RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

[Mark42]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

When I found the Bayliner Capri 1600 on Craigslist, it was about 3 hours away. After a few phone calls, I took the drive and ended up buying the boat. Its not too hard to tell if the owner knows how to properly maintain a boat. A good clue is if he kept it in a garage or covered storage.

Keep looking, you will find what you want sooner or later.

 

[cbavier]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

Yes I just keep looking and have the cash to deposit when the right one comes along.

 

[dingbat]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

Your not going to find too many deals around here. Maryland has a pretty recession resistant economy. No manufacturing to speak of and a large percentage of the population are Professionals and Government employees.

We have over 200 members in our club with a large percentage of them business owners. I don?t know of anyone having a distress sale. In fact, 4 guys that have recently placed orders for new boats.

We?re also not see a drop in the number of participants for the Spring tournaments. The tournaments have a minimum $150 entry fees, $550 if you?re in the calcutta?s, and entries are on pace to match last years participations rates.

 

[BLDFW]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

They're out there. You have to be patient and keep browsing around. The others are correct though....now is the time people start to list their boats due to the season.

I posted my '86 25' Bayliner Ciera cruiser on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago. I could have posted last fall to save slip fees (no trailer) but from experience with cold and grey weather the last thing people in my area (and me) would be thinking about is boating. Selling without a trailer is a bit of a challenge so I bit the bullet and bought a used dual axle trailer for it and adjusted the intended asking price to compensate. You could have knocked me over when given the enconomy it sold the next day.

Now I'm plowing part of those proceeds into a 16' Evinrude Explorer I bought back in September.

 

[JakeLeeReelEstate]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

They're out there. You have to be patient and keep browsing around. The others are correct though....now is the time people start to list their boats due to the season.

I posted my '86 25' Bayliner Ciera cruiser on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago. I could have posted last fall to save slip fees (no trailer) but from experience with cold and grey weather the last thing people in my area (and me) would be thinking about is boating. Selling without a trailer is a bit of a challenge so I bit the bullet and bought a used dual axle trailer for it and adjusted the intended asking price to compensate. You could have knocked me over when given the enconomy it sold the next day.

Now I'm plowing part of those proceeds into a 16' Evinrude Explorer I bought back in September.

I agree... deals are still out there you just have to be patient.. plus good deals only stick around for a few days. I posted my 1992 15ft dc Henry O last week on craigslist... sold it Wednesday for 3,000... and purchased a 2001 21ft Angler CC for only 6k Thursday. Plus people out there might ask for a high price.. but throw them a low ball figure and see what they say. The guy that sold me the 21ft was asking 10k.

be patient and make offers!

 

[H8tank]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

I bought mine last october and drove 9hrs one way to get it. It was the perfect boat too.

 

[salmonee]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

I agree... deals are still out there you just have to be patient.. plus good deals only stick around for a few days. I posted my 1992 15ft dc Henry O last week on craigslist... sold it Wednesday for 3,000... and purchased a 2001 21ft Angler CC for only 6k Thursday. Plus people out there might ask for a high price.. but throw them a low ball figure and see what they say. The guy that sold me the 21ft was asking 10k.

be patient and make offers!

That's a savings of 40%! You did well. Owner must have been strapped for cash.

 

[xxturbowesxx]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

first i would have to say that things may not be as bad as you read on the news. Most boat and toy owners are pretty stable people.. and at 5-10% foreclosure rates how many had money to purchase boats in the first place? Things are not all that bad when you are dealing with private sellers. at the dealership thats another story. I found a deal in January for a 18' winner fish n ski with a 175 mercury for 1700.. and it is in great shape... the guy wasn't desperate he just was selling at the wrong time because he got another boat and wanted this one gone..If anything i would guess that a recession would drive prices up because people will hold on tighter because of price rather than just let it go..keep looking but be realistic..

 

[golf101]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

I've also been in the market over the winter and have also been surprised that boat prices have not gone down like I would have expected in this economy. Marinas and other dealer prices are as high as private sellers. However, as someone said, there is a difference between asking price and selling price. With the help of many on this forum including Tashasdaddy, I recently made a decision to purchase a 2006 Four Winns 224. The boat was being sold by a local marina I really liked, and I agonized some over what to offer because the boat was just a little more than I wanted to spend (although priced in line with what others around the country were offering for the boat). I decided to go in at the low end of the NADA guide value for the boat, or 15% less than the asking price. To my substantial surprise, the seller accepted my offer no questions asked, and agreed to throw in a few other things, including anchor, ropes and boat kit. I got the boat out for the first time last week, and couldn't be happier. Would live on it if my wife would let me. (Although, I'm sure there are some days she'd rather me live on it - and it's more comfortable than the couch).

Long story short, don't be afraid to lowball.

BTW, the original poster's reference to House was hysterical. I like the show, but its plot lines are pretty formulaic.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

Hey Jim! Have I got a deal for you! A 16 foot 1972 Glastron V163 with no seats, floor, engine, or steering. Transom is sound though.

I'm only asking 2 grand, but I'm only a couple of hours away. LOL --Gotta kick 'em while they're down--it's easier.

 

[mickjetblue]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

It's all a "hit and miss" type search in looking for a used boat.

I can remember being somewhat ticked off after seeing a couple of "junk"
deals that were not built up to be that in the ad and phone call.

Advertising nowadays is not cheap, although more ads are showing up now.
The unfortunate folks who need to sell to get rid of payments, or those who
have met with layoffs or job loss, probably haven't had funds to maintain their
boat properly for a year or more. Then again, something could have gone wrong,
and then something else, and then it became time to let the boat sit. Now maybe
try to sell it for as much as possible.

Looking at boats is best thought of as a learning experience, if it's not the
boat for you. If it is the one for you, then go for it, because otherwise,
you'll miss it. We have all missed out here and there.

