Yachtworld Advanced Search Function

[STB]

Hi all,

I think the advanced search still exists on Yacht World, or at least exists again -- I think it just moved. After doing the initial search, scroll down the list of filters and filter groups on the left side. You'll see "Advanced filters". Then hit the down arrow to expand it.

Between the regular and advanced filters, it looks like I can search with the same parameters I always could. I just have to do a less specific search on the home page first, before dialing it in.

Cheers!
-Greg

 

[AlaskaProf]

Last time I looked you could select one nation or one state, no regions, which was an important filter. Have they fixed that? Very user-hostile interface.

 

[BandB]

Last time I looked you could select one nation or one state, no regions, which was an important filter. Have they fixed that? Very user-hostile interface.

Yes, they have fixed that. Actually a user friendly interface now. You drill down in the menu.

 

[STB]

Last time I looked you could select one nation or one state, no regions, which was an important filter. Have they fixed that? Very user-hostile interface.

One can select only one location category, which exist at various levels (continent, nation, state, region/city of state, etc). But, there aren't selections such as "US Gulf of Mexico", or "US Atlantic", nor is there the ability to select multiple.

Also, displayed options are limited to those with non-empty results given the other search parameters. So, if one wants to refresh the search later, one probably wants to set the location first. And, even then, it is a moving target as I don't think locations without boats for sale will appear.

I agree, it isn't very well done. Not at all.

As an aside, I just noticed advanced search is available under the "Boats" menu. But, again, same limitations.

The absence of a multi-select is baffling.

 

[refugio]

It’s not easy, but the UK Advanced Search still works - and you can modify the url to remove the currency option to get USD. So if you had a favorite search you forgot to bookmark you can recreate it.

 

[Max Simmons]

Still griping! Had a reason to go on Yachtworld this morning and gave up in frustration. Clearly the number of "hits" (do people still say this?) has to be way down. My once a day visit is now non-existent. Wouldn't there be someone in the marketing department that finds this concerning?

 

[DavidM]

I suspect it is going to take a customer revolt by the brokers who subscribe to Yachtworld to make any difference. Unfortunately the internet has changed how boats are sold. When I was a broker for a short while in Annapolis 20 years ago, customers came to the brokerage and asked a broker to search for a boat that fit their needs. So the broker spent a lot of his time plugging in data and developing lists of boats that fit.

No more. Buyers search Yachtworld, Boattrader, etc. themselves and then call up the listing broker to ask more about it and see it if they are interested. But buyers don't directly pay for Yachtworld, brokers do. We need to get this feedback to brokers who can more effectively complain about how Yachtworld has made a mess out of the search process.

Good luck with that. Maybe one of our member brokers can take this up with YBAA (Yacht Brokers Association of America which is independent of Yachtworld) to mobilize the complaints.

David

 

[slowgoesit]

Like others have recommended, I went through YB of Great Brittan and was able to access more advanced search features similar to what I used to get in YB US.

 

[oscar]

Like others have recommended, I went through YB of Great Brittan and was able to access more advanced search features similar to what I used to get in YB US.

Yup, still woking there as before.

 

[Beaverlake]

As does Yachtworld Australia.

 

[ranger58sb]

I discovered yesterday that YW sometimes works differently with different browsers. I couldn't edit/enter filters using Internet Explorer, but it worked OK with Chrome. That could have been about my browser settings (i.e., not the browser itself) since my IE security/privacy setup is very restrictive, whereas my Chrome setup isn't as tight.

-Chris

 

[Clackalacky]

Its really gone now

Yes they've closed all the tricks to using the advanced search, but there is still one place I have found it. I guess only the aussies are allowed to do an advanced search. Just change the currency.
https://au.yachtworld.com/advanced-boat-search/

 

[Macrophylla]

I can still use all the advanced features by starting with a basic search from the home page then using the advanced filters on the left-hand side of the page when the results post.

Example

From home page search Nordhavn
Then can select North America -> USA -> Can select multiple regions

Can add filters for length, price, number of engines, etc.

Looks like they took all the advanced features and made them part of the result navigation? It may have been done to improve usefulness (for example if someone didn't know better and was searching for dual engine gas nordhavns) you start with all the results and refine down from there. Also allows them to tell paying clients that they are showing their ad more often.

 

[Comodave]

Yes they've closed all the tricks to using the advanced search, but there is still one place I have found it. I guess only the aussies are allowed to do an advanced search. Just change the currency.
https://au.yachtworld.com/advanced-boat-search/

Welcome aboard. I use the UK version all the time. Just have to set the measurements to feet instead of meters and to US dollars. Works great.

