Apollo Duck statistics.

[jami dodgers]

Hi, I have a feeling from checking out Apollo Duck regularly over the last 2 years or so, that the number of boats advertised has been steadily rising, but, unfortuanately, I haven't been keeping a written record.

 

So, out of interest, I plan to post here, the totals on a regular basis. I appreciate it will only be a snap shot, but if I do so once a week at around this time on Friday evening, I for one will be interested to see if a picture emerges.

 

What that picture will be, and what it will indicate, if anything, is total conjecture at this time, but we'll cross each bridge as we come to it. LOL.

 

I guess the easiest way to do it will be to edit this post with the up-date each time, so as to keep the data together and easily accessable for all.

 

Week 1 (11 Sept 2009)

 

Butty 7

Cruiser Stern 380

Semi Traditional 160

Traditional 298

Tugs 19

Widebeam 82

_______

 

Total 946

Edited September 11, 2009 by jami dodgers

[Chertsey]

It's much more than it was. A couple of years ago I noted on the blog that the total number of narrowboats was about 400.

[Amicus]

It's much more than it was. A couple of years ago I noted on the blog that the total number of narrowboats was about 400.

 

yeahbut, is that a fair indicator of the market volume or an indication of changing methods? using AD rather than traditional brokers

Edited September 11, 2009 by Amicus

[tomsk]

I would add that these figures need to be recorded on a monthly basis (even if a mean of the weekly...Weekly is not representational, subject to odd peaks and troughs (fleet sell offs ect) and also a pain in the arse to update) and 'seasonally adjusted', or at least set against the average figures for previous months/seasons in the previous 5 years at a minimum ....If someone gives me the figs, I'll run a spreadsheet, but might get bored.

[Cosmic]

yeahbut, is that a fair indicator of the market volume or an indication of changing methods? using AD rather than traditional brokers

Good point, although there are trade adverts on Apollo Duck as well.

 

There are currently 960 narrowboats listed in total. Of these, 485 are listed as private. For some reason, selecting just trade ads doesn't show any, though I'd imagine they must be the rest (475).

[Gary Peacock]

A secret!

 

The first thing the some brokers or members of the trade do if you want to sell a boat is list a free advert!

 

It works!!!!

[Chertsey]

yeahbut, is that a fair indicator of the market volume or an indication of changing methods? using AD rather than traditional brokers

Dunno. It's just the number of boats advertised on AD, as per the OP.

[tomsk]

Apollo Duck is probably the best source of core data available... Established, regularly updated (prepared to be abused) and nationwide.. Got to start somewhere...

[Athy]

Mr. Dodgers, what is the aim of your research? It would be very interesting to see figures of the number of boats SOLD through Apollo Duck each week or month, perhaps also expressed as a percentage of the total number offered. One might say that the site was successful if 960 boats are advertised there, but if the same 960 are still there the following week, that suggests that it's failing.

It looks to me as if Apollo Duck is the most popular way to sell boats these days. But is it the best? On the one hand the seller avoids paying brokerage fees, but on the other hand he does not get the broker's care and expertise. Perhaps forum members who have sold through Apollo Duck could share their assessment of the company?

[Theo]

A secret!

 

The first thing the some brokers or members of the trade do if you want to sell a boat is list a free advert!

 

It works!!!!

 

Thanks for the Search link, Gary. It is excellent! I now have it on my bookmarks toolbar beside CWF.

 

Nick

[Phil Ambrose]

Just a thought but are all the vessels listed still for sale? On several occasions I have made enquiries about boats for sale only to find they had been sold some time ago. I asked one vendor why the ad was still on , to be told "we were'nt able to remove the ad" What they meant was they could'nt be bothered to do it or find out how to.

[nigel carton]

Mr. Dodgers, what is the aim of your research? It would be very interesting to see figures of the number of boats SOLD through Apollo Duck each week or month, perhaps also expressed as a percentage of the total number offered. One might say that the site was successful if 960 boats are advertised there, but if the same 960 are still there the following week, that suggests that it's failing.

It looks to me as if Apollo Duck is the most popular way to sell boats these days. But is it the best? On the one hand the seller avoids paying brokerage fees, but on the other hand he does not get the broker's care and expertise. Perhaps forum members who have sold through Apollo Duck could share their assessment of the company?

