I bought a new 2018 Spirit II in T-formex last fall and had it delivered from a dealer in Chicago without paddling (or lifting) it first. From the description I thought it was what I wanted. I’ve had it on the water only a handful of times and is essentially new condition. I realize this is not the right canoe for me. Rutabaga will take it in trade in for the canoe I would like, but can’t give me a trade in price without seeing it first.

Does anyone have experience with trade-in value? I realize I will take a loss, but am I better off to try to try to sell it outright or take the trade in offer? I don’t live close enough to Rutabaga to haul it there and then back again if it isn’t a reasonable offer.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts or experiences.

You will be lucky to get 50 percent in trade. Sell it out right.

I've gotten 80% on trade ins from a dealer that I've given a lot of business and 90% once I think, but that is not typical. Those boats were in near pristine shape. I think 60% is typical trade in value for a boat in fine shape. I'm not a huge fan of Rutabaga since they always seem like a full full retail price place and it sounds like they will not be doing you any favors on trade in.

I recommend that you call Carl at Carl's Paddln at 608-583-2405. Carl's shop is in Lone Rock which is about 45 minutes directly west of Rutabaga. Tell him exactly what you paid for the boat and send him pic(s) of any scuff marks or damage and tell him you want to trade the boat in...the number is his cell phone. Carl has a large inventory of new canoes (including some Tformex Wenonahs) and when I was there a few weeks ago he even had a few Wenonah "blems" at nice discounts...as I recall he had an ultralight Kevlar Spirit II at $600 off retail and it was hard to find any blemish on the boat. It caught my eye even though I'm not in the market for another tandem.

Of course it can't hurt to try to sell it yourself (and I fully agree that that is typically the best way to go) but you just never know if you can get a reasonable price for a near new canoe. You can use craigslist and also post on canoe forums like this one. You might post some ads and give it a week or two to see if someone grabs it. Even if you sell it yourself I'd suggest that you consider Carl's for your next boat since you'll get a more personal experience with Carl. Carl's is worth visiting just to see his collection of unusual vintage canoes.

I'd try to sell it outright before you trade. You might get a hit right away.

Thanks for the sound advice. I will try to sell rather than trade in.

Because new canoes tend to go up in price each year, your value may rise as well. Say you paid $2,000.00. 60% of that would be $1,200.00. If that model went to $2,200, I would try to sell/trade for $120.00 more because of the pricing differences in new equipment over the time you have it. I would think you should be able to move it quickly if you price it this way. Using this logic, I once sold on this site a canoe for about what I paid as it It was about 8/10 years old and in good enough condition. If you like, you could use the formula described at 70% or more, or discount it even more for fast sale. Use pictures and do not hide any damage or defects. Figure what you want from this canoe and trade or sell it accordingly. If not sold, you can adjust what you want to bring in from the sale as you reduce your expectations.

Sounds good. Thank you for the advice.