Boat Buyers - What puts you off

[PCUK]

The boat has been for sale for about a year now. Had several promising visits but they all came to nought. Not even silly offers. The boat is probably the best equipped 40 footer in the UK for her price and is generally in VGC. I have looked around and seen a few trim areas that could do with a tidy up but the broker says these are of no importance. Something is putting people off. I have a large portfolio of pics that go out to customers so they have a good idea of what they are coming to view.
She has all modern gear, much of it less than three years old. She was launched in 1986 but has always been well maintained and has an excellent 2009 survey. She's steel with an ali' flybridge and max speed is 12 knots. Engine is a 300hp Cummins that has done 600 hours from new in 1997.
So, buyers, what puts you off an otherwise seemingly nice boat when you visit?
Any comments gratefully received.

 

[Firefly625]

I've just had a look at your boat, and I think it looks great....

I assume this is she;

Read the description on the advert (see below), allow me to think out loud as it were;

"Beechcraft 12-380 flybridge cruiser"

.... sorry, never heard of one

"...with steel hull and superstructure and marine grade aluminium flybridge."

.... what, not GRP???...mmmm, sorry, you've lost me already...

"Excellent 2009 survey"

... Nice to know

"Main engine Cummins 300hp with only 600 hours from new (in 1997)"

Good stuff

"12 knots max 10 knots cruising"

mmmm, think would like something with a bit more pace

"Wing engine with Volvo folding propeller for zero drag BMC 1.5 30hp giving 5 knots maximum and 4 knots cruising. Also provides twin engine manoeuvring."

......... Nice touch, really like the idea of that!

"Dek-King decking professionally installed 2006",

... again, I like

"New electric fridge and diesel hob and oven installed in 2007"..

...... mmm, starting to look a little homey

"New domestic water and shower pumps in 2008"..

. good news..

"Fully integrated Raymarine navigational and autopilot system repeated on flybridge Skanti dual station VHF Ice maker Electric drinks cooler"

- Bloody hell, sounds brilliant!

"Queen sized double bed in aft cabin with en-suite toilet and shower".

. is this a liveaboard?

"Twin berths in fore cabin with en-suite toilet and shower"

- good accommodation..nothing strange about layout

"The lounge seats facing aft in picture 12 swivel to face forwards and raise to become helm seats when under way"

- good to note

" Everything works as it should and the entire vessel is in excellent condition
Maintained regardless of cost by her professional marine journalist ownerA real "little ship" ready to cruise"

... Nice verbatum comment which should turn buyers on.

and Price... .. let me think, would I prefer.....

http://www.rightboat.com/Fairline-Brava-Atlantic/boat-12105820/

she's grp... I know that make, I think I would look at something like this in the first instance...

So obviously this is just what I thought looking at the advert, so all IMO, your the marine journalist so you understand about that! But its the Steel bit I can't get past. Your boat will appeal to those wanting a good strong boat, perhaps ex-raggie due to slightly sedate pace... but someone who wants steel. I think that is why it has taken a while to sell, am I totally off track???

 

[PCUK]

Thanks for that, a well considered reply. I accept that the response for a steel boat is going to be slower than for GRplastic.
The thing is, people receive a full inventory and pics' before coming, so they know what they are going to see. But no offers forthcoming, which I don't understand as the boat is as described.
I could lower the price, but there's not much point in doing that if there are just no offers.

 

[Sultans_Kapitein]

'One mans meat, is another mans poison'
I cannot see any reason why you have had such poor interest, she looks a good boat and probably good sea keeping as well? But our friend seems to have a downer on steel, why?
Then again I am biased, but if I were in the market it is just the type of vessel I would have a good long hard look at.

Mal

 

[LittleShip]

I could lower the price, but there's not much point in doing that if there are just no offers.

Try offering moorings for 1-2 years as a sweetener...

Tom

 

[PCUK]

Thanks Mal,
But us "real boat" men have to concede that there is still some stigma attached to real-steel!