 

[Nikko]

Welcome aboard. I use the UK version all the time. Just have to set the measurements to feet instead of meters and to US dollars. Works great.

Sadly not any more - it seems YW UK has now been "upgraded" to the same new system as YW US. No more advanced search, no more saved searches, site has to reload for every single option you choose when building a search.

Yachtworld, this is a HUGE step backwards and your site is no where near as useful, or frankly as fun as it was. It's now painful to navigate. I'm not sure how you were talked into these changes, but they do not represent progress for your org... If there's anyone in the wings with a web product that completes with YW, now is your time to step up and shine - YW has dropped the ball...

 

[BandB]

Sadly not any more - it seems YW UK has now been "upgraded" to the same new system as YW US. No more advanced search, no more saved searches, site has to reload for every single option you choose when building a search.

Yachtworld, this is a HUGE step backwards and your site is no where near as useful, or frankly as fun as it was. It's now painful to navigate. I'm not sure how you were talked into these changes, but they do not represent progress for your org... If there's anyone in the wings with a web product that completes with YW, now is your time to step up and shine - YW has dropped the ball...

No, now is the time for all to learn how to use the new system. If's very functional once you learn to use the filters, just a change. It's now been nearly two years. Adapt people. The past is over.

 

[Frosty]

No, now is the time for all to learn how to use the new system. If's very functional once you learn to use the filters, just a change. It's now been nearly two years. Adapt people. The past is over.

I think there is a difference between adapting to something new and improved (even when you really liked the old one), and adapting to something that's much clunkier to use (in an area, UI, where things are generally improving).

Of course we will all adapt. At the moment, we have no choice since they have a near monopoly on broker listing display. But I don't see this as equivalent to snerking at people who refuse to try the new cheese. We have tried it and it's clearly not as functional. That's not normally the direction UI takes. My current phone/computer/camera/car etc. are different than my old ones, sure; but they are also all improved by any objective measure when doing X thing.

I probably sound annoyed. It's just the "come on people, adapt" makes it sound like it's our fault for complaining about a search function that's pretty obviously degraded (and what else is YW for if not to search for vessels).

 

[kthoennes]

You know, that's exactly the arrogant, dismissive attitude that annoys me so much about website and software developers and publishers and so many IT people. We're coming out with a new version and new functionality. Shut up and deal with it, and we really don't care about your preferences, or the time you spent learning the previous system, and if the customer complains, he's just a crabby tech-stupid old coot resistant to change. It's hard for me to think of any other industry or commercial activity that routinely treats customers and consumers that way. But somehow, from MS Office iterations to YachtWorld, tech gets away with it routinely.

 

[Frosty]

As an aside, I've talked to three brokers since the change happened and they feel the same way many of us do. (I would have thought they'd have different/better tools but apparently not (?)

The waiting for each parameter to "take" via the web vs. just setting them all then hitting "Search" is just the icing on the cake.

 

[Comodave]

Yes, I have figured out how to use the “new and improved” system. It isn’t nearly as user friendly but it is usable. The “filter” system is pretty cumbersome but I am sure I will eventually get used to it. Bah humbug!

 

[John R M]

I originally had the same impression of the new YW and used the UK version for quite some time. After it recently disappeared, I tried the new YW again and after a little experimentation, it's very similar to the old version. While you can't save a search per se, simply bookmarking the page that has all of the filters, and resultant boats, provides the same result. The trick is to choose a filter, e.g. North America for region, then another field appears that contains the various sub regions of NA. Keep choosing until you get the search parameters you need.

 

[OldDan1943]

Maybe YW will "improve" to the point of
1. look at houses
2. look at boats.

See how easy that is, two choices. No geographic sorting, no # of bedrooms, etc

Gosh and YW may "improve" themselves right out of usefulness. LOL

 

[backinblue]

Maybe YW will "improve" to the point of
1. look at houses
2. look at boats.

See how easy that is, two choices. No geographic sorting, no # of bedrooms, etc

Gosh and YW may "improve" themselves right out of usefulness. LOL

Maybe they are now owned by Yahoo? That would explain a lot!

 

[BandB]

I probably sound annoyed. It's just the "come on people, adapt" makes it sound like it's our fault for complaining about a search function that's pretty obviously degraded (and what else is YW for if not to search for vessels).

I was annoyed two years ago by it. I wrote them. Others did as well. For a while I used the UK version but then stopped. At some point, I realized I was fighting a losing battle so best adapt to the new version and learn to use it as effectively as possible. I like the old version better, but I've learned to use the new and feel like continued complaining is a futile effort. It is my believe that the change was precipitated by the new security requirements that the old software didn't meet.

