Sales Market for Boats

[Seajet]

I have expected this would happen for a while now, and judging by comments from people selling their boats ( or trying to ) it seems to have come true...

Boats which will take the ground on a relatively cheap half-tide mooring are in demand; those which require deep water moorings or marinas are not.

For those who have tried it, half-tide moorings also have the huge advantages of usually being closer inshore for trips in the tender, among wildlife and a lot more sheltered than deep water moorings.

I am not trying to talk up my type of boat ( you'll only get my boat if you can prye away my cold dead hand ) and a lot of good boats are going to suffer, best not get me started on this 'government' - but with ever increasing cuts looming, it may be a good idea if currently selling a boat to grab any firm offers ?

 

[Signed Out]

Agree with you Seajet,

I was in the market for a boat I could keep on a half tide mooring; not because cheaper, but because I am on Morecambe Bay, where that's pretty much all you can get. Mostly bilgers, but being a fashionable kinda guy (ahem), don't like'em and was after a flushish lifter (or even cat). I found though that they are now disproportionally more expensive than fins. Tatty boats for quite silly money at times, and due to their nature, often with impact damage- transoms and slots being frequent.

In the end decided to go fixed one-keel and commit to a long commute to deeper water or dry-sailing. A real PITA to do either, but wanted a boat I could love.

Now debating legs though, as I really would prefer to be on the water, near home- have always preferred moorings and half tide ones do have some advantages- usually away from the channel and the debris/clumsy boatees that goes down it.

Perhaps time there was competition in the leg market.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Chatting to a broker last week (with no vested interest in my boat BTW, as it wasn't about selling my boat), he was firmly of the opinion that the boats selling at the moment were modern AWB style in the 35 to 40' range, and everything else was in a tough market.

 

[jonic]

Chatting to a broker last week (with no vested interest in my boat BTW, as it wasn't about selling my boat), he was firmly of the opinion that the boats selling at the moment were modern AWB style in the 35 to 40' range, and everything else was in a tough market.

I can concur with that and add that larger than 40 is selling too. The problem is getting them. Not many good ones about at the moment.

 

[Signed Out]

Have the banker bonuses come in then?

And perhaps some handshakes available too- nicely compensated early retirements and voluntary redundancies.

Clear who gets affected by the climate, and who doesn't ain't it?

 

[Heckler]

Chatting to a broker last week (with no vested interest in my boat BTW, as it wasn't about selling my boat), he was firmly of the opinion that the boats selling at the moment were modern AWB style in the 35 to 40' range, and everything else was in a tough market.

I noticed that Dickies in Pwllhelli have just sold 5 boats in the 36 to 40 ft range on the same weekend 2 weeks ago.
It would appear that is where the market is. SH, biggish boats.
Stu

 

[fireball]

Sounds about right - we have a couple of B3 moorings available for the 2011 season - the deep water ones are all allocated.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

Boats which will take the ground on a relatively cheap half-tide mooring are in demand; those which require deep water moorings or marinas are not.

I think this was always likely to happen. Much of the UK west and east coasts are shoal, and even though there are now far more marinas than used to be the case, there is still a pent up demand for bilge keelers. The old British ones are now becoming old but none of the big foreign builders are making bilge keelers. Why I do not understand.

 

[FullCircle]

Phew, dead lucky for me that I have a 35ft AWB that will take the ground then.

I sold my Seal 22 Mk II for 1500 quid, and had trouble attracting punters.

Trouble is, no one's Mrs wants to put wellies on over the white silk shift with the gold edging and bikini to walk out to the boat at low tide through the mud.

Besides, there won't be any moorings on the mud soon, they will all be licensed marina berths so that boat owners don't do any damage to the wildlife by leaning their heavy old boat on the sea bed, or rubbing their antifoul into the mud every tide. Shockingly bad form.

 

[Twister_Ken]

The trouble is, I was told by a couple of brokers recently, that most of the good boats went to Europe when the Euro was almost at parity with Sterling, and all that was left was the tat or stuff that was hopelessly overpriced. Now there's a shortage of good stock and when a well-looked after boat at a sensible price comes on the market, any size, any underwater configuration, it doesn't stay there long.

 

[Bav34]

I noticed that Dickies in Pwllhelli have just sold 5 boats in the 36 to 40 ft range on the same weekend 2 weeks ago.
It would appear that is where the market is. SH, biggish boats.
Stu

That's interesting. One of those could have been to some friends of mine who have just bought a Westerly from that size range in that area.

