Where to look for used boats for sale

[ontheplane]

I am considering getting a smaller boat (20-30') preferably either outboard or Inboard Diesel.

Possible candidates are

Sealine S23
Jeanneau Leader 805
Various American 24' cruisers


I'm looking on The Yacht market, Apollo Duck, Rightboat (and boats and outboards but that just seems like a re-skinned Rightboat) and eBay.

Is there another site(s) that I should also be keeping an eye on?

Things I want are:-
Full Canvas
Diesel Heating
Trim Tabs
Anchor Windlass
4 berths inside the boat

Ideally I'd like to be able to trail it eventually - so limited to the 24-26' length and about 2500kg ish

I would Consider a MPi petrol, but would prefer diesel (lower fuel costs) or an outboard (Lower servicing costs to balance higher fuel costs)
I wouldn't consider any Carb engine at all.

Other than the usual contenders - is there a really good choice I've not mentioned?

 

[Hot Property]

Facebook marketplace.

It's a very good place to get in touch with sellers.

Some scams as always, but if you are in the market for a £30-50 k boat you will probably want to see it before partying with cash!

I sold my Saver 690 there a few years ago and there are boats listed that would fit your requirements.

As always, there can be a dearth of boats, then 3 good ones come along......

A nice Parker 750 with 300 Verado for £50k

Log into Facebook

Good luck towing a 24 ft boat. I towed my Saver 690 ( about 23ft) and it wasn't a pleasant experience.

Friends both have bigger Regals at 25 ft but have huge Dodge Ram vehicles to tow with.

I would stick to a maximum of 22 ft for towing which means your 4 berths are a no go.

 

[ducked]

Gumtree

Or near water

 

[Seastoke]

Are u selling yours first

 

[ontheplane]

Boat less at the mo

Don’t mind towing - would be occasional not every time we used

 

[jon and michie]

boats.co.uk always have something in

 

[ari]

Possible candidates are

Sealine S23
Jeanneau Leader 805
Various American 24' cruisers

Ideally I'd like to be able to trail it eventually - so limited to the 24-26' length and about 2500kg ish

805 Leader the obvious choice there, and a different league to a Sealine S23. Not that there's anything wrong with a S23, but the 805 is the next size up, far more beam, far more space inside and out, and a far bigger engine.

However, you can't legally trailer an 805 Leader, so worth bearing in mind if it's a dealbreaker.

 

[oldgit]

Where to look for used boats for sale ?​

A possible answer to the actual question.....As rough guide.
Faecesbook. On your door step only, strictly budget end of the market usually from desperate sellers who have totally failed to sell by other methods and the description will usually bear little relationship the actual condition of the item described. A careful inspection of the background in the smartphone pix speaks volumes. Prices very negotiable indeed.. Anything left on boat should probably go straight in the skip.
Flares and lifejackets what flares and lifejackets ? They might be the mould covered damp pile of stuff in a locker.

All/Any of the free interweb boat sales websites. The next level of boat sales up ? , both in price and chances of the boat vaguely resembling the owners description.
50/50 chance that it might be worth travelling halfway across the country to view, when you have just about given up on finding a half decent boat that you would pay actually money for not well past its "sink by date". Some stuff left on boat might be worth keeping until you discover it does not work or well out of date. Flares will be 10 years out of date. lifejackets only 5 years.
Brokers.Two flavours.
Online internet franchise, usually wide range of older smaller budget boats , hundreds of pictures of cleats and bottoms of stantions and totally out of date radios and Nav gear.
Good chance boat might resemble description, flares/ lifejackets 6 weeks before expiry.
Top end and with a reputation to jealously preserve .
This bloke can comfortably communicate with people looking to buy /sell craft with a large number of noughts in the price.
Most certainly with a sales pontoon in proper marina , your boat will get 3 months free mooring and you are warned to be prepared for the first bill to be from his favoured local polish and clean outfit ( your lick and promise after arrival will simply not do).
Flares in date and lifejackets still in original packaging. Inflatable in cassette needs renewing in a couple of years.

Been both a buyer and seller except at the top end.
Ps. None of the above might be true.

 

[ontheplane]

805 Leader the obvious choice there, and a different league to a Sealine S23. Not that there's anything wrong with a S23, but the 805 is the next size up, far more beam, far more space inside and out, and a far bigger engine.

However, you can't legally trailer an 805 Leader, so worth bearing in mind if it's a dealbreaker.

Yeh - I agree, although I have never been on one, I have watched Aquaholic's video's and it does appear to be almost the "perfect" boat - small enough to handle solo or with inexperienced crew but large enough to genuinely accomodate 4 for a weekend or even 2 for a week or 2 (I remember as a family of 4 doing 2 weeks on the Norfolk Broads in a 20ft Buckingham cruiser so this would be luxury!

Sadly the 805's with even the older Kad43 seem to start well into the £35k + range and with the D4 of Nicks boat £45k + which is a long way over my budget.

