How to Sell your boat on FAFB

Sell Your Boat on Find a Fishing Boat Find A Fishing Boat has been helping people to sell their boats since 1999 with thousands of successful boat sales in that time.

We have a huge audience to advertise your boat to and they are coming to the site specifically looking to buy a boat.

How do we know this?

They are searching on Google and other search engines for “buy a boat” “buy a fishing boat” “buy a Recreational fishing boat” and hundreds of other similar search terms.

To get your boat in front of this audience and give yourself the best chance possible to sell your boat, just create an advert here: Place An Advert Now

How to Sell Your Boat Tips

We kept getting questions from people visiting this page about the best ways to ensure a sale so we put together these tips to help you:

1. PRICE

   The most important thing to get right when selling a boat is the price. Everyone tells us the same story of how much they have spent on the boat, get over it! Money spent on maintenance is money well spent but don't expect to be able to add this onto the price when you are selling. Do your research, ask around, don't just ask good friends, they will all tell you your boat is worth a fortune. The fact is your boat is worth whatever someone will pay for it and asking for a realistic price from day one is probably the most important factor in selling your boat quickly. One way to reduce the asking price of your boat is to remove expensive items, e.g. net hauler or unusual electronics that a buyer may not need but could be used on your next boat. Make sure you state clearly what is and is not included in the sale.

2. PRESENTATION

   Present your boat at its best. Clean it thoroughly, make sure it is good condition and remove all the items that you are not using, no one wants to see the old wellies, oilskins, bits of rope, broken fenders, half full tins of paint etc that you are keeping as spare just in case. Do all the basic essential hull and engine maintenance. Buyers like to know that you have looked after your boat.

3. DESCRIPTION

   When you fill in the online form make sure you describe your boat accurately. Be specific. The make or construction box should state the maker if possible, not just wood or steel or GRP. This tells all the search engines on the internet that you are selling this type of boat and will make your advert work better for you.

   State the model if possible e.g. Orkney fastliner commercial, and the breadth and draft as well as the length. Buyers want to think that you know details of the boat you are selling. Add in details about insurance, service status, if there is any finance offer available, testimonials and what days it is available to be viewed and picked up.

4. PHOTOS AND VIDEO

   Take good pictures of your boat. Show as many pictures as you can on your advert and choose the best aspects of your boat, show at least one decent picture of the whole boat on its own. Don't show pictures of the other boats tied up alongside you, they might look better than yours and are just a distraction. Don't crop 3 feet off the bow or stern, you are selling the whole boat, so show the whole boat in your picture. Choose recent pictures - the buyer is only going to be disappointed if he comes and you then tell him the pictures were taken when you last did a paint job 5 years ago.

   Remember - having good pictures will keep potential buyers looking at your boat advert rather than moving on to look at another boat, the longer a person spends on your advert, the more likely they are to make a follow-up phone call.

   Video links are now available on all FAFB adverts- they are easy to add and work very well, giving an overall impression of your boat.

5. BE AVAILABLE

   Answer your phone, make sure you are free to take incoming calls! There are many more boats for sale, if you are not going to speak to potential buyers then someone else will. If you include your mobile number you will get a text alert when someone enquires about your boat. Avoids missing any email enquiries.

6. POSITIVE ATTITUDE!

   Don't say "no time wasters" on your advert - that means nothing, nobody wants time wasters. In fact it suggests that you have already had a potential buyer who has let you down and that sends a negative message to other buyers. Recognising genuine buyers is something you might have to work at. You might get many enquiries but remember only one person can buy your boat. That doesn't mean that the other people who phoned were all time wasters. Make an effort on your own behalf to get a sale - be prepared to put some effort into finding a buyer, and don't get stroppy if a sale falls through - these things can happen.

7. SCAMMERS

   Understand what a scam is. Keep yourself informed about latest scams. There are scammers around and there always have been. Unfortunately, just as the internet helps you reach thousands of buyers, it also lets scammers get in touch with you. Read all the warning notices on FAFB about scammers and delete any email that sounds strange.

8. COMPLETION OF SALE

   When you have found a genuine buyer, that person will most likely have been to see your boat and discussed things in person. They will often have had an independent survey done and when they are ready to buy your boat arrange for the funds to be transferred to your account. Have a copy of the MCA bill of sale filled in and witnessed, arrange for the transfer of any licences etc. Make sure you are certain that you have all the funds in your possession before you sign any documents and hand over your boat.

9. ON FINDAFISHINGBOAT

   Bump up option-allows you to bring your advert back to the top of the home page and the category list at anytime, very useful if you have changed any of the details, e.g. price, new images etc.

   Add bump ups option. Allows you to put your boat back to the top of the lists at various time intervals.

   Second category - this option is for people who think that their boat may appeal equally to two different types of buyer - for example, the charter angling and recreational or commercial fishing sections might all be relevant for your boat - this duplicates your advert in another category.

   This advice is offered in good faith. The seller is responsible for the sale of his or her own boat.

So what are you waiting for? Sell a boat with ease today on Find A Fishing Boat.

Note: we are an online market place not a broker, you will handle all aspects of the sale.