A buddy of mine who has been out of the fishing hobby for 15 years asked me this. Emotions/brand loyaty aside, which boat (as a precentage of original street purchase price) hold it's value the best over 3 years of ownership? I initially told him Ranger, but I have changed my mind. Using the Boats for Sale portion of this website as a resource, I say it is Skeeter. I see late model FX's asking price nearly what they sold for originally (at least what they sold for here in Texas). What say you?
Its hard to go off asking price, but how would you know the sale price originally? Even boats that have national listed prices often get rigged up with extras.
Good point. But for comparision purposes, I assumed used asking price for all boats to be biased the same for all brands. For initial new purchased price, I am going off of what the brands special offers were. Example is Bass Cat usually offers their Cougar and/or Puma FTD very well equipped for a national advertised price. Same with Skeeter. Cabalas offer Rangers at a "no haggle" price as does Bass Pro with Nitro. For the smaller market share brands, it's harder to compare.Originally Posted by grandbassslayer
I'm going to say Bullet. They seem to hold their value extremely well.
I know Ranger's hold value well. Not sure which others do.
2018 Ranger Z518C 200hp Rude.
12 inch HDS Carbon
9 inch HDS Carbon
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Price of new boats and cost of 'extras' have created a different used boat market the last few years. They are holding their value better than ever and several brands hold their value extremely well and I don't think 1 does better than the others. Ranger, Bullet, Phoenix, BassCat, Skeeter all about even. They key is which model and length within each brand. Some do better than others.
At the bank it’s all NADA depreciations.
Bullets probably the best, then basscat, then ranger.
Any walleye boat with Lund in the name, LOL
A two year old used boat will hold its value better than a new boat any day of the week. That initial depreciation is a tough hit. I am willing to bet you can find a two year old Ranger for sale for 2/3 of what it cost new.
If you look at it as a percentage depreciation buy the most expensive boat you can, it will be the best. If you look at actual cash depreciation value buy the least expensive boat you can.
Last edited by BMCD; 01-10-2020 at 11:42 AM.
Bryan McDonough
2023 Nitro Z21 XL
Nitro Team
Thats what they claim, but I tested the waters selling mine last year, I learned the market for 70k used boats is pretty slim.
the trick is buying it "under the money" from the getgo!
I bought my new leftover 2017 Polarkraft TX195, in February of 2018. I bought it around $10,000 cheaper than the lowest price I can find on a new 2018 model, and around $7000 cheaper on any leftover 2017 model that I found. THAT"S why I had no problem traveling 1300 miles round trip to get it!
Buy a good used one. % wise, you won't likely lose as much as a new/newer one regardless of brand.something 10-15 years old and in good shape fits the bill. take care of it. shoot, you might even make $ on it when you sell in 3 years.
Exactly! The bank will go off of NADA for loan value. Most banks require 10-20 percent down. Credit unions will usually finance 100 percent of NADA unless your credit isn’t good.
As far as add add ons go, they go off of what NADA has listed.
Generally, the boat manufacturers with lower yearly production numbers hold value better than manufacturers with higher production. Simple supply and demand. The more used boats of a particular manufacturer with high production numbers will drive down resale value due to competition between sellers. The real question is, which boats drop the most in value?
2020 BassCat Cougar FTD SP
2020 250 Pro SX
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I have done a little comparison on this subject and over the past 20 years a Bullet holds value real well especially if it has been taken care of. Most Bullet folks do a good job of taking care of their rigs. Most people cant tell the difference in a 2000's model and newer model just a few years old. The finish on a Bullet is really nice.
2005 21XD W/ 2005 MERC 250XS BULLET TOTAL PERFORMANCE BOAT!!
I think the "ranger's hold their value" is a myth. The market is flooded with used Rangers all listed for top dollar. The problem is that the list never changes. And when a Ranger does sell the previous owner will never admit that they sold it for a lot less than they were asking or expected. I know a couple people locally trying to sell their couple year old 520's and they can barely give the things away. One sold his '15 520C for a hell of a lot less than the average "maniac" asking price. He wasn't going to sell it otherwise.
The more boutique brands hold their value. As do 18 and 19 footers. There's just not a lot of 18 and 19 foot used bass boats on the market, so they command a higher price. 20 and 21 footers, well, just go look at the for sale section here. It's flooded with them.
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