To rerig or sell as is?

[sailor50]

Is is better for resale value, as a seller, to spend money on rerigging when you are selling the boat?

What kind of renegotiation should one expect if chosen not to?

Would the boat sell faster if new rigging was put on? As in giving a "safer" perspective to the prospective purchaser?

What about fixing only what was broken? How would that work for insurance after a survey?

[jrd22]

There are a lot of variables but generally I think you only do cosmetic stuff prior to sale, everything else can be negotiated.

[Squidd]

Depends, is this a $40-$50,000 boat where a grand or two will make a favorable impression on the buyer...?

Or is it a $5-$10,000 boat where you'll be lucky to get your money out of it...?

[sailor50]

It's a three figure posting.

[travlineasy]

Might want to spend a couple grand re-rigging if the boat is worth that much. It's a small percentage of the asking price.

Good Luck,

Gary

[Faster]

For a buyer to get a survey where 'replace standing rigging' is NOT a must-do recommendation would be a big carrot.. -esp on a 10+ yr old boat - and it may well speed or facilitate the sale over similar boats that cannot boast that item.. whether or not you'll get a return on that outlay is another matter.

The same would apply to other major items, recent engine, new sails, etc. They don't necessarily raise the value but they do make the boat more attractive on the market.

[sailor50]

The engine is new. Does that make it more attractive in the overall picture? It's a sailboat!

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by sailor50

The engine is new. Does that make it more attractive in the overall picture? It's a sailboat!

A new engine is very good but is unlikely to return its cost. My opinion is fix whats broken and then concentrate on cleaning & polishing, getting old gear & clutter off the boat and so forth. Fresh paint inside lockers, maybe new curtains etc. All that costs little but time and it makes a BIG impression. I looked at an old Yankee 38 once that was really scruffy and unloved on deck - sound though. It had a brand new, 0 hour Yanmar 4 installed - the engine box hadn't even been replaced. They were asking about what the engine would cost on a pallet. BUT, as we approached the boat down the dock my wife said "Ugh". Do I need to tell you I never got THAT particular boat? It will always live in my memory as one that got away.

If the rigging is older but doesn't need immediate replacement - I.E. it would "fail" a survey, you'd never recover the cost of new.

Unreeving dirty running rigging and washing it can make a big difference though.

[tomperanteau]

Originally Posted by sailor50

The engine is new. Does that make it more attractive in the overall picture? It's a sailboat!

We're on our third, and I can tell you the order in which we deemed things important.

Hull - does she float and are there any problems that might make her sink? Keel?
Engine - Hours? Maintenance?
Rigging - Sails? Standing? Running?

It comes down to safety and expense. She must float and be seaworthy. The engine is expensive, and the rigging is a bit less expensive. If she has all three, we can deal with anything else that comes along. We don't want to have to deal with any of the above right out of the shoot because they are most expensive.

As you can imagine, standing rigging was always high on the list.

[paulk]

JRD has the right idea: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Has the mast fallen down lately? The new owner may want carbon fiber rigging instead of whatever's there now. Let him factor the age of the old rigging into his offer, but don't price him out of the market by "improving" the boat with things he might not want at all. You could replace the keelbolts, the mast, the head, all the wiring, and all the plumbing too. Why not re-do the joinery and refasten the hull? What's that copper coating that's good for 10 or more years of antifouling? Someone looking for a used boat is not necessarily looking for those things, and whoever is suggesting that you spend a several thousand dollars may be in a position to somehow gain from your largesse.