The saying goes that the two best days in a boat owner’s life are the day they buy a boat and the day they sell it. To the contrary, PBO readers often tell us that selling their boat is the saddest day of their lives. While we can’t help with that bitter-sweet goodbye (aside from providing lots of inspirational ‘armchair sailing’ in the pages of PBO) we can help you prepare for the sale.
Is now a good time to sell?
Crispin Lennox is group sales and marketing manager at Avon Marina in Christchurch, Dorset, which sells motorboats ranging from BRIGS to Zodiacs and Cranchis.
“It’s certainly been a flatter year,” says Crispin. “There’s a sense of calm, which I think is a direct reflection of being post-Covid. The bubble has now flattened out, and inevitably the cost of living crisis and mortgage rates have had an impact on luxury purchases.”
That said, business has been steady for Avon Marina, which has sold boats between £25,000 and £80,000 to a largely local customer base.
Business starts to pick up around late February and March, which is a good time to list your boat ready for the boating season from spring to September.
“You might also make a quick sale if you drop the price at the end of August,” says Crispin. “It might be that your marina berth has run out or you need to sell your current boat to buy a different one, in which case we may be able to offer a part-exchange.”
How to value your boat
Maybe you can no longer sail, maybe you’ve been bequeathed a boat you don’t want, or maybe you want to buy something new. Whatever your reason for selling, probably the first thing you want to know is what is your boat worth?
You need to price your boat correctly and there will be a ceiling for your kind of boat regardless(which are rarely recouped).
