Are any boats selling ?

Oldhombre · #1 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008

Having recently decided to upsize the boat, I have browsed hundreds of pages of boats for sale and contacted a few sellers but everyone so far seems to be in the same boat (pun of course intended). Asking prices have dropped and most people like myself need to sell their old boat first before buying a new one. I have only very recently put mine on the market but I have contacted people who have been up for sale now for well over a year with practically no interest. Their boats look sound enough and not over-priced. I know sailing is classed as a luxury and therefore meant to be one of the first markets to be hit in a so-called recession, but is it really this bad ?

kjango · #2 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008

I think maybe it is . I bought a boat last Oct. & had watched ads for months that never seemed to change . The boat I purchased was on the market for 2 years . I was the second person to look at it .

Gary3675 · #3 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008

My boat, a Tartan 33, has been on the market for a year and a half. Fair amount of lookers but no takers. We love the boat and just not going to give it away with all the work we put into it. Seems people want it for nothing.

Bene505 · #4 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008

What about doing a trade with another boat owner? The What Size Your Next Boat poll showed that there are some people out there looking for a smaller boat. This may be even more true in this market.

RocketScience · #5 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary3675

My boat, a Tartan 33, has been on the market for a year and a half. Fair amount of lookers but no takers. We love the boat and just not going to give it away with all the work we put into it. Seems people want it for nothing.

I believe it is the market that is fueling this attitude. I too have looking for a boat. I have seen some Sellers drop their price by as much as 20% in the last few months.....it's a buyers market.

sailhog · #6 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008

It seems the sailboat market is always a buyers market. But I don't think slashing your price will necessarily make it sell all that much faster. By the time someone who wants YOUR SPECIFIC BOAT, they've probably been looking for a while and they want it for very particular reasons. One reason might be that there is no other boat quite like yours in the area. So what are they going to do if you don't accept their off of 50% of your asking price? They're going to counter offer... if they don't, they get to spend the next several months driving to marinas looking at boats that don't fit them and/or are in nasty shape. Drop your price a little, and then hold firm...

tommays · #7 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008

People are to unsure about the future right now

Even if i had a 100k cash sitting in the boat fund i would NOT want to do anything until i see how things shake out next year as it be fine OR i might need that 100k to weather the storm

BarryL · #8 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008

Hello,

IMHO, most boat OWNERS seriously over value their own boats. And, most boat BUYERS under value the worth of a good boat. Put those two together, and you have a very slow market.

If you look at places like yachtworld, you find 10 year old boats with asking prices close to what the boat cost new. And those boats have original sails, simple electronics, etc.

In my marina, there is a Beneteau 331 that has been for sale for the last three years. I submit that if you haven't sold the boat in 3 years, you don't really want to sell it.

I'm sure times are hard, after all, no one really needs a sail boat. However, if you are looking to trade, it doesn't really matter. What you lose on your sale you make up on the purchase.

I bought a bigger boat two years ago and sold me then current boat in the spring of 2007. It wasn't THAT hard. Sure, I would like to have sold it for more money, but I had to be realistic. The BUYERS get to set the selling price.

Barry

JimsCAL · #9 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008

I am also looking to move up. I have had my 30 foot Cal on the market since the spring - lots of inquiries, but only three that looked at it (with positive comments but realized it wasn't the boat for them). Still waiting for the first offer. Boats that I have been watching as possible replacements are still on the market also. The recent financial collapse is only going to make things tighter. So any buyer with cash and no current boat to sell is really in the driver's seat.

RocketScience · #10 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarryL

...I would like to have sold it for more money, but I had to be realistic...

And many Sellers are not.

I have viewed nearly identically equipped boats, one owner asking market, the other asking 40% over. I wanna ask the guy, "Did ya ever check the classifieds before you listed this thing???".......DUH?