Where do you shop for a sailboat?
- Thread starter Drumvision
- Start date
Yachtworld is a great place to gauge prices and value, but what I call the graveyards of broken dreams are where I see most great deals. Right now there are 3 or 4 apparently excellent cruising boats down here, all under 30k. A 42' steely and the rest are glass, all cruised here, but the owners have to sell because of medical or financial reason.
IMO all will survey out well.
Another great place to pick up a great deal is Hawaii. After 2200 miles at sea, some are done! They want out and fast! Usually nothing wrong with the boat. Another is the lagoon in St Martin, plus Trinidad and Grenada, both relatively safe places to store a boat out of the water year round.
IMO all will survey out well.
Another great place to pick up a great deal is Hawaii. After 2200 miles at sea, some are done! They want out and fast! Usually nothing wrong with the boat. Another is the lagoon in St Martin, plus Trinidad and Grenada, both relatively safe places to store a boat out of the water year round.
As a fellow Canadian...
You will have to decide where the boat will be registered US or Canada. I found my H26 on the Hunter Owners site. The PO was very accommodating in the logistics to get my new boat into the country. I sold my previous boat through Kijiji (within 5 days, in the middle of winter!). Kijiji is great! If you know what you want you can create auto-notifications to keep you abreast of new boats being listed.
US boats are a cheaper but you will have to jump through some hoops and pay GST/PST to get the boat into Canada. It is quite doable though. In some ways its harder to get the trailer in than the boat
You will have to decide where the boat will be registered US or Canada. I found my H26 on the Hunter Owners site. The PO was very accommodating in the logistics to get my new boat into the country. I sold my previous boat through Kijiji (within 5 days, in the middle of winter!). Kijiji is great! If you know what you want you can create auto-notifications to keep you abreast of new boats being listed.
US boats are a cheaper but you will have to jump through some hoops and pay GST/PST to get the boat into Canada. It is quite doable though. In some ways its harder to get the trailer in than the boat
Deals arn't advertised they are made. You have to work to get "the deal". Suggest looking locally at boats that have been on the hard for a year or two and approach the owner or a broker and ask if there is interest in selling or if it is for sail start negotiating. A boat on the hard is going to have summer and winter storage costs, need attention and most likely really cleaned up. The cost of storage and sweat equity are your negotiating points. PS while it may be difficult to get a good look at a boat given the current weather it is a great time to start negotiations. Remember if you find what you want at a decent price, make contingencies based upon survey, sea trial and things you see. A reasonable, justified low ball offer is a starting point. I spent 3 months negotiating on my first boat, later sold it, recouped my costs for repairs plus kept the dinghy and outboard that were part of "the deal". You got to be willing to work for it.
You didn't state what type / size of boat you're looking for.
To advertise on YachtWorld one lists thru a broker. That costs you 10% as a seller. So you tend to get bigger boats listed, with their prices jacked up to compensate for the inevitable pre & post survey negotiations + sales commission.
You have to try to find a boat the owner took care of, used and loved. Unloved vessels tend to be money & time pits. The goal is to sail them not work on them (if I remember correctly).
If you're looking for under 30' and you may/may not get a smaller boat surveyed try: boat trader.com, use search tempest to search multiple craigslists in a geo-radius, ebay is good if you filter distance. Come spring they'll be front lawn specials. There's only 23 sailboats listed in the Syracuse Craigslist today. Good luck finding them in 3' of snow & -5F.
I may sell my Morgan 383 this spring and you can sail it (canal it) to Champlain from Lake Ontario. Ping me if you want to go big. I know a guy who races his 383 on Champlain. You could have owners meetings!
Dave
I'm looking over the web for sailboats since more or less 3 years. I was browsing the net planning to buy a sailboat to sail beautiful Lake Champlain. It is finally gonna happen this year. I've been watching the game going on a few sites but I wanna make sure I dont miss THE deal! These are the sites I have been looking at:
- Yachtworld
- Sailboatlisting
- Kijiji (canadian site)
- LesPAC (canadian site)
- lespucesnautiques (canadian site)
Any other suggestions??
