New canopy before sale or not?

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wipe_out

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I need the thoughts of the forum members on something.. I am probably going to be putting my boat on the market in the next little while.. It's a 2002 Larson Cabrio 254 (25'11") with a new 5.7l engine fitted in April this year..

It has a full canopy that wasn't in great condition anyway but we didn't really used it so didn't worry about it, when going out we removed all the sides and just left the bimini up.. After the recent weather some of the panels have split, zips have torn and window stitching come apart all over the place.. It really needs to be completely replaced.. I have had a quote and it will cost £2k to replace all the canvas.. The dilemma is that while it's a nice to have I doubt the cost of the new canopy would be recovered in the sale.. I would rather sell slightly cheaper on account of the canopy not being great but not the full 2k cheaper..

Hopefully that's making sense..

What are your thoughts?
 
In the current climate I would suggest that you need to offer the boat in the best possible condition, the way you yourself describe the canopy will give a very bad 1st impression.
 
If you have a canopy made it almost certainly will not match the wishes of a new owner. He'd want to decide on details like layout and colour etc.

I'd put it up for sale as is, at a price leaving room for offering 'seller will pay for a new canopy, as specified by the buyer' - and in small print 'at a max of £2k'
Later on it may become part of the negotiation.
 
I'd shop around too as I'm pretty sure you can get that £2k down to something closer to £1.5k and then as said, offer a reasonable amount off the asking price 'towards' a new canopy not all of it. A purchaser in mind mind should expect a boat to be in good used condition for market value, not new condition, including the canopy.

Alternatively, have the canopy repaired for much less i.e. have the zips and poppers repaired and window panels replaced

cheers Gary
 
Yeah you have a few options.

Sell the boat and state the price is based on a canopy in need of repair. ( You could even include a quote from a local designer)

Get the canopy repaired, fittings, windows, reinforcements here and there and include the repair price in the sale.

I would not get a new canopy as others have stated, everyone likes there own design and have different needs. Some like room, some like looks, different colours etc.... I think the idea of buying a boat with part of the sale money going to a new canopy is an attractive option but then this is really just the price as it currently sits.
 
capsco said:
In the current climate I would suggest that you need to offer the boat in the best possible condition, the way you yourself describe the canopy will give a very bad 1st impression.
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Yes, first impressions are so important. Anything scruffy is an immediate turn off. That's your risk in not replacing it.
 
Personally I would replace . I would always try and sell a boat in a ( just fill the tanks and go condition ) as the buyer sees no negative aspects , time wasting probs etc , even more relevant if the buyer is a newbie , IMHO of course .
 
From the condition you describe it would be better to replace it. At that size of boat you may be getting quite a few first time boaters looking at it, who will not appreciate the costs of repairing/changing a full canopy and would be happier with everything in good condition. It seems to me your boat with its new engine and a new canopy at a comparable price to similar boats would be a good buy, and will sell quicker. I would replace it but pick mainstream colour and design to broaden the appeal.
 
Thanks for all your thoughts, all valid arguments.. I hadn't considered the option of including an amount towards the new canopy as part of the sale but get the points about it scaring off buyers for the various reasons mentioned..
 
Like Gary, I think you should be able to replace the canopy for £1500 max. Whether It his worth your while is somewhat dependent on the value of your boat. I would not expect a new canopy on a £10k boat, but might on a £25k boat. You should be able to repair the current one for £250 ish, and this is definitely worth doing.
 
rafiki_ said:
You should be able to repair the current one for £250 ish, and this is definitely worth doing.
Click to expand...

I looked at the repair option a few months ago and with the number of little bits that need doing (now made considerably worse) it ended up that the repair cost wasn't far off the complete replacement cost.. Doesn't help that I am in Brighton and it seems most canvas shops are in the Solent making Brighton too far out for them..
 
Try Chris Harris at www.harrishoods.co.uk.
He is based at Kidderminster, but if you mail him a pic, he will give a very good price, and you could always courier the hood to him for repair, if too far for you to drive.
Chris is an all round good egg, and has done some fantastic work on my previous boat, and many others that I know too.
 
I agree that repair would probably be my first choice as a seller, as long as it remains cost effective over a replacement.

