Where did all the used boats and motors go?

[crackedglass]

I normally browse CL and FB daily every morning, and couldn't help but notice there's almost no motors or smaller boats listed for sale, not here or any of the surrounding areas?
There's a few larger boats, all over 19ft long, but no small boats, no aluminum boats, and I only found three used motors for sale, a one year old 225, one older 40hp and one four stroke 9.9 Merc 4 stroke.
Sat. I was at a local dealer and they were well stocked, but most motors were last years models. One other dealer had no new motors at all just used two strokes, but they did have a yard full of boats.

Yet, I listed a 1999 14ft boat with a 9.9hp four stroke outboard and trailer, turn key and running for $1200, and hadn't had an email in four months by the time the ad expired.

Did everyone stop boating? Am I missing something?

A couple of years ago I'd have had a line at my door trying to buy the thing.

I was out on the river Sunday afternoon, and it was pretty much abandoned, not a soul out there. Its usually a madhouse this time of the year. Its been like that all summer with the exception of a few holiday weekends but even then it wasn't what it used to be. Last summer, even mid pandemic, at least there was some traffic out there.

I did a search online and read several articles and a few news reports on how new and used boat sales went crazy during the pandemic wiping out all the dealer inventory, but where are they all? They're not on the water, and if the boat dealers are sold out, then why aren't used boats selling?
I've looked at 10 or 15 really nice boats for sale out around town here and all have been just sitting there for months. I'm not talking about some leaf filled pile of fiberglass that's been growing roots for 30 years, I'm talking about nice clean boats that were maybe 5 to 15 years old. Most said people mostly just look and leave, or made low ball offers. That doesn't sound like a boat buying frenzy to me?

Is it different in other areas?

I'm watching a couple clean older 9.9hp Merc/mariner four stroke motors for sale now on CL, they're priced right, but they've been listed and relisted for a long time. One even has a vid of it running on Youtube. yet its been up there since March.

Several of the big fishing fleamarkets were also canceled due to lack of interest after almost no spots were reserved in the months before they were scheduled. .

 

[Scott Danforth]

people quit buying things on CL due to all the scammers and prefer Facetube Marketplace. I dont understand that logic

quality used inventory is extremely low, with primarily project boats left and many new buyers getting stuck with a bum boat that they thought they were getting a deal on. so many new buyers are shying away used in general. some of us grey beard buyers are waiting to buy when the market comes down a bit more

 

[Moserkr]

Here in CA used boat prices are 2-3x higher than pre-pandemic. Record amounts of people recreating outside (city people coming up to where I live in the mountains). All the good used boats are gone or go quick for whatever's asked price wise, and dealers have no inventory. Cant find good used motors, and hard to find new ones. Lucky I bought and started rebuilding mine months before the world went upside down.

It will be a few years before it catches up to people. Lack of use, storage fees, rising operating costs - people will start selling all their recreational toys and it will go from a sellers market, to a hot buyers market. Ill be waiting, like many others, as would vultures, watching the hyenas eat then abandoning the kill…

 

[Outlw36]

Lots of stuff listed here in Central Oregon all the time. Demand has dropped off due to drought conditions. Nobody buying overpriced stuff if you can't get it in a lake. Kinda like snowmobiles in the summer.

 

[crackedglass]

Most of the dealers all seem to either have lots of inventory, or none at all. The demise of Evinrude eliminated at least two dealers.
There likely aren't many people who would spend $10k or more for an new boat and a 25hp motor with a trailer here either. Likely why dealers are few and far between here. Used boats have always been king here. I for one have never and will never buy a new boat. I'll keep running what I have till there's nothing left of it. It runs, and its paid for. If it quits running, I'll fix it. The only enemy around here is salt corrosion and so long as I keep that under control I'll likely die with the boat I bought used 12 years ago.

I see a lot of decent used boats for sale around town, but no buyers. Although many are larger boats, a good many are small fishing boats.
With gas over $3/gal, I'm sticking with my 16ft aluminum boat and 35hp old motor.
A buddy has a 2018 25hp Honda he's been trying to sell for two years, he upgraded to a 40hp almost right after buying the boat as a package. He wanted $1,800 for the motor at first, He dropped it to $1500 and still nothing. When the CL and FB ads expired, he said he shipped it to his son in MN in hopes he can sell it there. I know he paid over $4k for that motor over the cost of the boat with no motor. I didn't think that for less than half that price, for a motor with less than 5 hours on it, wasn't a bad deal but I guess others felt otherwise.

