Pawning or Selling Your Boat
February 23, 2020 - Vehicles
So you need quick cash off your boat.
Well, have you thought about selling or pawning your boat to a pawn shop? If not, here are a few tips on how you can do that.
Get offers on PawnGuru (and maybe call to follow up)
Not every pawn shop is willing to make an offer on your boat for multiple reasons. It could be that they don’t have storage space, or maybe they think a boat will be too difficult to sell. To find a pawn shop that takes boats fast, we’d recommend you submit a picture and description of your boat to PawnGuru. PawnGuru will send out notifications to your local pawn shops, who will make you an offer on your boat that same day. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to call shops we’ve contacted to follow up!
Clean your boat
Once you’ve found a pawn shop that’s interested in buying or offering a loan on your boat, the next thing you need to do is clean your boat properly. The newer you can make your boat look, the more willing pawn shops will be to give you top dollar for it. The less hassle for them, the better the deal you’ll get.
Fix any damages
If your boat has major damage or cosmetic issues, expect to get a lower offer. Most pawn shops don’t have the resources to plow tons of cash into fixing your vessel. Try to fix these major damages or cosmetic issues before presenting your boat to a pawn shop. You don’t have to fix every dent or scratch; just make sure you’re okay with what it may be worth if you leave those damages or cosmetic issues with the boat. Each one of those cosmetic issues could reduce your offer. Fix what you possibly can.
Bring ownership papers
Bring the title and any other important papers that provide information on who currently owns the boat and where or who you bought the boat from. If you can’t present these papers, pawn shops won’t do business with you – even if you built the boat from scratch.
If you follow these tips to sell or pawn your boat, it should go a long way to making sure that you are offered good money.
If you have any questions, please email us at help@pawnguru.com. We’re eager to help!
David Stiebel
David Stiebel is one of the cofounders of PawnGuru. David was educated at MIT, where he studied Math. He subsequently worked at Bain as a data scientist before starting PawnGuru in 2015. He started PawnGuru to build a better tool for pawn shops and consumers to connect.
More ArticlesComments
Zequek Estrada
May 17, 2016, 3:00 AM
Patience is not my highest quality. I’m actually in the situation you’re describing. I would have thought that someone would have purchased my boat since it’s gotten warmer. Hopefully, I’ll find a good pawnbroker that can be of service and these tips sound like they’ll help in the process.
Sam Solo
February 9, 2018, 1:46 AM
Cleaning the boat will help people see the value and space more easily. I really liked your tip about making sure that you bring the title so that customers can be sure that you are legitimate in the sale. I’ll have to remember your tips if I ever want to sell a boat.