Value of a European boat in USA

[Bob666]

Hi!

We are going to sail from Europe to the Carribean. If we decide to not sail our boat home via Bermuda - Azores. Instead head north in April/May to Florida and up the coast. Always dreamt of sailing into New York.

Can we get any decent money for the boat there, sell her and take the plane home instead? And, is it easy or hard to sell? Are there better places than New York to sell her, we could sail back south a bit for example.

It is a Norlin 37 from 1974. Volvo Penta 2003B from 1993, mounted 1994.
Spent 20000 USD on refitting for Atlantic Crossing etc (material only, we know how to mount stuff). We bought her for 48 000 USD, 2 years ago, which is considered a bargain.

She was originally built for offshore sailing.

Picture:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Byb...ew?usp=sharing

Specs:
NORLIN 37 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

Cheers

[Tetepare]

In general, boat prices low to high: Greece, western Europe, Canada, USA, Australia. Beg forgiveness for not watching the other markets.

Many Canadians are bringing their boats to USA to sell there.

All things considered though, from what I can see boats in some areas (Greece) are pretty beat. Meanwhile, AUS boats are in the same condition as US boats, but the prices are significantly higher.

US-based boats sell better in urban areas- more expendable money, more buyers.

Beneteau and the like sell a lot quicker than lesser known (I don't know Norlin, for example.)

Older boats are tough to sell in any condition because of age. Also, USA is a financing-based market, and it's hard to finance (or insure) a 1974 boat in any condition.

[Bob666]

Thanks, it's a Swedish boat. Has very good reputation, very sturdy built, hence why we chose her for our adventure. Hull thickness typically 25 mm single laminate, about the same for the sandwich. Lead keel.

[Heave2]

Just my two cents, but you may run into trouble selling it due to the plumbing and electrical on board. Your boat is most definitely 220v and if you haven't re-plumbed in pex, all the plumbing is in metric, which is tough to match up here in the states. Were I to consider buying a European boat, I'd think long and hard on how much work it would take to either swap it over, or how to deal with repairs. Good luck to you, I'm sure with the shear number of people we have here you'll find a buyer.

[Vasco]

The boat is not well known in the US. Before you sell in the States you'll have to import the boat and pay duty on it. It seems you've got a lot of money in a forty odd year old boat. I would think the market for this boat on this side of the Atlantic would be fairly small. If you're just hoping to get airfare home you might get it. This is just my two cents. For all I know there might be someone in NYC just waiting to pay 50K for a 1974 Norlin with a Volvo 2002 and 220v shorepower. I think the boat would have a much better market in Sweden.

[SailFastTri]

Scandinavian boats and related equipment have a very favorable reputation in the US. That said, condition is important in a used boat and the market for older boats is especially dependent on condition. Your $20k investment in refitting is unlikely to improve the value by $20k but it will probably improve your chances of selling.


Make sure you show it clean and maintained, and de-cluttered so that it looks spacious. If you have lots of equipment that goes with the boat, make an inventory with photos and show it in a ringed album, but store the stuff elsewhere so the shelves are open and lockers aren't full of "stuff".

[Bob666]

Originally Posted by Heave2

Just my two cents, but you may run into trouble selling it due to the plumbing and electrical on board. Your boat is most definitely 220v and if you haven't re-plumbed in pex, all the plumbing is in metric, which is tough to match up here in the states. Were I to consider buying a European boat, I'd think long and hard on how much work it would take to either swap it over, or how to deal with repairs. Good luck to you, I'm sure with the shear number of people we have here you'll find a buyer.

I think the plumbing is the same. I bought some tubes and they're measured in inches here too, which gives odd metric numbers.

220 V, yes indeed.

Hmm, seems hard. Maybe I can go into the Trump Tower and sell it?

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Bob666

I think the plumbing is the same. I bought some tubes and they're measured in inches here too, which gives odd metric numbers.

220 V, yes indeed.

Hmm, seems hard. Maybe I can go into the Trump Tower and sell it?

Only a fool tries to sell to a salesman.

[Seymore]

The market in New York city is a seller's market because of hurricane Sandy, which destroyed many boats, and insurance paid for them. Similarly, the market in Florida is a seller's market because of hurricanes Marie and Lisa this year.

[boatpoker]

According to soldboats.com the last time a Norlin sold for $40k in the US was 2007 in Florida and it was very well equipped with all new rigging including a new Selden mast with in-mast furling. it took 60 days to sell ( that's very quick).

[Cool Hand Luke]

I have a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 409 in the New York area and I thought of the same thing, actually. If I were to sell (which I'm not), would I get good value for it?

Is there a website that shows recent completed sales or what the value of the vessel is in a given geographic area? Would be interested to know. Thanks and good luck on your sail!

When you reach NYC, let me know and we could meet up!!

[valhalla360]

While I wish you well and you might find that special buyer...

Odds are an off brand (even if good quality) with non-US electrical system, 40yrs old, etc...,

The you have some import issues to sort thru and people shying away from buying a foreign owned boat.

Expect to get a lower price because the market doesn't know what to do with it and a possibility that it will take quite a while to sell. If it's not a huge burden, taking it back to Scandinavia will likely result in a higher sales price.

[johnjuliano]

In our experience, unknown European boats do not sell for much in the US. Our Maxi, as an example, very well fitted out, went for half the price it would have in Scandinavia, with less equipment.

Import duties on boats are negligible, around 1%. New York State will charge a serious amount of money, over 10% through sales tax and whatever else they dream up, so don’t you import it. Have the buyer do that. The buyer would pay the sales tax when they buy it anyway.

The electrical isn’t actually too much of a problem, the size of the wiring might be an issue, since half as much amperage flows for a given wattage with 220V. You need a different inverter and different plugs… if you have a water maker or anything else that runs on 220V, then you’ll have this issues.

The bottom line is that unless you can find someone who knows that model boat and values it, you won’t get much. BUT, it will be enough to forget the boat and fly home.

[1HappySailor]

Check this site for some sales value information on Used Sailboat Values

http://www.nadaguides.com/Boats/Sailboats

👣😎👣

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by johnjuliano

Import duties on boats are negligible, around 1%. New York State will charge a serious amount of money, over 10% through sales tax and whatever else they dream up, so don’t you import it. Have the buyer do that. The buyer would pay the sales tax when they buy it anyway.

.

BEFORE the OP can advertise his boat for sale in the US he (seller) has to pay import duty plus associated fees. This is clearly stated in the US Cruising license which he will need if he wishes to cruise in US.