Used boat prices go up, Right?

JV II

JV II

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Nov 17, 2007
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Whith all the money the Fed is printing, inflation is coming. When is anyone's guess. Some predict prices to increase by up to 50%. So, I understand that will happen. Gas, new boats, parts, labor will increase, BUT the price of my used boat will continue to decline. Not fair. It will cost 25-50% more to buy boat stuff, but that will not apply to my trade. I guess I'll buy a used boat.
 
Depends. If the economy radically improves, the value of your boat might well go up 20% from where it is right now. For example. . .right now I wouldn't give you 30K for your boat. But 6 months from now, I might give you 40K if the stock market crosses 12,000.

Also. . .much depends upon the new boat market. If SeaRay suddenly starts being able to sell 290DA's for $300K. . then you might find someone willing to give you relatively more for your 2007.

However. . .if I was a betting man. . .my bet would be that your boat will continue to depreciate regardless.
 
Right now in the under 12K range prices have jumped on used SeaRay. Things that were selling for 6-7K are now around the 10+- range. I've been helping a buddie try to find a nice 1998-2004, 18 to 21 foot sea ray with at least a 4.3 and have been shocked at the selling prices. It has to be that nobody is trading in for newer boats and people are not buying the new 20-30K entry Sea Ray boats.
 
chuck1 said:
Right now in the under 12K range prices have jumped on used SeaRay. Things that were selling for 6-7K are now around the 10+- range. I've been helping a buddie try to find a nice 1998-2004, 18 to 21 foot sea ray with at least a 4.3 and have been shocked at the selling prices. It has to be that nobody is trading in for newer boats and people are not buying the new 20-30K entry Sea Ray boats.
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Not sure if it the difference is area or price point. I was talking to a SR dealer (where I bought my 185 from) - they have very little movement on any size. What inventory they do have is stale, forcing a wholesale deal - buy at 15 sell at 12. He was actually talking me OUT of using them to broker a deal. I would do just as well on my own - which is so far nothing.:huh:
 
I think it is the price point. You can get some great deals in the 15-20K range.
 
to that point in the 50-70 you will get a lot of boat. I feel we found a great deal on the 280DA. But with the 185 -13K range <insert cricket sound here>
 
With all the spending our guberment is doing, I think we have a reasonable chance of seeing a repeat of the inflation in the Weimar Republic right here in the good old USA.

If that is the case your boat will be worth more than a Million dollars! Unfortunately you will have to spend more than the present value of your car to fill the tank.
 
JuliaValentine said:
Whith all the money the Fed is printing, inflation is coming. When is anyone's guess. Some predict prices to increase by up to 50%. So, I understand that will happen. Gas, new boats, parts, labor will increase, BUT the price of my used boat will continue to decline. Not fair. It will cost 25-50% more to buy boat stuff, but that will not apply to my trade. I guess I'll buy a used boat.
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It depends on the age also and the availability of financing. It's next to impossible to get a "boat" loan on any thing over 10 years old.
 
Presentation said:
With all the spending our guberment is doing, I think we have a reasonable chance of seeing a repeat of the inflation in the Weimar Republic right here in the good old USA.

If that is the case your boat will be worth more than a Million dollars! Unfortunately you will have to spend more than the present value of your car to fill the tank.
Click to expand...

Sorry ADD kicking in - Reminds me of a South Park episode where Stan(?) was trying to return his fathers Margaritaville maker. By the time he made it to congress it was worth 100 Billion dollars.:lol:
 
I got an MM flyer yesterday for the boats they have in the midwest for brokerage, and a couple caught my eye:

2005 52 Sedan Bridge for $702K (give or take a few $K)

2006 or 7 Meridian 411 Fly bridge with diesels for about $350,000.
 
I think that will hold for a while and maybe drop a bit as financing continues to get tougher. However, if the economy does recover (not holding my breath for that) used boats could increase in value because there will be a shortage of new product. So many boat plants are "shuttered" of closed down, it will take some time to get them staffed with "talent" and running again. During that period your used boat should get top dollar.
 
