This Is What Your Listing Looks Like
Professional drone and detail photography — included with every listing.
Honest pricing, professional drone photography, and a captain who actually knows what he's looking at. No inflated promises — just a plan that works.
443-615-4413We listed with another broker for six months — nothing. Shane repriced us honestly, shot new drone photos, and we had three showings the first week. Sold in 22 days.— David & Linda P., sold 2018 Catalina 425, Annapolis
Selling a boat is not like selling a house. There's no MLS that every buyer checks. There's no standardized comp system that spits out a number. The market is fragmented, seasonal, and brutally honest — a boat is worth exactly what someone will write a check for, and not a dollar more.
Most boats that sit on the market for months aren't sitting because the market is slow. They're sitting because they're overpriced. A broker who inflates your price to win the listing isn't doing you a favor — they're wasting your time, costing you slip fees, and letting your boat age while buyers scroll past it.
I don't work that way. I'll tell you what your boat is actually worth based on comparable sales — not comparable listings, which only tell you what other sellers are hoping for. I'll tell you what needs fixing before a buyer's surveyor finds it. And I'll put together a marketing plan that puts your boat in front of serious buyers, not just browsers.
I'm a USCG 100-ton Master Captain. I worked with American Magic's America's Cup campaign. I race on the Chesapeake every week. When I walk your boat with a buyer, I'm not reading off a spec sheet — I'm demonstrating systems, answering technical questions, and building the kind of confidence that closes deals.
I research recent sold prices — not asking prices — for comparable boats on the Chesapeake and nationally. I walk your boat stem to stern and give you a realistic number. If it's not what you hoped, I'll explain why. Getting the price right from day one is the single most important thing you can do.
Small things kill deals. A dirty bilge, corroded terminals, a dodgy through-hull — buyers notice, and surveyors definitely notice. I'll walk through your boat with a captain's eye and tell you exactly what to fix before we list. The goal is zero surprises during the buyer's survey.
Every listing I handle gets professional drone and detail photography — aerial shots that stop the scroll, plus interior and systems documentation that serious buyers actually want to see. Not iPhone photos with a finger over the lens. This is the Annapolis market. Presentation matters.
Your boat goes on YachtWorld, Boat Trader, targeted social media, and into the Chesapeake Bay sailing network I've built over years of racing and working on the water. I write listings that tell your boat's story — not just dimensions and tank capacities. Buyers connect with boats that feel real.
I handle every showing personally. That means filtering out tire-kickers before they waste your weekend, and demonstrating your boat properly to qualified buyers. I can answer technical questions about systems, rigging, and performance that most brokers can't — because I actually sail these boats.
When an offer comes in, I handle negotiations, coordinate the marine survey and sea trial, manage the haul-out, and shepherd the deal through documentation, title transfer, and closing. You stay informed at every step without getting buried in logistics.
The difference between a boat that sells and a boat that sits often comes down to where and how it's listed. I don't just post your boat and hope — I put it in front of the right buyers through multiple channels.
YachtWorld is where serious buyers start their search — it's the largest yacht marketplace in the world, and your listing will be there with professional photography and detailed specs. Boat Trader captures the broader market, including buyers crossing over from powerboats or fishing boats who might be looking at their first sailboat.
Beyond the listing platforms, I market your boat through targeted social media — not generic boosted posts, but content placed in front of the Chesapeake Bay sailing community, racing networks, and cruiser groups where motivated buyers actually spend time. I've spent years building relationships in the Annapolis sailing world, from Wednesday night racing to offshore regattas, and that network generates buyer leads that listing sites can't.
Every listing also gets professional drone photography and 4K video through my aerial photography business, Drone US. This isn't a nice-to-have — it's a competitive advantage. Your boat will look better than 90% of what's on YachtWorld because most brokers are still shooting with their phones.
Here's what a listing video looks like — full drone aerials, walkthrough of the deck and cockpit, interior tour, and systems detail. This is what buyers see before they ever set foot on your boat:
Professional drone and detail photography — included with every listing.
The Chesapeake Bay selling season runs from late February through June, with the strongest buyer activity in March through May. Smart sellers list early — your boat should be clean, photographed, and live on YachtWorld before the first warm weekend brings buyers to the marinas. If you wait until May to start the process, you've already missed the peak window.
Fall has a secondary market too. Snowbirds heading south look for deals in September and October, and serious cruisers often buy in fall to refit over winter for a spring departure. Don't rule it out — but spring is king in Annapolis.
This is where most sellers go wrong. Your boat's value is based on comparable recent sales — not what you paid, not what you've invested in upgrades, and not what similar boats are currently listed at. Listed prices tell you what other sellers are hoping for. Sold prices tell you what the market actually pays. Those are very different numbers.
Overpricing by even 10-15% can mean your boat sits for months while correctly priced boats sell around it. The market is efficient — buyers have access to the same data you do, and they know when something is overpriced. Price it right from day one, and you'll almost always net more than if you start high and chase the market down with price reductions.
You don't need to make your boat perfect, but you need to eliminate the things that scare buyers or kill deals during survey. Focus on safety and systems: standing rigging condition, through-hulls, electrical connections, engine maintenance records, and basic cosmetics. A clean, organized bilge and engine room tells a buyer this boat has been cared for. A dirty one tells them the opposite, no matter how good the boat actually is.
I'll walk your boat with you before we list and tell you exactly what to address. Some things are worth fixing. Some aren't. I'd rather you spend $500 on the right repairs than $5,000 on the wrong ones.
At minimum, you'll need your title or Coast Guard documentation, current registration, and a bill of sale. Having your maintenance records organized, along with any past survey reports, makes your boat significantly more attractive to buyers — it signals transparency and good stewardship. If your boat has a lien, we'll coordinate payoff with your lender as part of closing.
A pre-listing survey isn't required, but for boats over $100,000 it's often a smart move. It lets you identify and fix issues before a buyer's surveyor finds them — which means fewer surprises, smoother negotiations, and a faster close. The cost of a survey is nothing compared to the cost of a deal falling apart because of something you could have addressed upfront.
A well-priced, well-presented boat in the Annapolis market typically sells in 30 to 90 days. Boats that sit longer than that are almost always overpriced, poorly photographed, or both. The single biggest factor in time-on-market is pricing accuracy from day one. Professional marketing helps — but no amount of great photography will sell an overpriced boat.
Most sellers are also buyers. I can help you find your next boat while we sell your current one — whether you're moving up, downsizing, or switching from sail to power. One captain handling both sides means a smoother transition and someone who knows exactly what you need.
Tell Me What You're Looking For About Captain Shane"Shane told me my boat was overpriced before I listed it — nobody else had the guts to say that. We adjusted the price, fixed two things he flagged, and it sold in three weeks. I netted more than I would have sitting at the higher price for six months."
"The drone photography alone was worth it. Our boat looked incredible online — we had more inquiries in the first week than our previous broker generated in three months. Shane ran every showing himself and actually knew the boat's systems inside and out."
"Straightforward from start to finish. No BS about what the boat was worth, no surprises during survey, and he handled the closing paperwork while I was out of town. Exactly what you want — someone who just handles it."
Tell me what you've got — I'll give you an honest take on what it's worth and what it'll take to sell.