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Step 1
Visit Bucvalue.com (see Resources) on your computer. Fill in the information about your boat on their form and they will give you the market value of your boat. This method is almost the same as using a Kelly Blue Book to find the value of a car. This is a free service and won't cost you a dime, but you do have to sign up and confirm your email to use the free service. This is the best option to use for insurance purposes, and will give you an approximate replacement value.
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Step 2
Take your boat into a local boat dealership to be inspected and estimated for a trade-in value if you plan on buying a new boat. The dealer will offer you a certain amount and if you don't like it you can go elsewhere. This will give you a rough idea of how much your boat is worth, although trade-in values do tend to be lower. You could get a trade-in value or tack on another $1,000 or so if you sell your boat instead of trading it in.
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Step 3
Look at local newspapers or boat and vehicle sales papers. Although you can get a rough idea of how much your boat is worth, you may want to research what boats similar to yours are selling for locally. Every area is different economically, and a boat that goes for $10,000 in one area may only sell for $8,000 in another.
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Step 4
Search eBay for auctions where the boats are similar to your own. This will give you an idea of what you can get were you to sell your boat. You will need to take the economic status of your area into account, but it will provide you with a rough estimate. This will not however give you a good trade-in value estimate, as trade-in values are usually under the private seller values.
