Advice on selling composite canoe
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 3:15 pm
I plan to sell our 2003 Bell "15th Anniversary Edition" Northstar touring canoe and would like some good advice on how to do this. "15 th Anniversary Edition" means that it has:
* red cherry woodwork (gunwales, seats, thwarts & decks) instead of the usual ash
* a gorgeous hand carved portage thwart that curves to fit the contours of a back instead of the usual flat design.
* a Black-Gold hull (graphite on the out side and Kevlar inside)
* a plate on the bow floatation chamber that designates its special status and says that it is #16. The head craftsman signed it and the designer's (David Bell's) initials are on the stern.
The boat has only seen use on flat water and it has rarely touched bottom. There are a few very superficial scratches in the protective gel coat layer that I can surely polish out. The seats are essentially new since I replaced them when the boat was new with a bow kneeling thwart and Wenonah bucket seat. I used the original seat holes in the outwale for the replacement thwart and seat, so I can replace the original seats, just like it came from the factory. I secured knee pads and foot chocks to the bilge with outdoor carpet tape so removing these will reveal a thin coat of Barge cement. Otherwise, the boat will look essentially new. As Bell claims, it is "a work of art, built to last a lifetime."
Bell presently lists Black-Gold Northstars with ash trim for $3,178. It seems to me that the right person would be willing to pay $5,000 for our unique boat. What do you all think about price? Can you recommend any places to advertise, other than C-Boats and Paddling.net?
Thanks, Bill
* red cherry woodwork (gunwales, seats, thwarts & decks) instead of the usual ash
* a gorgeous hand carved portage thwart that curves to fit the contours of a back instead of the usual flat design.
* a Black-Gold hull (graphite on the out side and Kevlar inside)
* a plate on the bow floatation chamber that designates its special status and says that it is #16. The head craftsman signed it and the designer's (David Bell's) initials are on the stern.
The boat has only seen use on flat water and it has rarely touched bottom. There are a few very superficial scratches in the protective gel coat layer that I can surely polish out. The seats are essentially new since I replaced them when the boat was new with a bow kneeling thwart and Wenonah bucket seat. I used the original seat holes in the outwale for the replacement thwart and seat, so I can replace the original seats, just like it came from the factory. I secured knee pads and foot chocks to the bilge with outdoor carpet tape so removing these will reveal a thin coat of Barge cement. Otherwise, the boat will look essentially new. As Bell claims, it is "a work of art, built to last a lifetime."
Bell presently lists Black-Gold Northstars with ash trim for $3,178. It seems to me that the right person would be willing to pay $5,000 for our unique boat. What do you all think about price? Can you recommend any places to advertise, other than C-Boats and Paddling.net?
Thanks, Bill
Our tripp'n in Candian has the family hooked! Unfortunately the clan is a tad tougher on boats than what this boat desires! Paul C. 
I've seen the going rate for high end sea kayaks and outrigger canoes, so many our flat water brethren are a little more, um, "liquid".