Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 03-17-2023, 10:14 AM   #1
Veteran Member
 
City: Oyster Bay
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 62
Best way to sell boat

Looking for the best way to sell my boat without a broker but I hate dealing with tire kickers and squirrels. Any suggestions? Thanks
Roger L is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2023, 10:16 AM   #2
Moderator Emeritus
 
Comodave's Avatar
 
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 21,191
I have sold several boats on boattrader.com.
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
Comodave is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2023, 10:25 AM   #3
Guru
 
City: Grand Rapids, MI
Vessel Name: Escape
Vessel Model: 1973 Concorde 41 DC
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 782
Quote:
Originally Posted by Comodave View Post
I have sold several boats on boattrader.com.
Haven't bought one there but looked at a few. The only problem I've had with boattrader, from the buying side, is some people don't remove the listing when the boat's sold. Lots of dead ends. I suspect some set up a dummy email just for the listing then don't look at it again after the sale so they don't know they're still getting hits.
jgwinks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2023, 11:08 AM   #4
TF Site Team
 
Larry M's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 11,682
Post your boat here on the Forum. The Classified section gets lots of traffic. I just looked and there are 23 people viewing right now. In our library, there is a sample purchase and sale agreement you could also use.

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/...?do=file&id=77
Larry M is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2023, 11:18 AM   #5
Guru
 
psneeld's Avatar
 
City: Ft Pierce
Vessel Name: Sold
Vessel Model: Was an Albin/PSN 40
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 28,149
I sold mine (had 2 other TFers interested) just by mentioning here on TF that I may sell it soon.

Wound up selling it before I really wanted too.

Have a decent boat at the right price and it takes very little marketing. Expect a competitive price and there is competition.
psneeld is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2023, 11:21 AM   #6
Guru
 
CharlieO.'s Avatar
 
City: Vermont
Vessel Name: Luna C.
Vessel Model: 1977 Marine Trader 34DC
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 1,514
I bought ours off of Facebook Marketplace.
CharlieO. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2023, 12:49 PM   #7
Moderator Emeritus
 
Comodave's Avatar
 
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 21,191
Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlieO. View Post
I bought ours off of Facebook Marketplace.
I don’t do Facebook…
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
Comodave is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2023, 01:37 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
City: FT.Pierce, Fl
Vessel Name: Tuna Talk
Vessel Model: CC Tournament 30
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 177
Best way to sell boat?
Price it right!

boattrader, yachtworld, TF...but don't discount Craig's List
Jim Cooper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2023, 02:43 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
City: Juneau
Vessel Name: Sea Dog
Vessel Model: 1991 DeFever 49 RPH
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 298
I sold my Tollycraft 37 on Facebook Marketplace.
SeaDogAK is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2023, 04:39 PM   #10
Guru
 
Simi 60's Avatar
 
City: Queensland
Vessel Model: Milkraft 60 converted timber prawn trawler
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 5,482
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger L View Post
Looking for the best way to sell my boat without a broker but I hate dealing with tire kickers and squirrels. Any suggestions? Thanks
Make them jump through a lot of hoops
That sorts out the ones that are serious.

My recent result here
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/...1&postcount=62
__________________
Everything on a boat is broken, you just don't know it yet
Full time cruising is repairing boats in exotic locations
Simi 60 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2023, 04:58 PM   #11
Guru
 
twistedtree's Avatar
 
City: Vermont
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 10,093
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simi 60 View Post
Make them jump through a lot of hoops
That sorts out the ones that are serious.

And that's exactly why brokers are often unresponsive to inquiries. They are sorting. When you are on the selling side, there is a huge amount of noise in the system with all sorts of lookers and talkers who will just waste your time.
__________________
MVTanglewood.com
twistedtree is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2023, 10:05 PM   #12
TF Site Team
 
slowgoesit's Avatar
 
City: MX, thru Canal to Bahamas
Vessel Name: Muirgen
Vessel Model: 50' Beebe Passagemaker
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 3,400
Quote:
Originally Posted by twistedtree View Post
And that's exactly why brokers are often unresponsive to inquiries. They are sorting. When you are on the selling side, there is a huge amount of noise in the system with all sorts of lookers and talkers who will just waste your time.

Peter,


I understand what you are saying, buy it's a poor businessman (or woman) who discounts a perspective buyer from an initial inquiry. We were serious about purchasing a boat, and had numerous brokers blow us off when we asked for info on boats they represented. Several of them apparently because we had the audacity to actually ask questions prior to sending in a deposit check! Yup, one of them actually told me that . . .

We ended up finding the boat we wanted, the Seller's broker was extremely helpful during the buying process, spending quite a lot of time answering our questions about the boat, even doing a face time on the boat until his phone battery died!
He didn't know us from Adam, but he didn't discount us either. We made an offer sight unseen, flew out for inspection, survey, and sea trial, and all was well. We paid cash.
Since we purchased our current boat, we've been contacted by several of the brokers who wouldn't give us the time of day when we were looking . . . . we have a list . . . . which we've shared with several people we've met. . . . Karma is a . . . well, it comes back around to bite you, shall we say!
__________________
Vessel Name: Muirgen
Vessel Model: 50' Beebe Passagemaker
slowgoesit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2023, 10:39 PM   #13
Member
 
