Used boat presentations

[geoleo]

Even well presented boats can take a long time to sell, and during that time maintenance and cleaning are irregular if done at all. Start with a dirty or messy boat and its a lot worse. They can be great opportunities. Offer prices are reduced to reflect the situation. If you don't want to do the work just deduct the cost of pro-detailing from your offer, and afterwards hop on board something clean.

But all of that is largely cosmetic and aesthetics. Understand the state of the systems on board because they can chew up real money to get sorted. There may be no correlation between the cosmetics and stuff that really matters. If the size and layout is what you want then get a good surveyor to assess the systems and list items that need attention.

When I come to see a boat and it has green mold on the shady side of hull and in the niches and bird poop all over the decks and cabins I'm turned off----

 

[geoleo]

hiking

We have 2 TV's aboard Magic. And we can also watch TV on our iPads! I guess I don't take care of my boat---could've fooled me.

Would you take your Ipads hiking in beautiful mountain tracks and watch TV ?

 

[geoleo]

correlations

Even well presented boats can take a long time to sell, and during that time maintenance and cleaning are irregular if done at all. Start with a dirty or messy boat and its a lot worse. They can be great opportunities. Offer prices are reduced to reflect the situation. If you don't want to do the work just deduct the cost of pro-detailing from your offer, and afterwards hop on board something clean.

But all of that is largely cosmetic and aesthetics. Understand the state of the systems on board because they can chew up real money to get sorted. There may be no correlation between the cosmetics and stuff that really matters. If the size and layout is what you want then get a good surveyor to assess the systems and list items that need attention.

There may be no correlations--but usually are!

 

[FlyWright]

TV is a disease and you have it. Sorry

That seems pretty narrow minded to me. I have a 12V HDTV that doubles as an ER monitor while underway. I'd say 75% of it's use is to monitor the ER, but when I want a TV onboard, it's available.

I'll never forget election night at anchor. Priceless.

 

[caltexflanc]

Would you take your Ipads hiking in beautiful mountain tracks and watch TV ?

For a week, no. For living on full time sure. I take it you are a weekender. And you'd never buy a full time cruiser's boat.

 

[Peter B]

It also depends on which areas of a boat may look a bit grimey. In the case of our boat, when purchased the engine room had 30 odd years of discolouration build-up, and was such an early model, the inside of the ER was never gel-coated, so to clean it to the looks of newer boats would have been impossible, discouraging, and contributed nothing to the reliability, safety or seaworthiness of the vessel. So, I recognising this, I did not bother. It looks no different today, except I renewed what mattered, the rotted floor boards, rusty HWS, buss board, etc. But the engine is well maintained, as are the batteries and anything else that matters, and the parts of the boat inhabited or where belongings are stored, are all spotlessly maintained. Those are the things that matter. After all, how clean does the engine bay of your car remain after some years of use?

 

[dhays]

When I come to see a boat and it has green mold on the shady side of hull and in the niches and bird poop all over the decks and cabins I'm turned off----

I understand. Sounds like you need to purchase a new boat, freshly freed from its shrink wrap.

In the PNW this time of year, the north side of a boat will turn green in two weeks. Most sellers, if they could still wash their boat weekly, wouldn’t be selling it.

 

[FF]

"Most of these persons do not have the knowledge of the boat they are selling that I consider necessary to sell it.

Impossible dream, broker are there to sell anything and everything , few are specialists in any one area , there are probably thousands of variations on boats.

" how much sweat equity do you want to invest in a $150000.00 or more purchase when you consider that within 5 years will have depreciated by 40 to 50% regardless."

Newer boats, like everything else depreciates at rapid pace

Once there 20+ years old condition is the key , not age.

A number of folks have purchased older boats in fair condition and have a ZERO round trip after a decade.
(sold it for as much or more than initial purchase price)

Of course their labor was free and most electronic toys create almost no value.

