When will you start getting serious about looking for a used boat? I have heard the best time to start advertising is around the Northwest Sports show time. True? I got fish bucks to burn but I think the new system will kick in before the show. 
I started my search last February and had a boat by the end of March… 
meaning your looking for a boat or selling your boat?
I’m selling mine late summer with the risks of being without a boat until spring before I pick up the new one. I know that is probably the worst time however I would be in no rush to sell it.
different ends of the price spectrum:
I found the best time to buy was in August – October
before they are stored for the winter.
I find the best time to sell is from now till opener.
When people want to have “their new boat”.
I replied to a ad on cl yesterday and the guy is coming to pick up my Jon boat that’s been taking up space in my garage.
I was looking the right one for about a year and then jumped on it when I found it for a price I could afford. Ended up buying at the beginning of March.
I sold mine last September,and bought my new one in October.I thought I got a good deal as it was a new boat that the dealer wanted to get rid of before the new models came out.
BB 2
If it’s a desired boat that you’re willing to move for the right price, list it now and it should move.
Use free listings frequently and list on pay-for websites during high percentage times (March-May).
I think the most important part is finding the correct audience for the boat you’re selling. I sold my last boat for almost 3,000 more than I paid for it after 2yrs of ownership… and I sold it for that price is July.
Pete
I was looking everyday until we got ice. I probably won’t start looking again until a test drive would be possible. So May.. 
Everytime I post anything about a boat everyone always says, DO NOT BUY IT WITHOUT A TEST DRIVE.
The test drive is key. I looked very seriously in late Fall and if there wasn’t some early ice I would have test driven and probably bought. So, stayed in contact with the owner until Spring open water. Test drive checked out … Purchase completed. It would be hard for me personally to buy a used boat around boat show time … 3 months til test drive..
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It would be hard for me personally to buy a used boat around boat show time … 3 months til test drive..
POOL 4 
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I have heard the best time to start advertising is around the Northwest Sports show time. True?
True. Once a buyer recovers from the sticker shock of the total cost of a new boat, they start look at used.
-J.
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If it’s a desired boat that you’re willing to move for the right price, list it now and it should move.
Use free listings frequently and list on pay-for websites during high percentage times (March-May).
I think the most important part is finding the correct audience for the boat you’re selling. I sold my last boat for almost 3,000 more than I paid for it after 2yrs of ownership… and I sold it for that price is July.
Pete
$3000 more that you paid for it….
What was it – a Ranger 621 V boat?
Those all seem to be going up in price.
Dog 
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$3000 more that you paid for it….
What was it – a Ranger 621 V boat?
Those all seem to be going up in price.
Dog
Yes, 620.
Absolute prime time for used boat sales is the 6 weeks before the walley opener. That is CrazyTime on Craigslist with thousands of desperate buyers who will pay almost anything to have a boat so they can go up with their buddies on the opener or the first big trip north.
While you CAN sell a boat anytime, you will have the best chance of getting top dollar in the April/May timeframe because buyers will be lined up for the few decent boats on CL and they know that with guys lined up from the door to the curb, there isn’t going to be any chance to lowball.
I’ll be listing my boat in PrimeTime this year.
If your buying, later in the year is better, but there is a huge slowdown in sales after July 4. By then, the newbies who were all jacked up at the beginning of the year have all blown their money. This is where the finesse buyers move in, guys tend to be looking for very specific rigs and won’t be willing to overpay for junk. A good boat priced right will still sell after July 4, but the cycle tends to be longer and the price has to be right.
Grouse
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