Every autumn the same thing happens. The season ends, owners start thinking about a bigger boat or a smaller bill, boat shows fill the calendar, and the second-hand market gets crowded with sellers who would rather not pay another winter of marina fees. For a buyer, that is a good moment to look. It is also the moment when it is easiest to fall in love with a cockpit, sign too quickly and discover in April that the paperwork has a hole in it, the hull is wet inside, or the engine only starts when the seller is standing next to it. ⛵
This guide is a practical walk through ten checks that experienced buyers make before any money changes hands. It is not legal advice and it is not a replacement for a professional surveyor; it is the checklist you use to decide whether a boat deserves a survey at all, and what to ask the surveyor to look at. Rules differ by country and by type of vessel, so where something depends on local law we say so and point you to the authority that actually decides.
One thing is common to every viewing: you will spend hours on or around the water with a phone, documents, keys, a torch and a few measuring tools, and some of them will get wet, dropped or lost. We have built the second half of the list around the kit that makes a viewing and a sea trial go smoothly, and the last part shows the small and medium hard cases that keep that kit dry and findable.
Part 1: The Paperwork Decides Whether You Can Own the Boat
A boat can look perfect and still be a problem you cannot sell, insure or take across a border. Paperwork checks cost nothing except patience, so do them before you spend money on a survey or a flight to the marina.
1. Ask for the full chain of ownership, not just the latest bill of sale
The seller should be able to show that they own the boat and that every previous owner transferred it properly. Ask for the current bill of sale, the previous bills of sale where they exist, and any registration certificate or national register extract. The names should connect like links in a chain: seller A to seller B, seller B to the person in front of you. A gap in that chain is not always a disaster, but it is always a question, and the answer should be on paper.
Two further details are worth asking about directly. First, whether the boat is subject to a mortgage, loan or lien. In some countries a financed boat is recorded in a register that you can check, in others you rely on the seller's statement and a clause in the contract. Second, whether the seller is the owner or a broker acting for the owner. Brokers are normal and often helpful, but then the contract should name who receives your deposit and under what conditions it is returned.
Practical tip: photograph every document on the spot, with the phone flat on the table and the whole page in frame. Do it before you start the conversation about price, because afterwards the atmosphere is different.
2. Check the hull number, the builder's plate and the VAT status
Most modern pleasure boats carry a hull identification number, usually moulded into the transom on the starboard side or marked in a similar visible place. The number identifies the country of build, the manufacturer, the serial number and the build date. Check that the number on the hull matches the number on the paperwork, and that the engine numbers match the engine documents. A mismatch can be innocent, such as a replaced engine with the paperwork never updated, but it is a reason to stop and ask.
Boats built to the EU Recreational Craft Directive carry a builder's plate with CE marking, which states the design category and the maximum load and number of people. Boats built before the directive applied in 1998 are a different case and are judged on their history, survey and local rules. Boats that were first sold outside the EU can need a conformity assessment before they can be used legally in the EU, so ask where the boat was first sold and which documents prove it.
VAT status is the item that surprises people most often. In the EU a second-hand boat should be able to show that VAT was paid at some point, or that it was legitimately exempt, and buyers are normally expected to ask for the proof. There is no single standard EU-wide document for this: practice varies by member state, and the proof can be the original invoice, a later VAT receipt or a customs document. Confirm the requirement with the customs or tax authority of the country where the boat will be registered or kept, and make the seller's delivery of that proof a condition of payment.
3. Understand registration, flag and what must be cancelled
Registration is the step where many cross-border purchases go wrong. A boat registered in one country may have to be removed from that country's register before the new owner can register it in another, and each national register has its own forms, fees and waiting times. Some countries do not require registration for small pleasure boats at all; others require it for anything over a certain size or engine power.
Ask three questions. Where is the boat registered today, and can the seller show the certificate? What does the seller need to do to deregister it, and will they do it before or after you pay? And where will you register it, and what does that authority require from you? Write the answers into the contract, so that cancelling the old registration and handing over the documents are obligations and not favours.
Insurance companies are also part of this check. Many insurers want the survey, the VAT proof and the registration details before they quote, so a quick phone call before you commit tells you whether the boat is insurable at a reasonable price.