 

Erm... I'm barred from there

[jami dodgers]

Hi, I have a feeling from checking out Apollo Duck regularly over the last 2 years or so, that the number of boats advertised has been steadily rising, but, unfortuanately, I haven't been keeping a written record.

 

So, out of interest, I plan to post here, the totals on a regular basis. I appreciate it will only be a snap shot, but if I do so once a week at around this time on Friday evening, I for one will be interested to see if a picture emerges.

 

What that picture will be, and what it will indicate, if anything, is total conjecture at this time, but we'll cross each bridge as we come to it. LOL.

 

I guess the easiest way to do it will be to edit this post with the up-date each time, so as to keep the data together and easily accessable for all.

 

Week 1 (11 Sept 2009)

 

Butty 7

Cruiser Stern 380

Semi Traditional 160

Traditional 298

Tugs 19

Widebeam 82

_______

 

Total 946

 

Week 2 (18 Sept 2009)

 

Butty 9

Cruiser Stern 392

Semi Traditional 164

Traditional 301

Tugs 19

Widebeam 82

______

 

Total 967

[dor]

My experience of using Apolloduck is that you might get one or two enquiries when the boat is first put up, but then nothing. I presume people regulatrly look at the new listings. For what it's worth I don't think many boats actually sell through AD, at least in the narrowboat world. Of the eight boats I've been involved in selling in the last couple of months, all have been sold through conventional brokerage means.

[Chertsey]

We found both Andante and Warrior via Apollo Duck, and that's how we sold Helyn. We only had one enquiry mind, but that was within an hour of the ad going up, and they did buy her!

Edited September 20, 2009 by WarriorWoman

[jami dodgers]

QUOTE (jami dodgers @ Sep 11 2009, 09:54 PM)

Hi, I have a feeling from checking out Apollo Duck regularly over the last 2 years or so, that the number of boats advertised has been steadily rising, but, unfortuanately, I haven't been keeping a written record.

 

So, out of interest, I plan to post here, the totals on a regular basis. I appreciate it will only be a snap shot, but if I do so once a week at around this time on Friday evening, I for one will be interested to see if a picture emerges.

 

What that picture will be, and what it will indicate, if anything, is total conjecture at this time, but we'll cross each bridge as we come to it. LOL.

 

I guess the easiest way to do it will be to edit this post with the up-date each time, so as to keep the data together and easily accessable for all.

 

Week 1 (11 Sept 2009)

 

Butty 7

Cruiser Stern 380

Semi Traditional 160

Traditional 298

Tugs 19

Widebeam 82

_______

 

Total 946

 

Week 2 (18 Sept 2009)

 

Butty 9

Cruiser Stern 392

Semi Traditional 164

Traditional 301

Tugs 19

Widebeam 82

______

 

Total 967

 

Week 3 (25th Sept 2009)

 

Butty 10

Cruiser Stern 399

Semi Traditional 167

Traditional 300

Tugs 19

Widebeam 83

---------------

 

Total 978

[Jim Batty]

My experience of using Apolloduck is that you might get one or two enquiries when the boat is first put up, but then nothing. I presume people regulatrly look at the new listings. For what it's worth I don't think many boats actually sell through AD, at least in the narrowboat world. Of the eight boats I've been involved in selling in the last couple of months, all have been sold through conventional brokerage means.

More AD statistics:

 

In three years regularly looking at and contacting sellers on Apolloduck, our experience has been that about 50% of people never reply. So either 1) 50% of boats were sold (but the ad wasn't removed), or 2) 50% of sellers couldn't be bothered to check their email/weren't serious in selling the boat (possibly just testing the waters?). No doubt a combination of the two.

 

Of the 50% of sellers who DID respond, about a third seemed reluctant (or too lazy) to specify too much further information about the boat. They preferred you to just travel out to see it. Which was worth a punt if it was local, and not if it wasn't.

 

You probably can't expect too much more than this from a freebie service. Dealing with a broker with a good reputation (and a regularly updated website) is much much more straight forward, and saves a lot of time. On the other hand dealing with a broker you don't really trust just inspires sleepless nights and ultimately wastes even more time.

