Sailboat Market under £20k

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JIMS44

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Having sold my Westerly Griffon last June, at a knock down of 30% off asking price, I felt I was one year late selling her, from the highs of the Covid boom market. But, I was realistic, the cost of living was biting, and I thought no worries, I’m keen to upgrade to a Fulmar and would be buying in the downward market and it will even up. After viewing a few Fulmars, and a Konsort, I couldn’t find the luxury of a new Beta engine, like my Griffon had, and all had the dreaded Westerly sagging headlining, and electrics from the 90s. Most of all imo, unrealistically priced, never mind it’s August now, I’ll wait and see what comes up in 2025….
And here we are, cost of living going higher, and imo a lot of boats for sale in my budget. Very much like cars & houses, if people aren’t upgrading, new and used take a hit. There’s a fair few Centaurs and Griffons for sale, the great British starter boat to dip your toe in the water. Next step up, fulmars , Moody 31 etc…Are these people wanting to upgrade to larger boats, or get out of the cost of boat ownership? and the big question, how much more will the market drop ? I’ve decided to wait until 2026, and booked a two weeks charter in sunny Greece next month.
 
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I think it is tough for people like me selling. But for buyers I think there is a once in a generation opportunity to snag a bargain. The supply/demand balance has swung to over supply and bargains are to be had.

It won't last forever and eventually the balance will swing back again. If you are buying, buy now.
 
potentillaCO32 said:
I think it is tough for people like me selling. But for buyers I think there is a once in a generation opportunity to snag a bargain. The supply/demand balance has swung to over supply and bargains are to be had.

It won't last forever and eventually the balance will swing back again. If you are buying, buy now.
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That echoes my own thoughts to some extent, although I also think that the huge brake put on economic certainty across the globe by the Orange Thing across the water, plus the fact that the UK's cupboards were already pretty bare before the anti-wealth vision of our latest masters began to be implemented, means that the current used boat market is unlikely to change much in the foreseeable future.

If one's actively in the market to buy then the right boat will soon come up - and if it has an old engine or anything else that doesn't inspire confidence then price in a replacement when negotiating.

If one wants or needs to sell, then price and presentation is everything.
 
It helps if you are flexible in outlook. Waiting for a Fulmar that is clean, near you, with all the right updates and a bargain price could be a long job but if you consider a range of alternatives and don't mind travelling, there are bargains about.

For example check this out:

Pardon our interruption...

It could be a dog for all I know but it seems worth looking at and is struggling to get bids on 7 grand.

.
 
doug748 said:
It helps if you are flexible in outlook. Waiting for a Fulmar that is clean, near you, with all the right updates and a bargain price could be a long job but if you consider a range of alternatives and don't mind travelling, there are bargains about.

For example check this out:

Pardon our interruption...

It could be a dog for all I know but it seems worth looking at and is struggling to get bids on 7 grand.

.
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Nice that, seems good value to me.
 
Fulmars are now 40 to 45 years old. Many were used by sailing schools and had a hard life, so finding one in good condition is difficult. A decade ago I faced the identical problem and ended up buying a slightly tired one as I knew I had the skills and time to renovate her. These two links show what is possible to do to get one to a better finish. However it can be costly to do.

https://wiki.westerly-owners.co.uk/images/3/3f/Concerto.pdf


In my about me page you can see more links including my singlehanded trip round Britain via the top of Shetland. Fulmar's are very capable boats with virtually no vices. If you can wait another 10 years mine might be for sale.
 
No doubt the market is very soft at the (relatively) cheaper end, however boats of a newer generation are now starting to drop into that price range. There are currently smaller Dufours and Hanses available for around £20k, so I think some of this is just the march of time and models ageing out. I have a Fulmar myself, but I could have bought a more modern boat if I was looking now, 5 years after I purchased her.

I can’t see a world where in the UK, 20 - 40+ year old boats under 10m become more expensive again in the next 5 years, barring some kind of exceptional event.

The boats that have held more value are models that are big enough to live and travel on, and offer people an alternative lifestyle in a difficult economy.

So if I was the OP I would wait for the right boat to come along, with an emphasis on it not having a large maintenance backlog or need for upgrades.

As we all know, there’s no such thing as a bargain boat!
 
mrming said:
No doubt the market is very soft at the (relatively) cheaper end, however boats of a newer generation are now starting to drop into that price range. There are currently smaller Dufours and Hanses available for around £20k, so I think some of this is just the march of time and models ageing out. I have a Fulmar myself, but I could have bought a more modern boat if I was looking now, 5 years after I purchased her.

I can’t see a world where in the UK, 20 - 40+ year old boats under 10m become more expensive again in the next 5 years, barring some kind of exceptional event.

The boats that have held more value are models that are big enough to live and travel on, and offer people an alternative lifestyle in a difficult economy.

