How to sell a boat quickly?

[brman]

I am need of advice.....

I've inherited a Sadler 29 which now needs to be sold. She was in use up to September last year and is general in good nick for the age but (as with any boat I guess) will need a few things sorting, not least her bottom scrubbed and seacocks serviced. (still in the water)

My issue is that I have limited time to do anything to her myself but really need to sell as quickly as possible before she starts becoming a liability. Plus she is a good, seaworthy, boat and I really don't want her just sitting there, deteriorating.

I realise selling an old boat can be a challenge, so how do I best go about it?
- get her out of the water quick , clean her bottom and sort any little issues?
- sell her as is from the water at a knock down price?
-?
Any advice would be gratefully received....

 

[Teko]

Ebay?

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Give the job to a broker, discuss the value and be prepared to drop your asking price for a quick sale.

 

[brman]

But ebay or broker - should I try sorting the boat out first, or sell as is? Or is a broker likely to help sorting it out (for a price of course)?

I am willing (within reason) to drop the asking price as necessary. Selling her is more important than making the best price.
I am also aware that it if I leave her where she is she will be costing me a fair few thousand come June just for her berth.......

 

[duncan99210]

Give the job to a broker, discuss the value and be prepared to drop your asking price for a quick sale.

+1. I’ve not had a good experience with eBay and selling boats: too many folks bid and then when they win they don’t part with the cash or take the boat. Selling a boat quickly is mostly a matter of getting the price right. I’ve had a mate who couldn’t get his head round the fact that his boat wasn’t worth what he thought he could get for it: took him two and a half years to shift it. On the other hand, another acquaintance set the price on his boat at just about the right level, was prepared to adjust and sold the boat in two weeks....

 

[Graham376]

Which is cheaper, in the water or on the hard? Potential buyers will want it out anyway for survey and it's less likely to get damaged out of the water. I wouldn't bother doing much work but a good clear out and clean must help attract buyers.

 

[brman]

Which is cheaper, in the water or on the hard? Potential buyers will want it out anyway for survey and it's less likely to get damaged out of the water. I wouldn't bother doing much work but a good clear out and clean must help attract buyers.

Good question, I assume on the hard will be cheaper but I need to check.

Maybe that is where I should start....

If it is out of the water I am assuming a clean of the hull (and redo the antifouling) will make it more presentable for a buyer?

 

[Kelpie]

If you can ensure that the boat is in sail-away condition then I think that helps a lot. So fix things that are necessary for a potential buyer to be able to safely move her, but don't get too carried away on the non essential stuff. Also make sure there is enough basic inventory (anchor, warps, etc) and be prepared to be helpful to the buyer, e.g. lend them charts, pick them up from the airport, etc.

 

[ianj99]

When a boat is slow to sell, its not just down to too high an asking price. Its due to lack of attention to detail - tatty interior, scruffy exterior, loads of junk and old rope, a rusty engine etc. Lack of tlc is very obvious.
If its clean and tidy inside and out, the engine runs sweetly and has had a service and its ready to sail away, you've more chance of a quick sail. Online selling requires lots of good quality photos.

 

[jwilson]

Keep ashore: if you don't you'll quite possibly get people asking for a "test sail". Most of these will never buy the boat.

Clean thoroughly, especially the heads and galley. Get all personal kit off the boat.

Look at adverts for others and set asking price to be at a substantially better condition than others at the same price level, or substantially cheaper than others in the same condition/age. You want anyone looking for a Sadler 29 to buy yours, not another.

Our standard advice to sellers is at https://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/preparation.htm - I'm not suggesting however that we take the boat on brokerage: we now aim to keep listings above the £20,000 mark, and generally Sadler 29s will be well below this level, unless a truly immaculate and late-built one. Your best bet is Apollo Duck or Boats & Outboards, or find a local broker prepared to list her. Take lots of good photos, and be prepared to email them to enquirers, or burn to a CD and post.

If you price under £15,000 you can have a free one photo advert on https://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/classifieds.htm

 

[brman]

If you can ensure that the boat is in sail-away condition then I think that helps a lot. So fix things that are necessary for a potential buyer to be able to safely move her, but don't get too carried away on the non essential stuff. Also make sure there is enough basic inventory (anchor, warps, etc) and be prepared to be helpful to the buyer, e.g. lend them charts, pick them up from the airport, etc.

Makes sense. I guess it depends on expectations but yes, the boat is already very usable and reasonably well equipped.

 

[brman]

When a boat is slow to sell, its not just down to too high an asking price. Its due to lack of attention to detail - tatty interior, scruffy exterior, loads of junk and old rope, a rusty engine etc. Lack of tlc is very obvious.
If its clean and tidy inside and out, the engine runs sweetly and has had a service and its ready to sail away, you've more chance of a quick sail. Online selling requires lots of good quality photos.

