SELL YOUR BOAT WITH CLARKE & CARTER
Clarke & Carter have been successfully selling boats for over 40 years and have rightfully earned a reputation for a highly professional service that will ensure your boat is beautifully presented and will be sold promptly and for the best possible price. With over 180 sales of used boats annually, we have a proven track record of results and we would love to help you sell your boat so please use the link below to get in touch.
We can offer free berthing at both our UK offices which enables you to save money while the boat is on the market. With offices always open six days a week, we never miss an enquiry via phone or email and if someone comes directly to the office, we will get them straight onboard your boat.
CLICK HERE to request your FREE market appraisal
HOW WE WILL SELL YOUR BOAT
From the moment you contact us, you will notice a proactivity from the brokers to ensure the sale of your boat is handled properly.
We often have a list of buyers waiting for boats and have sold many boats before they even go on the market. Our initial visit to the boat serves two purposes, to formalise a valuation and to give you any advice on how to present the boat before it is photographed. Using professional photography, walkthrough videos and drone footage, we will make sure that anyone viewing your boat online sees it in its best light and we gather as much information as possible so that we are prepared to answer any questions a potential buyer may have.
WEB SITE clarkeandcarter.co.uk
Your boat will be advertised on our mobile responsive website which is itself heavily promoted. The site has useful search features to narrow down someone’s search to the sort of boats they are looking for. Of course, we also advertise on lots of other boat sales sites across the UK, Europe, and beyond. This has allowed us to sell boats in, and to, many different countries including the US and Australia.
The list of sites we advertise on is constantly changing as we review them to ensure our boats are getting the best coverage. Many of these are sites that you cannot list on without a broker, or the costs privately are very high. See below for some examples of sites we advertise on, consequently generating hundreds of inquiries every week:
- yachtworld.com
- apolloduck.co.uk
- boatshop24.com
- boatsandoutboards.co.uk
- rightboat.com
- theyachtmarket.com
- scanboat.com
- youboat.com
OUR USED BOAT SHOWS
Clarke & Carter holds annual Autumn Used Boat Shows at our offices in Levington, Suffolk, and Burnham on Crouch, Essex. These are the largest, longest-running and most successful used boat shows on the East Coast. At each event we have up to 100 boats on display, both ashore and float. Over a month’s viewings are compressed into a few days with lots of offers and sales made, usually selling around 20% of the boats displayed. There is no fee to enter your boat in the show but it must be listed for sale with us. Free berthing or hardstanding for an agreed period (usually 7 days) is included. They are important events on the East Coast, often attracting media coverage and a great opportunity for selling your boat not to be missed!
SOCIAL MEDIA
This is something that we are carefully growing to match customer feedback and current trends. Although we tend not to advertise individual boats on these platforms they are a valuable tool to promote traffic to our site, and ultimately, sell your boat. You can also help by liking and sharing our Facebook page which publishes boating news, events, and offers.
NEGOTIATION
We act as the negotiators to arrive at a mutually acceptable deal to sell your boat. This agreement is secured by a contract fair and binding to all parties. Our experience allows us to handle the numerous pitfalls and issues that must be properly covered to avoid misunderstandings. We advise buyers to use only qualified and experienced surveyors and will arrange slipping for survey (at the purchaser’s expense), advise you on repair estimates if necessary and renegotiate revised terms where appropriate.
BROKERAGE PART EXCHANGE
To help your boat find a new home we may offer to facilitate a part exchange where appropriate. In these cases we will inform you of the part-exchange and any delay this may cause to your sale. We will also offer you the chance to fund the part exchange from your boat sale which may result in an improved return for you.
HANDLING TITLE
It is imperative that we are able to prove good title to sell your boat. We will check your title documents, VAT status, RCD Compliance and registration particulars to ensure that the sale progresses without delay. We also deal with all the marine mortgage houses to satisfy their requirements to make sure there are no delays in the final payment due to incorrect documentation.
KEEPING YOUR MONEY SECURE
Financial security is essential. These days we find that many purchasers will not buy privately due to the number of scams happening. We act as stakeholders and operate a separate Clients Account for this purpose. Our role is to ensure all parties fulfill their side of the contract and that full payment is made in exchange for title when you sell a boat. We handle all foreign currency transactions and exchange controls, advise on import/export formalities, VAT and duty. Settlements are direct to your account (unless otherwise requested) to ensure speed and security.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Location is a most important factor in achieving a swift sale. With a huge choice of boats on the market it is critical that your boat is quick and easy to access at any time. At our offices we operate either Sales Area hardstanding or berthing, subject to availability. Where available this gives you three to six months ashore free of charge (subject to terms) and thereafter at a heavily discounted rate. There is a much higher chance to sell a boat quickly and for a good price from one of our main offices. Purchasers like to view a selection of boats at one time, and we often encourage viewings that lead to sales on boats that people wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
PRESENTATION
A neat, clean and tidy boat always sells quicker and for more money than a tatty sistership. The impression that a purchaser gets in the first few minutes on board usually decides if he or she is going to make an offer. We advise how best to present including what to do for little expense and effort to improve the achieved end price. We can arrange quotations for cleaning and interior tidying for the purpose of sale. Our brokers are trained to photograph boats to ensure they look their best but offering a realistic view of the boat’s condition which cuts down on timewasters and ensures viewings are carried out with serious buyers.