5 Tips for Boosting Your Boat’s Resale
LISTEN: (6 minutes, 32 seconds)
THE COST OF A BOAT seems spectacularly high these days, but truth be told, boat prices have never exactly been cheap. And in reality, few people “spend” the full cost of a new boat. We pay the money and then sometime down the road, be it in three years or 10 years, we sell the boat and recover most of what we initially spent. A $100,000 boat you sell for $75,000 five years later didn’t cost you $100,000, it cost you $5,000 a year for five years — which seems quite reasonable when one considers just how much fun, relaxation, and mental decompression a fishing boat provides.
There’s one fly in this economic ointment: how much you can sell that boat for after years of use depends entirely upon how well you take care of it. You say you want to do everything necessary to maintain that boat’s value, and ensure that in the long run you “pay” as little as possible? These five maintenance tips will help boost that boat’s resale.
1. Wax all gel coated surfaces every spring and every fall. Buying a boat is every bit as emotional as it is practical and how bright that boat gleams will have a direct impact on how much someone is willing to pay for it. Neglect waxing and the gel coat will oxidize, becoming dull and chalky. One coat a season isn’t enough to do the job, either. If you give it a thick coat (of paste wax, the most protective variety) every spring and every fall, however, it’ll be shiny for years to come.
2. Treat your outboard like royalty. This includes biannual waxing as with the gel coat, but along with that stick to the manufacturer’s scheduled maintenance regime like it were religion. Document all service and save that documentation in a folder, so when it comes time to sell the boat you can quickly and easily prove to a potential buyer that the engine has been cared for exactly as recommended.
Also be sure to give the engine a freshwater flush after each and every saltwater use. Along with doing the scheduled maintenance on time this is the most important thing you can do to extend the outboard’s lifespan and prevent deterioration from the inside out.
Finally, if you don’t already have a cover for that outboard, get one. Again, this is a matter of mere looks, but looks count big in this case. Spend a few hundred bucks on a tight-fitting cover that will prevent UV rays from damaging the cowl’s finish and it will more than pay for itself over the long run. Note: when fishing in saltwater also be sure to give that cowl a thorough rinse and washdown with a microfiber mitt—never with a scrub brush or other abrasive item that will dull the cowl’s finish over time—prior to putting the cover on.
3. Protect the cushions. Standard marine grade vinyl cushions have a limited lifespan, and in the harsh Texas sun will only last four or five years if left unprotected. How you protect them depends on what type of boat you have and how they’re affixed. In some cases, you can pull them all off and stow them in the console or in your garage between uses. In other cases, you may need to keep individual cushions or the entire boat under a (well-ventilated) cover. Either way, do what it takes to protect the vinyl, or it will mildew, crack, and deteriorate.
In some cases, such as cushions in an elevated cobia tower, it may be virtually impossible to do this. Or, in your case it may simply be too late. If you find yourself in this situation, consider having the cushions replaced before trying to sell your boat. It can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars depending on the situation, but nobody wants to buy a boat with ragged, ripped cushions. Potential buyers will build the cost of repairs into the number they’re willing to pay while also thinking that you didn’t properly maintain the boat. They’ll wonder what else that they can’t see might be in bad shape. So, in the long run, this is an investment that’s well worth making before selling any boat.
4. Cover the boat in the off-season, and if possible, keep it covered whenever it’s not in use. Few things make a boat look drab and dirty as letting it sit uncovered. And if you live in an area where freezing temperatures are a possibility water may pool up, freeze, and cause cracking in the fiberglass, especially around fittings where the sealant has failed. A good cover or keeping the boat in a garage or pole barn will add years to its life as a good-looking boat—which means it will sell for more when you’re ready to move on.
Warning: when it comes to covers remember that caution is warranted because some will do more harm than good. What we’re worried about here is the use of those regular cheap poly tarps. These will keep the UV rays and rain or snow off a boat, but if they aren’t secured properly and the material shifts back and forth in the wind, the checkered-pattern surface can actually wear away the gel coat on fiberglass or the finish on an outboard cowl. When using these it’s critical to make sure they don’t move in a breeze. Just in case there is some motion, also protect contact points like corners or the top of an outboard with an old sheet or towel.
5. Treat acrylics with care. Most boats have acrylic windshields, livewell lids, and other pieces-parts. And after five or six years these often appear hazy or cloudy. Micro-scratches are the culprit, and most of them come from improper cleaning. Tiny bits of dirt, grime, and even salt crystals scratch the surface whenever you wipe down or rub against these acrylic parts. Always clean them gently with mild soapy water and a microfiber cloth, and only after giving them a thorough rinse. And never hit them with a cleaner that contains ammonia, like Windex, or they’ll cloud up in no time.
Okay: now, are you ready to sell that boat for top dollar? We hope not—at least, not unless you already have a new boat picked out or you’ll be stuck sitting on dry land for the foreseeable future. When you do sell it, however, having paid heed to these five tips will help make sure you get top dollar.
Email Lenny Rudow at ContactUs@fishgame.com
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