So if I was the OP I would wait for the right boat to come along, with an emphasis on it not having a large maintenance backlog or need for upgrades.

As we all know, there’s no such thing as a bargain boat!
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There seems to me to be a real split in the second hand market at the moment. Some models are really holding, or even increasing, in value over the last 5 years or so. Others have been essentially almost completely devalued. Predicting which models will do which over the next 5 years is not easy though...

At the sub £20k end of the market, my personal opinion is that it is unwise to budget with the assumption that you will see any of the purchase price back if you sell in 5-10 years. The twin pressures of increasing numbers of boats becoming available, and ever reducing numbers of buyers, suggest that smaller cheaper boats of the Griffon / Centaur type will only become more and more difficult to sell over the next decade.
 
There are a lot of "projects" around that could be had for next to nothing, and they're dragging the price of the next level, older boats, a bit tired, but with plenty of life in them, and there's a lot of them, as well, further reducing their value, and that moves up the different levels. I doubt it affects the top end much, but mid-range boats have to be affected.
 
Stemar said:
There are a lot of "projects" around that could be had for next to nothing, and they're dragging the price of the next level, older boats, a bit tired, but with plenty of life in them, and there's a lot of them, as well, further reducing their value, and that moves up the different levels. I doubt it affects the top end much, but mid-range boats have to be affected.
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Spot on.

Although the boatyard that I am in is now sending away old boats to be crushed at a rate of 2 a week. Something that they have never done before.
This week they sent off a tired looking halcyon 27.
If this is replicated across many boatyards then gradually the over supply will sort itself out.
New boats are not being sold in the numbers that they used to either.
 
potentillaCO32 said:
Although the boatyard that I am in is now sending away old boats to be crushed at a rate of 2 a week. Something that they have never done before.
This week they sent off a tired looking halcyon 27.
If this is replicated across many boatyards then gradually the over supply will sort itself out.
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It is the only 'economically' sustainable way to go. But the 'ecological' question is this: are they first being stripped of old engines, spars, other metals etc?
 
Babylon said:
It is the only 'economically' sustainable way to go. But the 'ecological' question is this: are they first being stripped of old engines, spars, other metals etc?
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There are a number of places which offer disposal services including complete scraping. Example boatbreakers.com Often though the big barrier is handling and transport which can exceed the value of any scrap materials.
 
JIMS44 said:
Having sold my Westerly Griffon last June, at a knock down of 30% off asking price, I felt I was one year late selling her, from the highs of the Covid boom market. But, I was realistic...
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Smart move. If you're looking to sell a car, motorbike or similar, then to a degree whether it takes ten days, ten weeks or even ten months to sell doesn't make much difference. But with a boat, especially at the lower price-point end of the market, you are likely to rack up storage and insurance that can total a significant proportion of the boat's value. In addition, that boat's going to be sat out in the elements during the extended sales period and we all know how quickly unused boats deteriorate, most especially over the winter months ( batteries dying/electronics failing/topsides dulled and covered in bird crap/hull befouled) and so can significantly reduce the boat's value.
I recall good friends rejecting 'pathetic/insulting/ridiculous' offers on a catamaran sat in Turkey and then eventually selling it for even less close to three years later; I kept their experience in mind when selling both of ours and taking the same approach as yourself, we shifted one in a week and the other in twelve hours; take the hit and move on, it will always prove less stressful and often more profitable (or a smaller loss at least) in the long run.
 
RivalRedwing said:
I sold a 1978 Rival 34 through a broker in 3 days earlier this year. It was fairly priced at £18k and well presented... there is a market out there for the mature, quality boat at the right price point.
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Apart from the rubbish that's worth less than the cost of scrapping, anything will sell if it's priced right, but the right price point does seem to be dropping, especially for the kind of mid-sized boat that used to be sought-after for blue-water on a budget. I would surmise that the reason is the interiors, which are dark and cramped by modern standards, so get vetoed by the distaff side.
 
Stemar said:
I would surmise that the reason is the interiors, which are dark and cramped by modern standards, so get vetoed by the distaff side.
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It's often stated that a ship 'should have but one captain' - but observation suggests it's rarely the one you think it is.
 
Stemar said:
Apart from the rubbish that's worth less than the cost of scrapping, anything will sell if it's priced right, but the right price point does seem to be dropping, especially for the kind of mid-sized boat that used to be sought-after for blue-water on a budget. I would surmise that the reason is the interiors, which are dark and cramped by modern standards, so get vetoed by the distaff side.
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I purchased it in 2010 for £28k, kept it in good nick with upgrades but no major outlays as the previous owner had replaced the engine and sails. The major annual cost were marina fees. They have to be looked on as niche boats nowadays due to the absence of a rear cabin and related 'comforts', but they will look after you and sail well. Keeping it in the same family, I have upgraded to s Rival 38 of similar vintage :)
 
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