Dry or on mooring. Which is better to sell?

[Tim Good]

I have just had my boat taken out for some work and I was thinking of selling anyhow. I'm of the mind that it is now out and its a good time of year to sell so maybe I should leave it out.

That said, I have a river mooring in Dartmouth and if I keep it on the mooring I can make use of it while on the market.

I tend to think boats on the hard are more likely to sell. Is that really the case and does it make a significant difference?

 

[Tam Lin]

If the buyer wants a survey then it is going to have to come out of the water anyway. They may have to pay for that and it may be enough to put them off. Having said that I bought my last boat when it was in the water….. If it is the right boat at the right price for the right buyer then I don't think it matters either way. This being the forum, other people will tell you different!

 

[maby]

I have just had my boat taken out for some work and I was thinking of selling anyhow. I'm of the mind that it is now out and its a good time of year to sell so maybe I should leave it out.

That said, I have a river mooring in Dartmouth and if I keep it on the mooring I can make use of it while on the market.

I tend to think boats on the hard are more likely to sell. Is that really the case and does it make a significant difference?

I'm not sure there is much in it unless you are one of these fabled people that buy a boat without seeing it move. Personally, I wouldn't hand over my cash without giving it a spin round the bay, so it would be going in soon after I've given it a look over. If you can find someone that is happy to pay up without a trial run, then I guess you are saving them the cost of a lift out for a survey - which might help to sway some buyers, I suppose.

 

[LadyInBed]

On hard potential buyer can inspect and survey, but costs you money to keep it there and you are paying for your mooring.
In the water, it can be functionally inspected and test sailed. You get the use of it with no extra costs to you.
So it depends how rich you are!

 

[guernseyman]

The ideal solution is to keep the boat afloat. Use a drying out pad between tides in a marina if a potential purchaser wants a casual inspection or survey.

 

[Kelpie]

Hmmm, what if you can store the boat ashore at no cost, how would that sway things? I'm thinking of doing this with the Vega once the new boat arrives.

 

[Tranona]

There is no easy answer. On the hard means that it is easy to inspect at any time and will be visible to casual viewers. On a mooring makes it potentially difficult to view, particularly if access is limited by tide or weather. If you are selling direct then you have to arrange viewings which can add an extra complication. Broker will probably prefer it on land or in a marina where there is instant access. Of course being on the water gives you the opportunity to show the boat off in its natural habitat, but incur extra cost for a buyer to have it surveyed.

 

[michael_w]

Boats ashore show better. An experienced purchaser needs to be able to look at her underside before the survey. They'll have a good idea how your boat sails anyhow, unless they are a complete novice. Somebody in the market for a cruiser racer, is not going to bother with a Centaur.

Clear everything off the boat and it will seem larger and a darn sight tidier to the purchaser. I've seen boats with 6 month old washing up, the pong was quite somthing.

 

[snooks]

If you want to sell, I mean seriously wanting to sell sooner rather than later, you have to make it as easy for the buyer as possible. The more people view her, the more chance you have of selling her. You also have more chance of the "while I'm here, I might as well look at..." type of buyer

Put her on the side, get all your gear off, give her a thorough clean, and pop down now and again to keep her clean.

If you're not serious to sell, leave your stuff on board, leave her on a mooring, make it as hard as possible for anyone to view her. You might sell...eventually.

Given the choice would you rather view a boat when it takes 1 minute to get on and off her or one where it takes an hour round trip and a dinghy ride, then you have to move all the owners kit around to see lockers etc? You could have looked at three other boats in the meantime.

Then also who will be showing prospective buyers on board? You? Do you have the time?

When I go on board a brokerage boat I can tell in an instant the owners who seriously want to sell their boat, and those who really in their mind don't want to sell.

Ps..boats look bigger out if the water. They are tall, big things you look up to...they look impressive.

 

[doug748]

A lot of people will be moving around the yard in the coming weeks. It makes sense to get a For Sale sign on it quickly so the local grapevine will be alerted. Get your anti fouling on, clean the topsides and take your junk home.

You may resign yourself to not selling quickly, in which case I should consider launching after 6 weeks or so and enjoy your boat.

If you don't have the time, or are no longer keen, or are moving out of sailing, then I should stay ashore and maybe save the cost of the mooring.

 

[Tim Good]

If you don't have the time, or are no longer keen, or are moving out of sailing, then I should stay ashore and maybe save the cost of the mooring.

No I'm looking at something bigger and the thought of having no boat is scary. I think maybe I should get it all back together and ready for summer and then as you say leave it in the yard for sale for a bit.

Another question, if there is a broker on the yard, but doesn't owner the yard, I assume they won't get upset advertising the boat privately?

 

[theoldsalt]

As a recent buyer I much preferred the boat out of the water as it is much easier to view.

However in or out it must be available to view at any time so using it while on the market is a no-no. Many times I was told that a boat was not available to view as the owner was out sailing. It gives the impression that the seller is not serious about selling.

