Question about selling a Mac

[grnwtrcruzn]

vizwhiz,

I would personally be wary of purchasing one without a sea trial. I purchase my from a very active poster on this sight. He sounded like a very reputable person. I was in the process of moving and didn't have the tools on me to properly inspect the boat at the time I looked at it at his home; so I took him on his word that some major things where ok with the boat, I mean you should be able to take a man on his word right? It has turned out to be a very costly mistake and I still don't have a the equipment agreed upon during the initial sale.
It was my first boat purchase and while it was a horrible experience at least I have learned very valuable experience fixing things on the boat but I for one would never buy a boat again without a sea trial. I would gladly give $100 dollars for the sellers time to take me out as it has the potential to save thousands of dollars down the line and many man hours of repair work.

I wish you good hunting for your S!

[Gypsy]

I am in the process of selling my powerboat , or was , I turned it over to a marina to sell on cosignment .
I suggest you might want to look into this .
AND good luck selling a boat in our economy , the bottom has dropped out and they cannot get financing .

Anyway , I had a few call and want to jump to the sea trial . I told them to come look at her in the yard and if they are still interested then we set up a sea trial .

I think anybody who calls and wants a test ride without looking at her , isn't serious anyway.

Now a days people seem to do this on purpose . My daughter is selling a car and She gets the same thing . People call , say they are postively coming out to look at it and never show.

Is this some sort of ego trip , or something ?

[pokerrick1]

I suspect Human Nature in TODAY"S American society. However, I had the opposite experience twice. Last December, I sold my Mother's car in Buffalo, NY, putting an ad in Craig's List saying I would be in Buffalo one day to sell the car. I got 40 calls, made up a list of people to see it, and sold it to the first person who looked at it - - - who let me keep the car to use for four days until I left - - - good deal. All day after that I continued to get calls on the car and had to tell them it was sold - - - and I called everyone scheduled to come see it.

Last July I sold my 2006 M, to about the fourth people scheduled to see it that day, and no one was a no show - - - so I guess it can work both ways - - - remember - - - I'm a lucky guy

Rick

PS I also read people fairly well and can often tell when they are lying (fibbing)

PPS Except for that guy who tried to sell me the 41' Carver (and almost did) - - - he fooled me COMPLETELY!

[Gypsy]

You are lucky !
My Bayliner Cabin Cruiser is not selling , at any price. The boats book value is $20,000.00 right now she can be had for $10,000.00 and still no takers !

A marina has her on his show room floor , and she is looking good !

Right now banks won't hardly loan money on a car , much less a luxury item like a boat .

Everyone is entitled to a sea trial , but only after they show some interest in it , or show they are serious.
You wouldn't buy a car without a test drive , why buy a boat without a test drive ?

[vizwhiz]

grnwtrcruzn - that's quite an indictment - hope everything worked out for you in the long run and you aren't holding any grudges! That would suck!
But thanks for the recommendation...I can see that things aren't always on the up-and-up!

And I appreciate everyone's input. I'll make a decision on it after I go look at the boat. The guy selling the one I'm looking at is a yakt broker and knows his stuff - it was his boat - so at least I'm talking to someone knowledgable enough. I'm still leaning toward just stepping the mast, mounting the boom, running all the sails up and down, and running the engine in place. I'm sure there are other things, but I'm not sure it would make much difference for the sale (obviously the guy isn't planning to fix it or he would have)...except to get my new boat all wet and salty...

Thanks again for great advice!

[JonBill]

My philosophy on selling something that I own and don't need and/or don't want is to price it right and let it go. That way the item will sell itself.

It doesn't matter if it's a house, car, boat or whatever my approach is the same. Consider what would be the price that would sell the item in say one year, vs. 6 months, vs. 3 months or vs. 1 month or less and price it based on how much time you want to spend in trying to sell it. For a boat or a car or an appliance for me it's usually the one month price.

This applies to selling items that do not require you to make a living or profit in selling them, e.g. like I stated something that you either don't need or don't want (any longer). Many times when you are selling an item like that you already have the next purchase lined up and moving on quickly in the long run reduces your loss on the item you are selling. That is if you want to look at it as money lost which would be the difference in say the 1 month vs. say the 6 month price. In that regard selling cost money too if you are like me in a profession where time is money.

I like the $100 fee suggestion and it's the going rate in my area for buying a boat, but I would make it an incentive rather than a fee. I would charge the $100 fee for the boat ride but then would tell the prospective buyer that I would deduct $200 from the selling price if the person bought the boat. That would make them feel like they made $100 on the deal when they bought the boat.

At the one month price I would not negotiate the price lower. Take it or leave it but if they don't buy it they know it won't be waiting for them long.

And yes even at the one month price you have to occasionally deal with a no-show. After all we are dealing with people here and when it comes to dealing with people nothing should surprise you. We live in a culture now where a person's word means nothing, but to some of us it still means everything, so get used to it.

