When it’s time to sell a boat or RV in Arizona, you have three realistic routes: sell it yourself, trade it in, or consign it through a broker. Each one trades money for time differently. Here’s how they compare, what Arizona requires on the paperwork, and what to have ready.
Option 1: Sell It Yourself
A private sale can bring the highest number, and it brings the most work. You take the photos, write the ad, answer the calls and texts, schedule showings, negotiate, and close the paperwork. In Arizona that means:
- Signing the ownership paperwork over to the buyer: for a boat, a signed bill of sale with the current registration; for an RV, the title
- For boats, the transfer goes through the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), which handles watercraft registration, not the MVD
- For RVs, the title transfer goes through the Arizona MVD
- Getting a lien release if you still owe on it
- Writing a bill of sale and disclosing what you know about its condition
Private sales work when you have time, the price is right, and you don’t mind strangers at your house. The cost is weeks or months of no-shows and lowball offers, and you carry the liability until it’s gone.
Option 2: Trade It In
Trading in is convenient: one transaction covers buying and selling. The catch is that a trade-in number is a wholesale number, because the dealer needs margin to resell it.
We handle it differently. Rather than discounting your unit on a trade, we consign it. Your boat or RV gets listed and sold at a fair market value while you go ahead with your next purchase.
Option 3: Consign It Through a Broker
Consignment is the middle path: professional marketing and a sales team without the work, and a fair market price instead of a wholesale trade-in number. Here’s how it works at The Boat Brokers:
- No fees to consign. No listing fees and no commission taken out of your check.
- We agree on the value together. A broker evaluates your unit on season, condition and demand, and we settle on a fair market value before anything is signed.
- You get a check within 10 business days after it sells. Once it sells and delivers to the new buyer, you receive a check for the agreed amount.
- 40 years on this lake. Family-owned in Lake Havasu since 1986, with an active buyer list we’ve spent four decades building.
Your unit sits on our lot at 1680 Industrial Blvd, gets listed on our inventory site, Boat Trader, RV Trader and our Marketplace channels, and is shown by our sales team to buyers from Arizona, Southern California, Nevada and Utah every week. You never deal with the tire-kickers.
The agreement runs 90 days, then month to month if it hasn’t sold. Units typically sell within 90 days; the actual time depends on the unit, its condition and the season.
What You Need to Consign a Boat or RV in Arizona
- Ownership documents. Arizona registers boats through AZGFD and does not issue boat titles, so bring your current Arizona registration, or the out-of-state title if the boat came from a title state. RV titles come from the MVD. Missing paperwork? A broker can walk you through AZGFD’s checklist.
- Photo ID for every owner named on the registration or title.
- Loan payoff statement if you still owe. A lien doesn’t stop you from consigning; we handle the release at the sale.
- Keys, remotes, manuals, and anything else that goes with it.
- Your own photos and notes on condition help the broker value it accurately. We shoot the listing photos.
Arizona Boat Ownership and Registration Basics
Arizona is a registration state for boats: the Arizona Game and Fish Department registers watercraft and does not issue boat titles, and the MVD isn’t involved. That catches a lot of sellers off guard.
Boat registered in Arizona: you sign a bill of sale and hand over the current registration; the buyer files AZGFD’s transfer application with the signed bill of sale. Keep a copy of everything you sign.
Boat from another state: AZGFD treats a boat from a title state (hand over the signed title) differently from one from a registration state (hand over the registration), and a brand-new boat needs the manufacturer’s statement of origin. Sort this out before you list; a broker can help.
Hull identification number: every boat built after 1972 has a HIN on the transom, and AZGFD uses it to verify ownership. Make sure yours is legible.
Our Arizona boat registration guide covers the full process.
When Is the Best Time to Sell?
Havasu’s selling season runs strongest from February through June, when buyers from Phoenix, Los Angeles and Las Vegas shop for summer. Fall and winter are slower but never dead; snowbirds and early planners buy year-round, and a well-priced unit on the lot in January is in front of buyers that a driveway listing never reaches.
Start a Consignment Enquiry
Tell us what you have and a broker will look it over and reach out to set a time to see it.
Want a number first? Request a free value estimate. No obligation.
Thinking about upgrading? We can consign your current unit while you shop the inventory.
Call (928) 453-8833, text (928) 732-2281, or send us a message. The Boat Brokers, 1680 Industrial Blvd, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403.
