Appraisal: 1985 Montauk 17

[chickenhawk]

Give me an appraisal of a 1985 Montauk 17 that has been stored in a pole barn since 2009. There is no engine. The boat needs a lot of work. The boat needs to be rewired.

The general condition of the 1985 MONTAUK 17 can be see in three photographs below:

[Phil T]

Hull and working trailer are worth $2,000 to $3,000.

Pricing is location dependent. Where is the boat located?

[jimh]

A trailer that has been sitting in a barn for 13 years will need restoration before it can be used on the road. Its value might be $250.

The 1985 MONTAUK 17 boat appears to be extremely dirty and apparently has received no care in the last 13 years. Because of the dirt, and because the images are small and show no details, no assessment of the boat's true condition can be made. Only a very careful in-person inspection of the boat can really assess its condition. It might just be in great shape but very dirty. Or the dirt might conceal serious flaws.

At the least, the hull appears to have most of the original components intact, which is a positive influence on value.

Many sellers think that any Boston Whaler boat, no matter how dirty and no matter how uncared for deserves a premium price. This is a fallacy.

A really nice condition 1985 MONTAUK 17 hull might be worth at least $5,000 and possibly more. But that is for a boat whose condition can be seen and fairly evaluated. On that basis, I would appraise this boat at $1,000, but consider a higher value if the boat were carefully cleaned and its true condition could be seen and judged.

[chickenhawk]

Thanks Jim and Phil. I do realize that proper appraisal would need more detailed phots or ideally be in person, but you guys gave me what I need.