Sales Promotion

[grantmc]

I’m in the market to buy a yacht for more serious adventures than I have experienced to date. So after much head scratching and clarifying my priorities I’ve arrived at the point where I am seriously looking to buy. My preference is to buy a sail boat in another country and so I’m reliant on the internet.

A common factor of yachts for sale is that the photos are truly awful. Many lack resolution, less than 1% of pics have any form of label and it’s common for photos to display untidiness. Things like dirty dishes, or clothing, or just junk. Often I see exposed wires, patches that are either rust stains, or perhaps dirty grime or mould. How hard can it be to pick decent light? And I’ve only come across a handful of boats where the owner/broker has taken a video and explained what they’re showing.

Few photos show open cupboards, floor openings. But as a remote viewer I want to see inside cupboards, the bilge, top and foot of the mast, gooseneck, the stern gland, gearbox and cutlass bearing housing. All that stuff that makes a yacht a yacht.

Specifications and written details about vessels are usually little better. It does mystify me why the listings are of such poor quality. Do people not take careful reviews of their photos and narrative before they post their listing? I mean trying to read the advert and review photos in the way a potential buyer might look. How hard can that be?

The list of features often include simply yes/no answers. Most viewers would, I think, like to know the make/model of the various options extras, rather than yes. I mean options like wind steering, water maker, heating, etc.

I don’t want this post to come across as a rant, rather as helpful advice if you are selling, and it’s likely that potential buyers would have to travel to see your boat. Then think about the buyer. Even including a note that you could help them with accommodation options, where the nearest airport is, local surveyors etc. This is especially the case if you’re trying to sell a boat in some out of the way place like Fiji where it’s unlikely a local will buy.