We had a death in the family and have acquired this beautiful Mainship Trawler and I have been tasked with finding a buyer for it. After cleaning it out and up and adding new carpet she has begun to come back to life. The engine (Perkins T6.354M) has been idle for several years. The boat was lived on for these past years as well. My dilemma is....do I invest in getting the engine running before I try to sell her. I'm asking $9,500 for her but with the engine running, A/C, Navigation instruments, etc. all working it looks like she would be worth between $20K to as much as $40K. I have attached some pics and would love to have feedback.
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For Sale: Mainship 1981 34' For Sale Dilemma
- Thread starter gbohannan
- Start date
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Lou_tribal
Guru
Renovate her, keep her for yourself, and enjoy cruising aboard!
L.
L.
RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
Mr./Ms. gb. Sorry for your loss. It may be worth your while to hire a knowledgeable honest mechanic for a couple of hours to see if the engine actually runs. If you decide to just sell it, $9.5K could easily be a super deal for someone AND you wouldn't have to give any thought about moving on. Any boat is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Have you even attempted to start the engine?
Mr./Ms. gb. Sorry for your loss. It may be worth your while to hire a knowledgeable honest mechanic for a couple of hours to see if the engine actually runs. If you decide to just sell it, $9.5K could easily be a super deal for someone AND you wouldn't have to give any thought about moving on. Any boat is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Have you even attempted to start the engine?
CPseudonym
Moderator Emeritus
I'm sorry for your loss.
I'll assume you are not a boater for purposes of this reply. Do not put another penny into this boat and sell it asap. The only way to make a small fortune in boating is to start with a large one.
At $9,500 it should generate plenty of leads and sell reasonably quick. Dump $10K into it and hold out for $25K and you'll still own this boat a year from now. Fixing up boats generally only pays dividends if you intend to keep it and use it for a couple years. Just my opinion.
Good luck with your sale.
I'll assume you are not a boater for purposes of this reply. Do not put another penny into this boat and sell it asap. The only way to make a small fortune in boating is to start with a large one.
At $9,500 it should generate plenty of leads and sell reasonably quick. Dump $10K into it and hold out for $25K and you'll still own this boat a year from now. Fixing up boats generally only pays dividends if you intend to keep it and use it for a couple years. Just my opinion.
Good luck with your sale.
No I haven't even attempted to start her yet. I may pay a mechanic to give me an assessment. We all are "boater's" it's just a matter of how much we are willing to admit to it and more importantly how much we are willing to act on it! 
Thank you all for your thoughts.
Thank you all for your thoughts.
clynn
Senior Member
I had basically the same boat with lots of cool toys added on. A sale price of $40k is highly, highly unlikely. I'd vote for spending a limited amount to see if it runs and then selling for a price based on the result. The longer is sits, the more it costs. I'd suggest you get the cash you can and move on. Good luck!
ksanders
Moderator Emeritus
No I haven't even attempted to start her yet. I may pay a mechanic to give me an assessment. We all are "boater's" it's just a matter of how much we are willing to admit to it and more importantly how much we are willing to act on it!
Hmmm...
You went through the trouble to replace the carpet.
Why not check the oil, and the coolant on the engine...
Then turn the key.
She might start.
If she doesn't you might check the battery, since it might need replacing.
Anybody can do these things without hiring a mechanic.
Kinda complicated but the short version is after the death, and being from out of town, I spent my 2 days cleaning the boat and didn't get to the mechanical part. But also, the electrical has been disconnected from the starter and was just used for live aboard purposes only for several years. But to your point, once the mechanic hooks up the starter it may kick over nicely. I'll be back to the boat after Memorial weekend and will update with my findings.
Keysdisease
Guru
Sorry for your loss.
In the world of Mainships the copper globe thing in the galley will add some value.
In the world of Mainships the copper globe thing in the galley will add some value.
High Wire
Guru
Can't imagine the batteries are anything but discharged fully. Still worthwhile firing up the charger and giving it a shot with some knowledgeable help. If the engine starts the seawater pump is dry and will overheat in a few seconds.
Jeff F
Guru
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- Escapade
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Sorry for your loss.
In the world of Mainships the copper globe thing in the galley will add some value.
Maybe I should eBay mine
Agree with most of the advice here. Don't assume that sinking time and money into the boat beyond finding out what you've got is going to have a payoff.
No I haven't even attempted to start her yet. I may pay a mechanic to give me an assessment. We all are "boater's" it's just a matter of how much we are willing to admit to it and more importantly how much we are willing to act on it!
Get an assessment before deciding. If you find out it's going to be inexpensive to get it running, then probably makes sense to do so. If it seems like it will be very expensive, then probably not worth it. Then the buyer who will make sense will be a DIY buyer who won't pay retail to get it running. Now, with it not running, any buyer will penalize you for maximum cost.
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