... Most of these boats are
landfill.


Peggie Hall wrote:
More of 'em than should may end up there because there are so many...
but not nearly as many as you might think belong there.


heh heh maybe so, but I'm not the one that decides. Right now there are
a LOT of 'fixer-uppers' waiting in boatyard lots, clearly supply exceeds
demand in this particular commodity. And this past hurricane season
created so many more that there are acres of them being stored by
insurance companies pending settlement/disposal.



The problem is that a storm damaged boat will always have the
insurance claim on it's record, and will not ever be as marketable as
a sistership that was not storm damaged...

Peggie Hall wrote:
What "record?" Vehicles have that kind of paper trail, but boats don't.

They do if you know how to search USCG and insurance comapny records. Do
you think an insurance comapny pays out $10K+ on boat claims and doesn't
keep a record??


The only thing that matters for a boat is its survey value...

I disagree strongly here. A "survey value" is primarily of benefit for
getting insurance. It says nothing at all about the current market value
of the boat. Many surveyors will amiably write down what you tell them
you paid for the boat.

Some surveyors seem to specialize in 'knock-down' surveys that help you
negotiate with a seller, but the problem then becomes getting insurance
without professionally correcting his punch list. Others seem to almost
function as brokers assistants. It's a highly variable profession, the
one constant is that you should definitely follow your surveyor around
like a little puppy and learn everything you possibly can from him.

... and if it's
properly repaired, even structural damage is immaterial.


Yep. One of the beauties of fiberglass, it truly can be made as good as
new... the problem is that you can't tell what's under the gleaming
surface... is it just skin deep or a truly proper repair? Some details
like the filleting & tabbing etc etc give clues as to the workmanship of
the repairperson.


plus the 2nd-hand boat
market is in the dumper right now.


That much is true. But it's been there before and it's recovered...

True. All you need to do is wait!


Everybody says "Pristine boats
always sell" and that's pretty close to true, but they don't always
sell for their asking price.


They do if the asking price is realistic for current market conditions.

Bingo.
That's what I'm sayin' !!

When my husband died in '92, I'd have been lucky to get more than $45k
for my 34 Sea Ray...by the time I sold her in '96, the market had
recovered...I had no trouble getting $60k.


That was good, although a small part of that would be accounted for
inflation and better bank rates at that time frame.

One of the issues that affect boats, cars, & houses, is the going
interest rate. If that rises (which it's sure to do) then payments for a
given boat (or car or house) will go up and it's marketability will go down.

I enjoy having the confidence that major equipment on my boat was
properly selected & properly installed, and also knowing how it works
and where all the key hidden bits & pieces are.


Except for very high end boat builders, OEM equipment selection is more
often based on price, not quality...and as for OEM installation, it's
not always done right, it's done the least expensive way.

That's putting it politely.

Hiring a pro doesn't always result in a very good job, either.


... I could have
achieved the same result for about $5k less had I opted for lower
quality materials and equipment...even less than than if I could have
done more of the work myself...but I restored the boat for MY use. I
also had one of the best surveyors in the country (a close friend)
bird-dogging my every move to make sure everything was done right
according to all the standards...she wouldn't let me short-cut ANYthing!

I think I know exactly who you mean, a feisty old gal and extremely
knowledgable. She did a boat survey for us and did me a big favor by
helping dis-enchant my wife with a boat that was a disaster.

I've said many times that I learned more about systems other than
plumbing in the 2 years I spent restoring that boat than I'd learned in
the previous 25 years.


It's certainly an educational experience. That amy be one reason why I
prefer working on boats to working on my house... the house isn't going
anywhere and it's a big PITA... the boat is an adventure waiting to happen!


But as for fixing up trashed boats & selling for a profit, I'd
suggest what you really need is the kind of salemanship that will
allow you to sell boats for a profit... period... and you should
become a broker, not a fixer-upper.


One really needs to be a bit of both to do it right. I could never be
a successful broker...I'm too straightforward...sellers don't want to
hear what I'd tell most of 'em they'd have to do to make their boats
worth what they THINK they're worth. And unless they did it, I couldn't
in good conscience represent 'em as anything but "project" boats.


A while back we were selling a car and I met a few of the potential
buyers. One guy looked it over, listened to me and said "Are you really
trying to keep me from buying this car?" I said 'No, I just want to make
sure you know what you're getting. There are lots of other cars you can
go buy if you want to pay more and get a free pair of rose colored
glasses.' I'm not a salesman!

DSK