With yachts in commission, it is difficult to remove
all personal items, and spare gear, but the more that is removed
the better. In particular try to keep all berths clear of
gear - such as that old No 1 genoa and spare spinnaker filling the
quarter berth or forepeak berths you don't use |
Once a boat is laid up, as much loose equipment
as possible should be removed. If equipment or items such
as crockery, glasses etc., have properly dedicated stowage, and
won't suffer from being left aboard, leaving them there actually
helps present the boat - the proper stowage being a positive feature.
In general, however, the less unnecessary equipment and stores on
board the better. Apart from anything else, taking as much
gear as possible out makes the boat look bigger! |
Bunk cushions are almost always best stored out of the boat
over winter, but unfortunately the condition of the upholstery (if
good) is a major selling point, so usually they are best left in
place. |
| The normal 'rules' about providing lots of through ventilation for
laid up boats are also important in keeping a boat dry. However, if
you have access to mains power, a small electric dehumidifier left
running with a drain pipe to the sink outlet is absolutely superb
at keeping boats dry, at very low electricity consumption - and in
this case you actually need to restrict (but not totally remove) ventilation. |
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The other factor influencing
that vital first impression is cleanliness.
Normally you will get advance warning of us bringing a customer
to view, and if you can, an hours work the day before washing
down the decks and cockpit, and cleaning the interior,
particularly the toilet and sinks and cooker,
is really worthwhile. Whenever possible Yachtsnet staff
try to be at the boat before the potential buyer, and open
the hatches to air the boat, but this is not always possible |
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Whilst external cleaning can really only be done effectively
a day or two before a viewing, other work bears dividends that last
rather longer, and is good routine maintenance anyway. Washing
sails and warps, gently scrubbing any external teak (perhaps with
the help of Teak-brite), polishing GRP with a cleaner/polish such
as Farecla, polishing rustmarks off stainless steel with Autosol,
and wiping faded plastic parts such as instrument housings with
a silicone polish, all help both look after the boat and make a
good initial impression on a buyer. |
If the yacht is out of the water, clean and polish the topsides,
and if required put a coat of paint on the boot topping, masking
carefully to ensure straight clean edges. At the very least
scrub clean the bottom. If there is an external iron keel,
make sure that any rust-patches are wirebrushed off, primed and undercoated.
A coat of antifouling will make the yacht look much better, but
if the buyer has a survey done the surveyor will probably scrape
patches off, so don't put on more than one thin coat. |
The difference between a dry, clean, tidy boat and a
damp, dirty and cluttered one can range from simply making a sale
or not, to a difference of thousands of pounds in the final sale
price. Buyers often look at three or four similar boats if they
can - and the impeccably clean one always sells first! |
If you are buying another boat, you may want to keep some items
of equipment. Particularly with portable electronics, and
"use-by-date" items such as flares, however, you may find
that keeping the overall package attractive by having a "ready
to go" inventory is worth more than the cost of buying new
replacements. Besides, the new GPS you buy will be cheaper
and better than the old one you sold with the boat, and the flares
had only a years life in them anyway! Buyers generally know
how much they have to spend, and will deduct from this whatever
they have to spend immediately on essentials to equip the boat.
By all means take out a few of the newest and biggest fenders, and
your own lifejackets and harnesses, but in general offer a boat
able to be sailed away without too much expenditure. |
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