Getting a boat ready to sell.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Not sure what value a survey buys you. As a prospective buyer, I wouldn’t bother reading any survey provided by a seller.

We have done a number of surveys for sellers with specific instructions to be hyper critical as they want to know as much as possible before putting her up for sale. Whether they provide that report to the buyer is entirely up to them

[mako]

It's all been pretty well said already. I'll add two things however:

1) Scrub the hell out of all your bilges, even disinfecting them if necessary. Don't have to repaint, but use lots of elbow grease;
2) Clean up your engine. Scrub off the grease and dust. Sand down the rust and flaky paint spots. Touch up with paint but careful with spray paint as most cheap sellers over-spray all over the hoses and belts and I stay away from those boats.

[Montanan]

Glad you have had many bon voyages.

Clean, polish, declutter of everything, including your tools, [less is better] organize and put it on the market priced low for a quick sale, don't try to fiddle for five or ten thousand more. Get it sold and be done with it, just keep the memories for that is the real value.

Reality: The vessel is 58 years OLD.

Recognize that it is going to be a challenge for a new owner to obtain insurance on an ancient vessel [even just liability insurance coverage] and likely totally not financeable, thus your buyer will need to have the cash in their bank.

Without insurance the vessel will be challenged as to being able to enter marinas or even boatyards and any purchase offer from a prospective buyer should be subject to the standard covenant that obtaining acceptable insurance policy is a condition of the close of the purchase.

[sailcrazy]

Following. We've had our1989 T43 since '98; now at 78 and 76 yrs young, we know the day is coming when sailing will not be in our future.

[Renegde_Sailor]

Originally Posted by OS2Dude

Another option: Keep the boat, reduce the number of friends!

If the number of guests you have aboard at a time is the primary reason you are selling her, then consider having fewer on at a time or go out for shorter periods. You can take out smaller groups more often. Or take camping gear and setup a base camp ashore, then you could sail around with few folks at a time.

That would be an option if I were not headed to the South Pacific. I find that people are probably not going to be too keen on sleeping in tents ashore in the tropics..

[Renegde_Sailor]

Originally Posted by mako

It's all been pretty well said already. I'll add two things however:

1) Scrub the hell out of all your bilges, even disinfecting them if necessary. Don't have to repaint, but use lots of elbow grease;
2) Clean up your engine. Scrub off the grease and dust. Sand down the rust and flaky paint spots. Touch up with paint but careful with spray paint as most cheap sellers over-spray all over the hoses and belts and I stay away from those boats.

We used to call that a "rattle can overhaul" in the trucking business! 🤣

[Montanan]

Maximum persons onboard rule for cruisers:

Six for drinks.
Four for dinner.
Two to sleep over.

[Renegde_Sailor]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Maximum persons onboard rule for cruisers:

Six for drinks.
Four for dinner.
Two to sleep over.

Yeah, I have broken the hell out of that rule time and time again! 🤣

[sinnerman]

Clean it up (as others have stated), and take ALL of the junk including personal crap off the boat.

I would, as a buyer be looking at the engine/bilge condition as these are good indicators of whether or not the boat has been cared for..

Address any boat "smells"

Go look at pix of boats for sale specifically with boat broker companies . They usually "stage" the boat to make it look pretty inside (like when selling a house). Adding cushions, plate settings, wine glasses etc. Copy what they do.

Provide a complete list of every fix/upgrade done while you owned the boat.

Only added work I have seen a lot of when getting ready to sell the boat is fixing u the varnish on the wood. Even if it is to just make it shiny again.

my two cents

cheers

[boatpoker]

I have walked away from several surveys over the years as I was hired to survey, not clean up someone else's sh ... In one case I walked after opening the pilot house door and gagging after finding 7 or 8 cats inside.

I have come home and had to strip on the dock and shower in the cockpit as I did not want my flea infested clothes (or me) in my boat.

The first three photos below are boats that I walked out on. The last photo is one that I wanted to walk on but our client had come almost a thousand miles to attend the survey and I just couldn't do that to him. I literally had to take my clothes off to squeeze between the engine , generator and pile of junk to inspect the steering gear. Sharon took this photo as I crawled back out.

I too am human and it is unwise for a seller to P me Off.

[sinnerman]

7 to 8 cats on a sailboat?

As James Bond would say: "Pussy Galore".

LOL

[mako]

I just returned from looking at a big boat the other day that was filled to overflowing with everything. As a buyer I like those types of boats because they show so horribly that they: (1) scare away buyers; and (2) generally allow me to negotiate a lower price.

However, what really worries me are the vessels which are seriously unhealthy to enter. I took my wife to look (a 2nd time) at a 40ft trawler in Florida during the summer. The boat was completely bottled up tight with zero ventilation and there was no airconditioning running nor even fans. The interior looked like a tropical rainforest of mold, mildew, algae. My wife refused to enter. I took about 30 seconds to walk inside (holding my breath), opened up some floor hatches and lockers and found the thick fungus all over everything. Wow, talk about needing a respirator and bunny suit.

Now that was downright unhealthy and dangerous.