The few who really find great deals are fortunate, and most of us have to accept
the reality of the norm with maybe fair deals.

Don't give up, you'll find your boat. Maybe next month...

 

[JoLin]

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Sorry,

And really I am sorry. I am just so PO'd at MYSELF for passing on that not-quite-perfect boat last fall, expecting lower prices now, thinking there'd be a flood of boats on the market. I guess I'm just as greedy as everybody else.

There is no such thing as a perfect boat. And prices are what they are, and should be. I am SO PO'd at myself for missing the buying season, and those couple of boats that I now realize were really nice. And are gone.

(I was so dang picky over the exact model the Merc 150 OB was, by the time I figured it out, the 21' Deckboat was gone - idiot)

I wish there was a "RANT DELETE" button. I feel like a double idiot. Missing the fall sales, and whining about it now.

I was hoping for commiseration, but you all are right. I'm just whining.
Is there a "whine - delete" button?

I really could use one,
Jim

There's a lot of luck, timing and reasonableness involved in getting the right boat at the right price. Sometime within the next 6 weeks I'll either close or walk away from a deal I made last December, when neither the seller nor I could be sure of what the market would look like 6 months down the road. The survey is tentatively scheduled for 4/18 with sea trial still TBD (probably early May).

It's a 1999 Chris Craft 24' (240 ec) express cruiser w/rebuilt 5.7 volvo engine and duo-prop. It has a trailer, and if I figure $1K for that, the asking price at $21K was 10-15% below NADA at that time. I offered $17K (all I could scrape up and 25-30% below NADA) and after 3 weeks of thinking it over (and a counteroffer I declined) the seller accepted. Now, for all I knew the bottom was just going to fall completely out of the market and I'd have overpaid. The seller, I'm sure, had the same concern in the other direction.

At the end of the day I needed to consider that if the boat checked out, I was going to get a nicer rig than I would have ended up with otherwise, at a price I could still afford to pay without losing sleep. I'm sure the seller decided that whatever happened, he'd have at least sold his boat for a decent amount when all the others might still be sitting on blocks and racking up storage fees this year.

I think the key to this deal was that we were in synch with what we each considered "reasonable expectations" for 2009, instead of us both simply trying to squeeze every last penny from the deal.

Some people through luck or skill are very good at finding that last penny. I am not, nor are most of the people I know. For me, if the item is what I want, and the price is "good" and within what I can afford, I'll buy without any remorse later.

 

[sebago_kid]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

I, too waded through a bunch of junk, til I found my "new to me" boat.
There were even people I contacted through sites like craigslist who kept hounding me to come see their boat that was for sale for a reasonable price if in running shape, but needed a new drive, major motor work, or some other wallet-whacking things... made me feel kinda bad, actually.

 

[salmonee]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

Jolin,

Why are you paying for a survey PRIOR to sea trial? Isn't that the opposite of what you should be doing. What if you don't like the boat during sea trial, you would have wasted money doing a survey.

 

[JoLin]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

Jolin,

Why are you paying for a survey PRIOR to sea trial? Isn't that the opposite of what you should be doing. What if you don't like the boat during sea trial, you would have wasted money doing a survey.

I already have a pretty good idea that I'm going to like the boat underway. This is a high-end boat. It has plenty of power, weight and a strong deep-v hull. Mine also has the optional trim tabs mentioned in the article. A member here, Tea Bag, owns the same boat- he's given me some valuable input.

http://www.boatingmag.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=143

It's really a matter of personal preference. It's easier to do a complete survey with the boat out of the water. Not that it can't be pulled again after the trial, but I just prefer to know those particulars up front. I actually believe that the power and handling of this particular boat might sway me to overlook some issues that I wouldn't if I have it checked out well first.

I passed on a very nice boat last Fall that a survey and moisture meter showed to have a saturated transom in a small area right next to the outdrive. Conclusion by the surveyor was that the cutout hadn't been properly sealed at the factory, so I didn't bother with a sea trial. If I have that checked before launch there's no question that any moisture there is not a new problem. I'd just walk away from that.

You do it your way, I do it mine

 

[hubbard53]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

a couple people hit the nail on the head - it is not as bad as CNN wants you to think it is. The "boater" market segment is probably not hit as hard by the market as others. Just b/c the overall market is down doenst mean owners need to sell for less - it is still a 'luxury' item for the buyer.

 

[wasilvers]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

She's not a perfect boat, but she has all the requirments I had-

• 16' Aluminum hull
• Console
• Livewell
• Raised front and rear fishing platforms
• trolling motor
• dual fishfinders
• storage compartments
• room for the family

Boat Trailer and Motor off Craigslist for $800. Put $40 into the motor and $25 for a new plastic gas tank and she runs like a champ! Now for a new battery and I'm fishing all summer! (Hopefully)

 

[Starcraftguy1]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

You know what,I found a 17 foot bass tracker that was perfect on craigslist.I traded 4 guns for it.i see now that it is worth about $5,000.00.Just wait,I looked at a lot of junk first.then the good one came around,be patient and they will just happen by.Usually after you bought a junker,lol.

 

[cribber]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

You may find better deals on excess inventory since the next line of boats are hitting the showrooms. The guy down the road at Holiday Marine has a 2004 Seadoo Speedster 200 for $16K which is a good price for a really fast boat.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

Also, it's good to remember that advertising isn't necessarily selling. Where I am, boating season isn't even here yet, but the prices being asked are Spring prices. I'm not in the market, but I watch the Craig's List ads daily. Most of these boats aren't selling. The ads keep reappearing, usually with lower prices.

The ones that are selling are priced right. There will be more and more boats for sale in the next few weeks, but about the same number of buyers. There are deals to be had, for sure. You just may have to wait them out a little.