Thinking about selling your boat in 2022? This guide will walk you through the steps you should take to create a stellar listing that stands out from the rest of the fleet, maximizes the value, and puts you on a path to a speedy close. If you follow these steps you are more likely to sell your boat fast for top dollar in 2022. We broke this guide down into 4 simple steps.
- Step 1: Find out how much your boat is worth in 2022
- Step 2: Preparing Your Boat for Sale in 2022
- Step 3: Listing Your Boat for Sale in 2022
- Step 4: Promoting Your Boat Listing in 2022
Step 1: Find out how much your boat is worth in 2022
Find out how much your boat is worth using the Boat Values tool, powered by NADA Guides. The Boat Values tool will give you a range
At a minimum you should have the following information to get a base value for your boat:
- Boat Information: Manufacturer, Model, Year
- Engine Information (if applicable): Manufacturer, Model, Year
- Trailer Information (if applicable): Manufacturer, Year, Length
The Boat Values tool will enable you to get the base value, or select the specific options that are available on your boat. We always recommend going the custom route so you can demonstrate the maximum value of your boat and get top dollar. View a list of some of the custom options that are available with the Boat Values tool.
Once you provide the information, the Boat Values tool will provide you with some detailed pricing information on the Values tab.
There are 3 price categories that are presented on the Boat Values tab.
- Suggested Retail Price. This is the original MSRP for that make/model/year. This is not the current value of the boat. It is meant to give you an idea of how the boat has appreciated/depreciated over time.
- Low Retail. This is a suggested low end of the range that your boat may be worth when sold as a private party or at a dealership
- High Retail. This is a suggested high end of the range that your boat may be worth when sold as a private party or at a dealership
Note that the base price is provided at the top of the table, and as you add/remove options you can see how those options may impact the value of your boat. The bottom of the table shows you the same 3 price categories accounting for all of the options selected.
- The Boat Values tool does not take into account the actual condition of your boat. If your boat is in immaculate condition you may be able to command the top end of the range, but if there are issues with the condition you could go well below the low retail range
- The Boat Values tool does not take into account the engine hours (not applicable for boats that are not powered by an engine of course). The cost of repowering can be just as much or more than the value of some boats, so if the buyer is facing a potential repower in the future that can significantly impact the price
Actions to take on the Boat Values page.
- Click into the website address and copy the link. Paste it somewhere as you may want to reference it later in your listing so prospective buyers don’t have to take the same steps that you just went through - make it easy for them
- Jot down the Low and High Retail prices - you can use this later on when building out your boat listing
- Click the Specifications tab. Some, but not all, manufacturers provide information about the detailed specs of the boat. This information is helpful when building your listing and sophisticated boat buyers will often ask questions about this info. Typically this will include the measurements of the boat (length, LOA, draft, beam, dry weight, etc.). Jot it down, print it out, or save the address so you can include this info in your listing.
Do’s and Don’ts when valuing and pricing your boat
As is true with many things in life, your boat is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. You obviously want to get top dollar for your boat, but it’s important not to get an overinflated sense of what the boat is worth. Similar to real estate and other big purchases, there are many factors that impact the price of boats, including the condition, where the boat is located, any aftermarket upgrades, the inventory available, financing options, and more….
|
Do |
Don’t |
|
Use the information in the Boat Values tool as a guide |
Get too excited and set your sights only on the high retail price |
| Research similar boats and what they are selling for, paying attention to details about condition, hours, features, etc. | Simply look at year/make/model and price as a comparison. Look deeper |
| Be prepared to defend your price. If you have receipts for aftermarket products or other information that can justify your pricing that will help you with negotiations. | Use retail pricing for aftermarket and other upgrades. A savvy buyer will need to discount for depreciation, condition, etc. |
Step 2: Preparing Your Boat for Sale in 2022
Preparing your boat for sale is a critical step to ensure that you can sell your boat fast and for top dollar. Taking time to clean, declutter, and making sure things are in good working order may seem like some extra work at the beginning but it will make things go much smoother in the long run. Why do you want to do this now? One word: pictures! Prospective boat buyers don’t get excited when things are dirty, there is junk all over the place and the boat doesn’t look well cared for. Let your pride of ownership shine through in your photos and videos.
Here are a few tips for preparing your boat for sale.
- Declutter. Remove all non-essential items. In fact it’s best if you can remove everything except the required safety equipment or other items that you may be including with the sale.
- Clean: give the boat a good wash and wax. Clean the upholstery, the hatches, the storage compartments and canvas.
- Equipment Check: make sure that all of the mechanical and electrical systems are in good working order. If there are any issues either fix them or make a note of the items and price out what it will take to resolve them so you can be prepared when negotiating with a prospective boat buyer in the future.
- If you are selling with a trailer or other additional items, such as a dinghy or tender, make sure to go through those items as well.
Once your boat is cleaned, decluttered and in good working order it’s time to take pictures and video. The more pictures you take the better, and you don’t have to go out and buy some expensive digital camera as most smartphones today will work just fine.
