Go with the nice one....or if you can afford to, wait for something else to come along

You make no reference to the size of the boats that you are looking at or the price that you think you can spend on them ???? Quit looking at crap or stuff that Rommel's Africa Corp. drug around before they decided to sell !! You need to look at super clean equipment that has been taken care of.
When you find something that you like have the boat surveyed and forget about dragging one of your buddies to see the boat ;they know less than you do! ! Then get a insurance quote from a few people so you dont get a surprise after you get the boat. Sold new and used High Performance boats for 15 years so I have a little experience with that subject. Take your time and remember that the boat is for fun and not to pour money into a bottomless pit..................



Jim

I would be patient & keep looking for the perfect boat. Alot of boats on the market, keep the internet searches going. Or call a broker like shogren & tell them what you want. I hear they do a good survey & do a good detail job.

Great advice!

I might add, make sure you can get parts for whatever boat and propulsion package you are buying. That way you can keep the boat in nice condition after you get it, without spending countless hours chasing discontinued parts.

Also stay away from boats that are overly modded. Usually, modifications are done poorly, and don't last or add value to the boat.

Check the maintenance records for the boat. Just because someone says it was maintained with an "open checkbook", doesn't mean there was any money in the account. I considered one boat, where the guy said it was maintained with an "open checkbook". I passed on it. The next owner ended up spending thousands rebuilding the engines shortly after he got it. It was a time bomb. Another guy said his boat was serviced everytime it went out. i called the shop he said he took it to, and they said the boat was only in there once, and it was years ago.

Michael

I've bought multiple used boats and I'll say that good advice was given before. I think general impressions are important. Your initial impression as far as condition will be pretty close. Like was mentioned before, if someone keeps their craft waxed, covered, little cosmetic issues repaired, they most likely maintained it well. I would be very concerned about a boat that the interior looked too bad. I would assume that it had been filled with rain water and that stringer rot, etc...might be an issue. A good survey will potentially save you a lot of money and find these issues.
With that said I have bought a couple of boats that did not pass the initial eye test that I took a chance on just because they were a good deal and I could not find any major issues. They both had Merc. stock power. I would pass on a boat for sure that did not have stock Merc power that did not pass the eye test. With some blood sweat and tears, I restored these to pristine condition for little money and sold them for a decent profit.
Also do not buy something that you are not crazy about. Your not going to be happy if you don't like the color, speed, etc... It cost major money to repower, not only the engine costs, but always there will be changes in rigging that are required. It will be much easier on the front end to buy what you want, as far as power, than to add it later. I've got the receipts to prove it.

If what you can see wasn't cared for, there is no way they cared for what you can't see. Maintenance is maintenance, wether its cosmetics or mechanical.

Buy yourself a compression tester and youtube on how to do it properly. Test the engines on the boat you decide on. Check oil level and color/consistancy. A running motor doesn't tell the whole story by any means. Check idle to full power and check rpm range. Shut down, allow it to cool and then repeat the idle to full power check. Pull the caps on the drives and inspect the fluid. Look at the wear on the gears, pull on the shafts and drives looking for play and slop. Ask for maintenance records or bills of materials(oil/filters/etc). Check the transom as well as you can looking for cracks, soft spots, voids, rot...black stuff around the drain plug...ABORT! The last thing I look at when boat shopping is the exterior fit and finish...most neglected boats don't make it that far.

Have a suyvey done buy the dealer your buying it fromThats like using a recco attorney for a transaction

I'd add you need to understand the costs associated with maintaining the boat at a high level.

First of all thanks for the advice you've given to the OP. I too have been wondering about things to look for when buying used.

As to the quoted response above, would any of the things mentioned be done during a "survey" or do surveys typically not go into that depth of inspection?