Thanks for your help!
Dom[/QUOTE]
To advertise on YachtWorld one lists thru a broker. That costs you 10% as a seller. So you tend to get bigger boats listed, with their prices jacked up to compensate for the inevitable pre & post survey negotiations + sales commission.
You have to try to find a boat the owner took care of, used and loved. Unloved vessels tend to be money & time pits. The goal is to sail them not work on them (if I remember correctly).
If you're looking for under 30' and you may/may not get a smaller boat surveyed try: boat trader.com, use search tempest to search multiple craigslists in a geo-radius, ebay is good if you filter distance. Come spring they'll be front lawn specials. There's only 23 sailboats listed in the Syracuse Craigslist today. Good luck finding them in 3' of snow & -5F.
I may sell my Morgan 383 this spring and you can sail it (canal it) to Champlain from Lake Ontario. Ping me if you want to go big. I know a guy who races his 383 on Champlain. You could have owners meetings!
Dave
I'm looking over the web for sailboats since more or less 3 years. I was browsing the net planning to buy a sailboat to sail beautiful Lake Champlain. It is finally gonna happen this year. I've been watching the game going on a few sites but I wanna make sure I dont miss THE deal! These are the sites I have been looking at:
- Yachtworld
- Sailboatlisting
- Kijiji (canadian site)
- LesPAC (canadian site)
- lespucesnautiques (canadian site)
Any other suggestions??
Thanks for your help!
Dom[/QUOTE]
I found my boat, a 1985 Pearson 303, on Craigslist, for $10,000. It was a great deal and it was local. I looked at other sites as well, but wound up with a boat from Craigslist, of all places!
Used boats
My next boat was sitting in the storage yard of my marina-a stout O'Day 30. Both needed
Only a little TLC to get into the water. I drove most of the Lake Erie shore that winter looking at
Brokerage boats and have to say I got a lot more for the money by buying direct from
The owner. Would only use a broker if I was buying something a lot more expensive and wanted no work before launch
I found my first used boat in the local paper classifieds - a great little Cataluna 22.
My next boat was sitting in the storage yard of my marina-a stout O'Day 30. Both needed
Only a little TLC to get into the water. I drove most of the Lake Erie shore that winter looking at
Brokerage boats and have to say I got a lot more for the money by buying direct from
The owner. Would only use a broker if I was buying something a lot more expensive and wanted no work before launch
Search Tempest is a GREAT tool. It allows you to search ALL of the Craigslist ads for the whole country. This is a big timesaver instead of going to multiple CL pages and searching each one. Very Handy. www.searchtempest.com
Even if you aren't going to buy off a CL ad, this is pretty good place to spend some time. It gives you a good "lay of the land" and a sense of what other similar boats are selling/listing for. Good background and research. . . . plus it's just fun!
~markb
Even if you aren't going to buy off a CL ad, this is pretty good place to spend some time. It gives you a good "lay of the land" and a sense of what other similar boats are selling/listing for. Good background and research. . . . plus it's just fun!
~markb
If you are new to sailboats, you might want to consider looking close to home as others have said. The reason is, it avoids delivery charges and or hiring crew to help you get it home. Sailboats are definitely not like jumping in a power boat and aiming in the right direction, unless they have an auxiliary engine and you motor home. If you are a sailor, than the others have covered the waterfront pretty well.
One thing to keep in mind, brokers come in all flavors. IMO most do not know a specific boat well as far as true condition, and since this is how they make a living, conflict of interest is very alive & well.
To know the truth, NEVER buy any boat without a thorough survey by a competent marine surveyor who knows sailboats well. If you skip this step and let your drive for the best price set your course, it's a 90% chance you won't be happy with the results. The reality is many folks don't do the maintenance they should.
One thing to keep in mind, brokers come in all flavors. IMO most do not know a specific boat well as far as true condition, and since this is how they make a living, conflict of interest is very alive & well.
