New Member--Thinking about selling my Dad's boat, so poking around to learn more

[Albin36]

Hi there:
My Dad is the proud owner of a 1983 Albin 36...he has done the Great Loop 1.5 times, and lived aboard Mosey III for the past 7 winters in Fort Myers FL. He has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. We plan to get him down to Fort Myers for a last cruise next month and get the boat ready to sell. I would appreciate any sales advice anyone might have, places to post, things to look out for. Enginer rebuilt in 2018 and we had a survey in 2023...open to any and all advice!

 

[Frosty]

I would say advertise it here. I think it's nice when people give the members here first crack at it, but of course that's up to you.

In general, I think what's important is a clear ad, with good photos.

To expand on that, here are examples:

Not great as a potential buyer:

1975 XX 35', has radar, plotter, good engine.
Then you have like 5 blurry photos of the boat, which is strewn with the current owners possessions. And nothing with the engine room, bilges, steering gear, etc. Or maybe one top down photo of the engine (photo taker didn't even bother to go into the engine room).

No price.

Much much better (takes a little more work and time, but then with the type of ad above, I always wonder how much time DID the owner put into maintenance, etc. if they only put 20 minutes into the ad).

1975 XX 35'
Radar (brand and specific model)
Plotter (brand, specific model, size)
Engine: Year and model, if any non-regular type work done, specifics. If rebuilt, explain what that means.
Etc. Etc.

Specific price, location of boat, etc. all clearly delineated.

Lots of photos, in which the boat is clean and you can see everything (not the owners dishes, toothbrush, etc. which isn't what you need to see). Including photos all around the engine room, the steering gear, the cabins, the decks.... etc.

As a buyer, the second type of ad gives me something clear to look at. I don't feel like I have to beg for details. I know whether the electronics are ancient or newish.

Really, just having a boat clean and mostly empty of personal stuff is key. That probably sounds obvious, but I can't tell you how many boats for sale show a boat so full of stuff you can barely see anything!

I think people WANT to find a boat to buy. So show them what you have, clearly, with all the info, and they likely will.

PS: I'm sorry to hear about your Dad. It sounds like he had a lot of quality time with the Albin, and now he has good family looking out for him. That's gold.

 

[ksanders]

Best advice is not to push him to clean up the boat for sale.

Let him enjoy his final days aboard in peace and tranquility.

You will have plenty of time later.

 

[Helmsman]

Sent you a PM

 

[JackConnick]

If you can work with him to make a complete list of maintenance and improvements to the boat; what, when, engine hours done, etc. This can add value to the sale and make it easier to show. Any logs, manuals, schematics, invoices are good to gather.

 

[Albin36]

I would say advertise it here. I think it's nice when people give the members here first crack at it, but of course that's up to you.

In general, I think what's important is a clear ad, with good photos.

To expand on that, here are examples:

Not great as a potential buyer:

1975 XX 35', has radar, plotter, good engine.
Then you have like 5 blurry photos of the boat, which is strewn with the current owners possessions. And nothing with the engine room, bilges, steering gear, etc. Or maybe one top down photo of the engine (photo taker didn't even bother to go into the engine room).

No price.

Much much better (takes a little more work and time, but then with the type of ad above, I always wonder how much time DID the owner put into maintenance, etc. if they only put 20 minutes into the ad).

1975 XX 35'
Radar (brand and specific model)
Plotter (brand, specific model, size)
Engine: Year and model, if any non-regular type work done, specifics. If rebuilt, explain what that means.
Etc. Etc.

Specific price, location of boat, etc. all clearly delineated.

Lots of photos, in which the boat is clean and you can see everything (not the owners dishes, toothbrush, etc. which isn't what you need to see). Including photos all around the engine room, the steering gear, the cabins, the decks.... etc.

As a buyer, the second type of ad gives me something clear to look at. I don't feel like I have to beg for details. I know whether the electronics are ancient or newish.

Really, just having a boat clean and mostly empty of personal stuff is key. That probably sounds obvious, but I can't tell you how many boats for sale show a boat so full of stuff you can barely see anything!

I think people WANT to find a boat to buy. So show them what you have, clearly, with all the info, and they likely will.

PS: I'm sorry to hear about your Dad. It sounds like he had a lot of quality time with the Albin, and now he has good family looking out for him. That's gold.

Thank you for this great reply! That boat let him live his dream for a lotta years, if I were closer (in Colorado) and had more free time (still have kids at home) I would keep it for sure. Your advice will help me put together a good ad, we had a survey in 2023 so there are a lot of details in there. We are cleaning out everything when we go next month and spending a few weeks just detailing, cleaning up, etc. I really appreciate you taking the time to provide this advice, thanks!

 

[Albin36]

Best advice is not to push him to clean up the boat for sale.

Let him enjoy his final days aboard in peace and tranquility.

You will have plenty of time later.

