So, maybe you’ve finally bought that dream boat you’ve been wanting for the past decade. You have saved and scrimped, and it’s yours. The only problem is that you need to sell your old boat if you want to make room in your garage for your dream boat.

Then again, it could be that you’ve just decided to get rid of your boat. Maybe boating isn’t the thing for you. Maybe you don’t enjoy the hobby as much as you originally thought you would, or maybe you’ve discovered that the upkeep and maintenance on your boat are a lot more effort and money than what you originally thought they would be.

Whatever the reason, now that you’ve canceled your boat insurance and are ready to stick a sign up in the yard, you want to get the most for your used boat. Here are some tips to make sure that anyone who’s thinking about buying your boat will be willing to part with maximum cash:

• Make sure your boat is washed, build-up is cleaned, and it’s ready for prime time. Polish your boat’s surface as best you can in order to bring back that new boat shine. Put on a coat of wax to protect it from the sun’s UV rays while it’s sitting outside in your yard. Anyone selling a car can tell you that a coat of wax can increase the sale value by as much as 10 percent, and the same holds true for a boat.
• Keep the fiberglass, aluminum and Gel-Coat maintained. You can’t get these things clean without a little bit of elbow grease, so make sure you’re really working it.
• Use the right tools. A high-end orbital polisher will not only make the polishing job easier, it will also help you to be able to get the job done better than if you were trying to do it by hand.
• Advertise the boat in multiple media. Consider internet sites, newspapers and trade magazines. Post on Twitter and Facebook that you’re looking to sell a boat. The more advertising you do, the more people will come look at your boat and the more you’ll be able to charge.

Photo via Darren Foreman