To know the truth, NEVER buy any boat without a thorough survey by a competent marine surveyor who knows sailboats well. If you skip this step and let your drive for the best price set your course, it's a 90% chance you won't be happy with the results. The reality is many folks don't do the maintenance they should.
Sailing TX is a good research sight, and good for prices. I sold my last boat and purchased my current boat on http://www.sailboatlistings.com/search/. This sight also has pretty good search filters as well. Its nice to be able to sort by length, once you have filtered your search for a brand or type ie cat, or trimaran.
Something else to keep in mind is that Google is your friend. Any time you see a listing, search on the phone number or name, or any other information in the add. 9 times out of 10, you can find an address of the person in the listing. Once you find the address, locate the address on Bing Maps. This will allow you to actually verify the boat assuming it is sitting in the owner's yard, especially if it is a trailer sailor. On the internet, it is impossible to tell if the people are real, or just scammers. Even talking to them on the phone doesn't always confirm legitimacy. However if you find a photo of the boat in their yard, you have a pretty good chance you are dealing with a legit sale. One other thing, once you have a name, search that name on the sailing forums, especially any forum that is specific for that boat. You can often find the whole history on the boat, as the person talks on the forums. The best part is that it is all stealth, and you get a much better impression of who you are dealing with and if they are being honest.
Lastly, be patient. My last boat purchase, I ended up buying from a gentlemen that my first contact was a year and a half earlier! He kept having second feelings unsure if he really wanted to sell it. Sticking with it finally paid off. It was a 15 hour drive out of state, but ended up being a great deal.
Your local docks and other boaters there
For a SCREAMING deal, you have to mingle with the locals at the docks where you plan to sail. This should allow you to find a boat right for your sailing area, and when you do find one, you might hear the "rumors" about that boat prior to purchasing that may explain just why the price is so low.
Some marinas are private, so you won't have access there, but the locals at the marinas where you can meet and greet them might help to keep an ear out for your dream boat and deal.
Marinas not paid the slip rent may also have Lien boats, being held for non-payment. In our area and our marina here in SC I have heard these going for well under market prices. These boats are more difficult to find, and the marina owner doesn't want to talk about selling a particular boat until he has ownership of that boat through legal actions. A better way to ask about these boats is to ask if there are any boats that may be coming to auction in the near future, and just where that info may be publicly posted.
July 4th is the best time to sell a boat, so being a sellers market and timing of year is important also. Now is a good time to find a great price on a used boat!
Good luck, and great sailing!
For a SCREAMING deal, you have to mingle with the locals at the docks where you plan to sail. This should allow you to find a boat right for your sailing area, and when you do find one, you might hear the "rumors" about that boat prior to purchasing that may explain just why the price is so low.
Some marinas are private, so you won't have access there, but the locals at the marinas where you can meet and greet them might help to keep an ear out for your dream boat and deal.
Marinas not paid the slip rent may also have Lien boats, being held for non-payment. In our area and our marina here in SC I have heard these going for well under market prices. These boats are more difficult to find, and the marina owner doesn't want to talk about selling a particular boat until he has ownership of that boat through legal actions. A better way to ask about these boats is to ask if there are any boats that may be coming to auction in the near future, and just where that info may be publicly posted.
July 4th is the best time to sell a boat, so being a sellers market and timing of year is important also. Now is a good time to find a great price on a used boat!
