Selling Your Boat Privately

Selling boats privately is something we've had to do from time to time, so for what it's worth I've included this sagely advice we gave a mate recently....

Step 1. Advertise (with lots of info and a history). We put out a basic advertisement but backed it up with links to a web site (a free one) filled with lots of photos & technical detail, including manufacturer's specifics & media articles. Clean up your boat before you take those photos too.  Nothing like a messy boat to turn off potential buyers. Be honest about why you are selling and the condition of the boat.

What do you think of my new boat?  Well, perhaps not this year!

Step 2. Prepare a thorough inventory to give out to interested parties - be very clear on what does or doesn't go with the boat when you sell.  Stick to it!

Step 3. Work out what your bottom line is in terms of the price you expect to get.  If you are selling personally, you can expect people to understand that your price will be "cheaper" without the inclusion of an agent's fee.

Step 4. Research local country rules re selling your yacht.  Also find out what rules are applicable in Australia (ie resident country of owner). For example, if ownership changes hands, then it may not be allowable as an Aussie registered vessel until another application is made.  Be quite clear on this because our BVI broker had to do quite a bit of work to clear the previous registration/ownership (& outstanding bills) and Jenny had to fill in and fax forms and pay fees to Australia for our registration.   

Step 5. Agree on a price/ take an acceptable offer from the interested party.  This person then has first deal on the boat.  Remember that they will also make a further & lower offer after the survey so take that into account.

A beer budget will probably not cover all the fancy inclusions you'd hope for...

Step 6.  Decide the limits of where you are prepared to take the boat for inspection/survey etc.  It should feel comfortable to you (the seller) & is perhaps somewhere where you can trust the marina staff/maintenance team.

Step 7. Take a substantial deposit (eg $1000 or more so they won't walk away from it) and agree on how long to lock this in. Certainly no more than a month.  You should still be advertising and showing the boat during this time - just not accepting further offers from other buyers.  This step usually sorts out the really interested from the "wanna-be's".  The survey report is theirs to keep but they may agree to onsell it to other potential buyers.  There will be a time limit on the survey findings.

Step 8.  During that month the buyer should arrange a survey (at their expense); arrange finances and organise a sea trial.  You should be present at the sea trial (just to test engine, rigging, sails etc) and the survey (take lots of notes).  The survey report will be used to bargain down their offer further.  Everyone expects a perfect boat, but you shouldn't accept too low an offer if the issues are minor items eg not enough sails; old electronics.  Concentrate on major issues such as engine, rigging, hull condition etc and decide how low you are prepared to go.  I would suggest that maybe 10% is reasonable for minor stuff.  Some expect up to 30% if the issues are very major.  Again, you should have some idea now that you've been to the survey and worked out what your bottom line is. 

Step 9. Agree on where and when the handover should take place.  Money is best deposited into your account (& cleared) or some other secure means of transaction before the handover.  Make the handover place convenient for yourself.  You don't want to be pre-positioning your boat half the world away.

Step 10.  Exhausted?  You should be after all this work!  Report back to us with your results but in the meantime good luck with it all..... 

Bah Humbug!

Pylos, Greece: 2013

(This post has been previously published on our WJ3 site.  As it's been a while since the Cap'n did some serious homework on his "tricking up" of the other woman, this will have to suffice - for a little while longer.  The First Mate is nagging, seriously...)

Sitting on anchor in Pylos, our first Greek port of call after a whirlwind tour through the Med, I’m tempted to hurl a sharp missive to three soothsayers, visitors to the Deltaville Boatyard (Virginia, USA) in, 2010.

Let me set the scene.  There we were at the far end of the boat yard, up on spindly legs getting ready to splash.  Afternoon visitors to the yard were not uncommon and three stopped by for a chat.  Actually, they stopped to highlight Hunter’s foibles, especially as they saw it; "only built to suit coastal conditions," they said.  Like Witches of Endor, they stirred the pot, making even more outrageous dispersions against Hunter, ignoring our rebuttal. 

Finally, they left.  “Rude,” we said in unison.  Had they bothered to listen, WJ3 had already done two laps of the Caribbean Islands, sailed to distant Turks Caicos and managed a tour through remoter Bahamas Islands.  All this before settling on the scenic route to Chesapeake Bay (via the Atlantic ICW). We were on our way to explore Maine.  Hardly dock candy, even then!

So, as we sit on anchor in Greece, about to island hop to Turkey in 2013, we say to them, bah humbug!  WJ3 has 12598 nautical miles tucked under her belt since we started sailing her in 2008.  She has now crossed the Atlantic, comfortably and safely, and this year crossed the Mediterranean.  What a gal!  And not bad for an allegedly “unseaworthy” Hunter!

Now I’m not advocating setting out to sea in a pair of floating shoes (it’s been done before) but boat builders must comply with certain standards.  We’ve also added modifications to make WJ3 more comfortable (eg. a storm trysail) and to improve her safety (eg a sea anchor).  If in doubt, have your craft surveyed and read how others have set up for ocean passages.  We’ve seen expensive Beneteaus kept in marinas for Olympic triangle racing and home-made brutes only a mother could love, floating in far-flung, out of the way places.  

Doubting Thomas’s can check our map tracker here.)

Sharing Keci Buku in Turkey with some real bunnies...

No Dock Candy Here

Sailing Magazine’s John Kretschmer reviewed Hunter 460’s in his article for “Used Boat Notebook” Nov/Dec 2010 issue (p34).  The 460 is described as a capable and affordable cruiser that is holding its resale value despite the market downturn (due to the GFC).  We noted his comment about the carbon fibre rudder stock and were in full agreement – we replaced ours with stainless in early BVI days.

On Anchor in Baltimore's Canton (JGP Photo)

I certainly agree that the Hunter Owner’s web site is an excellent and friendly resource.  I used it quite a lot in our early days (pre-owner) to find out if the 460 was the one for us.  We like to gunkhole in quiet anchorages rather than pull up to marinas, and were concerned the 460 was more a floating show pony.  Our experiences have proved otherwise as we’ve since cruised the Caribbean to Trinidad (2008),  up to Chesapeake via the Bahamas and the ICW in 2009 and Maine, New England coasts in 2010.  Hunter themselves have been very helpful too, as since purchase, I’ve negotiated my way around numerous repairs and upgrades.  I was sorry to have missed an opportunity to visit their factory on my way up the ICW though.

The features we really like, informed by 3 years of ownership, are the swim-step and its shower, and the hatches that open wide to let in balmy tropical breezes.  The accommodations are really easy to live in and though seem somewhat voluminous at sea, we rarely move forward of the saloon when underway.  The galley is very secure for the Slave at sea, the nav station easy to slide into and the amidships head well positioned for any action, even in rough conditions.  WJ3 has been rigged for shorthanded sailing too (as Soul Mate) with all lines coming back into the cockpit. Of course there are a few limitations to the Hunter 460 but I think I’ve covered them in previous posts.  

So, it was good to read positive things about the 460 and for us to compare the analysis with our own experiences.  Well done Sailing Magazine because we agree.  We’ve found our Hunter 460 to be an easy live-aboard, safe and comfortable cruiser.  On the bluewater or slumming up the ICW, WJ3’s the gal for us!

(For another & older review (2000) we found this one on line from Sea Magazine.)