Seek help setting a price - canoe

[clicksys]

Hello Folks,
I am new to WCHA and the forums. I have built 2 stitch and glue kayaks, 1 woodstrip kayak, and 1 woodstrip canoe. I do this for fun, as a hobby, but my wife has wisely advised me that I should reduce the inventory before I start the next project! So, being a kayaker, I am putting the Cottage Cruiser up for sale, and would welcome any suggestions on setting a price.
The boat is a Bear Mountain Boats design, built using "Canoecraft" as my guide. It is a straightforward, fairly simple 15'6" boat. I mean, there's no fancy stripping or inlay work, no exotic deck details, etc. OTOH - its hard to rate your own work - I believe that the craftsmanship, and the 'glassing and varnishing are all very good. I was thinking maybe $1500? I know its especially hard to weigh in on this without actually seeing the canoe up close, but I'll attach some photos and look forward to any comments.
Thank you,
Robert in Burlington, VT

 

[Steve Ambrose]

Robert, it sure looks like nice work! If the glass work is as you describe I would think $1500 is a steal for such a lightly used boat. Disclaimer: I don't know strippers but for the amount of work you put into it you're probably underpricing it. It should move at that price but ultimately it's worth what someone is willing to pay. Now if the wife has a gun to your head and is demanding her side of the garage back, all bets are off!

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Robert,

I personally don't think strippers are worth all that much, for 2 reasons,

1) there are so many around that the price stays lower,
2) most folks that what one, want it because they what a canoe they build themself.

With that said, being that you are out east, you may very well get the 1500.
Here in the midwest (Minn), that would be high. You also might have better luck waitin til spring, when, at least here, the prices (and demand) for boats are higher.

For perspective, I sold 2 strippers (a 17.5 and 18.5, both BWCA canoes with 1 trip each) a couple years ago for $1000 each, I would have been happy with $800.

Dan

 

[Dave Wermuth]

I sold one

My work was far inferior to yours. I got $700 as I recall. This was about 4 years ago.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

When we've taken canoes to the local spring watercraft and RV show, the "eye candy" of the strippers built by a friend of ours are what seems to draw folks in. After that, they look at the old wood and canvas canoes... although, a courting canoe with a three-tone paint job would have lured them in, too.

My first wooden canoe was a 14' stripper I found on eBay for $900. The builder was in Northern MN.

Kathy

 

[MGC]

Generally strippers sell for less than half of what a W&C canoe brings.
I would says it' rare for a used one to go for more than $1,200 or so and most seem to sell at about $8 or $900.
That's not to belittle the craft. Many of these are quite nicely built and fine canoes for the price.
They just don't hold the same value as W&C.