Do’s and Don’ts when photographing your boat
| Do | Don’t |
| Take pictures of the boat in the water, whenever possible | Use stock photos of your boat or take photos of the boat on the trailer (whenever possible) |
| Plan your photo session on a clear sunny day with good natural lighting | Take photos facing the sun directly or on cloudy/overcast days. This often leads to poor image quality. |
| Take pictures of all major areas of the boat | Leave non-essential items in the pictures. Buyers don’t want to see your can of cleaning supplies or rags sitting on the table. |
| Consider doing a video walkthrough so buyers can get a better sense of the overall look and feel of the boat | Take a shaky video with excessive movement or talking. You don’t want the buyer to get seasick :-) |
| Take close ups of important features and items |
What types of photos should you take when you sell your boat? Give prospective boat buyers reason to get excited and see themselves on your boat with pictures of the…..
- Front of the boat
- Port and starboard sides of the boat
- Closeups of the hull and rub rail
- Transom
- Bottom
- Engine(s), Outdrives, Propellers
- Hour Meters and Gauges
- Electronics
- Seating Areas
- Seats and Upholstery
- Canvas and Other Enclosures
- Windshield
- Bridge
- Helm
- Steering Wheel
- Galley
- Cabins and Aft Cabins
- Head, Shower
- Batteries
- Storage Compartments
- Swim Platform
- Tackle Storage
- Fish Boxes
- Live Wells
- Appliances
- Windlass, Anchor and Anchor Storage
- Bow Pulpit
- Capacity Plate (e.g. how many passengers, weight limits, etc.)
- Trailer Wheels
- Trailer Winch
- Safety equipment
- Any known issues or areas of concern that you want to highlight
You get the idea. Take lots of pictures. Give prospective buyers a reason to contact you and a sense for all of the great features and capabilities that your boat has to offer. Let them see themselves on your boat!
Now that the boat is cleaned, decluttered and photographed the last step in preparing your boat for sale is to collect all of the information to help you build out your listing. You should already have some of the essential information from Step 1, including the year, make and model of the boat and engines along with the specifications from the Boat Values tool, but if you skipped that step you’ll need to get some of those details here. Here are some examples of the type of information you should include when listing your boat for sale.
- Year, Make and Model of boat
- Year, Make, Model of engine(s)
- Hull Material
- Hull Color
- Fuel Type
- Propulsion Type
- # of Engines
- Engine Horsepower
- Engine Hours
- Fuel Consumption (Gallons per hour)
- Cruising Speed
- Max Speed
- Length
- Beam
- # of Passengers
- Sleeping Capacity
- Dry Weight
- Fuel Tank Capacity
- Min/Max Draft
- Bridge Clearance
- Deadrise
- Freshwater Capacity
- Wastewater Capacity
Now that you have collected all of the details, it’s time to write a description of your boat that will both inform the prospective buyer and also help your listing to get found more quickly by search engines.
The last step is to write your listing.
- Headline: Typically about 14 words. A statement to capture the attention of the prospective buyer.
- Description: A detailed description should be approximately 150-200 words. Describe the boat, what you love about it, anything specific that will help the buyer understand more about the condition, features and benefits of your boat vs. others on the market.
- Condition Detail: Typically about 50 words. Where was the boat stored? Any recent updates?
Step 3: Listing Your Boat for Sale in 2022
There are many places that you can list your boat for sale. If you’re reading this chances are you are planning to sell your boat yourself instead of with a boat broker and this step will walk you through the process of listing your boat for sale on Boatvana.
How to list your boat for sale on Boatvana
- Go to www.boatvana.com and click the Sell Your Boat button
- Select the Type and Category of your boat and click the Next button
- Select your Listing Package and click the Next button
- Enter the Boat Listing Details. Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required, the rest are optional. The more information you provide the better your listing will look and the more boat buyers will be interested in learning more about your boat. Click the Next button when done
- Add Photos and/or Videos. You must include at least 1 image to proceed. The more images the better! If you have a video hosted on Youtube you can also embed that link here. Click the Next button when done
- Enter your payment information (if applicable) and any coupon codes. Click the Next button when done to submit your listing
We review all listings to make sure they are real. This ensures that only the best listings are on the site and ensures that we can provide the best possible experience to boat buyers. We review all listings within 1 business day (typically sooner) and you will receive an email confirmation once your listing is approved and live on the site.
Step 4: Promoting Your Boat Listing in 2022
Getting your boat prepped and listed for sale is done, and you may be tempted to just sit back, relax, and let the inquiries roll in. However, things aren’t always that easy and you should take some extra steps to promote your boat listing in order to increase exposure and get offers fast. In order to be in the best position to negotiate pricing and other terms, you want to have multiple people engaged in the process and promoting your listing can help to do that.
In simple terms, the best way to promote your listing is to share via Social Media. If you don’t have your own account then consider asking a friend or family member to share for you.
Similar to when you created your listing, you want to include information that prospective buyers want to see. Consider using he headline that you created earlier amd sharing that along with a link to your listing in your social media posts. Encourage your network to share with others they know that may be interested as well to increase exposure even more.
It doesn’t hurt to share multiple times, such as every few days, and you can even try using different content in your post.
Examples of social media posts you can use to promote your boat listing:
- We decided to sell our beloved {boat name} in order to {buy a bigger boat / some other reason). Please share this link {https://www.boatvana.com/YOURBOATLINK} with your networks and let me know of anyone who may be interested. Thanks!
- 2015 Sea Ray 350 Sundancer boat for sale. {Your Headline}. Priced at $249K. {https://www.boatvana.com/YOURBOATLINK}
The more people that share, the more exposure you will get and that should lead to a faster sale, so long as it’s priced right and you did a great job with your listing. In addition to posting on your personal social channels you can also consider posting in a boating related Facebook Group in your area or other boating related forums.
