Blue Book

JimS123

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
7,952
The book values are worthless. Its all about condition. A boat with a rotten deck won't be worth near what the book says, and a freshwater boat will command a premium.

Last year I sold my pristine boat the first day advertised, and at 4x book value.
 

ahicks

Captain
Joined
Sep 16, 2013
Messages
3,957
The book values are worthless. Its all about condition. A boat with a rotten deck won't be worth near what the book says, and a freshwater boat will command a premium.

I agree. If you're talking a boat that's over 7 or 8 years old or so, book value is something to check on, but often as not it's not worth much on an older boat. May help determine loan value.
 

82rude

Rear Admiral
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
4,082
The book values are worthless. Its all about condition. A boat with a rotten deck won't be worth near what the book says, and a freshwater boat will command a premium.

Last year I sold my pristine boat the first day advertised, and at 4x book value.

Just curious,did you sell the Lyman?
 

H20Rat

Vice Admiral
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
5,199
Boats aren't cars... Yes, there is a bluebook value, but it is barely good enough to even be considered a starting point. Location and condition drive the price somewhere between 1/4 of bluebook to 4x bluebook value.
 

tpenfield

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 18, 2011
Messages
17,625
You can either sell it or offer it for sale :D

nada.com
bucvalu.com

Try those sites and also take a look at current Ad listings for comparable boats.
 

roffey

Commander
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
2,187
I think a boat is worth what ever someone is willing to pay. The web sites only tell you what the current asking prices are and not really what it is sold and tied up at the dock for..

Being a terrible speller I can jump in here and point out its bad form to point out spelling and grammatical errors in a post.
 

Lowlysubaruguy

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 3, 2012
Messages
514
I sell cars. Book values are so left or right of my market value there not even a tool. I search craigslist and the online sales sights in my area and watch similar adds for cars that sell not some add that’s a month old with a high sticker price. Dealers with financing and traffic will alway sell at a higher price but there a tool. Find something similar that sells the more you find the more you’ll know about how to price it.

with boats people are willing to drive further so you can expand a ways. eBay is also a good place to list.
 

GA_Boater

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
May 24, 2011
Messages
49,038
Cleaned out the off topic posts.

Help macrae find a price for his boat.
 

roffey

Commander
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
2,187
On a more positive note, when I have sold cars or boats I normally check Kijiji (Craigslist) and Auto Trader as they sell boats. As I mentioned earlier, its more what the boats sells for than what its worth as strange as that sounds. I would start a little high and work down. You might be a little early as most boaters want to go for a test ride, this part depends on where you do your boating.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
47,310
macrae what kind of boat?
What is the condition?
what kind of motor?
What is the condition?
is it garage kept?
What is the condition?

did I ask, what is the condition.....

unless the boat is brand new, any book value is meaningless. it comes down to condition. two identical boats with exact same age, one kept in-doors and cleaned after every used. and one left uncovered.... after two years, the one uncovered is worth less than half of any book value. the one that is in good condition, been kept in-doors and cleaned religiously will command up to 2X book values

other things you need to know. the same boat in exactly the same condition will get different prices if it is in Canada, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia or California.

while a book value is a starting point, the better starting point is what are similar boats in the same condition selling for.
 
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