Free: Free Advice from an actively-looking buyer

[basssears]

So, you prefer listings like this?


https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/197.../United-States


(that's a joke, folks...)

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by basssears

So, you prefer listings like this?


https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/197.../United-States


(that's a joke, folks...)

Well, those pictures sure tell a story! I think I recognize that laminate on the galley bulkhead. I had that same pattern on my kitchen floor... back in 1980.

But seriously, I do think I know a lot about that boat, and its current state, from those pictures. Would be interesting to see pictures of the mechanical spaces, though. As I said earlier, lack of them tells me a lot, too.

[basssears]

IMO that is a disaster of a for sale listing, and I think they're crazy (especially a broker!) to allow a boat to be listed like that.


That being said, you make an excellent point that it is an essentially honest ad, sure tells you what's what!

[Bensdad]

When you see the phrase "As Is, Where Is", pictures like that come to mind.

[PAlter]

Bensdad,

What sort of boat are you looking for - now your 4th boat? What type of sailing will you be doing and where?

Good luck in your search and thank you for posting the start of the conversation about seller photos and boat descriptions.

[dofthesea]

I've been saying this for years. It's like lets make it as much of a pain in the ass for the buyers as possible. The worst ones are the $100,000 and up ones with one sentence and one pic lol

[hamburking]

I'd like to add...some people use really OLD pictures in their ads. I went to see one boat that looked fantastic in the pictures...I brought cash in my pocket, I was so serious. But when I arrived, the boat was nothing like the pics. Turned out the seller used the same pics from when he bought the boat, 5 years previous. Now I always check the dates and ask about the pics.

Every phone has a decent camera. No excuse for lack of, or bad pics. If I'm going to drive all day to see a boat, they can spend 5 minutes and take some good pictures.

And if you can't be bothered to tidy up your boat, then I'm pretty sure you're not the kind of boat owner I want to buy from. Pride of ownership says a lot.

[Bensdad]

Bensdad,

What sort of boat are you looking for - now your 4th boat? What type of sailing will you be doing and where?

OK, I'm Busted! As my still-sailing friends tell me, I've gone over to the Dark Side!

I WAS a sailor back when I joined this forum owning my second Hunter - a 320 sloop. Like almost all boat owners, I thought it was a great boat but in time, I was stricken with the "if only" virus.... "if only it were 6' longer", "if only it had just a little more room in the head", "if only there were more overall room to move around" (I'm 6'3"), etc.

I'm retired and wanted to spend more time enjoying the ride and less effort making it happen. So when my wife and I were ready for our next and bigger boat, we walked past the sailboats to the power boats where we found a Sea Ray 400 Sedan Bridge calling out to us.

Apparently I've never recovered from the "if only" bug - it actually spread to my wife, too - and now we're looking for a cruiser in the low 50' range that can take us from the FL panhandle down into the Keys and over to the Bahamas with friends and family aboard.

But my original premise is still good whether for a power or sail boat: prepare your boat and take pictures that invite a visit. After all, there are always more boats for sale than there are buyers for them.

[SuW]

There are also less-than-optimal "Want" ads, for example:

Wanted: I'd like to buy a sailboat, not the 40-years old lemon junk

I kind of feel sorry for the guy, but he's insulted everyone with a good old boat and has no idea of the market. Which is soft enough in Canada anyway, and he still cannot afford the boat he wants, sad to say...

[Red_Jess]

Another active buyer here.

Something I wish more listings would include is the schematic of the layout - like they have on Sailboat Data.

In many cases, the layout of the boat isn't clear from the photos. If there's no walk-through video, a schematic is a great way for me to understand what I'm seeing - especially for boat types I haven't encountered before.

It becomes even more interesting when the photos and the number of cabins listed don't correspond, which seems to happen quite a lot...

[theBeachBoy]

Originally Posted by Red_Jess

Another active buyer here.



Something I wish more listings would include is the schematic of the layout - like they have on Sailboat Data.



In many cases, the layout of the boat isn't clear from the photos. If there's no walk-through video, a schematic is a great way for me to understand what I'm seeing - especially for boat types I haven't encountered before.



It becomes even more interesting when the photos and the number of cabins listed don't correspond, which seems to happen quite a lot...

Couldn't agree more.

Having 3 kids it's the main criteria I need to look at.

I need to know if the xth cabin (in the cabin number listed) is in the main living space or it's a crew cabin in the bow.

I need to know if it's bunk beds, double bed or split double, etc.

Some boats have 4-5 configurations.

