Buying used boats

[rojoc]

Hello. Just curious as to what would be some important questions to ask an owner who has their boat fpr sale. Maintenance records would be nice and perhaps reason for sale? If a boat is on land and blocked would launching and driving the boat be an unreasonable request? Thank you in advance!

 

[johndavidross]

Re: Buying used boats

Definitely get the maintenance records. All boaters that I know keep records of all work done down to winterizing and any other little thing you can think about. Ask when the last time the bellows were replaced as well as when the impeller and water pump was either checked out or replaced. The owner can always run the boat for you and if it is an inboard then you check the motor similarly to the way you would check the engine on a car that you are thinking about purchasing. Also knock on the outside wall of the transom and look for soft spots or hollow sounds.

With all that being said, you should take the boat for a ride if at all possible. You can get a good feel for the handling of the boat and test all the gear on board. It is also wise to have a survey done when you have narrowed your search down to "the one".

Good luck shopping.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Buying used boats

By all means ask away but keep in mind that the seller's objective is to get as much money as he can from your pocket into his. Therefore he may shade the truth, not tell you stuff, out and out lie, and anything else he can think of. Lots of posts here where the poster starts by telling us "The seller said it was in great shape and all it needed was a _______." - - Then the tale of woe begins.

 

[brnschoneck]

Re: Buying used boats

I can say if its a i/o while ur running it look down in the bilge area and make sure its not leaking oit etc... out last one i bought looked sounded ran excellant but was dumping oil out and i didnt see it untill it was too late .. Had to pull motor and fix !!! my opinion nutn like a 2-stroke outboard i thought i/o would be easier cuz i know car motors NOTTTTT!!!

 

[littlerayray]

Re: Buying used boats

me personally for my first boat i was nervous buying used and it was easier for me to go to a dealership and have them hook me up with a new one.
a good dealership will let you test drive and once purchased will take you out for about a 1/2 hour to an hour to show you all the features and tips and tricks about the boat.
they will also make sure you have all necessary equipment on board to keep you legal.
oh and dont get too big a boat if its your first time start off small and work your way up
those are my own .02 cents

 

[brnschoneck]

Re: Buying used boats

By all means ask away but keep in mind that the seller's objective is to get as much money as he can from your pocket into his. Therefore he may shade the truth, not tell you stuff, out and out lie, and anything else he can think of. Lots of posts here where the poster starts by telling us "The seller said it was in great shape and all it needed was a _______." - - Then the tale of woe begins.

sooo true u couldnt of said it better .the guy that got me was a marine mechanic with a shop who needed to pay his rent that month sold me a i/o 3.0 merc with a bad rear main seal ughhhhh lol

 

[tazrig]

Re: Buying used boats

Hello. Just curious as to what would be some important questions to ask an owner who has their boat fpr sale. Maintenance records would be nice and perhaps reason for sale? If a boat is on land and blocked would launching and driving the boat be an unreasonable request? Thank you in advance!

Depending on what you are spending for the boat the best and safest way to determine a "good" boat from a "bad" one is to spend a couple hundred dollars and have a professional marine surveyor go over the boat top to bottom for you. There are basic things you can look for (soft spots in the transom and floor, electrical problems, types of motors and drives you wouldn't want etc.) but unless you have been around boats and have some experience in checking them out yourself the surveyor is the way to go. As a previous poster said you really can't rely on the seller for info. His job is to get your money, not necessarily sell you a good boat. Even if the seller is completely honest they may not know of a condition that a competent surveyor would find for you.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Buying used boats

Used boats are interesting in that each one represents a unique situation and set of circumstances. This differs from new boats, which represent a more standard situation.

So, in my mind, there is no fixed set of questions, and the questions that you ask should be dictated by the situation. Therefore, I usually ask questions that let me understand the situation and circumstances. This then leads me to another set of questions.

Taking the boat out for a ride answers many questions, so it can save you from asking. In addition to the 'seller's slant' that you will tend to get in any answer, you must also consider the fact that the owner/seller/maintainer of the boat may not know enough about the boat's condition to be helpful enough for you to make a decision.

So, in buying a used boat, your challenge is to understand as much as you can about the boat's history and condition.

It is nice to know about the boat's maintenance history, but not knowing may not be a show stopper.

