Where and who to sell our lovely boat

[Robin]

Not an advert but a genuine request for advice!

We have a Jeanneau Sun Legende 41 from 1988 that has been set up for a couple to cruise long distance in comfort. The layout has been altered professionally to give an owners cabin and dressing area forward, a double guest cabin with shower (but no loo) aft. The main cabin can sleep two (and are sea berths) but the original pilot berths are now fitted lockers and bookshelves. The second original double stern cabin is now the 'shed' and the main shower and loo are here also. What we don't have is multiple berths for hordes of people.

In cruising terms we have a stern gantry carrying wind genny, radar and solar panel. There is a custom bimini that converts with the sprayhood to a fully enclosed cockpit conservatory, or can be used at sea as a bimini. We have an extra detachable cutter stay with running backstays that carries either staysail or storm jib and has proper dedicated sheet tracks. All reefing (3 slab reefs) of the fully battened main and roller genoa is done easily from the cockpit with a 2-line system. The mainsail is on roller bearing cars and there is a dedicated trysail track on the mast.

The boat is speedy yet easily handled by just myself and SWMBO, both card carrying bus pass holders.

We are selling up and moving to the USA so this boat will go for sale very well equipped. The question is where best to place her now for sale and with which brokerage, bearing in mind she is not a standard Sun Legende?? We live in poole and she is in our YC marina but I rather suspect that the Solent might be a better selling place?

 

[jonjo]

No real experience of these matters but how about on the hard at Port Solent = very accessible to cross channel French buyers shopping with their strong Euros?

Mind you tis a bit exposed there for a full winter ashore.

 

[Boomshanka]

If you're quick, you might get a deal to place her at the secondhand boat shows running parallel to SIBS.

 

[Judders]

Speak to Mark Chapman at Global Yachts.

He's fending off calls from Frenchmen wanting to take advantage of the exchange rate to buy French built yachts and being based on the Hamble, he is in a great position from a sellers point of view.

 

[Billjratt]

Advertise on the Web, your broker will as well (whoever it is). I had a similar situation a few years ago, selling a 7-berth boat reduced to 3. You are looking for a couple similar to yourselves who will understand why you have made the modifications. there are less of them about - but they are there, it may take time.
Mention all the phrases you used when you were planning the mods: "extended liveaboard"
"customised comfort for two" etc. come to mind.

 

[jonjo]

I forgot to say make a special effort with the internal photo portfollio because:

1 - You need to reassure buyers about the quality of the internal layout changes and the revised layout is hard to picture in words.

2 - Your yacht is getting to an age where poor ownership could make the inside of a yacht look tatty through bizarre interior design decisions, crackpot DIY equipment enhancements or woodwork abuse.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Have a word with Roger Moon at SD Marine (Hamble Point). He's the best broker I've tried to buy a boat from by a long chalk.

 

[Sybarite]

Get your priorities right...... Cancel the US.

John

 

[jonjo]

Have a word with Roger Moon at SD Marine (Hamble Point). He's the best broker I've tried to buy a boat from by a long chalk.

That is true but I suggest that Robin first reassures himself that his sort of buyer would be attracted to SD Marine's current brokerage stock. That was not true 6 years ago but hopefully things have changed because Roger Moon is a very engaging chap.

 

[Robin]

Thanks for the replies so far but keep suggestions coming!

We are moving to the USA (southern Chesapeake in Virginia) to live on a boat so not giving up boating just not doing it in Europe! We are also switching from sail to a displacement trawler mobo which will be a far bigger upheaval after a lifetime with wind power, but hey ho new challenges and new horizons!

I'm half thinking of putting our boat initially with a Poole brokerage whilst we are still using her and our berth is paid for (until end March 2010) and then moving her to an ashore brokerage in the Solent if not sold. That would make Ancasta Poole at Cobbs Quay then later at Lymington Yacht Haven a possible choice. Sea Ventures Hamble sold our last boat and were excellent but sadly no longer exist. I favour places with walk on staging to view boats as I think that must help and I also favour brokers with serious customer bases in Euroland. We bought her through Berthon so again a possible, but there may be others better that I don't know.


We have a boat that is near perfect for what we do, comfy fast cruising for 2. If we were looking today I'd still buy this boat over anything else around at a similar price and even most that are much more expensive so what is needed is to find someone like us that is looking for just what we have, if that makes sense!

 

[Ubergeekian]

Crazy scheme, but it might just work!

We are selling up and moving to the USA so this boat will go for sale very well equipped. The question is where best to place her now for sale ...

Why not make a long post, full of details of the boat (age, condition, modifications and so on) and then post is as a "request for advice on where to sell" on a popular online yachting forum. With any luck the people who run it won't notice that you're trying to evade their advertising charges.

 

[AIDY]

Robin - My only constructive advice is there's still time to cross the pond in here before march 2010 best of luck with the future in the US of A

 

[Robin]

Why not make a long post, full of details of the boat (age, condition, modifications and so on) and then post is as a "request for advice on where to sell" on a popular online yachting forum. With any luck the people who run it won't notice that you're trying to evade their advertising charges.

That is a good idea, why didn't I think of that?

That is not what I was trying to do at all or I would have added pictures and a link to a website. I'm aware that we have a non-standard version of a very popular class of boat that would not be suitable (as would the standard version) for say a family with lots of kids but yet is perfect for a couple wanting to cruise long or short distances in comfort. My question was aimed at finding a suitable brokerage to handle things for us, one that attracts buyers of our kind of boat be they from the UK or Euroland.

 

[Kilter]

Create a website for her, put her in boats and outboards and appolo duck with links to your site

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Create a website for her, put her in boats and outboards and appolo duck with links to your site

.... with a link in the footer of YBW threads .... that's how I sold our previous boat and I know another who did the same.

 

[Robin]

I just discovered that Sea Ventures Hamble Point brokerage still exists and they sold our last boat and gave an impressive service. We may go that route again since they are Jeanneau specialists and have a walkway display area there which I think is very helpful.

 

[Twister_Ken]

SD Marine also has a walkway. And a motivated broker who tries to SELL boats and not wait for people to buy them.

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

SD Marine also has a walkway. And a motivated broker who tries to SELL boats and not wait for people to buy them.

You got shares in SD then ken?

How many enquiries via PM's have you had from your little blog then Robin?

 

[reginaldon]

Why not make a long post, full of details of the boat (age, condition, modifications and so on) and then post is as a "request for advice on where to sell" on a popular online yachting forum. With any luck the people who run it won't notice that you're trying to evade their advertising charges.

I wondered how long it would be before someone spotted this possible ploy.

 

[Robin]

SD Marine also has a walkway. And a motivated broker who tries to SELL boats and not wait for people to buy them.

I will be going there to look at and talk to the brokers so will add SD to that Ken. However I looked on their website and all the boats listed were smaller than ours which may mean they attract different potential buyers?? We used Sea Ventures to sell our W33 8 years ago which they did very efficiently, hence why I tend to favour them now as well as them being Jeanneau specialists.