However there is one about that is under £30k - however that one sports a Petrol V8. Now I recall my days with a Carb v8 in a Rinker 260V and thought it was pricey to run even back then!! (about 1996) so I hate to think what one would cost to run now - (Petrol was about £1.00 on the marina for a litre) back then.

On the plus side, it would be quieter and smoother for the pottering about - and faster for watersports than a diesel - but I frequently said on these pages that I would only have a petrol on a lighter boat up to about 22' or thereabouts.....

Anyone owned a Cranchi Zaffiro 28 (I thought they only did a 34 but apparently not) - that appears to be a nice boat with a D4 in it for top end of the budget - not sure if people would think that a good buy?

Also (different price range altogether) what do people think of the Sea Ray 250 Sundancer's from about 1995 - 1998 era? - Found one of these with a 220 HP mercruiser diesel in it - it is a lot cheaper but I worry a bit about resale?

Thanks all - the input is great.

 

[ontheplane]

Where to look for used boats for sale ?​

A possible answer to the actual question.....As rough guide.
Faecesbook. On your door step only, strictly budget end of the market usually from desperate sellers who have totally failed to sell by other methods and the description will usually bear little relationship the actual condition of the item described. A careful inspection of the background in the smartphone pix speaks volumes. Prices very negotiable indeed.. Anything left on boat should probably go straight in the skip.
Flares and lifejackets what flares and lifejackets ? They might be the mould covered damp pile of stuff in a locker.

All/Any of the free interweb boat sales websites. The next level of boat sales up ? , both in price and chances of the boat vaguely resembling the owners description.
50/50 chance that it might be worth travelling halfway across the country to view, when you have just about given up on finding a half decent boat that you would pay actually money for not well past its "sink by date". Some stuff left on boat might be worth keeping until you discover it does not work or well out of date. Flares will be 10 years out of date. lifejackets only 5 years.
Brokers.Two flavours.
Online internet franchise, usually wide range of older smaller budget boats , hundreds of pictures of cleats and bottoms of stantions and totally out of date radios and Nav gear.
Good chance boat might resemble description, flares/ lifejackets 6 weeks before expiry.
Top end and with a reputation to jealously preserve .
This bloke can comfortably communicate with people looking to buy /sell craft with a large number of noughts in the price.
Most certainly with a sales pontoon in proper marina , your boat will get 3 months free mooring and you are warned to be prepared for the first bill to be from his favoured local polish and clean outfit ( your lick and promise after arrival will simply not do).
Flares in date and lifejackets still in original packaging. Inflatable in cassette needs renewing in a couple of years.

Been both a buyer and seller except at the top end.
Ps. None of the above might be true.

I have to say my opinion of brokers is not great.

Some I have spoken to are ok - but the vast majority know absolutely nothing about the boats on their books - and also don't seem to be bothered about replying to enquiries....

One I emailed about 5 times about a boat before ringing them for them to say "oh yes I saw your emails" - I so felt like saying "so why didn't you come back to me then?" ... Nice chap - but certainly knew nothing about the boat he was selling to the point he told me a Mercruiser 5.0MPi in the photos of the boat was a diesel.....

I don't expect them to know the minutiae of every boat on their listings - but some basic knowledge would be good....

If you are struggling to sell your boat through a broker I'd get a mate to email expressing interest and see how well you are handled - because my experience is that it's very variable at best!

 

[Alicatt]

Also (different price range altogether) what do people think of the Sea Ray 250 Sundancer's from about 1995 - 1998 era? - Found one of these with a 220 HP mercruiser diesel in it - it is a lot cheaper but I worry a bit about resale?

Thanks all - the input is great.

Had a look at a 290 Sundancer in Holland with a single Yanmar (Toyota 4.2 turbo diesel) 160hp on a stern drive, boat had been left on the hard for a while and had taken on a good bit of water, was too much of a project for me. It had a nice layout, I did put a low bid in at auction, but it made €20k which I thought was over the top.
It was set up for river cruising rather than speed.

Also had a look at a 390 with twin Cat engines, very nice indeed, but had suffered from osmosis, big boat at just over 12m, 3 cabins 2 heads and an asking price of €45k, we went for the Ocean 37, older but feels a lot better built and is a very nice boat to be on, the asking price was €10k lower and we got her for a good bit less than that.

 

[ontheplane]

Yes, the price isn't an issue with the Sea Ray I have looked at - It's a good price and I've negotiated it down a lot further - Needs a lot of TLC but mainly cosmetic.

Also think a 220hp diesel in a boat of that size should have acceptable performance as well.

Feels like an older cheaper boat ..... But it's an older and much cheaper boat so that should be a surprise! lol.

 

[Fire99]

However there is one about that is under £30k - however that one sports a Petrol V8. Now I recall my days with a Carb v8 in a Rinker 260V and thought it was pricey to run even back then!! (about 1996) so I hate to think what one would cost to run now - (Petrol was about £1.00 on the marina for a litre) back then.

