Guide · buying
How much should I offer on a used boat?
Open at the bottom of the boat's likely range and aim for its Gauge Estimate, whatever the asking price. For a 1990 Grand Banks 42 Classic asking £141,950, that is £108,000 to open and £131,000 to aim for; walk away above £141,500, the asking price rounded down. We do not yet measure the gap between asking and sold prices, so every figure here is worked from asking prices.
Work out your offer
The asking price from the listing, then the Gauge Estimate and its likely range from our price guide: the year page or the value tool gives both. No estimate yet? Value the boat first; it takes a minute.
- It is asking 8.4% more than the Gauge Estimate, inside its likely range.
- Open at the bottom of the likely range, the weighted middle half of what comparable boats ask, and aim for the Gauge Estimate.
- Walk away above the asking price: never offer more than the seller asks.
- Days listed, cuts so far and the time of year are not yet measured, so they move nothing here.
Open at £108,000, aim for £131,000, walk away above £141,500.
The words to make it with
Dear [broker's name], Thank you for showing me the 1990 Grand Banks 42 Classic. I'd like to offer £108,000, subject to a satisfactory survey and sea trial. I've looked at comparable boats on the market and I think this is a fair figure for the boat as listed. I'm in a position to proceed quickly after a satisfactory survey. I'd be grateful if you'd put this to the owner. Kind regards, [Your name]
Send it to the broker, or to the seller if there is none. Keep it short, conditional, and without apology.
The four signals
Price against the market
The single biggest factor, and the one the rule above works from. A boat asking more than comparable boats ask has room to come down; one asking at or below its Gauge Estimate has little. Compare the asking price with the Gauge Estimate for its year, and see where it sits in the likely range.
How long it has been listed
not yet measuredA boat that has sat for months has a seller who may be ready to talk. We began daily observation on 21 Sep 2026, and publish how long boats listed now have been listed from 20 Dec 2026; it is days listed so far, never a time to sell. The listing date is on the advert, and our year pages show the month each comparable was seen.
Cuts it has already made
not yet measuredA recent cut shows a seller willing to move; it also means some of the room has already gone. We publish the share of boats listed now that have cut their price, and by how much, from 20 Dec 2026.
The time of year
not yet measuredIn autumn and winter a seller faces another season of berthing and storage before the spring buyers arrive. Whether that shows in the price needs a full year of boats seen from the day they are listed; the first comparison follows in Sep 2027.
From offer to handover
The price is agreed twice: once when the seller accepts your offer, and again after the survey.
- Offer
In writing, to the broker, subject to survey and sea trial. Say what you will pay, not what you think it is worth.
- Agreement and deposit
On acceptance you sign an agreement for the sale. Read what it says about the deposit, and what happens if the survey finds problems, before you sign.
- Survey and sea trial
Your surveyor inspects the boat out of the water; you sail it. Allow a week or two. The surveyors we cite charge £15 to £25 a foot of length, each with a minimum fee.
- The second negotiation
Survey findings are priced and put to the seller: a lower price, a repair before sale, or walking away. Most defects are negotiated, not argued.
- Completion
The balance is paid, ownership documents and proof of VAT are handed over, and the boat is yours.
Mistakes that cost money
- Offering before you know what it’s worth
An offer anchored to the asking price starts in the seller’s favour. Check the market first.
- Explaining your offer at length
Every reason you give is something to argue with. One sentence on comparable boats is enough.
- Skipping “subject to survey”
Without it, you lose the second negotiation.
- Falling for the boat in front of the seller
Enthusiasm is priced in. Save it for the day it’s yours.
- Negotiating defects you haven’t priced
Get a quote for every survey finding before you ask for money off; a number beats a complaint.
Questions
How much below asking price should I offer on a boat?
Open at the bottom of the boat's likely range and aim for its Gauge Estimate, whatever the asking price says. How far below asking that is depends on where the asking price sits: for our example 1990 Grand Banks 42 Classic at its example asking price, the opening offer is 24% under asking; for the same boat asking its Gauge Estimate, 18% under asking. We do not yet measure the gap between asking and sold prices, so every figure here is worked from asking prices.
Is it rude to make a low offer on a boat?
Not if it is reasoned. An offer backed by comparable boats is taken seriously; one far below the market with no reason is easy to dismiss.
Can I renegotiate after the survey?
Yes, that is what “subject to survey” is for. Price each finding with a quote, and ask for a reduction, a repair before sale, or walk away.
Do days listed and price cuts change what I should offer?
They should, and the four signals above say how to read them. We do not yet measure by how much they move a sale price, so the rule leaves them out rather than guess.
Sources
- Hull Gauge: Gauge Estimates and likely ranges, from the asking prices of 116,703 boats tracked since Mar 2020, recomputed nightly. Methodology.
- Offer rule of thumb v0.1, ruled 24 Sep 2026: the likely range and the Gauge Estimate, not yet fitted to observed sales. How it works.
- AP Marine Surveys fees, 2026 season: Pre-purchase survey, AP Marine Surveys. Accessed 22 Sep 2026.
- Sharp Marine Surveys prices: Pre-purchase survey, Sharp Marine Surveys. Accessed 22 Sep 2026.
- Hull Gauge daily observation of the boats listed now, since 21 Sep 2026: days listed so far and price cuts, published once each has enough boats.