At the same time another couple I know sold their Bav 36 and bought a Bav 40 something in January. Took just 3 weeks to sell.

 

[Seajet]

It's good to hear that large AWB boats have been selling well, so have smaller boats able to take the ground; I suspect the average 30'ish fin keeler will find tough going, and so will the larger boats from now on.

As for using legs on drying moorings, my lift keel boat has been on a half tide mooring since 1978, and every fibre of my being says 'NO!' to legs.

If on soft mud, which a drying mooring should be, there's no point as lift keel ballast bulbs etc will sink in leaving the boat upright; if the seabed is hard enough to need legs, it's' too hard for a boat to bounce on twice a day !

Lift keel boats which have a flush bottom with the keel raised have the 2 snags that

A, stones and mud can intrude into the keel case, jamming the keel

B, the boat hull is vulnerable if she settles on something like a big stone, the mooring sinker, etc.

I will not bother pointing out lift keel boats which get around this as I run an Owners Association so am obviously biased, suffice to say I have a lift keeler which avoids the problems mentioned; in over 10 years running the association I have never known the amount of interest there is now - it's always been 'healthy', but this Spring there's been a deluge !

For those willing to put up with it a good twin keeler will also gain in value shortly I suspect.

I have no connection at all but the Trapper 500/ 501 seems very good value secondhand, though I doubt this will last...

 

[Signed Out]

Yup, know the arguments Seajet; all been going on a lot lately on other threads, notably at the moment, the yacht legs one. Wouldn't be putting on legs for extended periods though.

Have heard this about the boats going to Europe too. Hope not to France or other Med places, as the boats all seem to get trashed south of Belgium, going by what I've seen. Whereas Holland and Germany breeds'em more careful and loving of their craft. Perhaps it's due to them getting less time afloat, more time for the yard, don't know, but all the evidence points to more care. I know that N Europeans have far tidier ships than South, and when I had a ride on a Dutch tug the other day, got talking to an engineer who showed me pics of his Hurley. Stunning. Only saw outside, as that's all he's refurbed yet, but I bet inside is neater than many here. And indeed, a UK boat- ex RN training I believe.

Anyway, what I was leading to, is that if all these boats are going over to Europe, let's hope the market swings a bit and we can get some back this way. Mind you, prices in NL (Marktplaats.nl and Botenkoop.nl) are looking good anyway.

 

[Sailfree]

Limited experience but noticed over the last few years a number of foreign speaking ladies being photographed at the helm of AWB's that also had a for sale/sold sign on them just before the boats disappeared from Hamble Point Marina.

I suspect the increase in material costs, the economies being made in new boats (smaller fittings more plastic etc) are currently making older boats more desirable. Certainly new boat sales are at an all time low probably due to the economy but possibly also due to the general perception that current AWB's look "cheap".

I cannot find a production AWB to replace mine without going more upmarket (eg Southerly/Finngulf)

At one time there used to be heated threads about long keel traditional boats/MABs /AWB's how soon will there be threads discussing the unsuitability of 2011 produced AWB's (only suitable for using as a weekend caravan parked on the water) while 1990 to 2000 AWB's are suitable for sailing!

Not picking on Bavarias but have read a number of posts where people speak with pride of their older Bavaria that was more solidly build (better quality?) and to Lloyds standards. Looking at Jeanneau's and other AWB's I think they have all gone the same way to keep the selling price competitive.

I also suspect that there are regional variations in boat demand as I don't think the south coast has a vast demand for shoal/lifting/bildge keel boats.

 

[Seajet]

You'd be surprised then ! The South Coast is exactly where lift and twin keel boats are in highest demand, as marina and deep water mooring prices are the highest.

I would add though just in case there's any confusion about using legs to keep a boat upright on hard seabeds, this is a horrible idea.

When ( not if ) a leg sinks into a softer part of the seabed, the boat will lean on it producing terrible loads on the 'downhill' topsides.

Legs should only be used when the crew is handy, on cruise visits to different harbours and such; never for extended periods left alone, such as a full time mooring.

If settling on hard ground, the pounding is too much for any boat, and any owner who cares about her; even with tiny ripples of waves, the pounding on hard sand has to be experienced - once - to be believed !

At a home mooring, the ground must be soft mud; usually lift keel boats settle more upright than twin keelers, but please do read my earlier entry re. lift keel designs on here, page 2 of this thread.