Thanks, I appreciate it. He wants to, if it were up to us we would have done this six months ago . But we just let him get there on his own time. Many of his looper/live aboard friends will come by when we are down there and we will take it slow. I think he really does not want to leave it to us to deal with, you know?

 

[Albin36]

If you can work with him to make a complete list of maintenance and improvements to the boat; what, when, engine hours done, etc. This can add value to the sale and make it easier to show. Any logs, manuals, schematics, invoices are good to gather.

Great advice thank you! I know he keeps all that stuff so will pull it together.

 

[dannc]

....I think he really does not want to leave it to us to deal with, you know?

Thankfully, my parents were very open about talking about their own passing and what they wanted. My mom is now gone and my dad is doing much better than I expected.

While my dad does not have serious health problems, he is up there in age, and he has his share of issues. We talk frequently and he is often concerned about me having do to things after his death. I tell him to not worry about it and I will handles things when it is time. Yes, it is going to be quite a bit of work, but so be it. Dad needs to be able to enjoy the time he has left and he sure has earned the peaceful time.

 

[ancora]

Don't know about Florida, but here in San Diego the boat market is stone dead, both used and new, power or sail. According to Youtube, this is the situation nation wide. Before setting a price, see what the comps are in your area of interest.

 

[boomerang]

I think this would be a good time to entertain a broker. I don't know if you're familiar with boats or not but you're half way across the country with a family and I wouldn't think you would have the time to field the inquires and do sea trials etc. You possibly won't net as much selling with a broker (or you might end up netting more) but you wouldn't have the hassle if you employed a broker.
No affiliation but @Judy at JWY is a forum member and broker in Florida. Maybe reach out to her to see what she has to say, at least.

 

[JackConnick]

Best advice is not to push him to clean up the boat for sale.

Let him enjoy his final days aboard in peace and tranquility.

You will have plenty of time later.

Yes, it's his baby. I would let him enjoy it as he can. My point was just to gather information from him so you have it. Sorry, tough thing to go through.

 

[Don L]

I sent the OP a message of intertest in the boat

At the moment I feel shame in this

To tell the truth I think the best answer is to do NOTHING. In the big picture this boat means nothing except to his Dad and he should at the most find out what his Dads wants in general and with the boat. Nothing else matters!

 

[mvweebles]

I'd take the OP at his word - his dad wants to sell the boat. Maybe he wants to button up details and not leave a hassle. A fast sale to an eager buyer might be really appreciated even at a "buyers-market" discount.

"Leave a clean wake" comes to mind.

Peter

 

[Delta Riverat]

Yup, whatever Pops wants to do is the best. Let him lead his last parade.

And I feel for all of you going through this from first hand experience. It sucks. Make the best of what's left.

 

[Docktopus]

I sent the OP a message of intertest in the boat

At the moment I feel shame in this

To tell the truth I think the best answer is to do NOTHING. In the big picture this boat means nothing except to his Dad and he should at the most find out what his Dads wants in general and with the boat. Nothing else matters!

Someone came here looking for advice on selling a boat, you expressed sincere interest in purchasing that boat. You are far more likely to be a godsend than an object of shame. You should feel nothing but pride that you might have a win-win opportunity with another forum member.

 

[nwh10]

I sent the OP a message of intertest in the boat

At the moment I feel shame in this

Don, I completely agree with Docktopus. Your instincts are good. It might be huge relief to the OP and his dad to have someone in the wings waiting to take ownership when they're ready. There may also be unconventional ways to ease the task for everyone...maybe it would be helpful to all to leave tools, supplies, dishes, etc. aboard.

 

[rgano]

Be sure there is a hull cleaning plan in effect for a monthly clean until sold. Last thing you'd want is a prospective buyer to see a line of barnacles and grass on the waterline and poor propulsion performance from a heavily encrusted prop.

 

[terry n]

Hi there:
My Dad is the proud owner of a 1983 Albin 36...he has done the Great Loop 1.5 times, and lived aboard Mosey III for the past 7 winters in Fort Myers FL. He has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. We plan to get him down to Fort Myers for a last cruise next month and get the boat ready to sell. I would appreciate any sales advice anyone might have, places to post, things to look out for. Enginer rebuilt in 2018 and we had a survey in 2023...open to any and all advice!

it is a blessing that your dad has lived his dream . enjoy your time with him and don't try to steer him in one direction or another. i am sure he loves his old boat and wants to see it go to someone who will care for it as he did. just be there to support him and help him ...you seem like a very caring and loving son, he is blessed to have you and you him.

 

[Blissboat]

i am sure he loves his old boat and wants to see it go to someone who will care for it as he did.

That.

 

[Mark Room]

My pops lived as long as he could on the boat with my stepmom's dedicated care, slowly suffering and dying through most of what would be considered hospice in the US. The boat was the only place he wanted to be. She kept it for another year, letting us spend some time aboard too before saying goodbye to a beautiful era.