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Help Valuing an Old Bass Boat

MAK

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Blairsville, GA - Flagler Beach, FL
I’m having a hard time determining what I might be able to get out of my boat if I were to sell. NADA values don’t seem to mean much for boats, at least based on what I’ve seen lately during my search for a new saltwater boat.
We recently sold our house on Lanier and I’ve got it up here at our place in Fannin instead of tied to the dock where it’s been the better part of nearly 20 years. I guess where I’m at is that if it’s not going to bring a certain amount, I’ll just hang on to it and trailer it to the lakes up here. It’s just that I don’t expect to use it much and it might just get used once or twice a year if that much.
So,I just can’t find any of this particular make and model for sale and it’s even tough to find comparable boats. Plus the fact that asking price on Craigslist doesn’t mean that’s what they actually sell for. Plus, it’s an old boat that needs plenty of TLC and maintenance from someone.
1996 Ranger 488vs, Mercury 200efi, Ranger Trail trailer
Trailer is in good shape w/ new tires but has cracked fiberglass wheel cover
Motor runs good but the pump that automatically mixes the oil with gas hasn’t worked for years and I just mix manually in tank. Before selling I would get cylinder compression but it’s actually got low hours of use.
Boat is probably what you would expect from one that has spent most of its life under a covered dock but still exposed to the elements. Transom is solid, keel is good and there are no cracks or damage.
Bench seat upholstery needs replaced as it’s cracked and was molested by an otter. Carpet is thinning in some spots at edges of hatch lids, etc. The rear access hatch lid is cracked and needs reinforced. You can feel it flexing and giving more than it should when you stand on it. All other hatch lids and deck is great. All electronics and switches function. The clear coating over the paint on the front right gunnel is cracked and chipping away in one section. The rest of the paint just needs serious cleaning to get it presentable.
Has electric trolling motor and old lcd fishfinders and gps mapping.

So, who here does a lot of boat buying and selling or keeps up with used boat values? I’m under no illusion that it’s worth a lot of money, I just don’t have any idea of what a ballpark value is... I’m in a bad spot out in the middle of nowhere to just throw it up on Craigslist to see what kind of offers it brings. I would like to know so I can decide whether to keep it for an occasional trip, or sell it and concentrate on my Florida fishing.

Thanks
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I’m having a hard time determining what I might be able to get out of my boat if I were to sell. NADA values don’t seem to mean much for boats, at least based on what I’ve seen lately during my search for a new saltwater boat.
We recently sold our house on Lanier and I’ve got it up here at our place in Fannin instead of tied to the dock where it’s been the better part of nearly 20 years. I guess where I’m at is that if it’s not going to bring a certain amount, I’ll just hang on to it and trailer it to the lakes up here. It’s just that I don’t expect to use it much and it might just get used once or twice a year if that much.
So,I just can’t find any of this particular make and model for sale and it’s even tough to find comparable boats. Plus the fact that asking price on Craigslist doesn’t mean that’s what they actually sell for. Plus, it’s an old boat that needs plenty of TLC and maintenance from someone.
1996 Ranger 488vs, Mercury 200efi, Ranger Trail trailer
Trailer is in good shape w/ new tires but has cracked fiberglass wheel cover
Motor runs good but the pump that automatically mixes the oil with gas hasn’t worked for years and I just mix manually in tank. Before selling I would get cylinder compression but it’s actually got low hours of use.
Boat is probably what you would expect from one that has spent most of its life under a covered dock but still exposed to the elements. Transom is solid, keel is good and there are no cracks or damage.
Bench seat upholstery needs replaced as it’s cracked and was molested by an otter. Carpet is thinning in some spots at edges of hatch lids, etc. The rear access hatch lid is cracked and needs reinforced. You can feel it flexing and giving more than it should when you stand on it. All other hatch lids and deck is great. All electronics and switches function. The clear coating over the paint on the front right gunnel is cracked and chipping away in one section. The rest of the paint just needs serious cleaning to get it presentable.
Has electric trolling motor and old lcd fishfinders and gps mapping.

So, who here does a lot of boat buying and selling or keeps up with used boat values? I’m under no illusion that it’s worth a lot of money, I just don’t have any idea of what a ballpark value is... I’m in a bad spot out in the middle of nowhere to just throw it up on Craigslist to see what kind of offers it brings. I would like to know so I can decide whether to keep it for an occasional trip, or sell it and concentrate on my Florida fishing.

Thanks
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Hard to beat them Rangers. Still looks pretty good.
 
Hard to beat them Rangers. Still looks pretty good.
Yeah, that’s why I can’t bring myself to just give it away. Even if it spends most of its life just sitting in the drive.
Might still end up using it at our place in Florida. From everything I’ve heard so far, I want a boat that will draft much shallower than the old Ranger. I’ve bought a cheap temporary boat for down there until I can get a better feel for where I’ll be fishing and how shallow I really need to get there off the Intracoastal.
If I find I really don’t need to get that shallow for the fishing I end up doing I might outfit it for Saltwater and just run it until there’s nothing left. Would need to strip the carpet, replace all the chrome bits, etc, etc. doesn’t make sense for a $10k boat, but if it’s only worth $3k I would do it as long as I could get the use out of it.
 
Footnote: That's a really nice trailer. And trailers don't really age. If you really want top dollar, consider selling motor, boat, and trailer separate
 
Footnote: That's a really nice trailer. And trailers don't really age. If you really want top dollar, consider selling motor, boat, and trailer separate
I was sorta thinking the same thing when looking at prices of trailers and outboards... Good running motors seem to fetch a decent price and I know nice trailers get good money. It’s like you lose money when someone else has to get rid of that perfectly good boat hull for you :rolleyes:
 
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