 

[dylanwinter]

ashore

As a recent buyer I much preferred the boat out of the water as it is much easier to view.

However in or out it must be available to view at any time so using it while on the market is a no-no. Many times I was told that a boat was not available to view as the owner was out sailing. It gives the impression that the seller is not serious about selling.

deffo

only a numbty wants a trip around the bay before buying

and remove the gubbins

all of it

every bit

even that bucket full of mankie sponges

clean the inside

clean the sheets

varnish everything

D

 

[snooks]

No I'm looking at something bigger

Start detaching the emotional ties now, get in the mind-set of selling your old, and looking for your new boat. Give her the best clean of her life (inc the engine compartment), get out the air fresheners and dehumidifier, make an inventory of everything you want to sell with her, and wish her on her way.

A lot of "sellers" can't break away from their boat, they still want to use it, so they keep their stuff on board to use it.....it is still "theirs".

Buyers don't want to buy someone else's boat, they want to buy their own boat.

They want to be able to see themselves relaxing in their saloon with their favourite tipple, surrounded by their books and photos...Not yours

 

[snooks]

even that bucket full of mankie sponges

You could just buy a nice new sponge, and leave the grubby bucket

 

[prv]

As a recent buyer I much preferred the boat out of the water as it is much easier to view.

However in or out it must be available to view at any time so using it while on the market is a no-no. Many times I was told that a boat was not available to view as the owner was out sailing. It gives the impression that the seller is not serious about selling.

I'm inclined to agree. We sold Kindred Spirit after about four months, which seemed a long time to me but is apparently relatively quick in today's market. We had her ashore in the yard, freshly antifouled and looking shiny. We asked Al, who drives the travelift, to put her in a prime spot right next to the gate, so that everyone walked past her and she wasn't hemmed in by tatty old hulks. We took everything personal off, and left everything else on board so it was clear what was included in the sale. The exception was the dinghy, as it's a challenge to stow and having it on board would have emphasised the problem - so we kept that at home but clearly stated that it was included. Sails were neatly folded in a locker, but otherwise we left her rigged to show what she looks like (normally I completely derigged her each winter, but this makes her look a bit sad). I bought a small solar panel to keep the battery topped up, serviced the engine, and my mum and I gave the boat a thorough clean. I went on board from time to time while she was in the yard to check that all was ok and give the decks a quick sweep. On the chart table were several copies of the inventory and a list of all work done, and I also wrote a comprehensive manual on how to sail her (in case people were worried about taking on a gaff yawl), how all the various systems like fuel, electrics, etc worked, and what paints and varnishes had been used. I painted up a neat red and white plywood "For Sale" sign to hang under the bowsprit, as well as the online ads.

We had a couple of tyre-kickers, but the first serious buyer took one look at her, cancelled the remaining viewings on his list, and purchased her forthwith.

Preparation counts.

Pete

 

[doug748]

Take care, some yards would like to claim a percentage, even on private sales.

I don't know if this is even legal or how they would claim their money but it is not worth the hassle. Bring the matter to their attention and see what they say. If they demand money for nothing it makes your decision for you, I expect.

 

[prv]

Take care, some yards would like to claim a percentage, even on private sales.

I don't know if this is even legal

If the yard does nothing to help the sale take place, any clause in the mooring/storage contract trying to claim a cut is unenforceable. Most places have now removed them if they had them, but not all.

There was a thread last year where a marina tried to demand a percentage of a sale. The forumite paid under protest to allow the sale to go through, then set about recovering the money. The marina ignored letters from Trading Standards and I think the RYA, but coughed up (original charge, plus interest, plus costs) just before the case was due to go to court (presumably when they hired a lawyer and he told them they'd lose).

EDIT: Here's the thread; the whole story is contained in the first post, but a number of the early replies clearly haven't read it
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?319664-Selling-a-boat-and-a-possible-problem

Pete

 

[IJL]

deffo

only a numbty wants a trip around the bay before buying

and remove the gubbins

all of it

every bit

even that bucket full of mankie sponges

clean the inside

clean the sheets

varnish everything

It is amazing just how many boat advert on the various website show boats that look like the inside of a skip, a good clean and pictures taken on a sunny day make a big difference.

 

[Houleaux]

only a numbty wants a trip around the bay before buying

Generally I'd agree and a trial sail wouldn't be a prerequisite for me. However, when buying my current boat it was the sail around the harbour that meant I left after shaking on a deal rather than with the intention of mulling it over!

If your boat sails well it might be worth leaving her in the water so you can demonstrate that. As others have said, the important thing is that it's easy for a prospective purchaser to view. In my case, although the boat was generally kept on a swinging mooring, the owner offered to take it to a pontoon berth at a convenient location for me to view. He was also kind enough to dry her out alongside at his sailing club for survey too, thereby saving me the cost of a lift out.