Placing your boat in the range
The Fjord range has been built around a single idea, the fast and spacious open boat, in lengths from 36 to over 50 feet. The names indicate the length and the version: Open for the fully open cockpit, Xpress for lighter versions, often with outboard engines, Coupé for an enclosed wheelhouse, XL and XP for more recent evolutions of the same size. A Fjord 40 Open and a Fjord 41 XL are not compared without care: the generation, the deck plan and the standard equipment differ.
State the exact designation shown on your papers, the build year and the version. On a day boat, the T-top, the aft sunpad, the outdoor galley and the bathing platform count in the comparison as much as the length.
Engines: pods, sterndrives or outboards
Depending on the model and year, a Fjord may have pods, sterndrives or outboard engines. Each type has its own running costs, and buyers know them: pod servicing to the engine maker's schedule, sterndrive bellows and seals, outboard servicing and hours. A recent service, backed by an invoice, adds value; uncertain maintenance lowers the offers.
Engine hours are read against the age of the boat. A Fjord used as a beach boat in summer may show few hours for its age: the buyer will check this against the service log and the annual invoices. A replaced engine should be disclosed, with the invoice and the new serial number.
Teak, gelcoat and comfort equipment
The deck and cockpit of a Fjord are often laid in teak, and that is what the buyer looks at first: wear, seams, repeated sanding. On a boat exposed to the sun all season, the condition of the gelcoat, cushions, covers and upholstery also weighs. A dark-coloured hull, common on these boats, calls for careful upkeep and shows it quickly.
Comfort equipment is part of a day boat's value: generator, air conditioning, navigation electronics, lighting, audio system, bow thruster, passerelle. List them with their year and invoices: what is documented can be compared, what is merely stated is open to debate.
Before you put it on the market
A valuation gives you a starting price, and it is all the more accurate when the condition and equipment you declare are exact. Indicative valuation. It does not replace a survey. Before the first viewings, get the following ready:
- engine service invoices, filed by date, and the hours reading;
- the condition of the teak, cushions and covers, refurbished if necessary;
- the T-top, bathing platform, passerelle and electrical equipment, checked and working before viewings;
- the papers: registration, bill of sale, VAT evidence, CE declaration of conformity;
- a list of equipment added since purchase, with the invoices.
