Seller brokerage
Sell your boat for a retail number without running the sale yourself
We price it, write the listing, screen the buyers, negotiate the offer and coordinate the paperwork. You stay the owner until it sells, and we are paid only when it does.
Four ways to sell a boat, and what each one costs you
Every owner trades off speed, price and effort. A dealer trade-in is fast and pays wholesale, because the dealer has to resell your boat at a profit. A consignment lot gets closer to retail, but the lot takes its own cut, and your boat competes with inventory the dealer owns and would prefer to move first.
Selling it yourself usually nets the most. It also means writing the ad, answering messages at all hours, meeting strangers at the ramp, spotting scammers, and getting the title work right with nobody checking it. Brokerage is a retail-market sale where someone else does that work and you approve the decisions.
| Dealer trade-in | Consignment lot | Selling it yourself | WB Brokers brokerage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price you are aiming at | Wholesale | Retail, less the lot's cut | Retail | Retail, less a success-based fee |
| Your time | Very little | Little, after drop-off | A lot: ads, calls, showings, paperwork | Little: prep the boat, approve decisions |
| Competing interest | Dealer profits from a low number | Lot also sells its own inventory | None | None. We hold no inventory, and you keep the boat until it sells. |
| Screening, title and funds | Dealer handles it | Varies. Ask how funds are held. | Up to you | We screen buyers and coordinate documents and escrow |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
One note on trade-ins: in some states a trade reduces the sales tax on the boat you are buying, which can narrow the gap. Rules vary by state.
Price it from what sold, not from what is listed
Asking prices are what owners hope for, and boats that have sat for a year are still listed. Where sold figures are available we price from those. Where they are not, we read asking prices skeptically: how long each comparable has been listed, and how its hours and equipment line up with yours.
Overpricing is the most common way a listing goes stale. A new listing gets its best attention early. Waste that on a hopeful number and later price cuts start to look like a problem with the boat.
The market decides what your boat is worth. The listing decides how fast the market finds out.
Timing matters too. In seasonal markets demand builds ahead of spring, so list before the weather turns. Our guide to the best time to buy a boat shows the calendar from the buyer's side.
The process
How a WB Brokers sale runs
Valuation
You send the year, make, model, engine hours and honest photos. We price the boat against comparable listings and tell you the range, even if it is lower than you hoped.
Prep and photos
We advise on what to clean, fix or leave alone, and on the photos buyers expect: hull sides, helm, engine, bilge, upholstery, trailer and hour meter.
Listing
We write a listing that states what a serious buyer searches for and discloses known flaws up front.
Screening and showings
Inquiries come to us. We qualify buyers, filter out scams, and coordinate showing times with you.
Offer, survey and sea trial
We negotiate the offer into a written agreement with a deposit before any sea trial. If the buyer's survey finds something, we negotiate that too.
Closing
We coordinate the bill of sale, the title or USCG documentation transfer, any lien payoff and the escrow of funds.
What to get ready before listing
Buyers commit faster when the boat's story is easy to verify.
Title and registration
The title, or USCG documentation for a documented vessel, plus the trailer title where your state issues one.
Lien payoff letter
If the boat is financed, ask your lender for a payoff letter. A ready figure takes days off a closing.
Service records
Invoices for oil changes, impellers, winterizing and repairs. A thin folder of real records beats a confident story.
Engine hour report
Many modern engines log hours by RPM band. A printout backs up the gauge, as our engine hours guide explains.
Known issues list
Write down what does not work. The buyer's surveyor will find it anyway, so fix it or disclose it and price it in.
A clean, empty boat
Remove personal gear, clean the bilge and charge the batteries. Surveyors open every hatch, and a clean bilge reads as care.
Expect the buyer's survey, and plan for it
On anything beyond a small, inexpensive boat, a careful buyer will hire an independent marine surveyor. Moisture in the transom, a seized seacock and tired fuel hoses will all land on a findings list. None of that has to kill a deal. Surprises do. A flaw you disclosed is already in the price. The same flaw found at survey becomes a demand for a discount.
Sea trials follow the same logic. The boat does not leave the dock with a stranger until there is a signed agreement and a deposit.
What it costs
We are paid a success-based fee when the boat sells, agreed in writing before we list it. Our pricing page explains how our buyer and seller fees work.
Seller questions
What owners ask before listing
Do I have to move my boat to a lot?
No. We hold no inventory. The boat stays where you keep it and you stay the owner until it sells.
Can I sell a boat that still has a loan on it?
Yes, and it is common. The lender is paid from the sale proceeds at closing and releases the lien so the title can transfer. Get the payoff figure before listing, in case it is higher than the likely sale price.
Should I fix everything before I list?
Fix what is safety related, what is cheap, and what makes the boat hard to demonstrate. For expensive repairs, disclosing the problem and pricing it in is often the better trade.
Who pays for the survey and haul-out?
The buyer does, and the buyer chooses the surveyor. Our marine survey page shows what gets examined, which doubles as a preparation list for you.
Can you sell my boat and help me buy the next one?
Yes. We can act as your buyer's agent on the next boat and time the two deals so you are not boatless in July or carrying two in October. Tell us about both boats.
Next step
Find out what it would sell for before you decide how to sell it
Send us the year, make, model, engine hours and a few honest photos. We will come back with a price range and a plain answer on whether brokerage suits it.