Advice - selling boat

Joined
Jul 6, 2003
Messages
29
I bought a brand new 2003 Chaparral 210 SS about 13 months ago....just found out I will likely be moving to Europe for the next three years for work, so I'm thinking of selling. Can anyone offer advise on the best way to go about selling a boat that is still almost brand new? I.e. are local papers/advertisers best vs. online?
 

JB

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Mar 25, 2001
Messages
45,907
Re: Advice - selling boat

You will lose big bux, but I think eBay will get you the best price.
 

mattttt25

Commander
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Sep 29, 2002
Messages
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Re: Advice - selling boat

no offense to iboats, but i would list it in boattraderonline. they have over 100,000 boats listed daily and have a great search feature. if you want a quick sale, list it in iboats.com, boattraderonline.com, and boats.com. i see lots of boats turned around quickly if they are priced properly.<br /><br />local paper works if you are in a boating area (jersey shore). posters posted at marinas (with pic) can also get leads.<br /><br />good luck-
 

mkuehnl

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 22, 2002
Messages
103
Re: Advice - selling boat

These are all excellent sugestions, but let me propose one more. Considering that you recently bought it and that it is still a very new boat, have you considered taking it back to the dealer and putting it on consignment.. Also, you might want to look into a boat broker...
 

phatmanmike

Captain
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Oct 24, 2003
Messages
3,869
Re: Advice - selling boat

consigment = you take boat back to dealer where you got it, say" i want you to put this boat up on consignment" they put it on their lot, list it, advertise it, maybe even clean it too, maybe...<br />then when they sell it, the keep a percentage of the mopney for their effort, like 10 or 20%, im not exact on the $%, but you get the idea
 

DC698

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Sep 6, 2003
Messages
138
Re: Advice - selling boat

Sold my first boat I owned on Iboats. It sold in about 2 weeks and it was only $15.. worth the $$ to give it a shot. And the ad stays on for 6 months compared to 4 weeks (I think) on boatraderonline.com -- which was $30 or $40 for the ad.
 

jsfinn

Lieutenant Junior Grade
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Nov 26, 2003
Messages
1,093
Re: Advice - selling boat

How about letting me keep an eye on for you while you're out of town? :)
 

BillP

Captain
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Aug 10, 2002
Messages
3,290
Re: Advice - selling boat

Beware of consigning or brokering a used boat though a dealer that sells new boats. I've done it twice and both dealers used my boats as a lead to sell new rigs. Buyers later told me about it when I took the boats off brokerage and advertised in the BoatTrader. That made it perfectly clear why the boats didn't generate buyers when listed at fair market. I sold both very quickly after listing in the trader. I'll never go with a broker again that sells both new and used.
 

cuzner

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 14, 2004
Messages
771
Re: Advice - selling boat

Pictures are the key!!!Make sure you list it with lots of pics, and make it look pretty. Guys tend to look at engine size and overall condition,there wifes like a pretty boat,only broker it if you don't have time to answer calls or take it out for a test run.<br /><br /><br /> Jim
 

RatFish

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
Messages
647
Re: Advice - selling boat

mwatermasy001 <br /> <br />List it online. I have found used boats in NJ command top dollar, especially if not bottom painted and mainly used in fresh water. Good Luck.
 
Joined
Jul 6, 2003
Messages
29
Re: Advice - selling boat

thanks everyone - i think i'm going to go w/ online - iboats seems to have the best terms (6 months, etc.)
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
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May 19, 2001
Messages
26,065
Re: Advice - selling boat

Start by getting it seen in your neighborhood and at the boat ramps with a 4 sale sign. Hit the local papers and make lots of flyers for parts stores and coffee shops.<br /><br />Iboats listing, boattrader, yahoo, ebay,are good but patience is the key. List it everywhere you can.<br /><br />The last alternative is to store it. Pack it away like the military stores tanks and trucks. If the Europe job does not last or pan out at least you will have a boat to play with upon return.<br /><br />bob
 

hise

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Aug 1, 2004
Messages
37
Re: Advice - selling boat

My last 3 boat transactions have been online. They were sailboats, though and there sites catering to sailors that are better bets than iboats (sorry iboats).<br /><br />I've had the boat very attractively priced, lots of pictures, and I describe the good and the bad up front. Each time I've had a buyer within 2 weeks. There are alot more powerboats out there than sailboats, so I don't know how the competition affects things.<br /><br />In any case, beware of scammers. They're pretty easy to recognize though. They usually have very poor written english as they usually originate for overseas. If anyone starts talking how to make payment without even seeing the boat.... they're scammers. A common scam goes something like, "I'll pay you <some dollar amount> more than you are asking, is a certified check acceptable"... After awhile you discover that they're not actually the one's "interested" in the boat; but, that they know a buyer willing to pay that price, and for a $300 broker fee, they'll get you in contact with the buyer.
 

RatFish

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
Messages
647
Re: Advice - selling boat

mwatermasy001, nice boat. My brother is looking around. I'll pass the info on to him. What size engine, HP, fuel injected or carb? Outdrive model?
 

RatFish

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
Messages
647
Re: Advice - selling boat

Thanks mwatermasy001, I'll forward the info and link to him. Not sure if he'll be interested though. He is looking for something in the 20' to 22' range with a V8. He wants the low end torque.
 
Joined
Jul 6, 2003
Messages
29
Re: Advice - selling boat

RatFish, no problem...let me know if you or your brother has any other questions...not sure exactly what type of performance he is looking for (i.e. family boating, skiing, etc, but this should do what he needs and have plenty of room to spare), or where you are, but seeing you are from NJ, I live in Wash. Twp. and would be happy to take him out if he has any questions or wanted to see how this engine handles.
 
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