Part 2: The Boat Itself, Where the Expensive Surprises Hide
With the paperwork in order, you can look at the boat. A good viewing takes two to three hours for a small boat, and much longer for a cruising yacht. If the seller hurries you, treat that as information. Bring a torch, a notebook or phone for photographs, and a few simple tools, and keep them in one place so you are not searching through bags while the seller watches.
4. Hull, deck and moisture: look for the water you cannot see
Start with the outside, in daylight and ideally with the boat out of the water. Look along the hull for ripples, cracks around fittings, repaired and re-faired patches and gouges on the keel or chines, which suggest past groundings. Below the waterline, a few small blisters can be cosmetic, while widespread blistering can mean an expensive job on the underwater part of the hull. Look at the rudder, the propeller, the shaft and the sacrificial anodes. Heavily pitted or missing anodes tell you something about how the boat was looked after.
Inside, smell the boat. A persistent musty smell, stained headliners, soft spots in the deck when you press with your thumb and rust trails under fittings all point to water getting in. Water in a cored deck or hull is one of the most expensive problems on a used boat, and it is rarely visible without tools. A surveyor will use a moisture meter and tap-test suspect areas, and the readings should be interpreted by someone who knows the construction of that particular hull; a single high reading is a reason to investigate, not proof of a disaster.
If the boat is a cruising yacht, ask the surveyor in writing to inspect the keel bolts and the through-hull fittings. Fastenings of this kind are not always checked unless you request it, and they are among the parts of the boat that you really do not want to find out about at sea.
5. The engine: hours are a clue, not a verdict
Engine hours on the counter are a useful clue but not a guarantee. A low number can mean a careful owner, a replaced instrument or a boat that sat unused for years, which can be harder on an engine than regular use. A high number on a well-serviced diesel can still be a sound purchase. What matters is the service history: invoices, oil changes, impeller and filter replacement and any major repairs.
Ask to start the engine from cold, not after the seller has warmed it up for you. Watch the exhaust for white, blue or black smoke, listen for knocking, and check that cooling water comes out of the exhaust or the indicator in a steady stream. Look under the engine for oil or coolant in the bilge, and look around exhaust risers and heat exchangers for white salt deposits and discoloured paint, which can point to past overheating in a seawater-cooled engine. Check the oil on the dipstick and in the cap for a milky look, which can mean water in the oil.
For a larger or more expensive engine, ask for a separate engine survey, and ask what it includes. Oil analysis and a compression test show things that a visual check does not, and a test under load during the sea trial shows how the engine behaves when it is actually working. For an outboard, ask for the service record as well, and check the lower unit oil and the propeller shaft for fishing line.
6. Electrics, plumbing and rigging: boring, until it fails
Switch everything on. Navigation lights, bilge pumps, the battery charger, the fridge, the heater, the instruments and the VHF radio should all work, and the batteries should hold a voltage under load. Look at the wiring in the main panel: tidy, labelled wiring with proper terminals is a good sign, while a tangle of twisted cables and tape suggests many years of improvisation.
Open every seacock and through-hull fitting, work the handles and check they move freely. Look at the hoses and their clips, because a hose clamp that has rusted through is one of the more common sources of a flooded boat. Check the bilge pumps by lifting the float switch by hand, and look at where the discharge goes.
On a sailing boat, ask when the standing rigging was last replaced, and ask for the invoice. Look at the swage fittings and the chainplates for rust trails and cracks, and look at the sails in daylight, not folded in a bag. Sails can be expensive, and the difference between sails that are tired and sails that are finished is only visible when they are spread out.
Viewing Day Kit: Keep Phone, Keys and Papers Dry and Findable
Part 3: Safety Equipment and Everything That Goes With the Boat
Safety equipment is where sellers' optimism and buyers' reality meet. A boat advertised as "fully equipped" can be carrying flares that expired years ago and a lifejacket nobody has serviced since the previous owner. None of this is a reason to walk away, but it is a reason to price the replacements into your offer.