I think this is where I am not so sure. It is 25 odd years old an a lot of it is original. So some stuff is a little tired but it has been maintained where necessary so it is all functional.

 

[zoidberg]

There are many Sadler 29s on offer, as a swift web search shows. Most of them are grossly 'over-valued' in today's market for old boats, which is probably why most of them aren't shifting.

A quick sale, before marina contract fees and another year's insurance really start to bite, needs a very 'Alexandrian Solution' approach. Otherwise, bite the bullet, fork out for putting her into pristine condition - remembering that the very first visual impression is always the strongest - then commit yourself to 'creative marketing'. That can be done, but it needs time, judgement and skills many don't have - but think they do.

An old boat is a diminishing asset; it diminishes one's wallet remorselessly and monthly in overheads, fees and costs. And there's no guarantee someone will come along and pay you back what you invested, just to get her to stand out.

PM sent.

 

[brman]

Keep ashore: if you don't you'll quite possibly get people asking for a "test sail". Most of these will never buy the boat.

Clean thoroughly, especially the heads and galley. Get all personal kit off the boat.

Look at adverts for others and set asking price to be at a substantially better condition than others at the same price level, or substantially cheaper than others in the same condition/age. You want anyone looking for a Sadler 29 to buy yours, not another.

Our standard advice to sellers is at https://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/preparation.htm - I'm not suggesting however that we take the boat on brokerage: we now aim to keep listings above the £20,000 mark, and generally Sadler 29s will be well below this level, unless a truly immaculate and late-built one. Your best bet is Apollo Duck or Boats & Outboards, or find a local broker prepared to list her. Take lots of good photos, and be prepared to email them to enquirers, or burn to a CD and post.

If you price under £15,000 you can have a free one photo advert on https://www.yachtsnet.co.uk/classifieds.htm

Thanks, that is all very useful stuff!

So it sounds like my first job is to find somewhere onshore and start that ball rolling. Then look at what needs to doing to tidy her up. I suspect I will need a broker as I am 3 hours away so cannot really do viewings etc.

 

[Sea Devil]

I got 2 offers for my boat 10 days after listing it with Ancasta... Sold it 2 weeks later... Before that I had listed it on all the web sites . nothing - after that with one of the smaller franchise brokers and although there was an offer after a while it was badly mishandled and the deal failed.
If you want to sell quickly, efficiently list with a quality yacht broker.

 

[stevie69p]

I sold my previous boat via a classified ad on eBay, for which you pay a fixed price insertion fee. I pitched the boat at a realistic price and sold it within about 3 weeks, though as it was also on with a local broker, I let them take over the sale and do the paperwork. it must have been the easiest sale they have made, but in the end I was glad to move the boat on quickly as I had already bought the replacement and was paying berthing costs on both. (And also getting the full asking price lessened the brokerage fee somewhat).

 

[Graham376]

Good question, I assume on the hard will be cheaper but I need to check.

Maybe that is where I should start....

If it is out of the water I am assuming a clean of the hull (and redo the antifouling) will make it more presentable for a buyer?

Think what would attract you to a boat or, put you off. Empty lockers and clean interior are priorities and shiny topsides and new antifoul certainly create a good first impression.

 

[ianj99]

I think this is where I am not so sure. It is 25 odd years old an a lot of it is original. So some stuff is a little tired but it has been maintained where necessary so it is all functional.[/QUOTE
This when you have to make a judgement on whether it is actually 'tired' or 'scruffy and shows lack of tlc'.
Consider touching up any woodwork inside and out for example.
25years is not necessarily old in boat terms (my steel ketch is 40 this year but has been looked after by myself and her two previous owners so looks about 80yrs old ) I meant 25.)

Don't be quick to mention the age or that you need to a quick sale even if you do, talk up the condition, 'well maintained', 'good equipment', 'ready to sail away' - ie be positive and avoid giving the impression you are trying to shift a tired old yacht.

 

[colind3782]

I might know someone who is looking for a Sadler at the right price. Let me know what you're asking and I'll pass it on.

 

[brman]

Thanks Folks,

All good advice, but I think some of the comments highlight my dilemma. Like I said, I think she is a sound boat and already has stuff like lazy jacks and reefing to the cockpit. However if it was a boat I was keeping there are a few things I would do to make her look a bit prettier and keep her in good shape. However there is a limit to what I can personally do at the moment so need to find the best compromise between time spent and selling easily. I realise these are contradictory requirements though
That said, from the comments here, it is clear I need to do some tidying up to make her as presentable as possible. That definitely requires putting her on the hard so my first step is finding somewhere suitable around plymouth.