Polarkraft05 Posted May 22, 2012 Posted May 22, 2012 I have a 1973 strahm bass boat, that i got for free from family. and i have fixed it up over the past couple years.which includes a brand new paint job last winter it is 16 foot fiberglass, only 4.5 foot wide. just added a back deck with livewell, but i used too thin of plywood so it is warping some on the compartment lids. has new carpet.new mk460D ($460) battery charger, 3 batteries. 200 dollar depth finder. 85 horse mercury that runs good. with power tilt/trim. has newer 24volt trolling motor. On craigslist in my area similiar boats are listed for $1000-1500 someone has been asking me through a friend how much i want for my boat even though its not for sale. last month i told him it isnt worth much and i wouldnt be able to replace it with anything so its not for sale. this month he asked my friend again how much i want for it. my friend told him my price wouldnt be low enough for him as i would want to replace it with something better, so i probably wouldnt go lower than 3-4 K ( i know its not worth this but thats how much i would need to upgrade) but yet he still wants to know how much ill take what would you guys do? ask for a high price (3800) so that either he wont buy it, or i would have enough to buy a better boat? or be happy with my boat as i know all the things wrong/right with it, whereas buying a used boat i wouldnt know all the wrongs about it. and 3800 really doesnt give me much of a budget to buy a nice bass boat (especially sine it would be more like 3000 since that would be my lowest price) sorry for the long read just trying to get some opinions. Quote
Super User Bassn Blvd Posted May 22, 2012 Super User Posted May 22, 2012 Here's two ways of looking at it. 1. A good deal is NOT a good deal if BOTH parties don't benefit. I have a feeling that you know, or can find out, what the boat is really worth, minus sentimental value. Lets pretend the boat value is 1k. Lets pretend the buyer doesn't know as much about boats as you do. You offer the boat for $3500, but then tell the buyer you will give him a great deal at $2900. Now, are you going to sleep good knowing you took advantage of someone? 2. Someone wants to buy your boat but it's not for sale. Make an offer for $3500 (if it's worth 1k) and don't budge below 3k. If the guy buys it, then good for you. It's not your fault the guy is willing to pay a stupid price and doesnt know about current boat prices. Take all you can get because life's too short to be nice. I personally would opt for scenario #1, but you do whatever you want. It's your boat and your heart. Quote
Michael DiNardo Posted May 22, 2012 Posted May 22, 2012 With all due respect Bassn BLVD, if someone keeps asking him to buy the boat and the buyer takes it at 4K, the seller has no responsibility. If someone kept bugging me to sell something and I did, it's on them, "buyer beware". I would take $K in a heartbeat for the boat he describes. As described, he never misrepresented the boat. Mike Quote
Super User Bassn Blvd Posted May 22, 2012 Super User Posted May 22, 2012 With all due respect Bassn BLVD, if someone keeps asking him to buy the boat and the buyer takes it at 4K, the seller has no responsibility. If someone kept bugging me to sell something and I did, it's on them, "buyer beware". I would take $K in a heartbeat for the boat he describes. As described, he never misrepresented the boat. Mike I understand. I just didn't feel like typing a bunch of different scenarios, lol. I'd ask the guy what he's willing to offer me for the boat since I wasn't considering selling it. If he's offering more than what I know the boats worth, without me "over selling" it and he seems to know what he's talking about, then take the most he'll offer. Quote
Polarkraft05 Posted May 22, 2012 Author Posted May 22, 2012 thanks for the opinions guys. im tending to lean towards, if he wants it bad enough to pay a high price for it, then he must want it for a good reason and its his business how much he wants to spend. as long as i dont lie about anything, i will sleep just fine at night. actually better because ill be tired from running a new boat all day ha ha lets say i do sell it. for lets say 2500-3000 would that be enough to upgrade what i did have. id want atleast 16 foot preferably 17 foot, bass boat, fiberglass, 85 or bigger engine, with all the basics needed to fish with. and newer than 1985 or so i have seen a few meeeting this criteria on craigslist, but not sure if i want to risk it. would you guys be confident in selling something you know works to try and buy a little bit better boat, that may have unseen problems when buying. Quote
Super User Bassn Blvd Posted May 22, 2012 Super User Posted May 22, 2012 IMO, 2500-3000 is borderline between "needs lots of work" and "just barely acceptable". It may take a while to find the deal, but they're out there. I think you would have a much easier time if you saved a bit and had 3.5k-4.5k to play with. Quote
ksboy Posted May 22, 2012 Posted May 22, 2012 On buying a replacement: I'm from Ks and it's really hard to find anything worth owning for less than $4500 here. I looked for months to find a pretty good 17' Champion in pretty good shape for $3200 which is about all I could afford. I think it depends on what the market's like where you live and how far you are willing to go to find an acceptable boat at the price you want to pay. Save your money and get something you won't have to spend a lot of $$$$$ on after you buy it. Quote
ClackerBuzz Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 1. A good deal is NOT a good deal if BOTH parties don't benefit. x2. its how i was raised also. invite the guy over. tell him to bring the beer and teach him about boats. take him out on ur boat fishing so he learns more. you may become good fishing buddies. he buys an awesome $6K boat you get to fish out of flash forward 4 years: he upgrades to a $12K boat and sells you his old one for a huge discount b/c after all you were the one who helping him get started and ur now buddies. now you have a boat that is 10'x better than the one ya got, have a good fishing friend, u got the awesome discount, and everyone gets something awesome for their money. Quote
Super User Fishing Rhino Posted May 23, 2012 Super User Posted May 23, 2012 1. A good deal is NOT a good deal if BOTH parties don't benefit. x2. its how i was raised also. invite the guy over. tell him to bring the beer and teach him about boats. take him out on ur boat fishing so he learns more. you may become good fishing buddies. he buys an awesome $6K boat you get to fish out of flash forward 4 years: he upgrades to a $12K boat and sells you his old one for a huge discount b/c after all you were the one who helping him get started and ur now buddies. now you have a boat that is 10'x better than the one ya got, have a good fishing friend, u got the awesome discount, and everyone gets something awesome for their money. More important than any discount is that the boat you buy from your buddy is a known quantity. You know how it runs. You know how it's been maintained. On the other hand, buying something from a friend can cost you that friend. Quote
salmicropterus Posted May 23, 2012 Posted May 23, 2012 The utility value of something can far exceed the financial value. My truck, for example, is not pretty. But it runs great, gets done what I need to get done and I don't ever care what other people think about it. Your boat sounds like my truck and from the sound of it, yoet an iu take care of what needs to be taken care of and most importantly, you know your boat. Buying another boat adds a whole new level of complication (and potential expense) to your life. Stick with what you have...a second before this guy ever appeared, you were happy with what you had, right? Don't let an idiot with a checkboat control your thinking Quote
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