Are boats just not selling right now????

[fdmsiv]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

Just a different thought. Craigslist has been inundated with scammers, frauds, cheats, and general low lives. You might be making people suspicious by posting the same boat in multiple cities. It may cost a little extra $$$ but you might consider posting somewhere that you have to pay (newspaper, ebay). This gives you listing a little more legitimacy and would leave buyers with more confidence that they are not going to receive a note from you telling them the boat is actually somewhere else and they need to wire money somewhere because you are out of the country visiting your sick father who....

I only note this because there have been quite a few recent post regarding scams on craigslist, most of the first replies are people noting the boat was up for sale across a few cities.

 

[Polar_Bus]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

It's not just boating that has seen a serious recent decline.... RV'ing has also take a serious decline as well. Basically anything that needs a healthy dose of "fuel" and is also "recreational" has taken a blow. I also see far less participation at most all forms of local motorsports racing events. i.e: circle track racing, drag racing motocross and so on..

I am one of the benificiaries from the really scary economy. I scored a '98 22' Stingray 5.7L for VERY short money. After and about $400 invested in new parts, and a LOT of cleaning and hull buffing. my new used boat looks awesome.

I had a chat with the public boat ramp worker and he commented to me that 6 years ago it was common to have to wait over an hour to launch, this past few years, the average weekend wait is about 10 min max.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

no matter where you shop for used stuff, you have to be aware.

i have sold 2 boats without motors, in the last 10 days on craigslist.

 

[haskindm]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

As others have said, it is the end of the season for a large part of the country. This reduces the number of buyers and there are many boats for sale, so it is the old supply and demand dynamic at work. Large supply with few buyers results in lower prices. There is a good deal of uncertainty right now: how high will fuel prices go, how long will the economic "crises" (if it is one) last. So many people are waiting before making a major purchase. Those that are buying right now know that it is a "buyer's market" and they are looking for deals. Don't expect to get "top dollar" for any boat right now. If you don't have to sell, you would probably be better off waiting until spring to try to sell. By then the elections will be over, the price of fuel will probably be more stable, and more people will be coming to the market. If you must sell now, be prepared to price your boat well below what you think it is "worth" or do something else to make it stand out from the crowd. An exceptionally well cared for boat will still attract more interest than the average boat. A well-respected name will attract more attention. A very low price will attract attention.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

Best time to buy a boat: Fall

Best time to sell a boat: spring


Plus the economy is in the dumper and heading downhill still, so people aren't eager to spend cash on something they can't use for a half year anyway. Wait until it starts going uphill again and they'll be more eager.

Store your boat for now if you can.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

We in Middle Tennessee cannot even reliably get enough gas to get to work. I can't imagine someone not owning a boat buying one right now for retail or fair value, or anyone with a serviceable boat upgrading size, HP, and features. I personally know of a couple of people who never even un-winterized this year, who have had theirs for sale with no interest.

 

[bamafutbal]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

i do not see a drop off in usage of boats around here, fresh or salt water. saw several 30' fountain style boats with many girls and guys, loud stereos etc etc cruising around. stayed at plantation inn crystal river recently and the place was sold out

 

[bamafutbal]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

also tried to get a room at nickelodeon hotel orlando for 5 different weekends and the 200.00 rooms are sold out. went out to dinner last night and had to wait on a table at a pricey restraunt. i think the economy is going well for alot of people.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

Pontoon Boat sales are up this season. More than likely due to people wanting a nice platform to raft up and swim instead of tubing and wakeboarding all day. Our lake was packed this summer but most people were beached or anchored.

The fuel shortage around here has cut our Off Shore fishing trips for the last couple of weekends though. None of the stations here would let us fill the 2 tanks on the 26' SeaCat. The pontoon still has fuel becasue the water is too cold to tube right now so all we do is cruise around the lake checking out the houses.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

Wow! I hadn't heard about the fuel shortage in the southeast. I just checked Google news. I hope that's over with soon.

 

[Hashi]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

Anything that guzzles gas these days are not selling. I know of two Ford dealers in my area that closed due to the slow sales triggered by rising gas prices. One of them just opened a brand new store just a couple of months ago. Now, we have the stock market crashing and banks not lending money. Everyone is just holding there own until they know for certain that the economy is stable.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

Wow! I hadn't heard about the fuel shortage in the southeast. I just checked Google news. I hope that's over with soon.