[DeValency]

All great comments here. Purchased 6 used boats over the years, sold 5 and now buying a cruiser to be added to my Farr 40 racer. So my two cents (sorry, no free today...):
- I don't expect anyone to stage a boat but rather show a clean boat, as-is
- the pictures - as many as possible, but please don't repeat... - should go from zoom out: hull, keel, deck, cockpit to closeups of the more important areas (and these are NOT the left over decorations). Show the overall cabins, galley, heads, engine, bilges, electric/switches panel etc.
- Cellphones today make great pictures (I don't mean a "NEW (1995)" cellphone...), use it and PLEASE! - DO NOT USE WIDE ANGLE, FISH EYE lenses - these may impress the idiots and idiots will never buy your boat anyway...
- Provide accurate information - no stories, no BS - don't describe your sails as NEW (2001)... my math tells me these are 17 years OLD sails. A seller should indicate the year of upgrades and added gear of course.

I have seen boats that were actually a total wreck, but the photos didn't even show any of that...

And there is more...

One of my last experiences was with a $100K (asking) boat that I wanted to look at, flying from Boston to Baltimore - The boat is docked, the seller told me he will not start the engine nor hoist the sails, not to speak about a sea trial - but only after I make a proposal, deposit and bring a surveyor... nice, eh?

Others just post boats without any intention to sell (or maybe they wait to a sucker to pay the ridiculous asking prices for a boat that was on the hard, on the market for the last 3-5 years...) - I'm sure nothing is new here.

My boats were sold between 0-4 weeks from making my decision. A good maintained boat gets excellent offers years before her owner is willing to sell. Those who follow the above suggestions and price to SELL - will sell - the seller and buyer will end this transaction happy - and this is all we could ask for, isn't it?

[Bunnellr]

Originally Posted by PAlter

This is certainly an interesting discussion from buyers point of view. I am both a seller and buyer and would be curious to hear some feedback from folks about how I have positioned "Sequitur", my 38' sloop, a LeComte NE 38 built in Holland in 1968 which I am offering for sale at $ 39,500. She is located in Bristol, Rhode Island.

I generally agree that it is often astounding to see some of the low quality and debris filled photos people have posted on their "boat-for-sale" documents and hard to understand how anyone might think this would be appealing to potential buyers. However, from a buyer's perspective, one might find a great deal from a seller that has neither the time or inclination to market the boat properly, especially in the case of an estate sale and especially if the boat has a good pedigree.

In any case, this thread has been a good read for me so I am motivated to join in. With regard to Sequitur, I have owned her for 20 years, taken good care of her and sailed her all over the US New England coast from Sag Harbor, NY to Maine with great enjoyment and success. She has been a great boat - seaworthy, comfortable and beautiful.

My reason for selling now is to move onto a larger boat in the 44 - 46 foot range and I would be happy to send anyone of you actively looking buyers that might be interested in such a boat - a 10 page brochure I have set up. Even if this boat is not of particular interest to you, perhaps you could comment on the structure and content of the brochure. If anyone turns out to have interest, I have also taken the initiative to commission a survey to establish an impartial evaluation of the overall condition of the boat as she is 50 years old. This made sense to me and was also a recommendation of my broker.

See attached a few select photos. If there is interest in the boat, or interest in commenting on the brochure and marketing strategy, please do not hesitate to send me a direct email with your email address so I can send you the brochure and other supplemental photos.

Thanks, best wishes, and good luck to all of you actively looking buyers!!!

I was going to respond to your query " how do I market my boat?" Until I saw the first picture. Weak in the knees. Glad I am not buying.
Anyway, i spent 5 years looking for mine. Fourth boat i offered on. No pictures, only a text description. I made offer and foregoed (forewent?) survey. It's the facts that count. First owner. Many cruising upgrades. Coppercoat. Etc.
So market yours

as solid, beloved boat.

[mvmojo]

Having bought and sold boats pre-internet and pre-digital camera, it's an entirely new world now. We recently put up a web site to sell MOJO, a 49-10 Robert Beebe designed Passagemaker in steel. Having never done a web site or a "digital" sales brochure, trying to decide how to show the boat was a challenge. In the end, I finally decided to just do a photo tour of the boat with detailed descriptions describing what was being shown. We decided to do each "page" as a PDF document since that makes it easier to print without having to deal with web page formatting, etc. Not as "slick" as a fancy web site, but hopefully it shows the boat as it is. Would appreciate any feedback, both good and bad, on how we did. See www.mvmojo.com

[dparker]

mvmojo, I think your brochure is excellent in all respects. Separating the "tours" is great, allows me to focus better. The explanations accompanying the photos are very effective. Love the hand drawn layout too

I may try to emulate your efforts during my next sale/purchase cycle. Only thing is, I am not sure how well it would work with the mass market one-size-fits-all online listings (yacthworld, etc.). My current boat is a big number production boat, not a custom like yours, so I'll need to be fit for a different kind of buyer. So I guess I'll have to see how to apply your ideas in that context.

Looks like a wonderful boat, good luck with the sale.