I think everyone is betting on inflation. The $64,000 question is when and how much. It's kind of like the burst of the housing bubble - everyone saw that coming since the late 90's. But nobody knew when, or how bad it would burst.

But GERIKSEN is correct, if the demand for boats peaked again (to levels of a few years ago), there will be shortage of new and used boats for a while. Keep in mind that for the past two years, boat production has been at a minimum. So a rising tide will lift all boat prices. But if demand takes many years to return, or if the rise is very slow, it may be not be a notable difference.
 
I resurrected this thread because I think used boat prices are going up or firming up. Production has gone down since 2007, so there is a scarcity of good late model boats on the market. As new model prices have soared, fewer people are willing to take the depreciation hit in this economy, even those with money to burn. More are turning to the used boat market. The demand is stronger and the supply is lower. Case in point, I sold my boat in 48 hours. Now, I'm shopping for a bigger used boat. The choices are slim and the sellers are not willing to negotiate much. Production is not forecast to increase anytime soon, further helping us all who enjoy these depreciating assets and expensive lifestyle. Buy used and hold most of the value.
 
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I know I sound like I am repeating myself, but with respect to used boat prices, condition means everything. I am not an economist and don't pretend to be, but if you look at sold boat data, there are indeed a lot of boats that have been on the market a long time, but every quarter there are a few that sell in days as opposed to months and the reason is condition.

I was cleaning up my boat today after 2 weeks of kids and grandkids fun and 2 guys in long sleeve white shirts walked by. One asked the year of my boat and complimented me on its condition and then asked if I would consider selling it. It turns out the fellow was a regional president with Marine Max. He said they have buyers, but just cannot get good clean used boats either traded in or brokered and are selling nearly everything they can get in the Southeast. Take that for what it is worth, but it looks to me like the buyers market is DOA.
 
Condition, condition, condition.....and priced right. Not too high, but definitely not on the "give it away" side.
 
Used boat prices go up, Right?
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They are out here for now. :smt001
We just sold our boat for $1k more than we paid for it. :smt038


Holy crap this thread is from... 06-10-2009 . :wow:
 
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Frank I think you are very right.

I like to look at boats, even just for looking. Most used boats on the market are very neglected. I mean, how do you list a boat for sale and not even clean it up? Not even pick up wet towels on the floor? That's all I need to see, you know if their lazy butt can't straighten it up, they aren't changing the oil and such. It saddens me to see so many boats tied up in the marina dieing.

My 2006 boat is in awesome shape, and most folks that stop and talk to me, think it's a brand new boat. Makes me proud. I also like it when people that know Sea Rays say, they didn't know that 240 da's came with an extended platform, or a windlass. Tells me I did a good job on installing them. I just hope when the time is right, it will play a role in resale price! haha
 
This is alive again. Existing home prices are screaming in double digit gains, with low inventory, and low interest rates. There are bidding wars and offers over asking price. The same can be said of new homes. What's happening with boat prices? New boat prices are rising into the stratosphere as inventory is low. The 30-40% discounts we saw 5-6 years ago are gone. Interest rates remain low, if you can find a lender. It is difficult to find a boat in stock and many are built to order. There is a larger proportion of cash buyers. Existing boat prices remain low and don't really show any movement as far as I can see. With inventory low, why don't the prices go up? Is the demand not there yet? Assuming the economy is recovering, do we expect a big bounce in prices of existing boats with increased demand? At this point in time, a well cared for 5-8 year old Sea Ray is one of the best values out there.
 
In some cases though prices are still "distressed" as far as I am concerned when comparing the price of used boats to comparable new models. My 260DA is a classic example. The current replacement model for my boat is the 280DA. It is the same size as my 260DA, save for a few extra inches in beam. The price of a new 280DA equipped like mine is somewhere north of $160,000. You would think that would tend to drive up the prices of the older models somewhat but I just don't see that happening. My boat is often described by many who see it as the cleanest nicest boat at the Marina. Yet, I doubt I could get more than $50K for it even though it looks brand new.

Dave
 
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Around here you don't see many nice boats for sale, when they do pop up they go fast. There are still a lot of junk boats for sale though.
 
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