Silly 2nd hand prices

**MVP** · 07-09-07, 09:26

I have been looking at new and 2nd hand fishing boats, but am amazed at the prices being asked for used examples, e.g
Year old boats being offered at just about the same price as new, but with some fenders and lifejackets thrown in.

Do people expect to be offered anywhere near the asking price, or is it expected in the boating world to advertise at 15-20% too much?

Thanks

MVP

**Whitelighter** · 07-09-07, 09:31

It is a supply and demand issue. The question is, can you just walk up to the new boat manufacturer and get a stock boat tomorrow? If you can, then the used prices will never be acheived as you will always buy new.

However, if you can't get a new boat out of the manufacturer for 18 months for example, then a year old boat may well sell for close to new money as there will always be impatient bods a round who simply can't wait.

**MapisM** · 07-09-07, 11:13

[ QUOTE ]
is it expected in the boating world to advertise at 15-20% too much?

[/ QUOTE ]Yes.

**Gludy** · 07-09-07, 11:21

I know of some boats on the market for the last 4 years without being used and the price reductions have always still left the boat way above its selling price. There seems to be a collection of them down Emsworth way [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

If you take the boat taken from me in part X advertised at £375k for two years and this was about the same price as other similiar models with mine being a good example but did not sell - as the others did not sell. A sort of group delusion.
When I had her back and acted myself to sell her I sold her in two weeks albeit for £280k so the advertised price was about 25% too much.

Today it is a buyers market and you but sometimes the person selling does not understand that [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

**gjgm** · 07-09-07, 11:36

This very much depends on a case by case basis.
If I am selling my boat, then, no, you are totally wrong. The price is exactly right.
However, if I am buying your boat, then quite clearly your price is 20pct too high.
It does depend on so many factors. I think quite a few boats are rather half heartedly for sale. "I ll sell it if someone pays me this much" Then, some sellers dont think the brokers commission should come out of their net receipt, and so think they should add the brokers commision to an otherswise ok price. Quite why they think the buyer should pay isnt clear.
And then people expect some reduction, so they overcharge to start with.
I can only relate my experience. I spent two years trying to find a boat, offering between 5 and 25pct below asking. The only one I managed to buy was the 5pct below. Yes, maybe those other boats did indeed appear some time later at the price I had originally offered, but so what, really! I didnt buy it, and he didnt sell it. There we go.
I can think of 4 people on this forum who put their boats up for sale this year at very genuine prices with a genuine interest to sell. I think they all sold within weeks.

**Whitelighter** · 07-09-07, 11:39

Yep. I got 94% of my asking price when I sold Whitelighter earlier in the year (May)

**MVP** · 07-09-07, 12:55

These boats are not in short supply, if the seller browsed the web they would find the offered prices for new boats are sometimes less than they are asking, and that's without face to face negotiation!

I'm reluctant to go and look at these boats for fear of wasting my , and the vendors time.

Could it be brokers overpricing used boats, so the punter such as myself thinks it's not worth the bother, and go and buy a new one where there is more profit to be made?

MVP

**Whitelighter** · 07-09-07, 12:58

no, in this case I suspect it is just over optimistic sellers trying to get their money back. Unless the option list on a new one is £100k's worth and the new boats are being advertised with a (very) basic spec, against second user boats with the full works.

**paulm299** · 07-09-07, 22:10

What sort of fishing boat are you after ? If you are after an inshore trawler , Steel hull my friends selling his for £5k . Not up to the usual high standards cosmetically of this forum though . [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

**kcrane** · 08-09-07, 21:08

[ QUOTE ]
When I had her back and acted myself to sell her I sold her in two weeks albeit for £280k so the advertised price was about 25% too much.

[/ QUOTE ]

Was up at Lymington Town Quay last week (a fine week to spend on the boat) and saw Drumbeat, looked like she was waiting to go into one of Berthon's workshops.