Boats require labor , sometimes grunt labor , sanding and painting an overhead is no fun , although paint is cheap, value has been added to the vessel.

 

[Donsan]

Sounds like you need to purchase a new boat, freshly freed from its shrink wrap.

I suspect a new boat is out of his price range. It sounds like he is looking at boats under $30K. But still, there is no excuse for the lack of cleaning up to sell.

 

[Bacchus]

I have seen some good advice on selling a motorhome that applies to boats (and S&B homes)
Obviously declutter & clean it...but also stage it for photos.
Think about the mfg brochures... they have an attractive table setting, nice towels and pillows on beds, etc.
Why do you think they come w those accessories? So they look pretty when buyers are viewing at dealers...why not do the same when selling used?

 

[Pura Vida]

"wife ready" syndrome

Why don't you look beyond the dirt and junk and see what the underlying boat looks like and make an offer accordingly. I understand the "wife ready" syndrome. Mine can't look beyond that stuff.

David

Well said, I have one too. Everyone sees the world around them through their own filter.

 

[twistedtree]

I think it all depends on whether you look at it from the seller's or the buyer's perspective.

As a seller, you are shooting yourself in the nuts if you don't present a neat, clean, well sorted boat. Anything else is a turn off, and as this thread demonstrates, causes most buyers to reject the boat without looking any further. I would guess that a poorly presented boat will cause the seller to lose 50-75% of their available market of buyers. That's as bad as saying that any interested parties who's names begin with A-R should just go away. Pretty darn stupid of a seller, if you ask me.

As a buyer, boats that are poorly presents can be real opportunities. The seller is probably frustrated with the lack of interest, and likely to accept a very low offer. And as was pointed out, you are probably going to scrub the boat head to toe, replace all the soft goods, and update AV and nav electronics anyway. So if you are part of the 25% who can look beyond the surface, you might find a real diamond covered in a layer of dirt. What you really know is that you are buying from a fool, and that is in your favor. Now you just need to assess the boat.

The same is true with cars, houses, etc.

 

[Larry M]

When I come to see a boat and it has green mold on the shady side of hull and in the niches and bird poop all over the decks and cabins I'm turned off----

...In the PNW this time of year, the north side of a boat will turn green in two weeks. Most sellers, if they could still wash their boat weekly, wouldn’t be selling it.

Our last boat, we found on Lake Union in Seattle. The owner was living in San Francisco. We walked down the dock and it was green. I went inside and it was beautiful. It had been detailed and there was heat running. The next day we made an offer and sailed and lived on that boat for 10 years. Oh, the mold and green decks cleaned right up.

 

[Pura Vida]

Here is my weirdness when looking at boat porn on yachtworld.

If the boat has pictures of a room with an old tube type (CRT) television it makes me wonder how much time the previous owner spent on the boat and how much upgrading they have done.

I like you’re thinking, but some go to the boat to get away from TV etc...

 

[geoleo]

zee problems......

I think it all depends on whether you look at it from the seller's or the buyer's perspective.

As a seller, you are shooting yourself in the nuts if you don't present a neat, clean, well sorted boat. Anything else is a turn off, and as this thread demonstrates, causes most buyers to reject the boat without looking any further. I would guess that a poorly presented boat will cause the seller to lose 50-75% of their available market of buyers. That's as bad as saying that any interested parties who's names begin with A-R should just go away. Pretty darn stupid of a seller, if you ask me.

As a buyer, boats that are poorly presents can be real opportunities. The seller is probably frustrated with the lack of interest, and likely to accept a very low offer. And as was pointed out, you are probably going to scrub the boat head to toe, replace all the soft goods, and update AV and nav electronics anyway. So if you are part of the 25% who can look beyond the surface, you might find a real diamond covered in a layer of dirt. What you really know is that you are buying from a fool, and that is in your favor. Now you just need to assess the boat.

