Short Course in Buying a Boat

 Short Course in Buying a Boat

Buying a boat, more than buying any other thing, is a matter of mind over heart. Falling in love with a boat is easy but it could be very difficult to undo a "blinded by love" purchase.

The first step is viewing a boat from a distance. Does it look "right". Does it have a nice smooth sheer or is it hogged (the bow and stern droop).

If the boat is on the hard, what does the bottom look like. Glass reinforced plastic can have blisters and delaminations which show up as pits and bumps. Steel might show patches where rust scale has been chipped away and been painted over. Aluminum may have had holes patched or dents hammered out. Wood could have soft spots; caulking could be starting to fall out; rust from fasteners could be leaking through the paint. All of these are a proceed with caution notice.

Climbing aboard, check for tell tale signs of any fittings to the deck having moved or lifted. Is the deck spongy when you walk on it. Does the rigging look old and worn out. Is the dodger or bimini worn out by the sun and wind; are plastic dodger windows all yellow and hazy. Are the binnacle instruments all yellow and hazy or are they well covered.

On a sailboat, how many sails come with it; is the stitching and cloth in good shape.

Going down below, follow your nose. If it smells musty and moldy then water is sitting somewhere, causing a problem. Does the bilge smell nasty. Does the ice box or fridge smell nasty. Bad smells can have bad causes.

Check the bilge for water, or worse, oily water. Where are the bilge pumps. Is there more than one. If the engine is rusty and nasty looking, it hasn't been looked after internally either. The engine should have an hour meter, anything under 2,000 hours for a diesel is acceptable (the lower, the better).

In the engine room, is the wiring neat and workman like or is it haphazard with house wiring added in. Are the fuel filters a mess. Are hoses a mess or are they tidy with the ends double clamped. What do fuel tanks, water tanks, sewage tanks look like.

Does the boat have a main circuit board for both AC and DC. Is the wiring neat and workman like.

Now, you can begin to look at the accommodations. Is the paint up to date. Does the paint show signs of water leaks. What does the head look like. Smell like. Does it have a sewage holding tank. Does the shower have a separate stall. Do the bunks look comfy. Do they come with mattresses. Are the mattresses musty.

Is the stove alcohol, oil, or propane. Does the propane have a solenoid shut off. Is the propane bottle in a locker on deck with a drain overboard. Is the stove gimballed.

Final Word. If the boat that you are looking at, looks clean in all areas then it is likely that it has been well looked after and deserves to be looked at further. For a boat that you like what you see, it is always good to engage a marine surveyor to check the boat out. The surveyors report will let you know what areas you have to fix over time or what areas need immediate attention. The report may also be a document with which you can bargain on the price of the boat. The report will also give you some peace of mind.