Buying guides
How to buy a used boat without overpaying or inheriting someone else's problem — in the order the checks actually make sense.
The method
Four checks, each answering a different question, and none of them substituting for another. Done in this order they cost almost nothing until the last step — and by then you know whether the last step is worth paying for.
Step 01 Value it Build a defensible number before you go and look at anything. Step 02 Research it Understand the model, the engine package and what owners actually report. Step 03 Verify it Hull number, registration, title, theft records and history. Step 04 Inspect it Your own screening pass, then an accredited marine surveyor.
Published guides
Buying Guides How to check if a boat is stolen Stolen boats are sold to private buyers who did everything except look at the hull number properly. Here is the order of checks, and what to do if something is wrong. Buying Guides Used boat buying checklist Work top to bottom. The early items cost nothing and eliminate most bad boats before you spend money on travel, reports or a survey.
In the pipeline
Listed rather than published. A guide goes live when it says something specific enough to act on and every factual claim in it has a source.
- How to survey a boat before the surveyor In progress
- What a marine survey costs and covers Researching
- Negotiating a used boat price after a survey Researching
- The real cost of owning a boat for a season Planned
- Buying from a dealer vs a private seller Planned