 

[roscoe]

You referenced your location as "here" a half dozen times.
Where is "HERE" ?

Lakes seem pretty full in the northern 2/3's of Wisconsin.
Launch parking lots are often full, and lots of watercraft going in circles out on the water. Tough to fish unless you go out mid week.

 

[Scott Danforth]

There likely aren't many people who would spend $10k or more for an new boat and a 25hp motor with a trailer here either.

new boats down here in Florida are closer to $30k to get into a small boat/trailer/motor. not sure where you are that boat prices are that depressed.

every boat manufacturer that I currently professionally deal with is sold out thru 2023

as Roscoe stated, where is here?

 

[starcraftkid]

I just priced a new G3 18ft with a 40 Yamaha brand new for $12k
Four in stock. They had five 16ft v hulls with seats , floor, rod holders, etc, with a 25 yamaha and a trailer for $15k
Both way out of my budget. Three didn't seem to be a shortage of boats, nor motors. another place had stacks of Carolina skiffs down in Jersey. The prices are up a bit but not by much. maybe 5 or 10% or so on some new boats.

We were on the water there for a bit Monday, I think I saw five jet skis all day, and all were old guys just cruising by. We didn't see any other boats till we got out to the saltwater, there was a couple of really old center console boats anchored up and fishing, maybe 22ft boats or so. The smaller marinas were mostly closed up, maybe abandoned.
I just check the area CL sites and found a bunch of cheap motors for sale that look good for okay money. No smoking deals but they look like clean motors from what I can tell by a pic.

My main boat is a 1975 Starcraft Seafarer with the original 35hp on it.
That leaves me out of the current boat or motor buying scene because I have zero intention of replacing my boat or motor, Like CG said above, "if it quits running, I'll fix it". Its far cheaper to repair or rebuild than it is to replace.

A quick search near me shows these for sale:
https://craigslist.org/duranautic-boat-&-25hp/7358640200.html
https://craigslist.org/bpo/mariner-99hp-4strk/7360211810.html
https://craigslist.org/28-spl-johnson/7353149662.html
https://craigslist.org/johnson-short-shaft/7349391504.html
https://craigslist.org/yamaha-20hp-outboard-motor/7361018956.html
https://craigslist.org/40hp-tohatsu-outboard-motor/7355296665.html
https://craigslist.org/mercury-outboard-98-hp/7352269308.html
https://craigslist.org/25-hp-evinrude/7359411616.html

Some of these have been listed, and relisted again and again, none look like terrible deals, a few are fixer uppers that likely don't need much, and one is a four stroke and one is a fixer upper.

 

[RMClark]

It must vary greatly based on location. I keep an eye on the Omaha CL and there's been a steady parade of boats across a range of types, sizes, prices, and age. There have even been a few motors in the past month. Old Aluminum fishing boats, bow riders, fish/ski, a couple cabin cruisers, and even a couple of sailboats have been on the page in the past month. There's a mix of owners and dealers advertising on the page.

Here's a screen shot of this morning's list on the boats page (no links and locations removed, only to illustrate what I see here):

 

[starcraftkid]

Aluminum boats have always been hard to find here, most people get hold of one and keep it till they die.
I have two favorites here with no plans of ever parting with either one, I've had my 16ft for 9 years, and my 14ft for 22.

Larger boats are out of favor because gas is going up.

 

[reelfishin]

people quit buying things on CL due to all the scammers and prefer Facetube Marketplace. I dont understand that logic

quality used inventory is extremely low, with primarily project boats left and many new buyers getting stuck with a bum boat that they thought they were getting a deal on. so many new buyers are shying away used in general. some of us grey beard buyers are waiting to buy when the market comes down a bit more

From what I can tell, its the sellers getting hit with the scams, not the buyers, the scam ads are obvious to pick out, and there are far more on FB than on CL.

The way I see it, anyone buying a used boat or a used motor needs to be at least somewhat capable of doing their own repairs. Unless they have deep pockets. Even a simply water pump change and gear oil change will cost most folks half as much or more than they spent for the thing in the fist place.
There's no such thing as a used boat or motor that doesn't need something done to it.
Even newer motors need maintenance every year.

I can't believe that someone who buys a used motor for a fraction of what new motor sells for expects to take it home, drop it on their boat and go. Anyone who does is kidding themselves.

