BayBuoy

I am planning on buying a late 80's 272, 311, or 357 this spring. I am looking for something well taken care of with low hours on stock power or a re-powered vessel. I have been reading classified ads here, Craigslist, Boat Trader, and Powerboatlistings for the last year but how much lower than asking price do these boats really sell for. What would be a good price for each of the prior listed models?
any help will be appreciated. Thanks

motor

iTrader: (3)

Pretty wide range of boats you are "shopping".. I think you need to narrow it down a little. Are you gonna tow it and with what. Can you afford to fuel and maintain a 36' twin screw. Not being a smart@$$ ,just asking. Buying it is the easy part.

BayBuoy

Although your questions really don't answer mine. I live 5 minutes from the Saginaw River, will tow with my 2500HD Duramax. Fuel will not be a fun part of owning a boat this size but about 40% of my "normal" day on the water will be in no wake zones, another 40% spent chilling on a sand bar, and the remaining 20% will be spent romping around the bay. I am gainfully employed and have already owned a boat for the last 20 years (1985 18' Thompson single screw).

silent lucidity

iTrader: (1)

He does bring up a valid point about fuel. I had a 25 ft with twin built 302 fords could boat a weekend on a tank of gas. Don't get me wrong I love my 312 what a fun ride. But this puppy can use three times the fuel and when you fill the tank at $600 plus in a day or two yikes... But to your point I dig the 312 it's right In between sizes. Rides great and I still pull the kids on tubes and can ski.. Just fun ass boat, quick on plane and nice cruise at about 35 with tunes a rocking.

tpenfield

There is a 311 in my area that has been on the market for about 1 year at $35k. So, it is a fair assumption that the boat is overpriced. It would probably sell at $25k.

I looked at the boat in June of last year and it was in pretty good shape. In terms of buying a 25 year old Formula that is in decent shape, you will run into a fair number of boats that are just too high in the asking price. You will see a few that are lower in price and those are the ones that will sell. The rest of them. . . probably not.

Jordan

iTrader: (2)

What you're asking is far to vague. If you have been boating for 20 years you should know that every boat market will range in price greatly based location, hours, condition/damage, and power. Look on boat trader, yacht word, and other sale sites for price comparisons in your area.

I could easily say 20-25-30 for the values you are asking, but these could all be +/- 10k. It just depends...

BayBuoy

Thanks for the replies!

The 357 is most likely more boat than I'll ever need. The only reason I included that in my search is because I have read many, many times "Buy the biggest boat you can afford to skip the +2' upgrades." The asking prices of these seem to be in the same ballpark as the 311.

The 311 is the size I like the most.

The 272 seem to be a dime a dozen although their average condition varies greatly yet the asking prices are all close.

My true reason for posting this at all is I know what it is like to buy a vehicle and I know that the seller is likely pricing it $2k to $500 above what they will really accept.

I'm curious to know if the same hold true for boats. The last thing I want to do is offend a seller if I find a boat that I like with a low ball offer. Is there an average amount these will be overpriced because sellers know someone will offer them less than asking price but still be in the realm of what they are willing to let it go for?
Say for example, a boat is listed @ $20k, would a seller be offended if you offered them 18k, or 15k? I'm just trying to get a feel for what is acceptable with boat sales.

hotjava66

I wouldn't feel bad starting 20% below asking if said price isn't way over comparable boats and work from there. Offering half will just piss people off, unless they are way overpriced and need a wake up call. I think you would be happy with a 30'+/-

BayBuoy

Thanks hotjava. That's exactly what I was looking for. Hopefully all that driftwood frozen in the ice by Lafayette Bridge doesn't hurt our season this year.

tpenfield

There is no consistent rationale to the pricing that you will see. Much of the pricing may be aimed at re-couping the expense that they have incurred while owning the boat. Other situations may be priced according to how much money they owe on the boat or the cost of a business they want to startup.

Your best bet would be to check a few price reference guides and then deal with the sellers that are more in line with the guides or rationale that is related to the condition or value of the boat, and not what their financial needs may be.