 

[jhr]

Is the West country the best place to sell a steel mobo, capable of only displacement (ish) speeds? Maybe try a couple of the specialist Steel Boat brokers based in Holland or the Netherlands where there is much more of a demand for such craft - albeit mainly for inland waterway use. I'm sure someone on the Thames forum can suggest some suitable people for you to talk with.

She's a lovely boat, but will only appeal to a limited market and I'm not sure you're reaching it at the moment. For what it's worth, if he had the money I think Pershilla would tick almost all my dad's "dream boat" boxes .

 

[PCUK]

Thanks JHR, more good points, and you don't want your Dad spending the inheritance!!!

 

[Sultans_Kapitein]

Thanks Mal,
But us "real boat" men have to concede that there is still some stigma attached to real-steel!

Just grind it out, soon be gone!

Mal

 

[jhr]

you don't want your Dad spending the inheritance!!!

Too late....

 

[Firefly625]

'One mans meat, is another mans poison'
I cannot see any reason why you have had such poor interest, she looks a good boat and probably good sea keeping as well? But our friend seems to have a downer on steel, why?
Then again I am biased, but if I were in the market it is just the type of vessel I would have a good long hard look at.

Mal

If this good looking boat (and I honestly mean that, it is just the style of boat I like!) was GRP, does anyone think it would still be for sale a year after it went on the market..

 

[PCUK]

Good question Firefly! Perhaps I shouldn't mention the steel and see if anyone notices!!!

 

[Converging]

For what its worth and IMO:

I think the external pictures make the boat look really great and well cared for. Most blokes would love the look of it. I certainly did.

However if i showed those pictures to the wife......................

I reckon you need to address your internal pictures to the femine side of the buying market. My wife certainly wouldnt want to see pictures of the wall and ceiling. The cushions also date it.

 

[PCUK]

Thanks Converging. That is a very good point. The brokers pics' aren't up to much compared with my portfolio. I'll be seeing him next week and will take the laptop down to upgrade the pictures.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

She's a lovely boat but the market for single engined steel offshore boats in the UK must be very small. Sorry to be blunt but most buyers looking for a used 40ft f/b boat in this price range would be put off because of the single engine and the steel hull. Also, I think the asking price is a bit ambitious. For this kind of money you can get popular classics like a Turbo 36 or Broom Ocean 42 of similar age and the buyer will know he can resell it easily.
How about approaching a broker specialising in steel boats like Boat Showrooms of Harleyford? It might be worth moving her to their yard to get as many potential buyers seeing her as possible. Otherwise, as already said, Holland is the home of steel boats and some Dutch brokers may be interested in listing her, especially as Sterling is so weak against the Euro at present

 

[PCUK]

Thanks Mike. I've already approached a Dutch Broker following earlier replies. I wouldn't consider having her hundreds of miles away as I need to keep her up to scratch and I wouldn't trust a brokers monkey to maintain her properly.
Had really useful feedback today and am already acting on it. Thanks all but keep it coming!

 

[PCUK]

Having had all night to ponder on the responses here I have come up with a new marketing strategy. First I am improving the pics for the brokers lists as this was a point raised. And as has also been said, many people would prefer a GRP vessel of the same size and price, so what I need is a Nordhaven wannabe without the Nordhaven wallet. Even with her current tankage, at six knots her range is approaching 1,000 miles and with her easy roll she is ideally suited to comfortable long distance cruising at sailing speeds with all home comforts. So I think this may be the way forward.
Thanks everyone, I'll keep you posted and when she goes there'll be drinks all round at Watchet!!!

 

[[23929]]

Your boat looks great and has received a lot of good comments. My experience of buyers in this price bracket is that they will seriously consider ongoing maintenance and repair costs. Your advert states "maintained regardless of cost" which can indicate it has been expensive to maintain and will continue to be so. Buyers are mostly very careful with their money and will almost certainly want to know what the cost will be of a full, professional re-paint of the hull and superstructure as this will definitely need doing at regular intervals on a steel/aluminium construction. I suspect this is an off-puttingly large chunk of money and you may already have previous bills to prove it amongst your boat's documentation. Even if you don't have previous bills, most boat yards will be able to provide a buyer with an estimate.