If you buy a used motor, step one is to check compression, check that the gear shifter moves and that the prop engages each gear. Beyond that any run checks in a barrel or on a hose are worthless. Just because it runs in a bucket doesn't mean it'll run fine on the water.
Plan on day one, changing the lower unit oil, changing the water pump impeller at the very least, and rebuilding the carburetor and replacing the fuel filter. and if its a four stroke, plan on an oil change and filter. And, with ethanol these days, I'd also figure on a fresh hose and primer bulb.
Anything less and your living dangerously.

If you have to pay a marina to do this, your likely going to fork over $100 to $140 per hour these days. Add in some stuck bolts, broken bolts and some misc small parts and you will likely be into it for more than you paid for it. Even so it'll likely be far cheaper than a new motor but don't go blaming the seller or the motor because it needs a water pump or carb cleaning, or oil change.
If you do it yourself, its just the cost of the parts and oil. If you bought a motor older than a couple years old, then your likely going to be dealing with some corrosion issues and stuck bolts. so be prepared to use a torch to heat and remove some bolts, or a drill to fix what's already broken.

Again, if this isn't in the realm of your abilities, and paying $100+/hr for labor at the boat yard is out of your reach, then stay away from anything used, and sell anything you buy new every two years or so, the loss in depreciation will be less than what you will spend in labor having to pay someone else to do the work for you.
Otherwise that shiny new boat is likely to end up a yard fixture you can't afford to fix.

 

[mirrocraft16]

There's not a ton of good used boats here either, and not many on the water either. There's a few on the weekends but during the week its like a scene from a horror movie where all the people have disappeared. I went the whole length of the river here on Wed, without seeing another boat going either way.
I do see a few decent deals on boats on CL a bit farther away but not much locally.
Recent changes the made to the DMV here recently make buying a used boat a real pain. The new set up means registration and titles have to go to a select few offices, none of which are local to me here. All are over an hour away. (My reg ran out the beginning of the month and I either have to pay extra to renew online, then wait for the new card in the mail, or drive an hour to renew in person by appointment. if I don't want to pay the extra $3 CC payment fee.
If I bought a used boat, I'd have to drive an hour each way to change the title over and register it, Only some offices handle boats now as well.
The fishing as been poor all year so I don't think I'm going to bother renewing the reg. I'll save the $24.50 plus fees till things improve and run my smaller boat that's still good till Dec.

When it comes to used boats. There are no dealers with used boats, FB is a joke, and ebay never has any deals, besides, you'll pay top dollar for too many unknowns there .
Local papers are all but gone, the boat shopper doesn't really show many used aluminum boats, its mostly just big boats that don't interest me at all.

The only boat deals I've ever found were on CL,
There are some scammers but they're easy to spot and flag.

One question to those who don't use Craigslist....

Where else would you look for a used boat or motor if not on CL?
Where would you list a boat you were selling?

 

[slowleak]

........................................ .................................... ................

A quick search near me shows these for sale:
https://craigslist.org/duranautic-boat-&-25hp/7358640200.html
https://craigslist.org/bpo/mariner-99hp-4strk/7360211810.html
https://craigslist.org/28-spl-johnson/7353149662.html
https://craigslist.org/johnson-short-shaft/7349391504.html
https://craigslist.org/yamaha-20hp-outboard-motor/7361018956.html
https://craigslist.org/40hp-tohatsu-outboard-motor/7355296665.html
https://craigslist.org/mercury-outboard-98-hp/7352269308.html
https://craigslist.org/25-hp-evinrude/7359411616.html

Some of these have been listed, and relisted again and again, none look like terrible deals, a few are fixer uppers that likely don't need much, and one is a four stroke and one is a fixer upper.

Its almost a week later and I see that out of the list posted on Wed, only the two cheapest motors have been sold form that list, a $200 salt eaten 25hp and an older Yamaha 20hp.

I see a few on there look like really decent buys, especially in today's market.
The 9.9 Johnson 2 stroke looks almost new, the 9.9 Mariner also looks like a hell of a deal if you after a tiller motor, and the 28 SPL and the 40 Tohatsu both look like potential steals for under a grand but they're still listed.

I don't think its a matter of there being nothing for sale, its more a matter of there being no buyers, or buyers with cash. They'd sell fast if they were under $20. ebay has been dead too, only give away priced things are selling. The better stuff only sells if they can whip out a credit card and charge it because they have no cash. I see it at the fleamarket too, a buddy said he can sell 50 $20 rod and reel combos every weekend, but anything much more expensive just sits regardless of what sort of deal it is.

 

[poconojoe]

Just about everything has obviously gone a bit crazy. Prices have skyrocketed on literally everything from food to recreation and availability has tanked.

More people have turned to boating due to Covid.

