Selling Cape Dory 25-Question Re Summer Launch

[RobertaMoss]

I wish to sell my 1978 Cape Dory 25. It is a lovely boat, but it is time to move on. I am in the middle of sprucing it up for the Spring. I live in Marblehead, MA. Do you think I need to launch it to sell it? I would be happy to splash it if someone was interested and wanted to do a sea trial. I would prefer to put my new boat (Cape Dory 28) on my mooring and use it this summer. Or is it best to keep it afloat until a find a happy buyer? Do you think the price will be substantially higher if she is in the water? Looking for opinions please.

[Maine_Buzzard]

Hi Roberta, great question.

Some of the conundrum for a buyer is that they might want to spend time sailing a particular boat, in order to know the feel and performance prior to purchase. But actually doing that on a shoreside boat is prohibitively expensive. (Rig and launch a 25, tune for sailing, and have a nice weather day? Two weeks and one boat unit{$1000})

My harsh assessment is that if a Cape Dory buyer NEEDS to sail a particular boat before making an offer, they are not a serious (ready) buyer. They need to find a sistership, bum a ride on another's boat, crew to get experience, do whatever it takes to decide if one model is right or wrong. CDs have been around long enough for everyone to know how they are.

As a buyer, I would prefer to look at a boat out of the water first. Better to see the condition of the hull and the bottom paint. Given that the 25 probably has an outboard engine, there is little need to splash a boat for a buyer to test drive. A marine surveyor will also need to inspect the boat out of the water too.

If a boat has an inboard engine, marine toilets that rely on ocean water, or water cooled refrigeration it would be wise to include a sea trial. Entirely reasonable for a 30' or larger boat, less so for a CD25. We held a small escrow until after Guppy was painted and launched and operation of the engine was established.

Take them for a ride on the 28 and tell a buyer to imagine three feet less.

[Dasein]

Hi Roberta,

I purchased my 1978 CD 25 at the end of last season while it was sitting on the hard. Seeing the condition of the bottom outweighed the performance question, as I'm not expecting a J24. As was mentioned, they've been around long enough for everyone to know how they are. One suggestion from my experience would be to have the mast up; my boat still feels a bit odd and unboaty with the mast on the deck and not being in the water yet.

Best of luck with selling it and sailing the new 28.

[Frenchy]

Agree with both of the comments above. I bought my present boat, a CD 33, without a sea trial. A buyer for your boat
will be more interested in the condition of hull, deck and rig than sea-going qualities, which as the other posters pointed
out, should be obvious. If you could get the outboard hooked up to a water supply so it can be run and tested, that would
be a plus, I think. Good luck with the sale and future adventures on your CD 28. - Jean

[gates_cliff]

I'm late to the party, so to speak, but my experience when I bought my CD 27 was similar to the above suggestions. My boat was out of the water, which like others said allows inspection of bottom. I also had it surveyed and they were able to run the engine that way. The survey reviewed all the basics and had some suggestions for me. I was already familiar with Cape Dories so not being in the water wasn't a deterrent to buying.