How Keel & Hull works
A marketplace that treats sellers like customers and buyers like adults. Here's the whole thing in one page.
For sellers
Start with a code, not a password
Enter your email address and we send a six-digit code, or continue with Google. That's your sign-in, every time. Nothing to forget, nothing to leak.
Describe the boat in plain steps
Year, make, model, length, price. Choose fixed price or auction. We explain what each field is for and skip what you don't need.
Photos straight from your phone
The Get Started flow shows you the shots buyers care about. Tap, snap, upload. Reorder with one tap.
Publish and get found
Your boat is live in search and on your seller page, and we submit it to search engines within minutes. Edit anything, any time, from any device.
Free social promotion
New listings with three or more photos are shared on Keel & Hull's Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest at no cost. You can opt out for any boat.
Leads and milestones
Inquiries hit your dashboard and inbox instantly. When your listing passes 10, 25, 50, 100… views we let you know — not every view, just the ones that matter.
Analytics you can read
Views and leads by day, best-performing listings, lead response times and auction results, exportable to CSV.
For buyers
Search without an account
Browse every listing and auction freely. Filter by type, state, price, length and year.
Contact sellers directly
Your message goes to the seller only. We don't sell your details or spam you.
Bid with confidence
Sign in with a code to bid. Proxy bidding, published increments, visible reserve status and a soft close that stops last-second sniping.
Auctions, in detail
- Listing an auction. Set a starting bid, an optional reserve (the minimum you'll accept — buyers see only whether it's met) and an optional Buy It Now price that disappears after the first bid. Durations: 3, 5, 7, 10 or 14 days. Start now or schedule a start time.
- Bidding. Buyers enter their maximum. The system bids on their behalf only as far as needed. Ties go to the earlier bid.
- Soft close. Any bid in the final 2 minutes extends the auction by 2 minutes, until bidding stops.
- Closing. If the reserve is met (or there's no reserve) the high bidder wins and both parties receive each other's contact details to complete the sale directly. Keel & Hull never holds funds. If the reserve isn't met, nobody is obligated; the listing stays live as a regular for-sale listing.
- Reporting. Sellers see bids over time, unique bidders, watchers, views, extensions and outcome for every auction, plus account-level sell-through and average hammer price.
- Cancelling. Sellers may cancel before the auction ends; bidders and watchers are notified. Repeated cancellations with bids may lead to account review.
Best Offer and financing
- Best Offer. On any fixed-price boat, sign in and name your price. The seller can accept, decline or counter; each side has 72 hours to respond, for up to eight rounds. An accepted offer marks the boat sale pending and both parties receive each other's contact details. Nothing is binding until you sign a purchase agreement together.
- Financing. Dealers can show financing terms and an estimated monthly payment. A financing request sends your contact details and preferences to that dealer only — never a Social Security number, date of birth or bank details. Keel & Hull is not a lender and makes no credit decisions.
- AI listing drafts. Sellers can enter a hull ID number and photos and let the site draft the title, description and specs. Every field is reviewed by the seller before it's published.
How search is ordered, and what "Featured" means
- Best match (the default). Listings are ordered by a quality score — photos, a real description, price, hull ID, specs — plus how recently they were listed and how well they match what you typed. Sellers can't pay to change it. You can also sort by Newest, price or length.
- Featured band. On page one of a search you may see up to 3 boats in a band marked Featured. Dealers pay for that spot for a state and boat type; when more dealers want a segment than there are slots, they rotate evenly on every search. A featured boat is never shown twice on the page, and the band never changes the order below it.
- Bump. A seller can pay a small fee to move a listing back to the top of Newest for a few days — typically after a price drop or new photos. It doesn't appear as an ad; it just makes the boat recent again.
- What we never do. Sell organic ranking, hide ads inside the normal list, or show a boat as Featured without saying so.
Questions people ask
What is Keel & Hull?
Keel & Hull is an online marketplace for boats and yachts in the United States. Sellers list boats at a fixed price or run a timed online auction; buyers search, make offers, ask about financing and bid. The sale itself is completed directly between buyer and seller.
How much does it cost to list a boat?
Private sellers list free, up to three active boats at a time. Dealers and brokers pay a flat monthly subscription: Dealer Starter ($99/month, up to 25 active listings) or Dealer Pro ($249/month, up to 100 active listings with API access), with no commission on sales. Founding dealers pay $49 or $149 a month for their first three months; larger dealers can request a custom package.
Does Keel & Hull take a commission?
No. There is no commission, no success fee and no charge based on the value of the boat.
Do I need a password?
No. Sign-in uses a one-time code sent to your email, or Google sign-in.
How do online boat auctions work on Keel & Hull?
The seller sets a starting bid, an optional reserve and an optional Buy It Now price, and a duration of 3 to 14 days. Buyers place proxy bids; the system bids on their behalf up to their maximum. Bids in the last two minutes extend the auction by two minutes. When the auction ends, the high bidder and the seller exchange contact details and complete the sale directly.
Can I make an offer below the asking price?
Yes. Fixed-price listings accept a Best Offer. The seller can accept, decline or counter, and each side has 72 hours to respond.
Does Keel & Hull handle payment or financing?
No. Keel & Hull never holds funds or processes loan applications. Dealers may show financing options and receive a buyer's financing request, which is passed to the dealer as entered.
Where are the boats located?
Across the United States. Every listing shows the city and state, and you can browse by state, boat type, length, price, condition and sale type.
Can I rent a boat on Keel & Hull?
Yes. Owners and dealers list boats for rent by the hour, half day, day, week or trip — captained or bareboat — with the guest limit, what's included and the rules. You request your dates from the listing; the owner accepts or declines, and you arrange payment and paperwork directly with them. Keel & Hull charges no booking fee.
What are buyer incentives?
Extras a seller attaches to a for-sale or auction listing, such as free delivery, a trailer, free winter storage, a full tank, the first service, a cash discount or a financing special. They appear on the listing and in search, and each can carry an expiry date.
Can a dealer integrate their inventory system?
Yes. Dealer Pro includes a REST API and webhooks for listings, photos, rentals and rental requests, leads, offers, auctions and analytics.
Five minutes from now your boat could be live.
No password, no card, no commission.