7. Count the safety kit and read the dates on it
Make an inventory, item by item, and write the dates next to it. Lifejackets and buoyancy aids: check the bladder, the gas cylinder, the automatic head and the date of the last service. Inflatable lifejackets are serviced at intervals set by the manufacturer, and in some countries the rules set an interval for certain categories of boat, so check the instructions and the local requirement. Flares carry an expiry date printed on them, typically some three and a half years from manufacture, and expired flares do not count toward any equipment requirement, so check every date and expect to replace them.
If there is a liferaft, ask when it was last serviced at an approved station and look at the service label; a liferaft past its service date is a significant cost, and one that cannot be seen from the outside. Look at the fire extinguishers, the date of their last check, the first-aid kit, the anchor and chain, the bilge pump, the horn and the bucket with a lanyard. Beacons deserve a separate line: if the boat has an EPIRB or the owner has a personal locator beacon, ask about the registration. Beacon registries record the owner and the boat, so the details must be updated when ownership changes, otherwise the information that rescuers see is wrong.
Finally, ask what is included in the sale. Dinghy, outboard, covers, cushions, lines, fenders, chart plotter data and the spare parts in the lockers belong in a written inventory attached to the contract. If it is not on the list, do not assume it comes with the boat.
8. Test the electronics and take the manuals and the keys
Chart plotters, radar, AIS, autopilot and the handheld VHF are expensive, and they are the items that tend to be "included" in a verbal conversation and missing at handover. Switch them on, check that the screens are clear and the buttons respond, and ask when the software and charts were last updated. For a fixed VHF, check that it has a registered call sign and an MMSI where the rules of the country require one, and ask the seller to transfer or cancel registrations that belong to the previous owner.
Ask for the manuals, the wiring diagrams, the engine handbook and all the keys: ignition, hatches, lockers, the trailer, the padlocks on the mast step. Count the keys on the table before you pay, not afterwards. A good seller will have a folder; a seller with no documents at all is telling you something about how the boat was maintained.
The same applies to an outboard and a trailer if they are part of the deal. Check the trailer's lights, bearings, tyres and brakes, and compare the trailer's number to its papers, because a trailer is usually registered separately.
Part 4: Sea Trial, Survey and Contract
Everything so far has been a preparation for two decisions: whether to commission a survey, and whether to sign. These two steps are where you spend real money, so they are also where it pays to be systematic.
9. Insist on a sea trial, and use it properly
A boat that is only seen alongside the pontoon is half inspected. A sea trial shows how the engine behaves under load, how the boat steers and tracks, whether there are vibrations at certain revs, whether the steering feels loose and whether the bilge stays dry once the hull is flexing in waves. If a seller refuses a sea trial without a clear reason, that is information in itself.
Plan the trial. Agree the length in advance, which should be long enough to run the engine up to temperature, to run at several speeds and to try manoeuvres in the harbour; for a small boat this can be an hour, for a cruising yacht half a day. Bring someone with you, ideally a surveyor or an experienced friend, because the person who is driving cannot also watch the gauges. Read the temperature and oil pressure at idle and at cruising speed, check that the engine reaches its rated revs, and listen for changes in the sound when you shift into gear. On a sailing boat, hoist every sail at least once, reef them, and see whether the winches, furlers and halyards work without drama.
During the trial keep a small, dry place for your own things. A phone with photos, a notebook, keys and a handheld radio all end up on the cockpit seat, in a pocket or in a bag that is about to get wet. A watertight micro case solves that for the important items, and a larger case holds the tools and the documents.
10. Commission the survey, write down the conditions and keep the deposit safe
For a boat of any significant value, a survey by an independent surveyor is the best money you will spend. Choose the surveyor yourself, not through the seller or the broker, and agree the scope in writing: hull and deck, moisture readings, rig, engine, electrics, safety equipment, and any special requests such as keel bolts and a rudder inspection. Ask for an out-of-water inspection when possible, because it is the only way to see the whole hull, the rudder and the running gear.
The survey report becomes a negotiating tool. Minor findings are normal on any used boat; the useful question is which findings affect safety, which affect the value, and which the seller should fix or credit before completion. Convert that into numbers with quotes from a yard, not guesses, and agree what happens to the price.
