What is it worth?

I am going to sell my canoe but I have no idea what it is worth or how much to ask for it. I bought it new in late 70’s and have not used it in forever. It is a 15’ forest green Mansfield Canoe by the Stowe Canoe Co. It is in very good condition and does not need any repairs. Fiberglass hull with mahogany ribs on the inside. I had the gunwales, bow & stern decks replaced with mahogany by a professional wooden boat builder I know and it looks awesome. Is this site a good place to sell something like this? I’m in CT. Any help appreciated.

Craigslist
There is one on Craigslist for $500 with paddles but it may not be as nice as yours. It is a narrow market type boat that needs the right buyer. For example, it may not sell as well in the south/east (whitewater country) as the boundary lakes region. It is a nice boat for sure!



http://burlington.craigslist.org/boa/3373571298.html

Sad,

– Last Updated: Nov-13-12 9:29 AM EST –

but true. These boats do not seem to be worth much. I sold an identical boat a year and half ago for $350. I advertised it here and on Craigslist for $600 and got some traffic from curious people but no solid prospects. I finally put a for sale sign on the thing and carried it with me to a paddling symposium where one fellow did buy it for $350. It was the only real offer I had on the thing after about a month of trying.

I thought it a shame as this sort of construction, albeit in modern and lighter material, commands in excess of $3000/boat.

A woman, more in tune with the market than I am, offered the opinion that fiberglass boats were not much in demand and would rarely fetch much more than $350.

I actually forced myself to sell the boat buy buying so many others that I had no room for it. I might do it differently if I had it to do over.

It was a pretty boat and a well-behaved one. Think about keeping it.

Peter

P.S. Today there is an 18' fiberglass canoe in my local (CT) paper that is free to a good home. Ugh!

Worth $700, but…
you’ll need to work it hard, stumble upon the right buyer, or just be willing to take $400-$550. Best luck in the northeast at this point.



openboater

canoe worth
I had a similar boat built by Merrimack Canoe Co. Fiberglass over wood ribs. The boat had some cracks from outside storage. It was definitely not as nice as yours. I got $450 for it. Yours ought to be worth $600-700, but you have to find the right person. Advertising is important.

Thanks
Thanks for the info everyone. I’ll give it a try on craigs list, but this is probably not a good time of year to do so in the Northeast. If you know anyone who has interest, I have photos. Much appreciated.