Re: Are boats selling now?
There are three things that help boats sell... These are directed at middle-market ($5-20k). Boats cheaper or more expensive have different rules.
1. Immaculate condition or at minimum clean and fully functional (regardless of price range or age). If not, deduct 30-40% from reasonable price of a good version of your boat. You could also estimate what the cleaning \ replacement stuff would cost and double it, then deduct from a reaonable price. It's usually cheaper and easier to fix & clean before you sell.
2. All paperwork in order for titles, loans\liens, etc. If not, deduct 20-30%... and this will severely limit your audience.
3. Price it right when you first list it (see above). This is where the boats on my CL are falling down... people think a boat should hold value (some older ones may) and\or they should get what they still owe (almost never the case).
I sold my 1989 Larson San Marino 25' express last year in under a week on CL (in a tough market, after 4th of July no less). Cash deal, everyone happy. I got what I knew would be reasonable -- not what I paid 7 years ago, plus all the maintenance & replacments -- and only lost about 1,000 between my original purchase price and the sale price. I ate all the costs in between (like rebuilt outdrive, new water pump, standard stuff like impeller, batteries, cooling hoses, full ignition, bellows, etc). That's all "cost of ownership" and NOT an investment that has return value.
So, clean it up, fix what's broke, and price it right. It'll sell in any market at any time.
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