Price Advice, Westerly Konsort

[MrCramp]

I am helping a pal who has had to give up sailing (ill health) to decide how to sell his 1982 Westerly Konsort and what price to ask. They used to be advertised around £29,000 a few years back, and perhaps sell at £25,000. I guess that £5,000 needs to be knocked off the asking price these days.

It is fin keel with good sails but has been standing in her cradle for 3 years and the exterior woodwork needs a good clean. The inside is fine apart from some droopy headlining in the lockers (the main cabin etc is fine).The cockpit gell finish is worn and either needs replacing or painting. The boat was in very good working order 3 years ago.

The Bukh 20hp engine has water in the oil and I think the liners have gone (thats what I heard but don't know the engine). He has a replacement brand new £5,000 Bukh engine (think 24hp)which he has had for 3 years but never fitted.

Any ideas on what the boat is worth with existing engine and what including the new engine (not fitted)? Have you sold one recently or bought one and would you be prepared to say at what price.

Thanks
Paul

 

[V1701]

Here's the Yachtsnet archive link, says £20-£30k. If it was me I'd get the new engine fitted (such a massive selling point) and tidy up the bits that need it. I would think then she would sell reasonably quickly and for a decent price...

 

[fastjedi]

I am helping a pal who has had to give up sailing (ill health) to decide how to sell his 1982 Westerly Konsort and what price to ask. They used to be advertised around £29,000 a few years back, and perhaps sell at £25,000. I guess that £5,000 needs to be knocked off the asking price these days.

It is fin keel with good sails but has been standing in her cradle for 3 years and the exterior woodwork needs a good clean. The inside is fine apart from some droopy headlining in the lockers (the main cabin etc is fine).The cockpit gell finish is worn and either needs replacing or painting. The boat was in very good working order 3 years ago.

The Bukh 20hp engine has water in the oil and I think the liners have gone (thats what I heard but don't know the engine). He has a replacement brand new £5,000 Bukh engine (think 24hp)which he has had for 3 years but never fitted.

Any ideas on what the boat is worth with existing engine and what including the new engine (not fitted)? Have you sold one recently or bought one and would you be prepared to say at what price.

Thanks
Paul

At the right price, I think it could be an attractive proposition as is ..... It's an interesting opportunity for someone with appropriate skills / time to get a really good boat at a sensible price.
1. Assuming the hull is dry, strip and epoxy before relaunch
2. Install the new engine (some would rather DIY to know it has been done properly)
3. Replace the headlining (Probably the most challenging job)
I think £25K "as is" would be the very top end value depending on sails / electronics etc) If you paid somone to do the work ... could easily be approaching £5K. I am thinking £30K for a fin keeler could be a challenge in the current market.

 

[Bav34]

I agree with DJB. Get the engine fitted and the boat tidied prior to sale. You are limiting the market by in effect having a 'project' boat which would be off-putting to a large part of your market.

OK that's going to cost money but with an ad. that states brand new engine and headlining fitted ... ready to sail away ... you can price it right at the top end to a larger audience.

 

[fireball]

Also - he can sell the old knackered engine on for spares/repair .... which should offset some of the expense of fitting the new one ...

 

[Boo2]

I am thinking £30K for a fin keeler could be a challenge in the current market.

Interyacht have a Konsort Duo bilge keeler on at £25k, this has an electric winch but I don't know if/how much that affects the price. If you guess 3k each for the bilge keel and deck saloon than that would put a standard Konsort at £19k. Add say £3k for a new engine, maybe ?

Imo £19-22 seems a lot for a 29 foot boat in today's market, but it's noticeable that Westerlys seem to be doing a bit better than other makes.

Just my opinion,

Boo2

 

[Madhatter]

£19,995 on fleabay offers
280578504779

 

[Slow_boat]

The mistake a lot of people make is asking to high a price. the boat just sits and deteriorates then, when it's got all tatty, dirty and damp and the lines have gone green they're forced to accept a much lower offer.

Think of selling a boat like selling a house. Spend some time cleaning and tarting up.

And if it's a Bukh 20 I would be interested in the alternator.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

I am helping a pal who has had to give up sailing (ill health) to decide how to sell his 1982 Westerly Konsort and what price to ask. They used to be advertised around £29,000 a few years back, and perhaps sell at £25,000. I guess that £5,000 needs to be knocked off the asking price these days.

It is fin keel with good sails but has been standing in her cradle for 3 years and the exterior woodwork needs a good clean. The inside is fine apart from some droopy headlining in the lockers (the main cabin etc is fine).The cockpit gell finish is worn and either needs replacing or painting. The boat was in very good working order 3 years ago.

