Craigslist California Boats For Sale By Owner (2024)

FAQs

Do boats have good resale value? ›

The brand and model of a boat can heavily influence its resale value. Established and reputable brands often hold their value better than lesser-known counterparts. Popular and well-regarded models are also more likely to attract buyers and retain their value over time.

If getting the lowest price possible is a priority, you may want to time your boat buying excursions to match up with dealer and manufacturer incentives. Often this means shopping in the fall and early winter, when dealerships are trying to clear the decks of current inventory to make way for the new model year boats.

Vintage models such as the Boston Whaler Temptation 2500 are revered by boaters everywhere. If you plan on someday reselling your boat, it would be a good idea to invest in a BW. Boston Whaler boats tend to hold their resale value better than other boat brands.

What are the most reliable boat brands? The top boat brands listed above include those that are the most reliable and well made. As a result, some of the most reliable boat brands include Azimut Yachts, Boston Whaler, Ferretti, Princess, Sunseeker and Viking, among others.

While fall may be the best time to buy a new or used boat, the winter months signify the boating offseason, which means the boating market slows down and there is a decrease in boat prices. Private sellers may not want to pay to store their watercraft in the winter, and boat shows are offering incentives to buy.

FALL. Many people will argue that the fall is the best time for buying a boat. This is because most of the manufacturers start offering discounts around September and October. When demand begins to decline, dealers often provide incentives for buyers in the form of discounts and deep cuts in pricing.

But sales of big, new, fun stuff fell in 2023 to the lowest level in a decade: boats down 5%-25%, depending on the type, and RVs down 20% year over year, according to Recreational Vehicle Industry Association and National Marine Manufacturers Association year-end reports.

Boats also depreciate, so unlike with real estate that has a history of appreciating over time, you're going to be left with a vessel that over time, is worth less than what you paid for it. In fact, most boat owners take a financial loss when selling their boat.

The general rule of thumb on a new boat is 15% to 20% depreciation in Year 1 with each subsequent year of around 10% until Year 7 when values tend to stabilize and fall only marginally after that. However with catamarans it tends to be closer to 10% in Year 1, 7.5% in Year 2 and 5% annually after that.

It's almost guaranteed that a real estate investment will appreciate over many years, but the same can't be said for boats or vehicles in general. The key problem is that vehicles depreciate. A brand-new boat will always cost more than a second-hand one, meaning it's hard to find ways of profiting from this purchase.

Do boats go up in value? ›

As we mentioned, boats depreciate over time, much like cars. Unless it has some collector's value, a 15-year-old boat isn't going to be worth much, no matter how valued it was in its prime. The brand is probably more of a factor than it should be.