The used boat market

El Capitan

El Capitan

Well-Known Member
Jul 9, 2014
3,828
Chicago IL./Vero Beach, Fl
Boat Info
1970 SRV 180 w 2.5L Mercruiser.
2000 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer
Engines
120HP Mercruiser
I know boat prices in general were up before ‘Rona but it seems now there’s less inventory and the asking prices are way up.

What’s going on? What did I miss?
 
I have heard the bowrider market prices are way up to. I was talking to a boat broker at my marina the other day and he said demand was high in that sub 30' range. I suspect its related to lack of summer camps, concerns around occupying a summer rental, in general less capital being spent with those who did not see income losses, and ultimately families looking for something to do this summer, IMO...
 
Last summer, after I became a two boat owner, I sold my 24' in about 45 days. I sold it what I paid for it in 2017. Had I known the market would have been as hot as it is now, I'd of held it and sold it for a few thousand more!

Looking at what's on the market right now - nothing like it, so I'd imagine they are getting sold as soon as they are listed.
 
I sold the 250AJ in a day - put it on craigslist and the first guy to contact me bought it - I've had 3 legit offers on the whaler I took in trade, and its not advertised! The boat is arriving in fla today - and so am I - can't wait to hit the sandbar! Joe - are you guys around?
 
Ididntdoit said:
I sold the 250AJ in a day - put it on craigslist and the first guy to contact me bought it - I've had 3 legit offers on the whaler I took in trade, and its not advertised! The boat is arriving in fla today - and so am I - can't wait to hit the sandbar! Joe - are you guys around?
Click to expand...
Pm sent
 
Stee6043 said:
It would be fun to revive this thread 12 months from now. I predict floods of inventory, rock bottom prices, buyers market galore :)
Click to expand...

When?

I have been looking hard for a year. In my area, good boats are hard to come by and prices are high. However, given the economic uncertainty my desire has slowed a bit (Admiral is scarred chitless). Just don't know what next month is going to bring.
 
Golfman25 said:
When?

I have been looking hard for a year. In my area, good boats are hard to come by and prices are high. However, given the economic uncertainty my desire has slowed a bit (Admiral is scarred chitless). Just don't know what next month is going to bring.
Click to expand...

In...12 months :) I think next spring will look wildly different than this Spring. But shoot, if I could predict the future I'd own a a much newer, much bigger Sea Ray by now....:)
 
Our local marina boat dealer predicted the larger Sea Ray prices would go up or at least level out since Sea Ray quit building big boats a year or so ago. It appears that he is correct. The asking prices for my type boat have gone up.....considerably from what I paid two years ago for mine. I do not know if the boats are selling though. The economy is coming back and it will be interesting to see how the boat market does. The X generation is also coming of age and grew up spending money, which drives the market.

The boat flipping market may be the next big rage......

Keith
 
This spring my dealer (Erwin Marine Sales - Chattanooga) sold 61 boats. Kayo Erwin told me he wold normally sell about 15 each year in the same time frame...
 
Nuts here in Knoxville as well. Local dealer is almost completely sold out of new and used Sea Rays.

Lots more boats on the water due to lack of kids' sports and cancelled vacations.

Same thing is happening to bicycle sales.
 
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We sold our boat in May of 2019. Broker told us the Florida hurricanes wiped out a lot of fishing boats a few years back and all the fresh water boats from the Great Lakes moved down there to replace them. Mine was one of the few that didn't go south. I suspect the reasons for the firm prices vary by type of boat.
 
Maybe I should sell my sons 18’ Maxum. I’d love for him to get rid of it and get something a little bigger when he graduates from college in two years.
He probably won’t have time to even use it this year.
Unfortunately, we have all the cushions out to recover them when we get around to it. If we had that done, I might put a sign on the boat to see if we got any good bites........
 
I had planned to buy a 28 foot bow rider this season. Nice boats are few and far between and the ads disappear or are marked pending within a couple days.
 
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Stee6043 said:
In...12 months :) I think next spring will look wildly different than this Spring. But shoot, if I could predict the future I'd own a a much newer, much bigger Sea Ray by now....:)
Click to expand...

I am not so certain that will be the case. My reasoning is that the manufacturers virtually stopped building boats through that. I recall as “the dark ages “. that is part of the reason there is such an inventory shortage, then coupled with some of the reasoning posted for this season in particular.

Coming out of the market slow down not many could afford the price is top shelf builders, like Sea Ray, we’re building.
 
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