Where's the best place to sell a trawler?

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Destiny

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
38
Location
France
Hi Guys,
We've had our Diesel Duck on the market for a little while now but because she's laid up in Europe, she's attracted little interest. (Europeans are not into trawlers - yet). So if we were to bring her across to the East coast, where would the ideal location be and can anybody recommend a broker who would do more than just add her to a listings page.
For info: we once had her listed with an agent in Florida but that was an un-mitigated disaster, so once bitten. I'm a bit wary of Florida, big place that it is.
Looking forward to your comments.

P.S. Destiny Website – Diary - for anybody interested right now.
 
Jeff Merrill seems like an active guy, no personal experience but I have heard good things about him..I love your boat, if you are serious about bringing it over, the timing might work out..PM me, Gene.
 
Also the script is difficult to read, I missed the asking price,,
 
With a 6 foot draft, Florida might not be the best place to market her...
 
Destiny said:
Hi Guys,
We've had our Diesel Duck on the market for a little while now but because she's laid up in Europe, she's attracted little interest. (Europeans are not into trawlers - yet). So if we were to bring her across to the East coast, where would the ideal location be and can anybody recommend a broker who would do more than just add her to a listings page.
For info: we once had her listed with an agent in Florida but that was an un-mitigated disaster, so once bitten. I'm a bit wary of Florida, big place that it is.
Looking forward to your comments.

P.S. Destiny Website – Diary - for anybody interested right now.
Click to expand...

I really don't think the markets are that different at a significant level

First off, you have VAT paid, which is worth 20% of you're asking price.
Even if it was no cost to get it to east coast , you can not recoup that 20%.

Second, it's no walk in the park to get it across the ocean.

Third, it's more likely, you would find a non-European buyer, who wants it in Europe for a while before they bring it home.

Lastly, the market is the market.
It's just as likely to sit in North America for a.m extended time even after you took a big financial hit.

My advice would be to be patient, advertise it and market it on Yachtworld and look for an American buyer who wants to spend time in Europe.
 
Destiny said:
Hi Guys,
We've had our Diesel Duck on the market for a little while now but because she's laid up in Europe, she's attracted little interest. (Europeans are not into trawlers - yet). So if we were to bring her across to the East coast, where would the ideal location be and can anybody recommend a broker who would do more than just add her to a listings page.
For info: we once had her listed with an agent in Florida but that was an un-mitigated disaster, so once bitten. I'm a bit wary of Florida, big place that it is.
Looking forward to your comments.

P.S. Destiny Website – Diary - for anybody interested right now.
Click to expand...
Advertise it here!!
 
I think where you move the boat to should be based as much on the broker that you select than anything else.

Trawlers are listed everywhere up and down the east coast but Florida, surprisingly has the most listings on Yachtworld for "trawlers" than any other state- 300 vs 100 for Maryland (Annapolis- the sailing capital of the US) and 65 for S Carolina (Charleston).

So a Florida broker and a Florida location might be best. Ask for broker recommendations here as well as research brokers and their listings on Yachtworld to find one who knows trawlers.

But the Diesel Duck is a cult boat and anyone seriously interested would travel anywhere on the east coast to look at yours, so concentrate on the broker first and go with his location.

Edit: The previous postings note the 20% VAT advantage for a European sale. That is a big, big plus that would be lost to anyone who wanted to keep the boat in the US if you moved it here. If I were an American who was in the market for a trawler that I could base in Europe, I would travel to wherever to see it.

David
 
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Seems more like a west coast boat maybe, because of the deep draft?

I second the recommendation for Jeff Merrill. He seems to like and understand the Duck boats and has a few listed.
 
Genecop said:
Jeff Merrill seems like an active guy, no personal experience but I have heard good things about him..I love your boat, if you are serious about bringing it over, the timing might work out..PM me, Gene.
Click to expand...

+1 for Jeff, long time friend and very active on the trawler sales. JMYS.com and he will help you. Has sold a couple DD’s,
 
I would list in the NE USA .

There are more boats listed in FL because as God's Waiting Room it is a graveyard for used boats.

There are fewer listings in Annapolis as more get sold to the high paid gov employees that are younger and have good credit ratings.

A few adventurous folks have made a retirement living by purchasing nice but cosmetically filthy boats and running one North every year.

I estimate the difference in selling (not asking) price to be about 25% less in FL.

