Boat Shopping Do's and Don'ts

Doc

Doc

Liquid Addiction
Staff member
Many of us learned these do's and don'ts the hard way.
I hope to save you some time and money with these tidbits that I've learned over the past 30 years of boating.

1. Never buy the first boat you look at. No exceptions.
2. Sit in the seats, get used to layout and operation.
3. Ask questions. There are no dumb questions. We were all new at this at one time.
4. Don't blow / invest all your cash into the boat payment, you need cash for gas for the boat and play toys for adults and kids etc.
5. Once you think you've found a boat you want to buy, try it out on the water BEFORE sealing the deal. This is a MUST.
6. If buying a used boat it is a good idea to have it surveyed. Costs for surveys vary but having a boat professional not affiliated with the seller of the boat you hope to buy can save you a fortune. The surveyor will go over the boat from top to bottom and let you know what to expect to have to fix and let you know about potential issues that will likely come up as the boat ages. A survey is money well spent. Survey costs very depending on what part of the country you are in. Call a boat dealer and inquire about a survey and they can help connect you with a professional that knows the make of boat you are considering purchasing.

Those are a few of the basic rules I go by. I hope they help someone. Please ask questions or add your own rules to help new boaters save a few dollars and hopefully a few headaches.
 
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Doc said:
Many of us learned these do's and don'ts the hard way.
I hope to save you some time and money with these tidbits that I've learned over the past 30 years of boating.

1. Never buy the first boat you look at. No exceptions.
2. Sit in the seats, get used to layout and operation.
3. Ask questions. There are no dumb questions. We were all new at this at one time.
4. Don't blow / invest all your cash into the boat payment, you need cash for gas for the boat and play toys for adults and kids etc.
5. Once you think you've found a boat you want to buy, try it out on the water BEFORE sealing the deal. This is a MUST.
6. If buying a used boat it is a good idea to have it surveyed. Costs for surveys vary but having a boat professional not affiliated with the seller of the boat you hope to buy can save you a fortune. The surveyor will go over the boat from top to bottom and let you know what to expect to have to fix and let you know about potential issues that will likely come up as the boat ages. A survey is money well spent. Survey costs very depending on what part of the country you are in. Call a boat dealer and inquire about a survey and they can help connect you with a professional that knows the make of boat you are considering purchasing.

Those are a few of the basic rules I go by. I hope they help someone. Please ask questions or add your own rules to help new boaters save a few dollars and hopefully a few headaches.
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Good list! The only thing I would add would be: once you’ve picked your boat out, make sure you have insurance to cover you for the drive home!
 
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Sandbar said:
Good list! The only thing I would add would be: once you’ve picked your boat out, make sure you have insurance to cover you for the drive home!
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A very important point. Thanks for adding that.

All, please feel free to add to this thread. New boat buyers can take and use what applies to them.
 
Doc said:
A very important point. Thanks for adding that.

All, please feel free to add to this thread. New boat buyers can take and use what applies to them.
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Also forgot this one...ask the owner to put up all of the canvas and vinyl to be sure it hasn't shrunk, isn’t mouldy, that there are no rips/tears and to ensure that the screens are intact if so equipped. If they aren’t up to scratch then you have a negotiating point!
 
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Sandbar said:
Also forgot this one...ask the owner to put up all of the canvas and vinyl to be sure it hasn't shrunk, isn’t mouldy, that there are no rips/tears and to ensure that the screens are intact if so equipped. If they aren’t up to scratch then you have a negotiating point!
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YES. Another very important point. If you had a survey done it would depend on the degree of the survey would depend on whether or not the surveyor would check canvases. They can be very expensive to replace and a mechanical survey would not even consider looking. And it's easy enough to check for yourself. Snap all covers in place to check em out.
 
Lets not forget access to critical components for service or repair. You really dont want to hear
" We had to remove the motor to do a tune up"
 
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I would add do your homework! The internet is a great resource. I also found the books by David Pascoe to be worth reading. That’s why my first cruiser was a Tiara.

Decide upon the correct boat type necessary to perform on the waterway you will boat upon and the boat best able to perform the activities you want to do. Then narrow it down to a couple choices. My latest search was for a cruiser of 30’ to 40’ with no more than 3’ draft (because of my waterway) which then led me to a couple brands: Formula, Chaparral and Sea Ray. In that order. Boats are scarce now but I still identified about 25 boats within 200 miles and visited 4 before finding a great boat. My wider net also gave me a nice price comparison on the current market.

