Boat sold

maelstrom99

maelstrom99

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2 Jun 2003
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Devon
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Despite the harbingers of doom, I've sold my boat in just over 3 months and only reduced the price by some 3 percent. The purchase price was above percieved market value. My boat a Sabre 27 was well presented and I kept her clean and tidy throughout the process /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

I had sensible enquiries via Boats and Outboards and Apollo Duck (also some very flakey ones).

Just thought you might be interested

Cheers
 
Well done!!

Ours is (I believe!) equally well presented ... but has not sold - not even a sniff yet .... well - not that the broker has told us ... time to find another broker?

She's a very nice Jen Sun Odyssey 30 from 1994 - excellent pedigree including 1 Scuttlebutt cruise to Cherbourg (perhaps I shouldn't mention that one /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif)
 
Well done, you must have been very lucky. This is clearly not the way to offer a boat for sale.

Here's my advice for everyone else. Offer your boats in a "well used" condition indicating you're a serious sailor. Particularly appropriate is the "I just came back from France in a F8" look. An alternative may be the "haven't been near the thing for years" look. A nice crop of mould in the lockers is great as is a good helping of oily water in the bilge together with flakes of paint & rust from the engine. Don't forget to stain the head if it's not already that way & to use a diesel smelling air freshener. Make sure that half the kit is missing & some of the stuff that is there doens't work. That way a buyer will feel he has plenty to tinker with.

Do all of this & more & the rest of the sellers won't have a chance.
 
I'm glad you've got into the spirit of boat selling! you've obviously been looking at the same boats I've seen over the years. Don't forget the overall smell of an unemptied heads, the power of old tobacco smoke, rotten fruit (to stop the scurvy) and WD40 sprayed all over the uphostelry.

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to add more to the ideal sellers guide.
 
Don't for get the inventory!


Out of date, salt crusted flares (at least 9 years out of date!)
Perished avon dinghy
lifejacket (mouldy) with no canister
1 plate
3 non-matching bowls
3 non-matching spoons
brown plastic mug with green stuff growing within
rusty/empty fire extinguisher
 
I'm just about to put my Jaguar 25 up for sale, so these tips will come in handy.

Magic! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
How about an "extensive sail wardrobe" all kept in damp bags on the fo'c'sle berth with condensation dripping off the ports to keep them damp & mildewed.

Or, dirty damp sleeping bags & pillows lying half on berths & floor. Dirty dishes & pans in the sink with green mould on them is another key indicator of the supreme levels of care & attention given to one's pride & joy.
 
Don't forget the crucial "dark-corner-of-hidden-away-locker-item"

To recreate this stunning piece of Feng-Shui for boat sales, it is best prepared 3-6 months ahead of intended sale to get the full effect.

Simply follow these easy steps -

Get half and OLD fruit cake (sponge or bread will do if desperate - but older the better!)
Wrap loosely in cling film that has lost its cling
soak in a bucket of stagnant salt water for 24 hours ( a few drops of diesel will help!)
Drain so most of the water runs off
Place in the darkest corner of the deepest most unaccessible locker you have (or bilge if you have not decent lockers for this)

Potential boat buyers, and particularly yacht surveyors delight in finding this with the tips of their fingers, especially in places they can't see into.

It is a well known and traditional game that that surveyors love. The effect can also be recreated with old potatoes and fruit that you can roll to really awkward places for them to find! - but remember to do this at least 2-3 months before selling the boat.
 
The one that really got me when looking for a boat last year was a Sigma 362 with moss growing on it. The broker explained the owner was in his 70s with failing eyesight so probably could not see it. From the gashes in the hull I don't think the owner could see the pontoon either.
 
Fleas are a must-have if you wish to give the impression of having a ships cat!

Yet another surveyor favourite! - bonus points for this one!
 
OK, Ok all these are great fun, but how would we actually react if the boat is freshly painted & polished & disinfected to the n'th degree? Running rigging just replaced, sails washed, engine & bilges cleaned out thoroughly.

I'll bet we'd all be as suspicious as hell! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

You just can't win as a seller (or for that matter, as a buyer!) Don't they say that if buyer & seller both think they've been diddled, the price is about right!
 
Ours was when we bought her, the previous couple never sailed her, simply cleaned her- even the bilges and cockpit lockers were polished inside!
 
I'm glad you lot are such fussy buyers - there's never been a better time to collar a bargain if you don't mind a bit of elbow grease. A mouldy fridge, smelly heads and mildewed matresses can save a buyer thousands and it constantly amazes me that people can't see past a bit of grime or a couple of years of disuse. Perhaps the wives are to blame...
 
I'm thinking in investing in Oak tree saplings. slow growth, long returns and have several uses apart from boat building.
Actually it might be another boat so the tips from the experts as to what to look out for will come in handy.
 
This is correct if the price is right. But it rarely is. Sellers who cannot make an effort to prepare the boat to even a moderate standard seem to be those with the most unrealistic expectations.
 
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