Evaluating a boat that you plan to sell is important, but there is also a lot that you can do to improve its value during the sales process. Specifically, if you are good at advertising the boat, you will have more interested buyers and can therefore afford to be less flexible about the price.

If you chose to sell your boat privately, you will save the costs of a Dealer or Broker, but it is important for you to get organised so that you don’t miss on any crucial details.

To start with effective boat marketing, you should make sure that the boat is well presented, and also that you are able to reach out to the maximum number of potential buyers. Putting a listing on the internet is a great way to achieve both.

Making some good quality photographs will be essential as a picture is worth a thousand words. Use a digital camera so that you can take lots of shots and choose the best ones, and make sure that the boat is tidy and uncluttered when you photograph.

After having researched possible advertisement alternatives, choose on the one, or several, that you are going to use. There are lots of valuable free listings available on the internet, but you may want to supplement these with a more visible paid listing. Boat sales take a while, so you should have your listing up for at least two months.

You can also recycle a slightly altered Internet ad for local yacht clubs, marinas, bars and other places where fellow boaters congregate and where you may find potential buyers. Finding an interested person in one of these places will allow you to sell locally, taking the hassle of travel away from the buyer and making the deal more likely.

When preparing the ad, your focus should be on making sure that it stands out. Of course you should list all the technical specifications, but concentrate on what makes your boat unique and especially valuable. Adding an anecdote from your use of the boat is nice, as it personalizes the vessel.

You should then have a way to deal with any queries that may arise from initial contact from people interested in buying your boat. Have a more detailed information folder ready, with all the technical specs as well as with more pictures. This can be useful both before, and during a boat visit.

As for the negotiation of the actual sale, be aware that most buyers will try to negotiate the price down. The best counter-strategy is to anticipate their objections and have answers ready. Still, you would always assume that you will have to concede a discount of 10% or so over the price you originally listed.

Keep price negotiation friendly and professional, and gently remind the buyer of the boat’s positive points if the asked rebate is too big. Be consistent, gracious but firm, and you will close the boat sale deal in a way that will be satisfactory to you.