The same is true with cars, houses, etc.

iiz that that its had to see thru the junk and garbage and get past the slob in one thing factor=slob in all things usuallyand zee fact that after usually traveling hundreds of miles your looking at pile of chit!

 

[geoleo]

For a week, no. For living on full time sure. I take it you are a weekender. And you'd never buy a full time cruiser's boat.

I don't really classify myself---However I have had cruising deepwater sailboats for 48 years and have cruised offshore about 30000 miles . I'm 80 now and looking for a trawler having sold my last sailboat 3 months ago.

 

[Donna]

I am amused by this thread. There are quite a number of reasons the boat may be dirty. I purchased mine with about 1000 dead cockroaches. The smell was horrid. It was filthy. I didn’t care about any of that. My intentions were to rip everything out. I told myself if the survey came back clean, I would go ahead with the sale. It came back clean as a whistle, low engine and generator hours, etc. I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. She is my hobby, my passion and my beauty. I am very proud to have made her my own. I run her often. I have a tv onboard because I can.

The reason the boat was in the condition it was is because the 45 year old professional motor cross owner died in a car accident.

Boats are work and require constant work to stay shiny and continue to be in excellent running condition. It’s a fantasy to think it’s all cocktails and sunsets.

 

[FF]

"I take it you are a weekender. And you'd never buy a full time cruiser's boat."

This is a key point for a boat buyer, a dock queen will seldom be outfitted as a cruiser and it will take big hours and big boat bucks to make a conversion.

It is the most work for folks that love to anchor out , fairly easy for the M&M folks.(marina to marina )

 

[geoleo]

Awwwwwww

..from the big brave deep ocean explorer of unknown dangerous seas to all the cowardly dock queens-------awwwww

 

[Donna]

..from the big brave deep ocean explorer of unknown dangerous seas to all the cowardly dock queens-------awwwww

What on earth does that mean? Look, everyone has different reasons for owning a boat and different living standards. Some are adventurers, some are dock kings, and some make it their permanent residence. No one is wrong here. I do see quite a few snarky remarks in this thread.

 

[geoleo]

poster

the poster implied he was a superior deep water adventurer and all the rest were afraid to do as he claims he does--however the opposite might be true Myself I don't care a whit what others do with their boats -just so they don't run into mine its ok

 

[sunchaser]

TV is a disease and you have it. Sorry

When anchored for 3 nights in a cool wet stormy Alaskan inlet those DVDs sure come in handy. Then when the weather abates the TV becomes a giant plotting monitor for all to see. The year is 2018, Stanley Cup playoffs are approaching and I lost my sextant. The Samsung is in the ready mode.

 

[FF]

In most traveling situations the local TV has weather maps of the area , the gov. VHF weather is too generic , and is not as good for planning.

In the ditch TV can make the decision for an early start and short day vs staying put easier.

 

[Moby Nick]

My son just recently bought the 28' Yawl I owned for 18 years before switching to the Albin-25 ten years ago. Son bought her cheap at Rockport, TX due to damage in Harvey and we towed he back to Milwaukee. The Hurricane damage is not serious and fairly easily repairable, however, it appears that NONE of the three owners subsequent to me ever did much maintenance. The boat is just plain grungy throughout. We were lucky that the original trailer put under the boat in 1987 was able to make the trip, because it is now headed for a junk yard. That trailer had been entirely road-worthy when I sold her to a buyer in Louisiana facing a 1000-mile trip home from Illinois ten years ago.

 

[Seevee]

I am amused by this thread. There are quite a number of reasons the boat may be dirty. I purchased mine with about 1000 dead cockroaches. The smell was horrid. It was filthy. I didn’t care about any of that. My intentions were to rip everything out. I told myself if the survey came back clean, I would go ahead with the sale. It came back clean as a whistle, low engine and generator hours, etc. I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. She is my hobby, my passion and my beauty. I am very proud to have made her my own. I run her often. I have a tv onboard because I can.

The reason the boat was in the condition it was is because the 45 year old professional motor cross owner died in a car accident.

