Something to Know when Selling a Boat

[Don1500]

Use a 28mm lens for pictures!
standard lens (50 MM I think)


Same make same model, 28mm lens:



Which would you buy?

[osirissail]

Very true - presentation is 90% of getting the prospective buyer into the boat. I have had several cruising friends who sold their boats after years of cruising. They did it by building a website about the boat with lots of photos of the interiors and features of the boats. It took several weeks to get the whole thing together and the website up and running. - - Then the boats sold in a week or two. It took longer to prep the boat and build the website than it took to actually sell the boat.
- - Key to selling is the interior - clean, polished, neat and with lots of little flowers and other "cutsy" but not kitsch stuff. The male half of the customer wants to see the engine and mechanical stuff which is all pretty standard - but the female half of the buying couple wants to see the interior and if it is presented well the deal closes quickly.

[beowulfborealis]

I have to agree. I am looking for a boat and it never ceases to amaze me how poor the photography is on some of these ads. Put at least 12 photos up. Some people post like 3 photos. I have seen a few ads where it says "sister ship" which really sets off an alarm. Why would they post a photo of another boat unless there is something wrong with it? A good walkthrough video clip is great too. Heck, you can put one up for free on youtube.

[speciald@ocens.]

One broker for my boat put up 97 pictures - probably too many but you seeeverything.

2003 Taswell Sun Deck 58 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

[brianontheroad]

I'm thinking about doing something similar to our table -- I wanted to look up the dimensions of this boat to compare, beam etc.

Thanks!
Brian

[crashkahuna]

Also don't have any of the usual 'stuff' aboard in the photos. Move all the stuff from one area of the salon to another as the pics are taken so you don't see clothes, cleaning supplies, parts, bedding etc - just a nice spacious interior and exterior.

[LostAtSea2011]

Yeah.....or they have pics posted from 10 years previous when the boat was in much better condition.

[Wand]

The only buyers who'd be fooled by these tricks are those who have never a seller been...

[callmecrazy]

Its always very disappointing to step aboard a boat only to find it much less desirable than the photos indicated. That first live impression is very important to the sale. If the pictures lied, it's probably not going to sell. For whatever reason, a lot of people tend to think the opposite. that kind of 'bait-n-hook' marketing doesn't work with sailboats.

Photo Tip: Pictures won't give a good representation of the size of the cabin unless they have people in it to make it relative. Take photos of people sitting in the settee, standing at the galley etc...

Originally Posted by beowulfborealis

I have to agree. I am looking for a boat and it never ceases to amaze me how poor the photography is on some of these ads. Put at least 12 photos up. Some people post like 3 photos. I have seen a few ads where it says "sister ship" which really sets off an alarm. Why would they post a photo of another boat unless there is something wrong with it? A good walkthrough video clip is great too. Heck, you can put one up for free on youtube.

I eventually stopped going to see boats with crappy photos. I was tired of wasting my time... If the owner can't send you lots of photos in good quality, it's probably not worth looking at. Unless maybe if you talk to them on the phone and they convince you otherwise.

[David_Old_Jersey]

I don't see lots of photos being good or a trick - just in the 21st century normal. Indeed, I see no reason why a Youtube walk through would not be online - although I think a little while until that becomes the norm . A printer freindly download would IMO also be a nice touch.

It's not about buying on strength of photos (although inspiring a few dreams never does any harm ) but mostly about screening out / selecting boats worth my time and effort to view........both by getting an idea of what the boat is about and also as IMO how much effort the Vendor puts into the sale (whether self or via broker) is an indicator of the care they put into boat itself.

[simonmd]

As someone who is both selling and looking for his next boat, this thread strikes a cord with me. I am constantly AMAZED at the the lack of effort owners and brokers alike put in to selling boats. We are often talking about a heafty sum of money and they expect people to be banging the door down on the strength of 2 or 3 poor pictures!! To any broker reading this, it's all very well to state 'full details and pictures available on request' but what they don't seem to understand is that you simply WON'T get that far if their poorly presented boat doesn't make the short list.

So, pics and LOTS of them. You can never have too many IMHO. However, as a buyer, I would say don't use the wide angle 'fisheye' lens as seen in the second pic. Sure, it looks great but I look on those kind of pics with suspicion. My thinking is, 'if they have to use that lens to make it look good, how pokey is it in real life?'

Another tip I would strongly reccomend is to make a short video. Even with lots of pics, it's hard to give a good indication of the layout, etc. In fact, I once looked at an ad' that had over 40 pics and was still unsure as to how many cabins it had! These days, even a half decent phone takes video and you can host for free on YouTube or similar. I've done a 10min walkthrough tour of my boat and have had some very favorable feedback from it.

[Privleoplag]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

....
...clipped
.... Take photos of people sitting in the settee, standing at the galley etc...
...clipped

Not always a good idea.. I was browsing boats today, and every one that had people in the photos turned me off. One even had a fellow bent over so his butt was dead center in a picture, not good! Some pictures were even worse to me. Unless the people in the picture are professional models, (or my wife or daughters, of course) I'd keep them out.

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by Privleoplag

Not always a good idea.. I was browsing boats today, and every one that had people in the photos turned me off. One even had a fellow bent over so his butt was dead center in a picture, not good! Some pictures were even worse to me. Unless the people in the picture are professional models, (or my wife or daughters, of course) I'd keep them out.

I should have been more specific...
Have somebody model the boat for you.
Preferably a smallish sized young lady. She'll make the cabin appear roomier and a galley will look user-friendly and inviting
I definitely don't want to see plumbers butts or party pics when I'm trying to deduce every detail of a boat.

I'd dig up an example, but I'm really too lazy for all that

I guess it's more important for people who are looking at smaller boats and haven't seen the particular model in person yet. I spent an entire year thinking certain boats were going to be perfect for me based entirely on ad photos, then once I got out to see them in person they were way too small, or oddly laid out, uncomfortable, etc....Maybe it was justme, I don't know.
It just seems logical to place something in the photo to show relative size and form.

[beetle]

When I was selling my boat, I thought about all the things I would want to know when buying a boat - and wound up putting together a 7 page listing of what was on the boat, where the boat had been/done, list every change and upgrade (or removal) that was done, down to how many of which kinds of batteries were wired into the charging system.

A bit of work, and the boat sold within a month.

I do not like the average 1 page brokerage listings.

- rob/beetle

[steve_hendry]

For selling a house or a boat, the interior pics should be with a wide-angle. It's not cheating, the standard focal length just doesn't show enough. Read your camera's manual--the standard being 50mm and wide-angle being 28mm applies to 35mm film cameras or digital cameras (high end DSLRs) with a sensor the same size as the 35mm negative.