I do have some things the I like to know . . .

Who owns the boat? (seller, bank, someone else, etc) Is the proof of ownership available (title, etc)?

I typically ask how long they have owned the boat ?

After they tell me how good the boat is, I ask them why they are selling such a nice boat? I usually ask more questions that would indicate why they are selling the boat.

Then I usually look everywhere possible in and around the boat, etc.

you can hire surveyors, etc. to perform a variety of inspections, tests, etc which will give you further information on the condition of the boat, as well as an estimate of the market value.

Your end-game is to know as much about the boat as possible, and certainly enough to make a good decision as to buy or pass.

I recall during my recent purchase, once the sea trials and inspections were done, the seller was a bit uncomfortable that I knew more about the boat than he did.

So, that would be a good goal, and the situation and circumstances should be used to guide your questions.

(sorry for not just typing out a list)

 

[littlerayray]

Re: Buying used boats

if you buy used from a private seller do as much research on the boat as possible
what i did is i went on cl and kijjiji and looked up the boat called the sellers and spoke to others who had a simillar boat got the pros and cons.
everyone i called and i called a lot of people , were happy to answer my questions.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Buying used boats

The problem with the question is the meaningless term "used boat." "used" I get, a little, but is that 2 years or 20 years? "Boat" has no meaning.

The best information from a seller? Easy: the answer is "reliable." Sometimes that means records from a reputable shop. Sometimes that means trusting the honesty and skills of the seller. Bad information is more important than good.

The second best information? Information about things you cannot see or check for yourself.

The buyer's qualities are essential to the question, too. Do you have time, money, tools, experience and desire to repair stuff? Do you require top reliability or can you deal with down-time? Some buyers need more information (educating) than others; and experienced boater on a good deal won't need to ask any questions.

As for test drives and professional inspections: all depends on the "boat". The bigger, and the more expensive, the more you should do. The best deals are "pay and go." No one selling a cheap boat is going to waste his day riding you around in it, especially if the boat is not in the water or on a trailer 100 yards from the ramp. He's not letting your "surveyor" wrench on the motor, take stuff apart, drill core samples, etc. Starting on the muffs is all you get, and that's enough for a skilled buyer; meaningless for the unskilled.

As for test drives, I say learn about the boat you want then go find one like it. test drive for mechanical issues, fair enough, but not for whether you like that type of boat and how it "handles" for you--unless you are up in the tens of thousands range.

 

[tazrig]

Re: Buying used boats

As for test drives, I say learn about the boat you want then go find one like it. test drive for mechanical issues, fair enough, but not for whether you like that type of boat and how it "handles" for you--unless you are up in the tens of thousands range.

Home Cookin, as you pointed out there is a lot a skilled buyer such as either of us would know about how the boat should handle. The OP sounds like he has little or no experience in this area and might not know the difference between a Whaler (depending on it's size) that would slap the water and give a rough ride and a deep V cuddy that would not. That's why I suggested a sea trial for mechanical as well as handling characteristics before purchasing.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Buying used boats

true, but is it fair to waste a seller's time while he goes for a boat ride? Other than a dealer's, of course. I agree he needs to learn about boats; hanging around the marina talking to other boaters with boats in his range is a good way.

And anyway, it's so subjective. What's rough for me is fine for you. test drives would typically be in fair weather, but it's the rough weather that counts.

 

[tazrig]

Re: Buying used boats

it's so subjective. What's rough for me is fine for you. test drives would typically be in fair weather, but it's the rough weather that counts.

Agreed. I like to sea trial in less than ideal conditions where possible as this gives the buyer a real world experience on the boat.

 

[rivermouse]

Re: Buying used boats

I learned the hard way that if the seller says the engine runs,,, make 100% sure you see it run. I dont care if he shows you 5k in receipts from where he just picked it up at the repair /rebuild shop..SEE IT RUN!. I paid 400 for an old lark 111 and the seller had 600 in recent engine repair receipts. It looked clean until I removed the head and found a golf ball sized hole in one of the cylinders ..

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Buying used boats

I am sort of waiting to hear some feedback from the OP regarding the advice given and to learn more about their used boat purchase plans, etc. the OP has not commented other than the original post.