Boats are work and require constant work to stay shiny and continue to be in excellent running condition. It’s a fantasy to think it’s all cocktails and sunsets.

Buyers should take lessons from you. You did well and are happy about your decision, and that's what counts.

Some of us see the gem under the dirt, and often the dirt is superficial and can be cleaned.

The BIG goal in buying, is buy a boat from someone that really doesn't want it anymore. Suspect your seller didn't want it at all... heck, he was dead.

Also, we know a TV does not dictate the quality or maintenance of a boat... it's a personal choice.

 

[boathealer]

I am amused by this thread. There are quite a number of reasons the boat may be dirty. I purchased mine with about 1000 dead cockroaches. The smell was horrid. It was filthy. I didn’t care about any of that. My intentions were to rip everything out. I told myself if the survey came back clean, I would go ahead with the sale. It came back clean as a whistle, low engine and generator hours, etc. I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. She is my hobby, my passion and my beauty. I am very proud to have made her my own. I run her often. I have a tv onboard because I can.

The reason the boat was in the condition it was is because the 45 year old professional motor cross owner died in a car accident.

Boats are work and require constant work to stay shiny and continue to be in excellent running condition. It’s a fantasy to think it’s all cocktails and sunsets.

Buyers should take lessons from you. You did well and are happy about your decision, and that's what counts.

Some of us see the gem under the dirt, and often the dirt is superficial and can be cleaned.

The BIG goal in buying, is buy a boat from someone that really doesn't want it anymore. Suspect your seller didn't want it at all... heck, he was dead.

Also, we know a TV does not dictate the quality or maintenance of a boat... it's a personal choice.

Agree. Of course a detailed survey and condition examination are essential, but all that grunge and mess screams "DISCOUNT" to me!!

 

[CaptRonn]

Agree. Of course a detailed survey and condition examination are essential, but all that grunge and mess screams "DISCOUNT" to me!!

While that condition screams discount to you, there are many owners that feel no matter how grungy and nasty the boat is it still retains the value of a well taken care of model of the same vintage. They will point out a similar make and model, very clean and maintained, and try to tell you that their jewel is a "comparable".

Right now there are lots of boats on the market. I don't waste time with filthy non maintained boats especially when the owner feels it's worth retail level with the comparables.

Bottom line. The value of a boat is only what someone else is willing to pay for it.

 

[FF]

"The value of a boat is only what someone else is willing to pay for it."

In that area.

FL is a graveyard for power and sail, and almost impossble for a wiidy.

Taken north the value could be 50% higher.

 

[Seevee]

While that condition screams discount to you, there are many owners that feel no matter how grungy and nasty the boat is it still retains the value of a well taken care of model of the same vintage. They will point out a similar make and model, very clean and maintained, and try to tell you that their jewel is a "comparable".

Right now there are lots of boats on the market. I don't waste time with filthy non maintained boats especially when the owner feels it's worth retail level with the comparables.

Bottom line. The value of a boat is only what someone else is willing to pay for it.

Caption,

that kind of seller is not motivated. You want the guy that is, regardless of clean or dirty... but dirty (not horribly so), but just not cleaned up well with a motivated seller smells discount.

Also, nice smells also include:
Owners that are tired of making slip payments, or
Owners that have two boats, or
Owners that need to move to be with their mistress, or
Owners that need to sell to have the money to feed their kids.....
Or like Donna did, Owners that are dead... generally estates want to get rid of stuff and don't want to dicker.

 

[markpierce]

That seems pretty narrow minded to me. I have a 12V HDTV that doubles as an ER monitor while underway. I'd say 75% of it's use is to monitor the ER, but when I want a TV onboard, it's available.

I'll never forget election night at anchor. Priceless.

My purpose to boat is to escape the insanity. (No reflection on the election night.) Have no TV onboard, and only one TV at the dirt home and no reason to apologize for same..