My advance research (on a forum like this one) led me to identify an issue with the generator typical of my model Chap which we discovered during survey (there is a sensor in the overflow reservoir and generator won’t run if it’s not sufficiently full). If I hadn’t read everything I could find on my boat and model I might not have figured it out. Knowledge is the way to go when boat shopping. Good luck!
 
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"1. Never buy the first boat you look at. No exceptions."
I would disagree. twice I have bough the first boat I looked at because they were the right boat for me at the time.
 
Yes, don't buy the first boat you see! Too many times at boat shows, I have done that in my head. Then we walk around and find ones with better options and layouts.

To me there is such thing as the "perfect" boat. But once you look around you find the best one for you and than add to it.

Case in point: We found the best boat for the wife and I and now adding new speakers, radar, solar panels, LED lighting and more. It can get crazy, but all good!
 
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I learned long ago not to take the wife boat shopping. If she likes the boat she makes it too obvious and the negotiations don't go well. Actually the current boat she was out of town when I bought it.
 
Phillbo said:
I learned long ago not to take the wife boat shopping. If she likes the boat she makes it too obvious and the negotiations don't go well. Actually the current boat she was out of town when I bought it.
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My wife doesn’t get excited. She merely provides the thumbs up or down so I can decide.
It’s a pretty involved process with me looking over hundreds of boats on the internet then picking a couple specific boats to represent my preferred brands so she can “agree” on visiting a few closer ones for the “inspection.” If it’s thumbs down I ask if it’s the model or this boat and move on.
It went quickly this time because of the market. I had three internet approved boats by the wife and they all disappeared before I could visit. When we got to the Chap 350 she gave it a thumbs up and since I knew it was inspected the day before and someone else was coming the next day I put my offer in that night. You can always get out of it at the sea trial and inspection if it doesn’t pan out!
 
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I understand but with a cruiser it’s very hard not to get the wife involved. When looking at Tiaras I wanted the 3500 Express but I purchased the 4000 Express because I was told buy whatever boat that you want but if I am uncomfortable with it you will be staying on it without me. Life is full of choices! ?
 
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dlhst50 said:
My wife doesn’t get excited. She merely provides the thumbs up or down so I can decide.
It’s a pretty involved process with me looking over hundreds of boats on the internet then picking a couple specific boats to represent my preferred brands so she can “agree” on visiting a few closer ones for the “inspection.” If it’s thumbs down I ask if it’s the model or this boat and move on.
It went quickly this time because of the market. I had three internet approved boats by the wife and they all disappeared before I could visit. When we got to the Chap 350 she gave it a thumbs up and since I knew it was inspected the day before and someone else was coming the next day I put my offer in that night. You can always get out of it at the sea trial and inspection if it doesn’t pan out!
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My wife is the same way, very cool headed. BUT, I must get her involved since she works and makes more money than me. A good thing! The last wife barely worked. A big difference on what you can afford or not. The first wife was for love, this wife for love and money. The joke was too, she kept the money to a degree hidden until the ring went on.
 
dlhst50 said:
I understand but with a cruiser it’s very hard not to get the wife involved. When looking at Tiaras I wanted the 3500 Express but I purchased the 4000 Express because I was told buy whatever boat that you want but if I am uncomfortable with it you will be staying on it without me. Life is full of choices! ?
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Some guys would want there wife's to stay home. But not me..............
 
I always consult the Kitchen & house staff. They quickly find ALL the shortages in space for food, clothes bedding etc.
None of those items interest me with guests on board... The separation of duties works out very well.
 
The smaller the boat, the fewer the choices. In the beginning they loved her too. Now after 29 years, it is just her and me. I bought her for others to enjoy also, but I bought her for me. After 25 years of rearing children, it was my turn.
 
Denny said:
The smaller the boat, the fewer the choices. In the beginning they loved her too. Now after 29 years, it is just her and me. I bought her for others to enjoy also, but I bought her for me. After 25 years of rearing children, it was my turn.
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Time for a bigger and/or newer boat!
 
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