Selling your boat is not an easy task, especially if you feel pressure because a new one is already on its way. The sooner your old boat sets sail with a new owner, the more money stays in your pocket. But even if your dealer is willing to do a trade, you still have to address potential buyers who want a bargain.
Professional sales brokers typically charge about 10 percent of the final selling price for their services. You should always consider this commission when establishing the asking price. If you want to walk away with, say, $250,000, then you will need $275,000 on the sale to get that amount.
In a market like the one we’ve been in for a while now, there are more boats for sale than there are buyers. If a broker’s commission is unacceptable to you, then you can attempt to sell your boat on your own. In my experience, you will quickly encounter plenty of challenges, with a lot of boats purchased during the pandemic now being up for sale.
This kind of market, in my opinion, makes a good broker worth every bit of the commission. But some boat owners prefer to tackle the sale themselves, sometimes leading to amateur mistakes.
A few years ago at my marina at the Jersey Shore, an owner was selling his 35-foot twin-engine cruiser. The boat was a well-known brand, and he told a prospective buyer the boat was a solid eight on a scale of one to 10. Those of us at the marina knew this boat was a two, at best, and only because it floated and had good genes. The boat ran fishing charters. It was a crusty mess from bow to stern, flybridge to bilge. The owner often left the sliding salon doors open to air out the boat’s filthy, diesel-smoked interior.
One day, the owner mentioned that someone was coming to see the boat while he went to the tackle shop. A car with Maine license plates pulled up, and two husky, bearded gents in flannel plaid shirts got out. They had driven eight hours to see this boat based on the owner’s description over the phone.
The yelling started immediately. Ten minutes later, the Mainers slammed the salon door shut and left in a huff.
By the time the next cruising season rolled around, the boat and its owner were gone, but the memory of how he had misled those Mainers remained with me. To be sure, a broker would have done better. And one photo would have saved those men from a long, fruitless drive.
If you choose to sell the boat yourself, make it look attractive in an honest way. Give the interior and exterior a deep cleaning, especially upholstery and cushions. If it’s a cruising boat, pay attention to the bunks, pillows, galley and head. Clean out the refrigerator and shower stall. Wipe down the overhead and windows. Remove any items that you are not selling, such as coolers, dinnerware or towels. Toss out anything that detracts from taking a clear, crisp photo.
Look at photos carefully if you take them with your smartphone. The phone takes an image of everything, unlike your eyes, which see one thing at a time. Keep taking photos until you have a good one. If you take a helm shot, make sure there is no salt or debris on the dash. Buyers don’t need to see a can of soda in a cupholder, but a holder for binoculars is a nice touch.
Pay particular attention to the bilge and engine compartment. Rust never looks good. Neither do oil stains. Remove baskets and tubs of spare parts and filters. Clean the boat with the knowledge that anything you have neglected is likely to show up in a survey, and could result in a lower offer.
Have all service records readily available and accurately dated. Know the boat’s performance data and fuel consumption. Be sincere. If you claim the boat cruises at 16 to 18 knots and tops out at 19 knots, but it does worse on a sea trial, then you will have some explaining to do.
There’s no reason to fudge any information, because a boat’s inherent value isn’t in the fact that the paint job was done in 2018 instead of 2024. Talk about all the fun a boat can provide for a family.
And most important: Know that any inaccuracies will encourage the prospect to look for more problems, and could cost you not just a percentage of your asking price, but possibly the entire sale.
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2026 issue of Passagemaker magazine.