City: Lake Champlain
Vessel Model: 2005 Albin 35CB
Join Date: Dec 2021
Posts: 22
Might not help this time, but if you establish a good online presence - here, on a website dedicated to the make of your boat, and on specific Facebook groups - and become known as an honest and meticulous owner, your boat will sell in a nanosecond. That's what happened with our last one. My reputation preceded me. As soon as I began to make noises about looking for a larger boat, potential buyers contacted me. The boat sold for the asking price to the first person who came to see it. He flew here and wrote a deposit check in a week.
nwh10 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2023, 09:38 AM   #14
Guru
 
Pete Meisinger's Avatar
 
City: Oconto, WI
Vessel Name: Best Alternative
Vessel Model: 36 Albin Aft Cabin
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 3,145
Best way to sell a boat? Lots of pictures and not too much verbage.

pete
Pete Meisinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2023, 10:32 AM   #15
TF Site Team
 
Bacchus's Avatar
 
City: Seneca Lake NY
Vessel Name: Bacchus
Vessel Model: MS 34 HT Trawler
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 7,828
Quote:
Originally Posted by twistedtree View Post
And that's exactly why brokers are often unresponsive to inquiries. They are sorting. When you are on the selling side, there is a huge amount of noise in the system with all sorts of lookers and talkers who will just waste your time.
Get it out there via online visibility - TF Classifieds, Boat Trader plus others - Facebook, Craigslist etc.

The only problem with making it hard to make contact is you never know who the perfect buyer is ahead of time and you risk turning off the perfect buyer.

I like to talk to potential buyers and try to assess how serious & capable they are first - then establish your availability based on that assessment.
I find a direct phone conversation better than swapping 10 - 20 messages or emails and quickly ask potential buyers to call me. Most acammers avoid the phone and prefer txt & emails.
__________________
Don
2008 MS 34 HT Trawler
"Bacchus"
Bacchus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2023, 11:15 AM   #16
Guru
 
twistedtree's Avatar
 
City: Vermont
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 10,093
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowgoesit View Post
Peter,


I understand what you are saying, buy it's a poor businessman (or woman) who discounts a perspective buyer from an initial inquiry. We were serious about purchasing a boat, and had numerous brokers blow us off when we asked for info on boats they represented. Several of them apparently because we had the audacity to actually ask questions prior to sending in a deposit check! Yup, one of them actually told me that . . .

We ended up finding the boat we wanted, the Seller's broker was extremely helpful during the buying process, spending quite a lot of time answering our questions about the boat, even doing a face time on the boat until his phone battery died!
He didn't know us from Adam, but he didn't discount us either. We made an offer sight unseen, flew out for inspection, survey, and sea trial, and all was well. We paid cash.
Since we purchased our current boat, we've been contacted by several of the brokers who wouldn't give us the time of day when we were looking . . . . we have a list . . . . which we've shared with several people we've met. . . . Karma is a . . . well, it comes back around to bite you, shall we say!

I agree, and should have elaborated. I agree that broker behavior has been terrible for many people, and I would be equally annoyed in a buyer's shoes. It just explains what they are attempting to accomplish - not that it's a good way to go about it.
__________________
MVTanglewood.com
twistedtree is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2023, 11:19 AM   #17
Guru
 
Nick F's Avatar
 
City: Vancouver
Vessel Name: Callisto
Vessel Model: 1974 Grand Banks 42 Classic, Hull 433
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 589
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bacchus View Post
I find a direct phone conversation better than swapping 10 - 20 messages or emails and quickly ask potential buyers to call me. Most scammers avoid the phone and prefer txt & emails.
Right on !
Nick F is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2023, 01:50 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
Max1's Avatar
 
City: Toronto
Vessel Name: Bermuda Belle
Vessel Model: Marine Trader 36 Sedan
Join Date: Sep 2021
Posts: 393
I found quite a few boats on Facebook Marketplace. It shows ad's in geographical radius decided buy the searcher, though outside the radius is also shown after all the local ads are exhausted.
Max1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-18-2023, 01:58 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Cartouche's Avatar
 
City: Kingston Ontario
Vessel Name: On The EdJ
Vessel Model: Former 390 owner now Sundancer 380
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 466
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger L View Post
Looking for the best way to sell my boat without a broker but I hate dealing with tire kickers and squirrels. Any suggestions? Thanks
I sold my 390 here on the forum I posted it here and the Manship facebook page I agreed to hold it for a member here on TF and had two other confirm buys in less than 24 Hours from the face book listing 1 in St John New Bruswick and the other in Hamilton Ontario. If it is a good boat it will sell easily in this market. However I was very lucky having a friend who owns the largest Brokerage in Canada (United City Yachts) who handled the sale for me No Charge as it had to go over the border from Canada to the US which was allot more complicated than either the buyer or my self knew.
__________________
Joanne & Edward Billing
M/V On the EdJ Sundancer 380
Home Port Kingston Marina in the 1000 Islands
Cartouche is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-19-2023, 10:59 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
Cold Duck's Avatar
 
City: Discovery Bay
Vessel Name: Cold Duck
Vessel Model: MS 350 Trawler, 1997
Join Date: Jul 2022
Posts: 351
Depends a lot on the size type of boat. For local I have had great success with Craig's List, it's free. But if your market might be wider, then you want a national audience.
Cold Duck is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Trawler Port Captains
Port Captains are TF volunteers who can serve as local guides or assist with local arrangements and information. Search below to locate Port Captains near your destination. To learn more about this program read here: TF Port Captain Program





All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:51 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2006 - 2012