Used boat prices

graduc

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Feb 3, 2014
Messages
41
have been looking to buy first boat and have noticed a big difference in prices for the same make of boat and year
can anybody tell me why. Hours are between 250 and 350 looking at 18 to 20 ft 10 to 12K and i seem to prefer
inboards intend to take the boat out of the water after every trip
 

Spence340

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Feb 20, 2017
Messages
37
Wide range of prices because there is a wide range of boat conditions when your dealing with old boats. Make sure you read through the sticky that advises first time boat buyers on what to look for. It's a very detailed list that will really help you determine what price range you should be in relative to condition.
 

tpenfield

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Jul 18, 2011
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17,621
The 'why' is that people have different ideas on what THEY think there boat is worth. It does not necessarily reflect condition in many cases.

So, you will see asking prices range widely. The reality is that the boats on the lower end of the asking price spectrum are the ones that sell. The ones on the higher end of the spectrum do not sell.

Most buyers want to get the best boat for the lowest price, so that works the market towards the low end of the price scale.
 

southkogs

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Jul 7, 2010
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14,785
One guy wants to just get rid of the boat they never should have bought. Another guy wants to get every penny he's been dumping into the thing for the last two years back out of it. Yet another dude has no clue as to the real value of the boat and is completely guessing. Region plays a big part in the pricing structure, and so does the season.

You kinda' have to know the deal you want on the boat you want, and be on the watch for opportunities as they pop up.

... AND (for the buyer especially) "condition" is king. It trumps almost everything else.
 

graduc

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Feb 3, 2014
Messages
41
Thanks for the replies i read a lot of articles about boating and maintaining it gets a little scary now we are in Florida and salt water i will just have to bite the bullet
and buy a boat
 

jkust

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
4,942
Just go take a look at some of the boats and you will quickly see the differences. Some people just haven't a clue, some have different definitions of terms such as excellent condition, some can be regional differences in pricing if you are looking nationwide, some may have the larger engine and better drive combination which can sometimes be very hard to find and the owner knows it and some may just be truly in perfect shape and should garner a higher price.
 

shrew

Lieutenant
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
1,309
Another guy wants to get every penny he's been dumping into the thing for the last two years back out of it.

This is very common. If you have a 20K boat and put 15K into it, you still have a 20K boat.....it's just more marketable and will sell faster. However, if you try to sell that boat for 35K, your phone will grow dusty with time. As a broker friend often says "You can't up-charge for a replacement item the boat is SUPPOSED to have". The boat value isn't increased with the the presence an item (like an engine or electronics), it is only decreased by its absence.

I find another variable that falls into this category is, "the owner is upside-down". He's carrying a note on the boat that is higher than the market value. This is often the case with boats, even when bought used. The seller can't live with selling the boat for less than the payoff number.
 

shrew

Lieutenant
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Dec 29, 2006
Messages
1,309
Funny side note, I saw a guy line item every dollar he spent on the boat, then added it to the bottom line. He even included his $5,000 international cruising permit. Why in the world would anyone want to pay him for his cruising permit?? It would be like adding the cost of the slip for the season to the sell price of the boat. Bizarre.
 

tpenfield

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Funny side note, I saw a guy line item every dollar he spent on the boat, then added it to the bottom line. He even included his $5,000 international cruising permit. Why in the world would anyone want to pay him for his cruising permit?? It would be like adding the cost of the slip for the season to the sell price of the boat. Bizarre.

It is in fact what you say . . . Trying to recover their expenses in their selling price. What they fail to realize is that they are in a competition with other sellers and losing badly.
 

muskyfins

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 7, 2012
Messages
578
Funny side note, I saw a guy line item every dollar he spent on the boat, then added it to the bottom line. He even included his $5,000 international cruising permit. Why in the world would anyone want to pay him for his cruising permit?? It would be like adding the cost of the slip for the season to the sell price of the boat. Bizarre.


You mean I can't add up the price of my slip (and gasoline) and add it to the price when I sell my boat???:laugh::laugh::laugh:
 

ajgraz

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
1,858
...If you have a 20K boat and put 15K into it, you still have a 20K boat...

Except that in the time it took you to spend the $15k on your $20k boat, it lost $10k in value and now you've spent $35k and have only a $10k boat.

Them's the breaks! :D
 

jkust

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
4,942
If you are for example on a particular lake and have an impossible-to-replace slip, people here will sell their boat at a very inflated price including the slip. So a slip that only costs 2k per season that is simply impossible to replace because there aren't any available and haven't been for years will net you a lot more than 2k in the sale price of the boat.
 
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