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By Katya Kazakina

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Three powerboats owned by Bernard L. Madoff and named with various forms of “bull” are being auctioned today in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with sale proceeds to benefit the victims of his $65 billion Ponzi scheme.

By noon today, 55 bidders had registered with National Liquidators, a Florida-based vessel-recovery company offering Madoff’s three boats and a black Mercedes Benz for the U.S. Marshals Service. The sale begins at 4 p.m. New York time and includes eight lots, of which three aren’t related to Madoff.

The 71-year-old Madoff is serving a 150-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to using money from new clients to pay off old ones.

Bidders had to make a $100,000 deposit to compete for “Bull,” a 55-foot 1969 Rybovich Sportfish, or “Sitting Bull,” a 38-foot 2003 Shelter Island Runabout Sport. Those interested in his “Little Bull,” a 24-foot 2000 center-console powerboat from Maverick Boat Co., or his 1999 Mercedes had to put up $50,000. The car has 12,827 miles on it.

“I hope every boat sells and a lot of money returns to the victims fund,” said Bob Toney, president of National Liquidators, in a telephone interview. He declined to release the presale estimates.

The company is also selling a 61-foot 2003 Viking sport- fishing yacht owned by Frank DiPascali, former chief financial officer of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, who pleaded guilty to aiding Madoff in the Ponzi scheme.

The Madoff provenance isn’t likely to attract hard-core fishermen, said John D’Agostino, sales manager at HMY Yacht Sales, a Florida-based company that sells used yachts.

“They want a deal,” he said in a telephone interview. “They could care less whose boat it was.”

Hand-Painted Bulls

Madoff’s custom-designed “Bull” features a hydraulic elevator, Toney said, and teak woodwork. Bar glasses have hand- painted bulls.

“Mr. Madoff has taken better care of his yachts than anyone else I know,” Toney said. “They were crew-maintained all the time.”

The average price for a 1969 Rybovich is $450,000 in HMY’s database, D’Agostino said.

Madoff’s “Bull” could “go for $500,000 or more,” he said. “The runabout could probably get up into the $500,000s as well, only because it’s a newer boat.”

The smallest boat could fetch about $20,000 to $30,000, according to D’Agostino. Yachtworld.com’s database for used boats lists a 21-foot 2000 Maverick for $18,000, he said.

By comparison, a 78-foot custom-made 2009 Rybovich is currently listed for $7.5 million, he said.

Seized Assets

The U.S. Marshals Service seized the vessels on April 1. It is responsible for the management and disposition of Bernard and Ruth Madoff’s assets, and for collecting the proceeds from sales of the assets, which will be used for victim restitution.

Furs, Rolex watches, a Mets sports jacket, diamonds and hundreds of other personal items belonging to the Madoffs fetched more than $900,000 at a packed New York auction last weekend.

About 2,000 dealers and collectors placed bids online and in the ballroom of the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. Many of the roughly 170 lots surpassed high estimates set by Gaston & Sheehan Auctioneers, the Pflugerville, Texas, company, handling the sale for the U.S. Marshals Service.

To contact the reporter of this story: Katya Kazakina in New York at kkazakina@bloomberg.net.