expensive to fix) damage. Then there was the S2 9.2A an hour away. This one was being sold by a 'friend'. I was told the boat still had the owners belongings on it. What that meant was the owner sailed into the yard, then just left. It had rusted cans of food in the galley, dirty clothes, and lots of mold and mildew. The all time best was when I called a broker and arranged to see a nice CS 30 they had. The broker went on and on about how nice the boat was. When I got there, he could not find it! It turned out the boat was sold a month ago. Great job guy, I'm sure you are earning your commission! I was able to sell my 1981 Catalina in 1 week. The boat was clean, in good condition, and reasonably priced. I found the buyer online at the Catalina 22 mailing list. When we started the discussion I was very honest with him. I told him to look at a lot of boats close to him (he was about 5 hours away). When he got tired of looking at dirty, trashed, junk boats, to call me, and when he saw my boat, he would buy it. A week later that's just what happened. So, if you really want to sell your boat, try to help yourself. Make sure the boat is clean inside and outside. Take your trash off the boat. Pump out the bilge. Make sure the interior isn't full of mold and mildew. And, finally, price it realistically. It took me about 9 months to find the boat I eventually bought. During that time I watched the prices of many boats drop and drop and drop. Why didn't the owner just price the boat realistically from the start and save a lot of time and effort? The boat I did buy was for sale for almost two years! The price dropped from 28K to 24K to 20K to 18K to 16K and I bought it for 15. I've seen the same thing repeated over and over and over. One thing I want to make clear is that not all brokers are bad. I met a few good ones. The one that sold me my boat was excellent and I would call him first if I wanted a bigger boat. One last point - to me, the extras were very important. One of the reasons I bought the boat I did was because it came with a practically new asymmetric spinnker, Magma grill in new condition, dingy, and autopilot. Those were all things I wanted anyway, and I got them basically for free. Good luck to all. Barry
non owner
You are probably seeing a lot of new owners, that is people who have never owned a sailboat before. I sailed with my parents until I was 18 (about 12 years), but never really got involved in all the additions they made, I just liked the sport. Now that I am in a position to buy my own boat, I am intimidated by the proposition of trying to understand everything you take for granted. Just have patience with us, once we finally get a little experience under our belts, we'll understand. But for now tbarnby makes a great point, most new owners have no idea what upgrading the running rigging to Spectra means, if you want to sell the boat, spending the time to help us understand will go a long way... Or you could just use a broker.
You are probably seeing a lot of new owners, that is people who have never owned a sailboat before. I sailed with my parents until I was 18 (about 12 years), but never really got involved in all the additions they made, I just liked the sport. Now that I am in a position to buy my own boat, I am intimidated by the proposition of trying to understand everything you take for granted. Just have patience with us, once we finally get a little experience under our belts, we'll understand. But for now tbarnby makes a great point, most new owners have no idea what upgrading the running rigging to Spectra means, if you want to sell the boat, spending the time to help us understand will go a long way... Or you could just use a broker.
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