On the plus side, it would be quieter and smoother for the pottering about - and faster for watersports than a diesel - but I frequently said on these pages that I would only have a petrol on a lighter boat up to about 22' or thereabouts.....

Personally, though I generally hate the smell of diesel, I wouldn't bother with the petrol V8's. This is partly from my experience some years ago and some guys I know recently. The V8's are lovely and smooth at low revs as you'll know, with a good one being almost inaudible at idle.. Mine was. But mine was lazy to get on the plane and noisy at high revs. An engineer I know has not too long ago re-engined from twin petrol to twin diesel and other than flat out, the performance has been a big step up. Much easier cruising at mid speed and initial getting on the plane much sharper.

I hate to admit it but ignoring the modern outboard driven boats, for any boat which has some weight under her, it has to be diesel in my opinion. The cheaper price etc of the petrol model may be tempting but I just think under ownership it'll be a bit frustrating.

 

[ontheplane]

This was kind of my thoughts....

Weirdly whilst we happily pay out annual berthing etc# throwing £300 a day in fuel in seems to hurt more!

If I see an 805 Leader for circa £30k that isn't a basket case I might try and get it - otherwise it's still the American boats I think.

Anyone owned a Chranchi Zaffiro 28 as there is one of those that's come up.... Chunk of money still but bordering on affordable...

 

[Sianna]

We ended up with an 805, we were in the same position as you 6 years ago and it's proved to be a fantastic boat. Sleeps 4, very beamy which makes them really stable especially compared to the S23/4.
Diesel all the way, safe and economical (for a boat), we cruise at 25nts and have had 31knts at WOT.
If you have any questions on the 805 please ask away.

 

[Alicatt]

We considered a Bayliner 3055 Contessa at one point, she had been re-engined with what I think were GMC 6.2 V8, it was advertised as having Volvo Penta engines but the picture was of a GMC. There were too many inconsistencies with what was advertised and what the broker said on the phone, we cancelled going to view her.
Then we looked at 3 Broom Ocean 37/Continental and bought the third one, the Searay 390 was laying on the other side of the pontoon from the Ocean 37 we bought.

 

[Fire99]

If I see an 805 Leader for circa £30k that isn't a basket case I might try and get it - otherwise it's still the American boats I think.

You never know, we are entering a less attractive season for boats so you may find someone willing to part with one for better money.. And thought the top end (superyacht) segment of the boat industry is very strong, I'm hearing a cooling in the lower areas. The Polish builders for example appear to be looking for further afield markets due to Europe going a bit cold. I'm only riffing here but a little patience my get you on the Leader ladder (excuse the phrase!) I'm not the biggest Aquaholic fan but I admit his Leader 805 is a really versatile boat. Would be my choice in the size category.

 

[Little Ricky]

I am considering getting a smaller boat (20-30') preferably either outboard or Inboard Diesel.

Possible candidates are

Sealine S23
Jeanneau Leader 805
Various American 24' cruisers


I'm looking on The Yacht market, Apollo Duck, Rightboat (and boats and outboards but that just seems like a re-skinned Rightboat) and eBay.

Is there another site(s) that I should also be keeping an eye on?

Things I want are:-
Full Canvas
Diesel Heating
Trim Tabs
Anchor Windlass
4 berths inside the boat

Ideally I'd like to be able to trail it eventually - so limited to the 24-26' length and about 2500kg ish

I would Consider a MPi petrol, but would prefer diesel (lower fuel costs) or an outboard (Lower servicing costs to balance higher fuel costs)
I wouldn't consider any Carb engine at all.

Other than the usual contenders - is there a really good choice I've not mentioned?

I would always buy from a broker, never private or through a FB type place, they will always be willing to help after your purchase you since you gave them some business.

 

[ontheplane]

I don't know - I will buy from.a broker but I think if you can talk to the owner directly sometimes you learn more!

 

[ontheplane]

You never know, we are entering a less attractive season for boats so you may find someone willing to part with one for better money.. And thought the top end (superyacht) segment of the boat industry is very strong, I'm hearing a cooling in the lower areas. The Polish builders for example appear to be looking for further afield markets due to Europe going a bit cold. I'm only riffing here but a little patience my get you on the Leader ladder (excuse the phrase!) I'm not the biggest Aquaholic fan but I admit his Leader 805 is a really versatile boat. Would be my choice in the size category.

Absolutely - some brokers are still full of bravado, but I think 90% are realistic - some have even encouraged me to put in "stupidly.low" offers as I "never know"....

I agree that at the superyacht level, these people.are not only immune from the cost of.living crisis but may even be profiting from it - it's at this "normal" level I'm operating at I think it's biting. People who bought a boat and added it to their mortgage when rates were low and who are at the end of fixed.rates with mortgages nearly doubling for some - these people.may have no choice but to sell.

It's never nice to profit from.someone else's misfortune - but if they have to sell anyhow, if.its a low.price, sell it.to.me!

I just wish marinas suffered the same.and.dropped their prices by 50%