This is much like when Active Captain changed. I screamed and yelled and hated it. Well, Garmin had no choice. Look at all the flash based systems that no longer work. Just seems like complaining about something done so long ago is counter productive at this point.

Is anyone using the new search alert function? I'd fear too many emails. Rather search on my own.

A major complaint is not being able to save searches. You can add them to your bookmarks bar or otherwise save as bookmarks.

Let's discuss workarounds and adaptations, since we can't get them to change back.

 

[John R M]

Discovered another minor issue with the advanced search. If you choose to limit your search to boats with 2 engines, and the broker has not properly filled in the "Engine/Fuel Type" field, e.g. left it blank, the listing won't show up in your search. Of the 21 boats that met all of my other search parameters, 2 were missing. That's a high error rate. You'd think that yachtworld would make this a mandatory field to overcome this problem.

 

[BandB]

Discovered another minor issue with the advanced search. If you choose to limit your search to boats with 2 engines, and the broker has not properly filled in the "Engine/Fuel Type" field, e.g. left it blank, the listing won't show up in your search. Of the 21 boats that met all of my other search parameters, 2 were missing. That's a high error rate. You'd think that yachtworld would make this a mandatory field to overcome this problem.

That has always been a problem with their searches and other similar. Restrictive searches get risky. Search for trawlers and you're likely to miss many as the listing agent doesn't list as such. Sometimes even type engine. I typically will use size and brand or just size and try to go from there.

 

[Comodave]

We are selling our current boat and buying another one. I have spoken to both brokers about how bad Yachtworld is now with the crappy search function. They both pay a good amount of money to list boats on YW. They both say that YW doesn’t care about the brokers at all. Don’t see any fixes coming along any time soon.

 

[BandB]

We are selling our current boat and buying another one. I have spoken to both brokers about how bad Yachtworld is now with the crappy search function. They both pay a good amount of money to list boats on YW. They both say that YW doesn’t care about the brokers at all. Don’t see any fixes coming along any time soon.

YW doesn't consider anything broken.

But then neither does MLS. And that's why there is Zillow. Will someone at some point who subscribes to YW find a way to use it in a different way on their own website?

 

[slowgoesit]

We found the boat we recently purchased on YW. We had been actively searching for about 2 years. The boat we bought is a Beebe Passagemaker. It's a one off build from plans by Robert Beebe. It was NOT listed as a trawler, or a long range cruiser, or anything else that I was using for search parameters. I only found it because someone had posted another boat advertised on YW on the "interesting boats" thread, and it got me thinking. THAT boat didn't show up in my searches either, so I must be using too restrictive search parameters, sez I!
I started from scratch, did a search for:
Used boats
Power boats
Age: 1975 - 2000
Price: max $400k usd
Region: North America
Fuel type: Diesel
Length: 40' to 60'
Hull material: Aluminum, Steel, or FRG (not wood) nothing against wood, but didn't want the maintenance issues, especially in warm waters
Exclude Fractionals

That's it. That's all the search restrictions I input. Came up with about 1,500 or so boats

Then I started wading through the boat porn of about Low and Behold, around boat 850 or so, I saw the one we bought! It had been advertised for about 8 months, starting at an original price significantly higher than it was now advertised, but I never saw it. Then I used the YW feature to contact the broker . . . crickets I tried again . . . .still crickets . . . . I finally chased down the actual broker, and sent him an e-mail . . . . He called me 20 minutes later. He said he never got the YW re-directs, and I believe him. It's not the first time I've heard that from legitimate brokers.
Anyway, long story short (too late!) we offered, surveyed, and purchased the boat. After the closing I spoke at length to the broker about why the boat hadn't sold earlier. He said "No interest", no one contacted him . . . although I found out later, after I published a thread about the purchase that at least four other people (3 vary serious) had attempted to obtain info through YW on the boat without success. One DID manage to contact the broker, the same way I did, but ultimately decided not to purchase for personal reasons.
So, the morale of the story is that YW is a tool to help you find a boat, BUT you need to understand it's limitations, and understand that the current owners have very little interest in spending any $$ to correct glaring issues with the platform as long as they and boat trader (also owned by the same consortium) are the two big boys in the field with very little competition . . .

 

[healhustler]

And so well worth your effort to bring Muirgen, such a rare and unusual example to the TF fleet.

Yachtworld’s upgrade or evolution or make-over or whatever you want to call it is still like getting off my favorite carnival ride and told to go wait in line for the Ferris Wheel. Even when I got aboard, I didn’t feel like staying aboard, and given the general lack of enthusiasm, there must be lots of empty seats.