Thinking of moving up

[tn shenanigans]

I recntly moved my 380 from Tennessee to Florida, and naturally I am interested in moving up to a bigger boat. Unfortunatly the market is soft and I am not sure how to sell in this economy.

I listed the boat with a local marine max dealer a few months ago so far just one low offer which I turned down. I thought I would turn to this forum for advice un how to find a buyer.

Your thoughts are appreciated

Scott

 

[Rocket]

Scott - I had an 07 320 that wouldnt sell. In the end I traded it in, at a discount. If you add back the sales tax savings, it worked out to be the same as what the lowest priced 320's had sold for. I recommend a dealer to take a trade on your boat.

 

[FireIsland1]

just maybe that first low offer wasn't so low. if you are boatless, you will have the power to make lowball offers. the end result might be the same cash leaving your pocket to move up

 

[sb in gp]

From what I've heard and read, many have used ebay as a way to get the word out to a large audience. Most have sold outside of ebay to a contact made through ebay. Just put it up for no reserve and cancel the auction before it finishes.

 

[fwebster]

There is demand out there. Most deals on larger used boats are (for right now anyway) cash transactions. How that translates to a seller is that you need to count on an extended time on the market and the realization that the fairest priced (I did not say cheapest) and the cleanest used boats will sell first.

To that end, I would make it my job to be sure than any buyer who looks at my boat is seeing the cleanest and best maintained one on the market. Have it detailed all over including the engine spaces and bilge, touch up any corroded spots on the engines/transmissions/generator and be sure the canvas and upholstery have no obvious flaws. Assemble a service record for the boat showing when you did what and that all service needs are current and up to date.

Finally, don't rely on any broker to manage your marketing effort. Find out how to monitor their advertising and traffic and examine the information they publish or give prospective buyers. I would also consider making a hand-out for your boat that shows specific model numbers on engines, transmissions, generator, electronics, options, and any custom additions you have made. Number them and leave them on the boat. The idea is to make sure the buyer remembers your boat and set it apart from the others they may look at.

The following is not an opinion on Marine Max brokerage services, but I wonder about listing a reasonably common boat like a gas 380DA with them. A quick look at the website shows about 18 - 38DA's which is enough to confuse a buyer and most brokers will only show the boats they have listed which means they get both sides of the deal. My point is that I wonder if you might be better served to list the boat with a smaller brokerage with a good reputation.

You most likely know the Nashville area better than me, but I know that most Florida buyers will buy a diesel 38 before they will a gas boat and that will be a struggle getting your boat sold in FL. Does moving it back to Nashville and listing it with Erwin or Nashville Yacht Brokers it make any sense?

 

[Rxflyer]

I don't think Erwin even has a sales dept in Nashville now, just service. They closed up the Hendersonville store, and now just have the service dept building down by Anchor High Marina. I think they handle sales out of Chattanooga now. A shame...

 

[katricol]

Really good advice from Frank W., even if the last sentence dosen't apply to you.

 

[JediJD]

Craigslist is where I ultimately found our gas 380. Although it was located at Lake Lanier, outside of Atlanta, the dealer had listed in on Craigslist sites in Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina to try and capture the fresh water market.

 

[tdschafer]

Ditto here. I bought my 330 from NJ last year and I live out on Long Island, about 4 1/2 hours and one state away. I had been looking on Craiglist (NY), Yachttrader, Nat'l Liquidators & NE Liquidators. I expanded my search to neighboring states on Craiglist while I was laid up recovering from surgery. I located this vessel while in a pain killer induced haze :wow: and the day I got clearance to drive went there with my mechanic and bought her! Hope this helps. Good Luck!