How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

[Macfarms]

I have a 1980 Celebrity 188 bowrider with a 228 mercruiser that is super clean. Motor runs perfect , solid floors , exceptional upholstery, and a 90 model Heritage tandem trailer with brakes. How do I go about pricing this cherry? Nothing I have found on the other for sale sites is even close to this boat.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

Pics?

Find similar models, but keep in mind its still a 34 year old typical bowrider. If it was a wooden boat or something unique, it could command a premium, but in your case, it won't help much.

Very rough guess, but maybe around $4000 in the spring. Put it on the market now in your location and its going to be half of that.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

Price it like any 34 year old boat. Sorry but if you think you'll get rich it won't happen. Maybe 15% to 20% over book value on a good day IF it's exceptional. Keep in mind that boat and trailer were just a tad over $10K new. I'd say $2,500 to $3,000 in the spring. Maybe a little more if you have adders (Bimini, cover, etc.)

This^

ask more if you want.... If you find the right buyer you COULD get 4k plus but you might have to sit on it and advertise it for a couple years.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

+ 1

 

[bajaunderground]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

Place an ad on CL (or whereever?) that you're auctioning off your exceptionally clean 1980 boat, etc...and that you'll take the highest and best offer at the end of the week/month? Not an ultimatum, just let people know you want fair market value. Whoever bids the highest and can bring the cash...that's what your boat is worth! Or start at what you think it's worth and lower price every other day by $500 till you have interest and a buyer!

I sold my 1982 Baja in August of 2012 for $4,400, it was exceptional as well, I would've taken $3,000, however, to that buyer on that day, that's what it was worth?

Values of boats are very subjective to peoples desires...the average buyer in that price range will most likely not know why that boat is worth 2 times what the other 1980 boats are worth, they may note the condition and that definitely adds value...but to an unseasoned boat owner, not as much!

Just my $.02

GLWS!

~Brett

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

Also, the thing that works against you is that 6k will buy a 20 year newer boat.

People who really know glass boats know that even if everything appears perfect the chances of rot in the stringers of a boat that old is still pretty high. If they are willing to pay a premium for a really old boat they either have to shell out money for a survey (which is lost if it comes up bad) OR just buy it and gamble that they won't discover signs of rot in a year or two.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

Location, location, location. Your location also plays a big part in what it will sell for. Near the ocean in the south maybe $2K on a sunny warm day. Near the inland lakes here around $2500.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

The disconnect with this sale is you are emotionally invested in the boat. Your potential buyer won't be. You can go with your heart or your head. Do you want to move it or sit on it?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

I am guessing closer to $2K tops.

I sold my 1987 21 Bayliner cuddy(15 years old) that was in very good condition back in 2002 for $2500.

 

[thumpar]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

I sold my old boat last August. It was a 1983 Sunrunner 16.5' openbow with 120 merc. It ran great. I would consider it great shape. The floors solid. The interior was original and except for the corners of the doghouse and the outdated look was great. It has close to 600 hours on it. I listed it high at $2700 and took the first offer at $2400 but didn't include all the extras like tow tubes, lifevests, etc. I had the boat for 7 years and only paid $2300 for it.

Since your is bigger I would say you could get a tad more than I got. I would wait a couple months to list it if you want top dollar. Most people aren't looking for a boat that they can't use for months to come. The only people buying now are those looking to pay half price because it is winter.

 

[Jim Hawkins]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

All good advice. If your looking to fix on a starting price you might do what I would do. Ask yourself honestly, if it was you buying the boat and you knew Nothing about it except what you could see on the surface plus the sellers claims, what would you feel was a fair price?

I like to break a used boats value into it's component pieces,

Trailer value - $400 ?
Motor value - $1500?
Hull Value $0
Value of an assembled working package $400?