Kind Regards,
JonBill

[Fxwg80hd]

Collecting a sea trail of $100, which is applied to the purchase price is a good thing. I paid it for my Mac and it saved me a couple grand. Found that the motor ran great on land in a barrel, but once in the water it would not run right past half throttle. Had the owner fix the motor and perform a second sea trail (no charge) to verify the motor was working, then bought the boat.

As a private seller, you still have one problem. That is collecting the money before towing the boat all the way to the marina or boat launch. If you tell the person over the phone that a sea trail is $100, they will most likely agree, then not show because they are still not out any money. I say, if the person will not come to the location of the boat, they are not interested and are just out kicking tires. Make everyone come to the boat and see it first, collect the $100 sea trail fee if you want (or deposit, call it what you want), then schedule the sea trail.

Chris

[Divecoz]

As I see it... some great advice has been given..
1.If Its not a business, its just stuff for sale ? Set an Honest Price ( Price It Right) and sell it..ahhhh but so many folks think, the beat up, banged up, junk they have is .....Like New..... Hahahaa
2. For sure they...... need to view the boat where it is, at no cost or major inconvenience to you the seller and then ... pay $$ for a sea trial..
I like the idea of double your money back IF you buy....
Tire Kickers? Yep ...those folks are everywhere.. No Pot to pee in no window to throw it out of, and their looking at buying $$$$ toys..
Financing Toys?? This is just IMHO and a Personal Rule of life for me but,...... never Finance the purchase of toys ...

[pokerrick1]

When I sold my M I did not charge a sea trial fee because the guy came with his wife and children and I read him as dead honest; he told me all about his money and credit problems and he never lied. However, I would ALWAYS charge a single male coming to look at a boat of mine and I LOVE the idea of charging $100 and then taking $200 or even $300 off the price if he buys it. GREAT IDEA!!!!!

Rick

[iredrider1177]

yes most definetly, pre-payment on the sea trial. i got roped in twice....couldnt even believe there were poeple out there like this. had a fellow that just wanted to see how fast my astro with a 175 would go. i was only 19 tho.local tappen lake. then about 4 years ago. had a fella meet me in catawba with my proline wacc. had his son and fishing gear in hand!! i took them out to south bass and right back never slowed down after i was sure n loaded right back up.and i did have around 100 in that trip.

[bjmeunier]

Priced right..?? For my fellow Mac'ers in the North East, what is a middle of the road figure for an X up here? Has anyone recently purchased one? I have mine listed here, but, have only had a couple of e-mails. I know it's not the prime time to sell, but, can you all shed some light? It's not an emergency or anything like that, but, I just thought there would've been more inquires. If this is the wrong forum, moderators, I do apologize, I'm just a little stumped. For the record, divorces stink , but, I'll be back someday

[vizwhiz]

No doubt, bj...divorces do stink...regardless of how "friendly" it is, it still stinks...and ugly ones are even worse!
been there, done that...

There are definitely guys on here who can tell you about the value of selling the X...(and the "ex" too! )

[Divecoz]

Like a House, your boats Real Value? Is what You can sell it for ....No Matter the market.... thats the real value..Other sale prices can give you an idea of value.. Being honest with yourself as to what you have and how it looks and how well you took care of it means a LOT as well.. Best time of year for buying seasonal toys? Often the Off Season.. Inversely the best time to sell is the height of the season or the begining of it. When those interested in what you have for sale... are HOT to have one and use it tonight..... tomorrow, at the latest...
Have a Mustang Convertible for sale Here outside Chicago? You dont want....... that Bad Boy up for sale with a foot of snow on the ground and looking like summer may never return. Face it financing a used boat is harder than a new one.. New Boat sales will be helped along by a knowledgeable Dealer who's doing this for a living.. He already knows where money is available..

[Gypsy]

I bought my 2000 with a Honda 50 engine a little more than 2 years ago.
We paid $12,000.00 for it . The seller was asking much , much ,more for it.

The boat was in near perfect condition used very little . Came with a roller furller jib and main .
It was completely stock , no extras . It was in S. Carolina on Lake Maurry .

The only problem , which I used to its fullest to get the price down , was a slight misfire in the engine . I convinced the seller HOW this could be very serious and what a risk I would be taking OR He could take it to a mechanic and have it checked , but meanwhile I'll be shopping around .

It turned out to be a bad sparkplug.

Another one we looked at was much more expensive , being sold by a Marina . It was in terriable condition . It was in Buford (Atlanta area)

To the Poster who always pays cash for His "Toys"
Some of us aren't that rich , so we must get a loan if we wish to own a boat.
I have paid cash for some of my cheaper boats , but when we bought the Bayliner , we bought Her new in 2002 . We traded our 19 foot Cuddy added a little cash , and financed the rest on a 8 year loan .

That is now the biggest holdback on selling The Bayliner , nobody is able to get a loan. The owner of the marina trying to sell her on commission says banks will only loan less than wholesale value on a boat.

[bjmeunier]

Thanks for the input everyone and sorry for stealing the thread... I will be patient and hope for the best..after all spring is right around the corner or the next corner Of course, come spring, I may have to get her out a couple more times before she goes off to her new home