Over half of the gas stations near me are out today again....The ones that have fuel are between 4.00 and 4.50 a gallon....Some were as high as 5.50...
People fighting at pumps....crazy!

 

[Wingnutt]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

Boats are selling, but at about 1/2 to 2/3 of FMV...maybe. With the economy in the dumps and no end of the recession in sight; because every time things starts to look a little better, another bomb is dropped on the economy. Not to mention the cost of fuel. Nobody is willing to part with any $$ (or has any extra money) for luxuries. Not to mention that a buyer will have to wait at least five months to use a boat if they bought one right now.

My 2455 has been winterized and is in semi indefinite storage (it's paid for, so I'm not losing anything by not using it) even though I just started a new job that pays pretty dang good. Right now things are just to iffy to blow $200 to 400 for a weekend of fun. Even if my home was paid for and I had a half million dollars in the bank, I wouldn't seriously consider buying a boat right now unless I could pick it up for pennies on the dollar.

 

[lets_fish]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

I had a wad of cash burning a hole in my pocket all summer and i couldn't find a boat worth buying.

 

[hdefjunkie]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

Not sure what to think. I'm in the market for a used 2-3yrs Alumacraft Trophy and lately they're few and far between on ebay, craigslist etc.. Actually
I think there were more on the market in July - Aug than now.

Not to say there's non, but with the economy I suspect boat owners are sittin' tight to see what happens before selling.

Then again, I'm north of the border (but would import a US boat) and the
rec. economy doesn't seem to be too bad right now. CDN dollar is holding it's own. (Investment portfolios are a totally different matter). I have two relatives that bought brand new this year, no reservations.. and there still seems to be numerous of overly priced units in CDA.

Cheers...

 

[valentini60]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

i see a lot of boats still rapped up and on blocks all summer. The bay as has been said seems empty. Lot of paople just cant affoed to use or buy it would seem.

I have a good friend that moved to the bahamas and has been wanting to sell his Colbalt 293 fully loaded for a years and a half now and no serious bites
so it also sits on blocks till it sells or he is thinking of putting it in the water next season for the few weekends he is home.

 

[captquest]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

This is my analysis. The economy is almost in shock right now, turn on the news. If you have money to spend on a boat, you should have no problem finding one right now. New, that is. The dealers around here are giving them away, same at the car lots. Finding a specific used boat may be harder because private owners are hanging on to what they have due to lower sale values. Those of you having trouble selling are simply asking to much in the present market,and if you owe on it you may suddenly be upside down. You may find some sellers liquidating their paid boats cheap, but fewer and far er. People are trying to live normally, eating out, shopping at Walmart, entertainment, etc. But big item spending is way down, check retail sales on cars. boats, plasma TV's, houses, and that kind of stuff. The high fuel prices have people driving less and spending less on their cars (maintenance, tires and such). This has effected my business. I guess the same is occurring in the boating world. People are trying to stay out of debt, not spend chunks of their savings and cutting back a bit. Maybe I'm wrong, but this is my observation. I'm still watching and listening, and willing to learn.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

Boats arent selling cause they arent the right kind of boats. Soon with our economy on the down low people will want the boats like they have over in shanghi made of tin where a family of 8 can live. great way to live. They got free water to drink and cook. wash cloths, dump sewage and fish for food and you dont have to pay a morgage for a place to float it. Thats what BROKE third world citizens have to do.

 

[ckone0814]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

I've been looking for a few months and there doesn't seem to be much in PA/DE/NJ area - at least for what I want.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: Are boats just not selling right now????

Ill agree with what has been said. In fact now is when I am looking for a larger outboard for my tinny. I expect to pay less then if I wait till April. As a side note My friend with a 19' Sea ray that he pulls behind his 3/4 ton Dodge has had it out 3 times this season. I have had my Tin can out that many times this week. A days worth of fishing for me is about a gallon of gas for my truck and a gallon of gas for my Outboard. for him is many gallons for the Dodge and Many gallons for the 5.7 in the Sea Ray.