As has been mentioned in earlier posts, most buyers will not want to have difficulty in selling again and will want to buy carefully.

Finally, I'm generally of the opinion, if a boat is in good order, it is has good publicity but is not selling, then the asking price has to be looked at. But this is a tough one to take on board and can only be your call after you have weighed up all the ongoing ownership costs.

 

[PCUK]

Thanks Steve,
That's an interesting comment and raises one of the myths about steel boats. Maintenance!
The blue hull paint is the original two-pack from 1986 and is still good. The superstructure has been repainted three times in her life and this was only a rub down and one top-coat to freshen her up. the bottom epoxy is original and has only needed touching up where physically damaged so actual maintenance costs are negligible. However my comment about 'maintained regardless of cost' in which I was actually referring to the continual updating of equipment and not the actual structure could very well be misconstrued so I'll certainly take that on-board and rephrase it. I think I will also provide an indication of the general ongoing maintenance that is required in the inventory. The point about the asking price keeps being raised but if people are visiting the boat and not making offers I don't see how lowering the price is going to help.

 

[PaulGooch]

Almost all of the replies here are focused on getting people to come and view the boat, but your initial post states "So, buyers, what puts you off an otherwise seemingly nice boat when you visit?" As i see it, you have to areas to look at, a) how to get people to come look at the boat and b) how to sell it to them when they arrive.

a) requires pitching it to the right audience, at the right price. You last post covers a few points that may help here. You could also open a free Image Shack account, upload all of your pictures there and get the broker to include your best few pics, but to also put a "view more pics here" link to the Image Shack album. Large, good quality images sell, simple. You want good pics of the outside, which you seem to have. You then want pics of any notable exterior features up close, one of the windlass, an up close shot of the decking, etc. Same goes for the interior, some good overall pics and some close up detail pics. Never mention something in a negative way and never make something sound like a negative. The "maintained regardless of cost" comment is correct, it can make it sound like it costs a lot to maintain. You wouldn't say "unfortunately she costs £xxx.xx a year to maintain", you would say "she ONLY costs a mere £xxx.xx to maintain". The glass is always half full

Personally, i wouldn't fancy a steel hulled, single engine boat that only does sailboat speeds, so don't pitch it at the likes of me. It must have a market (everything does), you need to pitch it to that market, at a sensible price. I would suggest that your asking price might be a wee bit high. It's a niche sale, so i wouldn't pitch it at a high price, hoping for offers. Advertise it for a price very close to what your bottom line is, better to get someone interested and not move too much on the price. If you can't attract a serious buyer at the asking price, you're stuck at the starting line.

b) In my experience, people tend to buy with their eyes. So if there are cosmetic issues, or "trim areas that could do with a tidy up", i'd suggest you address those. If some soft furnishings are tired and dated, i'd replace them. Use neutral colours that won't offend any of the wives looking at her. No sane man will buy a boat for family use that his wife isn't in love with. Things that are clearly visible that need attention can easily put people off when they are looking. The majority of people cannot see past what's in front of them, most have no imagination. Some worn cushions will get plenty of negative comments (when you're out of earshot). Visible, insignificant, cosmetic issues also get people wondering "if he hasn't bothered to fit new cushion covers, what else has he not bothered with, that we can't see ?" First impressions count, so make it a good one. When you have a viewing arranged, get to the boat before they do, make sure everything is spotless and smells nice and fresh.

Lastly, back to that price again. I can't help thinking of all of the easier to maintain, faster, twin engines boats built by mainstream builders i could buy, in that price bracket. I'm not interested, because it's not my type of boat and within reason, i wouldn't be interested however cheap it was. But, i still think you might need to review the asking price, especially as it's been on the market so long without an offer. Of course, as it's not my thing, i could be way off on the price. Perhaps you should look around and find some similar boats for comparison ?