What's the BIGGEST Selling Point When Shopping for A New/Used Boat?

[Tradewinds]

I'm currently in Midland (US) and about to give up most everything to live on a sailboat off the east coast. Will be near a friend who has been living aboard for a few years.

I would like to get a bit into buying/claiming and selling sailboats (or at least give them to good owners). I have a whole lot to learn and years and years of experience to gain, but the one question stands out the most.

What is the biggest selling point when your out shopping for a new/used boat?

Many think the Kitchen and bathroom are the biggest selling points for a house. I have a feeling it's not the same for a sailboat.

Please share your thoughts. I'm very interested.

 

[Kermit]

What do you mean by claiming?

 

[dlochner]

If you are planning to flip boats, like people flip houses, you should know the used boating market is very soft and refitting boats is very expensive. Marinas are chock full of abandoned boats that no one wants.

 

[31seahorse]

I'm currently in Midland (US) and about to give up most everything to live on a sailboat off the east coast. Will be near a friend who has been living aboard for a few years.

Many think the Kitchen and bathroom are the biggest selling points for a house. I have a feeling it's not the same for a sailboat.

Please share your thoughts. I'm very interested.

In realestate the phrase is "Location, Location, Location". Beyond that most things about a house are relatively easy to change. With sailboats "Location" also applies, but other factors of importance are: planned use, finances involved, dockage availability and type, trailerability or not, number of people who plan to be aboard, water depth and salt or fresh, local bridges, and on and on. What is the most important attribute of a sailboat will depend on the prospective buyer.

 

[sailme88]

to be successful you'll need to identify and your target buyers.. Look for someone from the midwest with little knowledge of the east coat and sailboats.....

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Maintenance and condition.


A clean and well maintained boat should be anyone’s top priorities when buying a used boat. By “good”, I mean condition of the hull, dock, rudder, sails, equipment, electronics, rigging and engine.

 

[Timm R Oday25]

Well maintained . By this I mean ,no watermarks of something being submerged for any length of time. No weird ,strong or unusual smells . Wiring neatly ran and correctly labeled .No chipped or flaking paint .

 

[markwbird]

price.

 

[sail sfbay]

To answer your question "What is the biggest selling point when your out shopping for a new/used boat?"

Agree with Don and Timm that the biggest selling point is maintenance/condition having bought and sold many boats (sail and power) over the years. An independent boat survey prior to putting the boat up for sale can highlight anything that needs to be addressed to attract prospective buyers. That is what I did prior to selling my 2004 Hunter 386 recently.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Maintenance and condition.


A clean and well maintained boat should be anyone’s top priorities when buying a used boat. By “good”, I mean condition of the hull, dock, rudder, sails, equipment, electronics, rigging and engine.

+1 There are buyers looking for fixer-uppers but that is not where the money is if you plan to flip them

 

[shemandr]

I understand Millennials are buying old cheap sail boats for the adventures they can have with them and not to restore or keep pristine as objects. So, I think that's your market. In that case I would prioritize space, cleanliness, and having a reliable engine. If you are serious about this you should equip yourself with the ability and skill to swap engines like changing socks. And to be vertically integrated, be able to rebuild the old ones in preparation to put in a new old boat that is otherwise in good shape but needs re-powering. If you can do that you can unfreeze a good portion of those boats nobody wants. Upsell new standing rigging, bottom jobs and electronics etc.

 

[Tradewinds]

What do you mean by claiming?

Claiming abandoned boats

 

[Tradewinds]

+1 There are buyers looking for fixer-uppers but that is not where the money is if you plan to flip them

Where is the money?

 

[Justin_NSA]

Where is the money?

That's a good question. Unless you can provide the labor and have reasonable parts sources I don't see much money in flipping boats. Just my personal opinion.

 

[Kermit]

Claiming abandoned boats

Jeepers. Good luck with that.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Where is the money?

If you look through the archives here I'm sure you'll find very many threads showing the bad economics of trying to fix up derelict boats. There's a reason behind the common saying that the free boats end up costing the most. If you want to fix one up as a fun project that's one thing, but to do it for financial gain is high risk to put it mildly.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

LOL as an example I've shown before- my FREE boat as found and after. BUT- I was a professional boat builder/ restorer before I retired

 

[Will Gilmore]

Since your question is clearly aimed at going into the business and not a passing interest in what you or even I might personally consider important in a boat. You want to know what any prospective buyer would universally want in a newly acquired boat. I would agree that good working, sailing shape is number one. After that, clean is a must, simply because most buyers lack the vision to see what a cheap boat could look like with just a little bleach and a scrub brush. Stage the boat and be ready to take the buyer for a sail.
You will have people interested in a good beginner's boat, living aboard, trailering, racing, ocean crossing, single-handing, entertaining friends, thinwater weekending, etc. Any of these interest in sailing has its unique requirements for bunk and cabin space, gallery features, sail controls, auxiliary power, keel and ballast considerations, cockpit size and so on. Make sure the prospective buyer is looking at a vessel that fits their interest, is clean and visually appealing, works well enough that they really can take her out the next day for a sail. They will let you know their budget, their level of commitment to project and modification work, but everyone wants to start with something that works in the very beginning. Even those, like myself, who are willing to settle and take on a project just to get her in the water, are much more likely to buy a boat that can actually sail without doing anything more that bending on the sails and buying the safety equipment to make her legal.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[jibes138]

The biggest selling point: "Does it float?"

 

[dLj]

A lot of people are looking for the answer to the question you are asking. There is not one answer as in the housing market. Boats are not a necessity as having a place to live is.

The answer to your question has been found by the individuals that are doing it and are successful. Each one of them found their own unique answer to that question depending upon each individuals abilities. There is not a generic answer for this in boats. Just my 2 cents worth.

dj