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The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
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Does a roadworthy trailer increase a Catalina 25's market value?
For example, say a Catalina 25 can be sold for $6,000 by itself. A trailer can be purchased at book value for $2,000. So that would be $8,000. Might they be more valuable, say $10,000, if marketed together?
Does a roadworthy trailer increase a Catalina 25's market value?
For example, say a Catalina 25 can be sold for $6,000 by itself. A trailer can be purchased at book value for $2,000. So that would be $8,000. Might they be more valuable, say $10,000, if marketed together?
I'd guess it would depend on how bad the buyer wanted a trailer. If the buyer doesn't need a trailer, it might be a liability, because he would have to store it someplace until he can sell it. If he wants a trailer, he might be willing to pay a little more to get them both.
Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind" previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22 Past Commodore
First, I doubt the values $6,000 + $2,000 will add up to $8,000, much less $10,000. Your trailer will be "used" when you sell the boat--the buyer could hypothetically buy a new trailer for the same amount you "invested"... And as Steve says, will any particular buyer even want a trailer?
To that second point, your geographic area and venues could say a lot. If you live or sail in an environment where boats sit in marinas and are stored in the marinas' yards off-season, a buyer is likely to plan to do the same, and a trailer would be of little or no (or negative) value. For example, I wouldn't have paid for one...
If, however, you and most likely buyers sail on lakes and store boats in back yards, a trailer has a higher probability of being an asset. But not on a "profitable" basis, and probably not covering your cost. It's all a function of probabilities.
Now if the C-25 was a practical "trailer sailer" (like the C-22), meaning the set-up, launching, retrieving, and take-down are reasonable activities for spending a day on the water, then things would be different. But I don't consider the C-25 to be a "trailer sailer"--it's a transportable cruiser that requires a serious tow vehicle and more effort to do all of the above than most people would consider to be reasonable for a day-sail.
Dave Bristle Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired), Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
I recently spent $6K on a new aluminum trailer, but I would expect to recoup a thousand or so in my selling price. In most non-coastal environments I expect it to increase perceived value and curb appeal instead of cash value.
Dave B. aboard Pearl 1982 TR/SK/Trad. #3399 Lake Erie/Florida Panhandle
When I bought my boat I wasn't aware of the difference between trailer sailor and transportable. I had been interested in the C25 for many years before I bought one. And honestly, thought it was a normal trailer sailor. How quickly I learned the difference. Not only does a prospective buyer need to consider his/her sailing venue, be it lakes or sea coast, you must also consider the added cost of a towing vehicle that is up to the job. My boat sat on its trailer in a storage yard for a year while I worked on her, getting her ready to put in the water. Once she was far enough along in her repairs and restorations I was able to put her into a slip. Having no wish to ever trailer her again I sold her trailer. And as a matter of fact, got back almost everything I spent to buy her in the first place. If I were in the market for a real trailer sailor. One that could be both trailed and rigged easily, I would never buy a C25. But in her slip, always rigged up and ready to go, I couldn't ask for a better boat for my purposes.
A have to agree on some of the points brought up. I love trailering my C25 from Michigan to Florida for 6 weeks or so. I bring it back and put it in the shed to modify it some more or perform really good maintenance during the summer back in MI. It is correct that it is not a trailer sailor for a day of sailing but I can go to places with it that I otherwise would not be able . I paid $6k for my trailer and don't regret it. I don't think that it adds a lot of value if I sell it but may put the deal over the edge. I don't expect to get all my money back from the trailer if and when I sell the boat but then again it was for MY convenience.
Wesley Allen "Breaking Wind" 1982 C-25 SR/TR/SK #2773 Hemlock, MI
Here as in all the places where trailers are REQUIRED it is often the case that you pay for the trailer and out board and the boat is pretty much free.
If you do not have haul-out and repair facilities at your "water" where you keep your boat, a trailer is a must have, IMHO. I had a problem early on after I bought my boat, requiring a haul-out, and had to scramble to find a trailer to borrow. After several months of searching online, I found a C-25 trailer in another state and bought it. It was worth the extra cost!
DavidP 1975 C-22 SK #5459 "Shadowfax" Fleet 52 PO of 1984 C-25 SK/TR #4142 "Recess" Percy Priest Yacht Club, Hamilton Creek Marina, Nashville, TN
Well, I'm now the proud owner of a 2003 EZ Loader tandem axle trailer with electric brakes. Tangier Island and Dry Tortugas are within reach!
The trailer was built for a fin keel. The bunks are adjustable. Should I leave them as is in case I sell the trailer by itself later, or should I lower the bunks (requires I cut the supports) to make trailering my swing keel easier?
Fin keel owners, please weigh in about trailering with high center of gravity on trailer.
Hmmmmm... Well, the primary advantage of the SK over an equivalent FK is trailering--easier launching and retrieving, lower C/G for towing, and easier boarding when on the trailer. Given that, I'd say the probabilities are that the trailer might be worth more as a feature of the boat--a part of the package--than the boat and trailer are separately--particularly if the boat doesn't sell without the trailer. I'd list them together as a package--you just might find a buyer who would prefer the boat by itself, in which case you could de-package them. But selling a swinger without a trailer could be much more difficult, and it sounds like selling the boat is your primary goal.
How about lowering the bunks as far as possible (without doing any cutting)? You could point out to a potential buyer that some minor surgery could make it lower... (?)
Dave Bristle Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired), Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
Painting the bottom is better and you can do swing keel maintenance on the trailer with the fin bunk height. Keep it if you can. We use a crane so I would have loved a fin trailer under my 82 swinger.
Painting the bottom is better and you can do swing keel maintenance on the trailer with the fin bunk height. Keep it if you can. We use a crane so I would have loved a fin trailer under my 82 swinger.
Plus you can see the traffic that's behind you better!
Plus you can see the traffic that's behind you better!
...if the vehicle behind you or the one you're driving is a Freightliner...
Dave Bristle Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired), Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
Anyone that can not see the value of a trailer is not seeing clearly the cost of storage. How many seasons does it take to recover the cost of a trailer - let me see i have had my boat out of the water for the past 3 months that is 900 bucks and i will just put it back when i need it. No pull out charges and all my maintenance done at my leasure. It's a no brainer!!!!
Sorry, but can be a "brainer"... I had no place to put a C-25 on a trailer or vehicle to safely tow it. And salt water eats trailers--slowly but surely, as I learned with a previous boat.
Dave Bristle Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired), Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
Ya if you have no place to put it and you are not going to maintain it well that is a no brainer also.
Slim
quote:Originally posted by Stinkpotter
Sorry, but can be a "brainer"... I had no place to put a C-25 on a trailer or vehicle to safely tow it. And salt water eats trailers--slowly but surely, as I learned with a previous boat.
The trailer I mentioned was a fin keel "factory" trailer by Trail-Rite made for the C25. I bought it even though I had a swing keel boat, because I had hoped to syndicate it with other C25 owners at our marina, and one had a fin keel boat. That never happened, but I'm still glad I bought it because it made bottom work so much easier. Also, I have space at home to store it, so that was not a problem. The guy who bought our boat did have storage issues, so he did not but the trailer, and I sold it later by itself.
DavidP 1975 C-22 SK #5459 "Shadowfax" Fleet 52 PO of 1984 C-25 SK/TR #4142 "Recess" Percy Priest Yacht Club, Hamilton Creek Marina, Nashville, TN
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.