The Bukh 20hp engine has water in the oil and I think the liners have gone (thats what I heard but don't know the engine). He has a replacement brand new £5,000 Bukh engine (think 24hp)which he has had for 3 years but never fitted.

Any ideas on what the boat is worth with existing engine and what including the new engine (not fitted)? Have you sold one recently or bought one and would you be prepared to say at what price.

Thanks
Paul

We recently auctioned off just such a boat ( 7 years on the hard but engine OK) and it fetched £10100 after reasonably wide advertising. Given that a good one in up to date condition can be had for less than 20k, I guess thats about right to allow for engine, new sails, rigging, headlining etc

 

[Spyro]

I know of one fin keeler that sold 2 years ago through a local broker. Good condition with original bukh engine new main, gib and spray hood went for less than 20K.
IMHO there are a lot of people asking to much for 30 year old boats, playing on the, ah but it's a Westerly or Moody or Sadler etc. By that age they are all looking tired and needing money spent on them.

 

[MrCramp]

Many thanks for all the replies. It is a sad day when someone has to pack in sailing a boat they love!

 

[Matt341]

We had our Konsort on the market right through the summer and had very little interest.

She had been re headlined, re upholstered, new sprayhood, enclosure & dodgers. Hot and cold water, decks re painted, woodwork all treated, new gennoa. Bilge keel, Volvo 20hp (original). She was 1980 and we were asking 22,995. We were selling through a broker so the net figure we received would have been less.

We had a couple of calls but all time wasters, we also had one viewing but nothing came of it.

I think we may well have sold her if she had been in bad condition but priced at say 15k.

In the end we part exchanged for a new motorboat.

Ian

 

[fastjedi]

I'm sticking to my theory .... You have a differentiated offering if you sell at a sensible price with a brand new engine ready to fit. I agree, you will rule out a significant group of buyers who want to buy and go sailing ...... but yachts are strange emotional things. Owners derive pleasure in many and various ways

 

[dk]

There's one in this month's PBO - 1981/BK - asking £19,950ono. Sounds about right to me, although spruced up with the new engine fitted you could ask another £5K.

 

[mirror image]

You don't state the location. May make a difference. I have figures for over 50 sold in last 2 years. Quite a few went for under £20k. I can send a PM if you like.

 

[whipper_snapper]

I'm sticking to my theory .... You have a differentiated offering if you sell at a sensible price with a brand new engine ready to fit. I agree, you will rule out a significant group of buyers who want to buy and go sailing ...... but yachts are strange emotional things. Owners derive pleasure in many and various ways

Personally, I would be very strongly put off by an ad which refereed to a new engine ready to fit. It conjures-up an image of an incomplete refit by someone who did not understand what they were doing. I would worry what other half complete bodges were hidden on the boat. I know that is not the case here, but that is how it would come across to me, and I would run away.

 

[jac]

Personally, I would be very strongly put off by an ad which refereed to a new engine ready to fit. It conjures-up an image of an incomplete refit by someone who did not understand what they were doing. I would worry what other half complete bodges were hidden on the boat. I know that is not the case here, but that is how it would come across to me, and I would run away.

So would I.

My take on that is that there must be a problem - who buys several grands worth of kit without a plan for fitting it.

As others have said fit the engine, sort out the headlining, generally tidy it up. Also get your / someone else's wife to look over and fix any major faults she spots. When people spend £20k they tend to need SWMBOs permission and most SWMBOs will see things differently. IF you can make the boat appealing to SWMBOs as well then it will sell more easily.

I hope this doesn't sound sexist - my own SWMBO is a lover of contessa 32s so could be considered to have good taste but is still put off by dirty cookers, faded brightwork internally etc

 

[MrCramp]

So would I.

My take on that is that there must be a problem - who buys several grands worth of kit without a plan for fitting it.

Yes there is!

My mate has a terminal illness with three months to live and is house-bound. He was diagnosed just after he bought the engine. He wants to leave the boat proceeds to the RNLI and we are trying to maximise the value.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Personally, I would be very strongly put off by an ad which refereed to a new engine ready to fit. It conjures-up an image of an incomplete refit by someone who did not understand what they were doing.

It only suggests to me that someone ran out of time, money or health.

 

[BrendanS]

It just goes to show. Some people want a boat perfectly kitted out, some want projects (where they could possibly get the boat cheaper than if the work was done). There are many different buyers out there, and you can't appeal to all of them, so pick a target market.