Good luck, and great sailing!
for a boat less than three years old, it will be hard to find.... most boats get a bit older than that before the owners realize they dont have the money or the time for boat ownership.
and there are a lot of extremely nice, well outfitted and well maintained boats available, if you have that kind of dollars to spend, for a substantial savings... and they could be many years older than three...
and im sure you are aware that a poorly maintained 3 year old boat will likely cost more than a 10-15 year old boat in perfect condition....
the age of the boat really has very little to do with what you are getting for your dollar, although a newer boat in the same condition as an older boat will generally cost more... just because its newer. when it comes to boats, newer really means nothing other than the year it was produced and its cost. its how it was maintained that will determine the actual value. value and cost are different and all things being equal, the older boat will be the better value.
and there are a lot of extremely nice, well outfitted and well maintained boats available, if you have that kind of dollars to spend, for a substantial savings... and they could be many years older than three...
and im sure you are aware that a poorly maintained 3 year old boat will likely cost more than a 10-15 year old boat in perfect condition....
the age of the boat really has very little to do with what you are getting for your dollar, although a newer boat in the same condition as an older boat will generally cost more... just because its newer. when it comes to boats, newer really means nothing other than the year it was produced and its cost. its how it was maintained that will determine the actual value. value and cost are different and all things being equal, the older boat will be the better value.
It's a great time of year to visit Florida. They have boats For Sale Everywhere. They have been used in salt water, but you can get them really cheap. All sizes,shapes, and prices.
Size Matters
If you want a trailerable boat then look every where. If you know what you want then search the web. I live in Louisiana and bought my boat in Wisconsin.
If you want a larger vessel then keep it local, shipping cost can kill the best deal.
If you want a trailerable boat then look every where. If you know what you want then search the web. I live in Louisiana and bought my boat in Wisconsin.
If you want a larger vessel then keep it local, shipping cost can kill the best deal.
I bought my 1978 O'day 25 tall rig from the URI foundation for $1000!! It has a saildrive/yanmar in it with hardly any hours on it.all it really needed was a real good cleaning. Worth checking out place that take donations
HRJ
HRJ
Attachments
Great job everyone. You all hit the best places; Yachtworld, google, craigs, yacht clubs, college donations, at the docks, on the hard..... Even with all of these great ideas the right boat will find you. I know, it sounds odd but that is what happens. If you are spending more than $15K get a broker to do the heavy lifting. They are great resources and the right broker will get you the smoking deal. And be sure not to use the seller's broker. I just bought a 1991 Beneteau 38 in October of 2013. The deal I was trying to make fell through and the broker I had bought in wound up getting an estate sale boat dropped in his lap and I had the cash. The boat never hit Yachtworld. In the end I got an $80K boat in excellent condition for $49K. the boat was much better that the original I was trying to buy for much less. The boat found me.
WOW!!! So much responses! Thank you all!
I've been following for a while this forum but nothing else to say that : What a nice community!
where do I start first? OK I'll check out the website that have been posted!
There is too much marinas around Lake champlain to browse them all with the idea of picking the ''deal'', I already did the surrounding marinas and the local market around my area. (I live in QC but sail Lake Champlain).
I would prefer to buy localy because I aint got no (much) experience and want to avoid hazardous maiden voyage. BUT it seems that I might be oblige to extend my range in order to find something suitable for my needs. (Im picky, so is my wife!)
Looking for a 32 to 37 footer obviously not trailerable... 30 to 40 k (USD)
2 adult 3 childrens....
I brought the Idea of selling the children in order to save on the boat but... she told me it was out of question! Also got the idea of getting divorced but... no good idea, a lot more expensive!
Thank everybody for your help!
I've been following for a while this forum but nothing else to say that : What a nice community!
where do I start first? OK I'll check out the website that have been posted!
There is too much marinas around Lake champlain to browse them all with the idea of picking the ''deal'', I already did the surrounding marinas and the local market around my area. (I live in QC but sail Lake Champlain).
I would prefer to buy localy because I aint got no (much) experience and want to avoid hazardous maiden voyage. BUT it seems that I might be oblige to extend my range in order to find something suitable for my needs. (Im picky, so is my wife!)
Looking for a 32 to 37 footer obviously not trailerable... 30 to 40 k (USD)
2 adult 3 childrens....
I brought the Idea of selling the children in order to save on the boat but... she told me it was out of question! Also got the idea of getting divorced but... no good idea, a lot more expensive!
Thank everybody for your help!