 

[Macfarms]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

I appreciate all the input. I realize it's not a classic but it has been kept up. New floor, seat frames, upholstery , in floor insulated cooler, stereo with booster and sub woofer, depth finder, in late 90's . Floors still 100% solid, motor never used a drop of oil. Yes I am emotionally invested in it, having owned it for 34 years. If I was a potential buyer I'm not sure I would want a boat that old either but it is hard to part with knowing how good of shape it is in.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

If that "new floor" didn't include new stringers...... well, I hope you at least did core samples of the stringers

"new floor" is one of the biggest red flags on old boats... I hope not but I'm afraid I see signs of the price slipping lower...

 

[phillyg]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

I don't think there is a market for old boats like there is for classic cars, unless its something like an old Hacker Craft. You could sell a 1965 Mustang convertible for a primo price, not so a 1965 boat. The value of your boat will be set by what a buyer is willing to pay for it. My suggestion is for you to determine what a typical boat of that vintage/condition sells for, and then set your price higher and see what happens. If you're not hard-pressed to sell it quickly, just advertise it, perhaps for a long time, until someone sees the extra value in it and makes an offer.

 

[Macfarms]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

That's part of my problem, I've searched numerous sites and come up with very little info on boats that old. When I do it is easy to tell they are extremely weathered. Very little to go on.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

I appreciate all the input. I realize it's not a classic but it has been kept up. New floor, seat frames, upholstery , in floor insulated cooler, stereo with booster and sub woofer, depth finder, in late 90's . Floors still 100% solid, motor never used a drop of oil. Yes I am emotionally invested in it, having owned it for 34 years. If I was a potential buyer I'm not sure I would want a boat that old either but it is hard to part with knowing how good of shape it is in.

new floor scares me... Smokeonthewater beat me to it, but if you replaced only the floor, its VERY likely you have all kinds of rot going on under the surface. Wood in a boat goes bad from the bottom up, ALWAYS. If the floor was soft, so were the stringers. The fact it has an in-floor cooler scares me even more, because if it was used, the water most likely dumps directly in the bilge.

And if both the stereo and depth finder are late 90's, those don't add anything... Ancient in electronics terms.

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

IF I decided to buy a new boat and the seller said it had new floors I would either deduct $800 from my offer immediately assuming the floor is going to have to come back up again and the stringers would have to be replaced and I would automatically start going over every other square inch of the boat with a fine tooth comb looking for issues.

Part of the reason I decided to go ahead and document my build on the Starcraft, if I ever decided to sell my boat having documentation of what all was done is very beneficial to my asking price.

I would be willing to bet that the previous two posters might be willing to over look the new floor if I can say, when the floor was replaced everything was cleaned, core sampled and replaced. I rebuilt the floor using ACX ply triple Epoxy Resin sealed topped with a spar varnish for UV protection, and here is the documentation to prove it, additionally because I did the floor I also core sampled inspected and replaced the transom using double sheets of ACX ply triple epoxy coated, 6 times coated on all of the edges finished off with a spar varnish for UV protection. Might make an educated buyer understand that they have a worry free boat for the next 20 years and the amount of time, labor, and materials is worth my asking price.


I think you want a premium price for your boat, (don't we all), and your boat might just be immaculate BUT a buyer will only pay what the market says he should pay and in my neck of the woods a 34 year old Fiberglass bowrider is about a $2500 boat in immaculate shape.

 

[Macfarms]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

Just to clarify about the replaced floor , not meaning to beat a dead horse, Where the seats were screwed into the floor it had created bad spots. Seats would wiggle from not being held down and then started noticing soft spots around the screw areas. Removed decking, inspected, and replaced. Not a half assed job.

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

not accusing you of a half way job, but here is the question I would want to know as a buyer can you PROVE it wasnt a half way job. To me as a buyer its either a 2800 boat or an 800 boat depending on the proof. And I wont gamble with 2000 dollars maybe post a pic or two

 

[Brian 26]

Re: How to price an exceptionally good old boat?

You're probably not going to find a comparable in like condition so all you can do is throw it out there at a high asking price and wait.

There are people out there that will pay a premium for an old (but not classic) boat that is in pristine condition but not many. They might come the next day and pay your full price but more than likely it will take a LONG time and you'll be dealing with a lot of chiselers trying to knock your price down. "I saw another one that was the same year sell for $500"