For a different look at it, I know someone who replaced the covers on their sports cruiser to make it more appealing for a quick sale but subsequently they asked a pretty hefty price for the boat which sort of compensated the cost of the replacement cover. Unfortunately being priced at the higher end of the market even with the new good looking covers meant that the sale wasn't as quick as hoped and the seller ended up with the boat on the market for over 12 months before eventually reducing the price. The cover had been left on the boat right through the winter so that people could view it "at it's best" and had already started to go green in areas and a little saggy where snow had been left to accumulate on it. Hopefully you wouldn't be in this situation but it's worth considering if the new canopy cost would inflate your asking price.
 
Matt341 said:
For a different look at it, I know someone who replaced the covers on their sports cruiser to make it more appealing for a quick sale but subsequently they asked a pretty hefty price for the boat which sort of compensated the cost of the replacement cover. Unfortunately being priced at the higher end of the market even with the new good looking covers meant that the sale wasn't as quick as hoped and the seller ended up with the boat on the market for over 12 months before eventually reducing the price. The cover had been left on the boat right through the winter so that people could view it "at it's best" and had already started to go green in areas and a little saggy where snow had been left to accumulate on it. Hopefully you wouldn't be in this situation but it's worth considering if the new canopy cost would inflate your asking price.
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That is exactly my quandary.. If I was putting £2k into the boat now before putting it up for sale I would certainly reflect that in the price.. Similarly if I don't put on the new canopy then I would be selling at a lower price.. For the total amounts we are talking for this size and age boat £2k is a significant percentage..
 
wipe_out said:
That is exactly my quandary.. If I was putting £2k into the boat now before putting it up for sale I would certainly reflect that in the price.. Similarly if I don't put on the new canopy then I would be selling at a lower price.. For the total amounts we are talking for this size and age boat £2k is a significant percentage..
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may I recommend that you patch up the canopy and put all the focus on the major selling point of the boat, the new engine.. reliability and safety for the family, warranty, performance, trouble free boating etc etc etc.. get that seed sown in the mind of the potential buyer and I'd suggest the canopy will hardly factor into their purchasing decision.
 
oGaryo said:
may I recommend that you patch up the canopy and put all the focus on the major selling point of the boat, the new engine.. reliability and safety for the family, warranty, performance, trouble free boating etc etc etc.. get that seed sown in the mind of the potential buyer and I'd suggest the canopy will hardly factor into their purchasing decision.
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Valid point on the engines, however the visual appearance of the boat (of which the canopy plays a major part) will I am sure factor in the purchasing decision so not sure I agree with your last sentence...
 
ANDY59 said:
Personally I would replace . I would always try and sell a boat in a ( just fill the tanks and go condition ) as the buyer sees no negative aspects , time wasting probs etc , even more relevant if the buyer is a newbie , IMHO of course .
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Couldnt agree more.

This boat is in the first time boaters category and they want a boat in turn key condition. Most, not all of course, first time buyers dont want a "project" for their first boat. The rest of the boat may well be in good condition but first impressions really do count. You dont want to be ringing alarm bells as soon as they approach your boat!!

You probably wont get the £1.5k back in the sales price but it could be the difference between the boat selling quickly and the boat lingering on the sales pontoon for months and months on end.

ETA: I think you should be able to get a cheaper price than you were quoted for your canopy. We had one on our S23 last year which has a large canopy for the size of boat and that was £1.2k
 
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CX54WEK said:
You probably wont get the £1.5k back in the sales price but it could be the difference between the boat selling quickly and the boat lingering on the sales pontoon for months and months on end.
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Yes, that is the key- to sell the boat. You really dont know if someone will offer 90pct or 70pct of the asking price, but you need the offer. Whether you decide that is enough or not is the next stage, but get the boat in a condition that the offers are made.
In an ad, dont then say new covers at a recent cost of £1.5k... just say new covers. No one cares how much they cost you. If you get down to the haggling, you can always then point out that with new covers, the new owner isnt looking at any repairs or replacement for ten years. If he is reasonable, he might decide that is worth a bit more after all.
If the first thing someone sees when looking at the boat is a bill for new covers, then 1.he isnt going to be jumping on board, and 2. he immediately slashes a maximum possible off the offer.
 
capsco said:
In the current climate I would suggest that you need to offer the boat in the best possible condition, the way you yourself describe the canopy will give a very bad 1st impression.
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+1

The visual packaging conveys an instant impression about the state of the entire vessel. If it looks any grubby on the outside you reduce interest and price.
 
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