You may only get one shot, Charlie Brown — so let’s make it count!
If your multihull, catamaran, or trimaran is not selling, there may be a reason why.
For a start, you may have a really cheap mooring in a glorious location — a place everyone would love to visit one day — but how easy is it to get to?
As a broker living in cold, wet England at the time, I travelled to Rio Dulce in Guatemala, where I had an English couple trying to sell their Norseman catamaran. They had been trying to sell it for two years with several brokers — not one viewing.
Liking a challenge, I advertised it for a month and got a call from an American who lived in Texas. He wanted to view the catamaran, so I agreed to fly out to meet him. He had the cash ready and paid a holding deposit into our client account, so I knew he was serious.
I arrived at the airport and sat on a bus for over 10 hours — so did my prospective buyer. We felt like we had slept in a shopping trolley.
By the time we arrived in Rio Dulce, we had become firm friends — just as well, as we were asking directions to the dock where the catamaran was from an American guy in a local shop. He lent us a machete and said, “You’ll need this.”
Worried we were about to be attacked by a band of Mexican bandits, we followed his directions through an overgrown entrance to a house. We hacked our way through the jungle-like garden to a ramshackle, rotten pontoon. All the time I was thinking — snakes and deadly spiders.
The catamaran was moored against the overgrown dock, covered in about two inches of leaves. The sail bag was torn open and also covered in leaves.
The owners had posted the keys to me in England. I fumbled with the lock and opened the door.
I had never seen a “hairy” saloon on a catamaran before. It was covered in greenish mould and smelled damp from the humidity. It looked like someone had sprayed it on — it was so evenly spread. Soft furnishings, bedding, headlining — all covered.
Normally, I would have liked to spend a few days cleaning the boat before anyone viewed it (no other broker would have done that). It was only advertised for $55,000, and the buyer instantly said, “I’ll take it.”
We had the cat towed to another dock with water and facilities, and I stayed to help him clean it.
The mould came off with a damp cloth. By the time we had finished, it looked like a new boat. The owner could easily have doubled the price.
Not many buyers — let alone brokers — would have made a trip like that. Most would have taken one look from the dock and said, “No thanks, not for me,” and walked away. And no way would they have cleaned it with the broker.
The buyer sold the catamaran a year later for $120,000. Eventually, it rewarded me with $17,500 in commission over three years — so it turned out to be worth the trip.
Would I do it again? No chance. I don’t like spiders. Ha!
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
If your catamaran is moored on a cheap mooring on a lovely Greek island that’s difficult to reach out of season, don’t be surprised if you don’t get many viewings. Is there a place, where you can get it out of the water for a Survey with a Travel Lift ramp or crane without a 60 mile journey big enough to take it?
It may cost half as much to moor there, but when you factor in travel costs and inconvenience, you may end up paying two years of mooring instead of one.
Do the math.
The last thing buyers want is to chase your catamaran around the Mediterranean or Caribbean. You want to sell it or not?
You can’t squeeze the last drop of sailing out of it if you truly want to sell — unless you stay local.
DE-CLUTTER AND CLEAN IT!
This may sound obvious, BUT I have viewed catamarans with rusty old bicycles in the saloon, seats covered in old blankets, food stagnating in the cooker, mosquitoes and flies squashed on the headlining, nicotine stains, sticky floors.
SPARES
You don’t need three spare anchors, five propellers, spare chain, 23 impellers, ten oil filters, or a thousand meters of rope that might come in useful one day.
Get rid of it.
If you have a pet onboard — and many people do — there will be a doggy smell. You may be used to it. The buyer is not.
It has to smell clean, Charlie Brown.
You must stimulate ALL the buyer’s senses. It has to look nice, smell nice, and feel nice.
If you need to hire a professional team to valet (detail) the boat, do it. You may be sitting on a €100,000+ asset. It may cost you far more later if a buyer knocks the price down because of presentation.
Remember — the buyer is buying into a lifestyle. G&Ts in the cockpit, turquoise water, white sandy beaches.
Do you catch the drift? Whether it’s a 75ft Sunreef or a Wharram Tiki — it’s the same dream.
MAKE FRIENDS IN THE MARINA
If you live on the other side of the planet from your catamaran, find someone who can show it to prospective buyers.
You’ll pay reduced commission to us for a start, and they can organise cleaners — or even clean it themselves before viewings.
Here in the Mediterranean, we get Sahara rain. It covers everything in red desert sand — so thick you could build a sandcastle on the deck.
If you know, you know.
I cleaned a catamaran on Thursday for a Saturday viewing. It rained Sahara dust on Friday. It looked like I hadn’t touched it. Grrr.
DESCRIPTION
A broker may be good at writing a description — BUT nobody knows your boat better than you.
Tell us the history. Where you bought it. Where you sailed. Adventures. Maintenance. Repairs. Upgrades.
Don’t just write: “Catamaran for Sale $750,000.”
If your old friend has taken you through hell and high water, tell us about it.
PRICE
Is your price too high? Too low? Valuing a catamaran isn’t easy.
Yes, you check YachtWorld. Same brand, year, model — prices vary by €10k–€50k. That’s how most brokers value boats.
There’s asking price and selling price. YachtWorld now allows brokers to submit both. The lower the selling price, the easier it looks to sell — which helps quick turnover and faster commissions. They also conveniently show competing boats under your listing. You don’t want that.
On boats, options matter. Air conditioning, watermakers, carbon tenders, lithium batteries, upgraded electronics, carbon rigs, rotating masts — these can add hundreds of thousands to value.
Older cruising catamarans from the big three manufacturers — especially non-flybridge models — are holding value extremely well.
Someone recently rebuilt a Bahia 46 with new engines, saildrives, carbon mast, new sails, electric furlers, carbon bowsprit, lithium, solar, jet boat — how do you price that?
WHEN SHOULD I SELL?
Before the season? After the season? During? Warm sunshine brings buyers out of hibernation. The answer: ASAP.
Cast your bait out there.
Some buyers want to sail at the start of the Med season. Some want to cross the Atlantic in October on the ARC. I’ve sold boats in freezing conditions in Cork and Gothenburg — one German buyer, one American. There’s never a buyer around when you need one most.
Sling your bait out there.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST — PHOTOS & VIDEO
Most people now have decent cameras on their phones. You don’t need to be Steven Spielberg — but take good photos.
Remove clutter. No laundry. No filthy dinghy. No gelcoat pots in shot. One shot, Charlie Brown.
If you can film a walkaround video — even better.
- Deck
- Mast
- Engines
- Cabins
- Electronics
- Sailing footage
Drone shots? Even better. A picture paints a thousand words. Drone video paints two thousand.
Let us help you sell your catamaran or trimaran.
Need a broker?
Go to worldwidecatamarans.com
Selling yourself?
Go to catamaransforsale.net
Sure, you can give it to a dealer — but remember, dealers have targets for new boats. If they miss them, no bonus. Maybe even no dealership. They may use your boat to sell a new one instead.
Food for thought.