Selling a boat. Hardstand or pontoon?

[colhel]

I've been thinking about upgrading. I popped in to see a broker today and he said it would sell better if it was out of the water on the hardsanding rather than on a pontoon. He obviously knows more about selling boats than me, but this surprised me. What are your thoughts please? As sailing is my hobby I'm reluctant to take her out of commision, hence I don't want to take her out of the water.

 

[Tranona]

Pros and Cons. Advantage out of the water is that prospective buyers can see all round the boat and it reduces costs for survey (no lift required). Easier viewing as the broker (or you) don't have to accompany the punters. Reduces the temptation to leave the boat full of clutter as it would be if you were using it. Gives you a chance to fully prepare the boat for sale - cleaning hull and inside. Advantage of in water is that easier to offer a quick spin if you think it will swing the sale.

 

[colhel]

Makes Sense. He did say that people looking for a motorboat are more likely to buy on impulse and raggies like to "bang the hull".

 

[Biggles Wader]

Would you be paying to lift out now?If so it might be better to leave it on the pontoon until such time as you have a serious buyer.If they want it lifted and surveyed everything can be factored into the price,and they will already have seen the boat afloat,and maybe sailed it.

 

[winsbury]

when we were buying recently we found it was much more assuring looking at boats that were ashore and less costly for survey as no lift required but we were at the budget end of the spectrum. Perhaps if I had more to spend I would have felt differently as being able to do a sea trial would be on the agenda. Bear in mind too that for those without a head for heights , climbing up a ladder and walking around the deck when on the dry is not everyones cup of tea.

 

[colhel]

Would you be paying to lift out now?If so it might be better to leave it on the pontoon until such time as you have a serious buyer.If they want it lifted and surveyed everything can be factored into the price,and they will already have seen the boat afloat,and maybe sailed it.

I'm not ready to sell yet as I'm still in the middle of the winter jobs, ie antifouling, engine servicing etc. It's out at the moment, but I want her back in the water by early April in a presentable condition so I can go sailing and keep her that way in case we get any prospective buyers. She would need lifting out for a survey at a cost of about £80 each way, but I'm hoping that if we ever get to that stage the buyer would be serious about purchasing.

 

[colhel]

when we were buying recently we found it was much more assuring looking at boats that were ashore and less costly for survey as no lift required but we were at the budget end of the spectrum. Perhaps if I had more to spend I would have felt differently as being able to do a sea trial would be on the agenda. Bear in mind too that for those without a head for heights , climbing up a ladder and walking around the deck when on the dry is not everyones cup of tea.

When you narrowed down your choice, would the cost of lifting her out put you off? Did you have to pay to get her craned in prior to sea trial?

 

[winsbury]

When you narrowed down your choice, would the cost of lifting her out put you off? Did you have to pay to get her craned in prior to sea trial?

There was one boat we really liked but was on the tip of our budget , the risk of loosing £1500 or so lifting and surveying to find it might not be viable was enough to put us off that one; particularly since it was clear it had a lot of weed around the waterline so looked to my novice eyes like a poorly maintained exterior.

The one we finally settled on has yet to go in the water - it was on a trailer which meant we could get it home easily and and the repairs that needed doing were fairly clear; hopefully will have her afloat in the next couple of weeks, if it ever warms up enough to finish the antifouling!

 

[colhel]

There was one boat we really liked but was on the tip of our budget , the risk of loosing £1500 or so lifting and surveying to find it might not be viable was enough to put us off that one; particularly since it was clear it had a lot of weed around the waterline so looked to my novice eyes like a poorly maintained exterior.

The one we finally settled on has yet to go in the water - it was on a trailer which meant we could get it home easily and and the repairs that needed doing were fairly clear; hopefully will have her afloat in the next couple of weeks, if it ever warms up enough to finish the antifouling!

Best of luck with your new venture As you're a novice is it worth pointing out that you don't need to antifoul if you're trailer sailing? Apologies if this is comes across as granny sucking eggs type of thing

 

[Coastgal]

We've been contemplating this exact same question today. The weather's been rather carp recently, so we're keen to get out on the water ASAP. However, due to work constraints, we can only go out at weekends, and according to our broker, that's the time most of the viewings take place. And as we don't want to miss those opportunities, we'll probably end up staying in harbour...defeating the object of staying in the water! (Plus, our annual berth contract ends on 31st March, so we'd save a lot of dosh putting her on the hard.)

We've also been told that de-personalising the boat as much as poss helps for viewings & a quick sale. We're not clutter bunnies, but the cupboards certainly aren't empty, so we're seriously considering putting her on the hard and emptying out most of the stuff. We'll probably still come down to the boat at weekends to keep her looking ship shape, but sadly it's looking like there'll be no more adventures on the water after Easter :-(

It's a difficult decision to make, but looking at the pros & cons, if you want to sell the boat fast, on the hard seems to be the recommended approach :-(

 

[winsbury]

Best of luck with your new venture As you're a novice is it worth pointing out that you don't need to antifoul if you're trailer sailing? Apologies if this is comes across as granny sucking eggs type of thing

Its not a trailer sailor; its going on a permanent swinging mooring; its just that it happened to be on a massive trailer already which made the buying decision even easier as I didnt even have to arrange haulage which can be another purchasing factor depending on where the buyer eventually wants the boat berthed.

 

[KellysEye]

Definitely put the boat on the hard. Potential buyers to like see what the keel and rudder configurations are and the prop size/folding and hull shape. Some experienced buyers even try to pull the prop side to side to check for shaft wear. That was my experience, every potential buyer went to see the hull etc.

 

[Skylark]

I'm having the same dilema. My boat is currenty on the hard and I've just put her up for sale. I'm due to be launched in mid April and I think I'll go ahead with it. The season is too short to be waiting for a buyer. I'd like to upgrade to a 40 footer but I'm not desparate so I'll enjoy sailing my current boat and see what happens.