[charles123]

The duck worked for me, sold my boat a couple of weeks back, no brokers involved, you have to put up with the no hope, waste of time emails and stupid questions that the broker saves you from, over all not many enquiries, was on for about 4 weeks, the first couple to come and see the boat bought it. Incidentally as an aside I asked what the general standard was from their experiences in the £55k to £65k range, they said poor, uncared for, not cleaned, poorly presented, clutterered with personal stuff, smelled of smokers and dogs! Another chap came to see it while under offer and he said pretty much the same

 

Charles

[CheshireTaff]

The duck worked for me, sold my boat a couple of weeks back, no brokers involved, you have to put up with the no hope, waste of time emails and stupid questions that the broker saves you from, over all not many enquiries, was on for about 4 weeks, the first couple to come and see the boat bought it. Incidentally as an aside I asked what the general standard was from their experiences in the £55k to £65k range, they said poor, uncared for, not cleaned, poorly presented, clutterered with personal stuff, smelled of smokers and dogs! Another chap came to see it while under offer and he said pretty much the same

 

Charles

Totally agree, most boats that I have seen are in a poor uncared state.

[Jim Batty]

... Incidentally as an aside I asked what the general standard was from their experiences in the £55k to £65k range, they said poor, uncared for, not cleaned, poorly presented, clutterered with personal stuff, smelled of smokers and dogs! Another chap came to see it while under offer and he said pretty much the same

 

Charles

 

Yup, that sounds very familiar. That's why decent interior photos and a number of searching questions before spending valuable time and money going out to see these things is vital. After a few wayward visits you come to the conclusion that anyone who doesn't present the boat properly doesn't look after it very well either. If you were still interested, you'd automatically knock about £7K - £12K off the asking price — possibly more in the £65K range you are talking about. There are many people deluded as to the value of their boats.

 

Tired boats are the sign of people tired of boating. Most people who are trading up present boats to their best advantage.

[carlt]

The duck worked for me, sold my boat a couple of weeks back,

Are you getting another boat?

 

and (to keep it on topic) are you scouring AD for it?

[mayalld]

Has anybody actually asked Apollo Duck if they have any stats they would be prepared to share?

[Athy]

I see from the above that the number of boats for sale on Duckbay is gently rising each week. But is this because those which were there before are not selling, or because so many boats have been sold that more and more owners are attracted to the site to advertise their craft?

I do not know if there's anywhere on the site that displays the number of boats sold per week or month. That is surely the most crucial statistic. I have only one experience of selling on the site, when I helped a chap from the village put his n/b True Colours on there. It took about 3 months to sell but it did go, for £18,000 against an advertised price of £23,000, a reasonable result I think as I had suggested that advertising price to give scope for a reduction.

[charles123]

Are you getting another boat?

 

and (to keep it on topic) are you scouring AD for it?

 

Carl

 

Planning a new build at present

 

Josher style tug, Jonathan Wilson as before, 2LW in engine room, BMC style rear cabin, raised deck 10ft, 62,ft overall, full length recessed panels, other steelwork mods, portholes, 2 pairs side doors, two 4ft x 2ft "glazed steel pigeon boxes" etc

 

wont find that on the duck

 

The duck worked for me, I found them good value, fast to place the advert which they email you about to say its being rotated to the top, have as many photos as you like and very easy to use the site

 

Charles

[jami dodgers]

Hi, I have a feeling from checking out Apollo Duck regularly over the last 2 years or so, that the number of boats advertised has been steadily rising, but, unfortuanately, I haven't been keeping a written record.

 

So, out of interest, I plan to post here, the totals on a regular basis. I appreciate it will only be a snap shot, but if I do so once a week at around this time on Friday evening, I for one will be interested to see if a picture emerges.

 

What that picture will be, and what it will indicate, if anything, is total conjecture at this time, but we'll cross each bridge as we come to it. LOL.

 

I guess the easiest way to do it will be to edit this post with the up-date each time, so as to keep the data together and easily accessable for all.

 

Week 1 (11 Sept 2009)

 

Butty 7

Cruiser Stern 380

Semi Traditional 160

Traditional 298

Tugs 19

Widebeam 82

_______

 

Total 946

 

Week 2 (18 Sept 2009)

 

Butty 9

Cruiser Stern 392

Semi Traditional 164

Traditional 301

Tugs 19

Widebeam 82

______

 

Total 967

 

Week 3 (25th Sept 2009)

 

Butty 10

Cruiser Stern 399

Semi Traditional 167

Traditional 300

Tugs 19

Widebeam 83

---------------

 

Total 978

 

Week 4 (2nd Oct 2009)

 

Butty 13

Cruiser Stern 382

Semi Traditional 163

Traditional 293

Tugs 17

Widebeam 89

_____________

 

Total 957