The freezing temperatures in Texas this past winter has ruined many engines, so there's a demand increase from that.

The housing market is a perfect example too, at least here in northeastern Pennsylvania.
City folks are flocking here from New York City and Philadelphia to enjoy the outdoors and get away from all the mayhem.
Home prices are off the charts.

Look at the used truck prices, ridiculous. Used trucks, if you can find them, cost what new ones did and the new ones are 60k-70k.
I was at my local dealer for routine service and their lot was practically empty. The only new vehicles they had were a few Jeep Renegades.

 

[Moserkr]

Wish I could write off a house. Wrote off a new truck 6 months ago, and its now worth more than I paid. Sold the old new truck, 2018 ram diesel, for more than I paid for it…. Rarely do depreciating assets Appreciate. Car lots are empty. Wife and I got lucky and picked her up a new car before her lease was up, right as everything disappeared. Got it for less than msrp which is good considering some cars/trucks are now going 5-10% OVER msrp…. The ram I sold was bought custom ordered for 15% OFF msrp. Crazy times.

I agree with the cheap stuff going quick and the higher priced stuff sitting. Right now Im looking for a 14-15’ aluminum boat, wide, deep, for beach launching ocean fishing, 9-15hp. Tons of options in the $1-5k range, the lower end being junk, the higher end being overpriced. I have til next summer to buy/build one how I want it so Im waiting for the off season to see whats left for a steal. Expecting a lot more to be listed soon. Seems like the boating season is winding down here. A lot of the small aluminum boats listed are from people who upgraded to bigger/better too, not complaining.

 

[slowleak]

I've been seeing a bunch of cheap small aluminum boats here lately, mostly 14-16ft bench seat type hulls. Nothing sells though, the ads just keep growing.
Most are in the $600-$800 range. The same with small motors, there's a ton of 1995-2010 era 9.9/15hp four strokes for cheap. With new motors over $2,400, here, a good used one for $1200 don't sound that bad I suppose.
For me, I keep running my 85 Johnson 15hp and 30hp motors but I've been offered all sorts of trades for them lately. I had a guy at the ramp the other day wanting to swap me my 85 two stroke 15 for his four year old Merc. 20hp because it was too slow. (I had passed him heading out earlier in the day, I went by him pretty fast, he said he was at full speed and his boat was basically an empty hull row boat compared to mine with deck, pedestal seats, and a livewell with two big guys onboard. I top out close to 22 mph, he was doing 12 at best with just him and his kid. I have a 9.9hp Mercury (Tohatsu built), for when I go to restricted lakes, and its super slow compared to the two stroke 15.
It turned down his offer because lately I can get more for a two stroke than the four stroke. All I'd gain is a bit of convenience and lot of weight.
He wasn't the first to offer to trade motors either. I had a super clean 1979 Evinrude 9.9hp for a long time before I go the Merc 4 stroke, I listed and sold that earlier this summer for $1,500. It was gone in less than an hour to the first guy who showed up. I couldn't help but think I listed it too cheap.

 

[starcraftkid]

I talked to the owner of a small boat and motor dealer where I used to live, they were always an OMC dealer, and now have been searching for a replacement franchise. They have Honda, but he tells me they're too pricey for the average buyer there, with many opting to buy boats without motors.
He also said that they've been having big issues getting motors, and some boats. I/O boats are no problem, but outboard powered boats are scarce lately, especially smaller motors.
He told me that since Evinrude stopped building motors, he's been actively searching for good used small motors so they aren't left with nothing to sell come next spring. They didn't think that the issues would be resolved by then, maybe even that they'll be worse next year. He told me if I'm smart, I'd keep what ever motor I've got because he figures that as the season winds down, small boat and motor prices will continue to climb.
When I heard he had Honda, I had called about a new 40hp, but he said they don't have any, and don't expect any to sell in the near future. He had to make sure he had motors to sell with boats he had in stock too.
He said he heard some brands were having issues due to the chip shortage too, but that it was mostly larger motors.
I had called about a new Honda to see how much a new motor would cost me if I sold my old 40hp Johnson since I've had a bunch of offers for my two stroke. The offer was good, but if I won't be able to find a new motor, I'd be shooting myself in the foot when it comes to being ready for next season.
A few local dealers are suddenly out of inventory too, with only a few odd motors in stock, Used motors are non existent suddenly as well, but there's no shortage of used boats with no motors.
This a big change from only a few weeks ago when a few dealers still had a decent selection of motors but all of a sudden, they're wiped out and can't get any more.