A look in Soundings for the NE , and Florida Mariner should show the price difference.
 
Hi,

I think you should at least change your font style on your ad. It's virtually impossible to read. She's a beauty though :)
 
If seriously thinking of bringing to NA, you might consider getting the electrics changed from 50 to 60 HZ before you market it. Also, the picture may be distorted but the exhaust elbow water addition point seems on the uphill side. After 4000 hours it may be worth changing out next time you service the raw water cooling system.

Nice boat, well equipped and for those considering a proven blue water vessel it should be a contender. Heating and AC systems (if any) were hard to find though due to script.
 
RichardM said:
Hi,

I think you should at least change your font style on your ad. It's virtually impossible to read. She's a beauty though :)
Click to expand...

I'm apologise for the font -it's something new that appears to change the font on iPads and iPhones but is normal (and readable) on PC's and macbooks. The entire website seems to suffer from the same affliction and I'll have to address the problem when I return from travelling. If you have the option take a look on a PC and let me know if there is still a problem.:blush:

www.boatshop24.com/en/seahorse-marine-diesel-duck-44/Sailboat/1286342 might help
 
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It is quite readable on a Windows 10 PC. I suspect the problem on an iPad is how the iPad processes the font that is set up on your website. If you can change it on your website to a traditional font like Arial or similar then it would be processed normally on an iPad.

David
 
I have noticed that steel boats, in North America, seem to be slow sellers. For example, the beautiful Vripak (I believe) formerly at Bradford; the gorgeous DD that Jeff Merril has listed; and a very sharp Kristen formerly at AAA Yachtfinders in Washington.

I agree that it is a great and capable boat, there is simply a limited group looking in that area. I believe that moving her to North America will incur significant expense, with no appreciable change in traffic.

Best Wishes
 
Steel boats are well accepted in Northern Europe, less so in the US. VAT paid is a big plus and your electrical system is set up for 220V/50Hz. Conversion to 120V/60Hz can be a significant cost. All said, I'd think selling it in Europe would be your best bet.
 
gsholz said:
Steel boats are well accepted in Northern Europe, less so in the US. VAT paid is a big plus and your electrical system is set up for 220V/50Hz. Conversion to 120V/60Hz can be a significant cost. All said, I'd think selling it in Europe would be your best bet.
Click to expand...

She was originally 120V/60Hz and I converted her to 220V - easy to swap back.
 
While it may be my imagination, I seem to see more steel boats in the mid Atlantic and North, the Great Lakes, and I would imagine the PNW. Would definitely want to pick an area where they are more common. Another consideration for USA market is how it is equipped with heat and air conditioning. Having air conditioning and the required size generator would be a must to sell it in the Southern USA.

Ted
 
Please find a way to get it on Yachtworld. I’ve been shopping Ducks for 6 months and had no idea your boat existed. Just speaking for myself as US boater I would leave it in Europe but upgrade your marketing. It’s perfect to buy and cruise the Med for awhile before returning to the US.
Good luck
 
This man has a New DD (382 hull#6) for sale that I almost bought :

Lieutenant Colonel MD Retired,
Rigo P. Alberigo Márquez
bestdieselduck@gmail.com
seems like a very nice guy buying/bought a bigger DD.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I see the problem. I limited my search to 43 ft and larger but your listing is titled “41 ft Diesel Duck 44” so it was not included in the searches. You may want to address that. Thanks for responding
 
jeff,,,,,before you make the move to the u.s. i have heard of folks sending their trawlers over to europe to cruise the canals (wherever they are) and might even be a web/forum to look into. i am also fearful of brokers and only have my kk manatee listed on the krogen site, here and craigslist...thinking about yachtworld and might even enter it at the next trawler fest in stuart fla.
 
Hello John, located the website, cannot understand why I could not find it.
 
Destiny said:
I'm apologise for the font -it's something new that appears to change the font on iPads and iPhones but is normal (and readable) on PC's and macbooks. The entire website seems to suffer from the same affliction and I'll have to address the problem when I return from travelling. If you have the option take a look on a PC and let me know if there is still a problem.:blush:

www.boatshop24.com/en/seahorse-marine-diesel-duck-44/Sailboat/1286342 might help
Click to expand...

The web page has been modified so that viewing from phones and pads should now read properly. Pls let me know if it's still causing problems.:thumb:
 
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