The contract should be clear about the following: the identification of the boat and engine, the price and what it includes, the condition that the sale depends on the survey and the sea trial, the proof of VAT status, the transfer of ownership and registration documents, the date and place of handover, who holds the deposit and when it is returned, and a statement that the boat is free of liens and debts. In some countries a notary or a broker's standard form is normal. If the amounts are large or the countries involved are different, a short consultation with a lawyer who knows boat sales is cheap compared with the price of the boat.
Finally, handle the money safely. Use a bank transfer to an account in the name of the seller or an escrow account, never cash in a car park, and keep records of every payment. Do not pay the full price before you hold the documents and keys, or before the registration steps are settled.
Inspection Tool and Safety Kit Cases: Torch, Meter, Radio and Papers in One Place
One-Page Checklist to Take to the Marina
- Paperwork: chain of bills of sale, registration certificate, proof of VAT status, builder's plate, hull number matching the documents, confirmation of no liens.
- Hull and deck: daylight inspection, out-of-water if possible, moisture readings by a surveyor, soft spots, blisters, keel and rudder condition, anodes.
- Engine: cold start, exhaust colour, oil and coolant condition, service records, signs of overheating, test under load.
- Systems: electrics, bilge pumps, seacocks, hoses and clips, rigging invoice, sails spread out.
- Safety kit: lifejackets and their service dates, flare dates, liferaft service label, extinguishers, beacon registration.
- Electronics and manuals: everything switched on, registrations transferred, keys counted, manuals and diagrams handed over.
- Sea trial: agreed length, rated revs reached, steering, vibrations, sails hoisted and reefed.
- Survey and contract: independent surveyor, written scope, conditions tied to the survey, inventory attached, deposit held safely.
If you only remember three points from this list, make them these: never skip the sea trial, never pay before you hold the proof of VAT status and ownership, and never let the survey be organised by the person selling the boat.
Reading and Gear to Pair With This Guide
Once the purchase is behind you, the next questions are about keeping the new boat and its equipment in good condition. These guides from the same blog cover the neighbouring topics:
- If you are unsure what a watertight rating really promises, read what IP67 actually means for your Peli.
- To choose between a soft bag and a hard case for the cockpit, see waterproof case or dry bag: 9 situations where only one works.
- For the small items that disappear first on a day on the water, see how salt, sun and sand wreck masks, cameras and keys.
- If your new boat is smaller and paddle-powered, see the SUP board gear that breaks or sinks and the winter storage routine for kayaks and SUPs.
- For cold-season outings, see which fishing kit fails in the cold.
FAQ: Buying a Used Boat
Do I need a survey for a small boat?
For a small, inexpensive boat many buyers inspect it themselves, with a knowledgeable friend, and a sea trial or a test run. For anything with an inboard engine, a cabin, a trailer you will rely on, or a price where a hidden fault would hurt, a survey is worth the cost. Insurers may also ask for one, so check with them first.
What is the most common reason a purchase goes wrong?
Paperwork. Missing proof of VAT status, a registration that was never cancelled, and a broken chain of ownership create problems that are slow and expensive to fix after payment. Fixing them before payment is much easier, because the seller still has a reason to help.
Is a low engine-hour count always a good sign?
No. A low count can be accurate and a sign of gentle use, but it can also mean the engine has been idle for years, which brings its own problems with fuel, seals and corrosion. Service records, a cold start and a test under load tell you more than the hour meter alone.
Should I buy a boat from another country?
You can, and many people do, but the process has more steps: VAT proof, deregistration in the seller's country, registration in yours, transport and insurance. Ask the authorities in both countries what they need, and build those steps into the contract so that you do not pay for a boat you cannot register.
What should I carry on a viewing day?
A torch, a notebook or phone for photographs, a small multi-tool, a moisture meter if you own one, the checklist above, and a way of keeping phone, keys and papers dry. A watertight micro case for the small items and a mid-size case for the tools and documents keep everything together on a boat where there is rarely a dry surface.
Final Thoughts
A used boat is a good way into the water, and the best purchases are usually the ones where the buyer stayed calm: asked for documents before looking at the cabin, treated a sea trial as part of the price, and wrote the conditions down. Take your time, take the checklist, and keep your phone and papers in a case that survives a wet cockpit. Then enjoy the boat you chose, not the one you were rushed into. 🌊
