Kelley Blue Book Boats
Is There a Blue Book for Boat Values?
It’s natural to wonder, “How much is my boat worth?” or “What should I pay when I buy a boat?” but it’s also important to ask, “Who is providing the information?”.
So let’s establish this up front: There are no Kelley Blue Book® Values for boats. Of course, if you need a value for apassenger vehicleor motorcycle,we can help there.
But where can you turn if you’re looking for boat values since Kelley Blue Book doesn’t offer them?
If you pull up a search engine and type in “boat values,” “Blue Book boat values,” or “boat values KBB,” a lot of sites come up. Many are legitimate but do read reviews. They can give you a general idea of the price of a boat like yours or the boat you might consider adding to your fleet.
But be careful. Not all boat value sites are legitimate. Almost every site out there throws the words “Blue Book” in there to confuse the issue. Some sites cover their pages with phrases like “Boat Blue Book Value” or “KBB Boat Book” to try to attract shoppers and search engines alike. They hope you’ll assume their boat values are genuine Kelley Blue Book boat values. But they’re not.
Because – bottom line – none of those sites is working with Kelley Blue Book. Kelley Blue Book has been providing car values since 1926, but we don’t offer boat values. As a result, many boat owners choose to use a combination of online sources to arrive at a value. But there are other options.
How Can You Get an Accurate Boat Value?
While online sources can give you a general estimate, boat values vary widely because of differences in care, climate, and condition. Has the boat been in storage or dry dock in the winter, or was it used year-round? Has the boat seen most of its miles in saltwater or freshwater? (That sea air can be a corrosive killer!) Plus, equipment and customization can vary a lot from one boat to another. Advanced electronics & navigation and the choice of materials will affect the price or value.
So what should you do? Many people pay the professionals and hire a boat surveyor to appraise it in person. A boat surveyor will consider your boat’s unique construction, condition, and equipment and then inspect your boat stem to stern. To come up with a value, a professional surveyor will analyze the hull and either the rig or the engine (sailboat vs powerboat). TheSociety of Accredited Marine Surveyors(SAMS) andthe National Association of Marine Surveyors(NAMS) are two great places to find a surveyor. They maintain lists of boat surveyors in your area.
Another thing to consider: If you stick with online sources, their boat values are usually based only on brokers or boat dealers. These sources don’t take into account the significant number of boat sales between private parties. This isn’t surprising since data is hard to come by, verify, and normalize.
Does Kelley Blue Book Have Boat Values?
Kelley Blue Book doesn’t provide values for boats. This also includes boat-related products like outboard motors and trailers.
Why doesn’t Kelley Blue Book offer boat values? Good data is too hard to come by. Getting a large enough sample size to set a boat value with the confidence and accuracy we demand is impossible. We don’t put the name Kelley Blue Book on just any value. We have almost a century of valuation expertise and trust to consider.
Kelley Blue Book only provides vehicle trade-in values, private party values, and Fair Market Range when we can obtain enough actual transactions across a wide enough range of the country to ensure we can produce values that are fair to all parties and reflect the ever-changing market.
Getting a value for a boat isn’t easy, which is why many people choose to work with a professional boat surveyor. In the end, there are online sources that can give you an estimate, but Kelley Blue Book isn’t behind any of them. Good luck.
Kelley Blue Book Can Help You:
- LearnWhat Your Car is Worth– help you with selling or trading your vehicle.
- Find a Car for Sale
- Get anInstant Cash Offerfor your vehicle.
- SeeCar Pricesfor new and used cars.
- Compare Carsto see which is right for you.
- Check Auto Repair Prices and Get an Estimate.
- Learn about towing a boat.
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