How does one buy a used boat?

[MitchellM]

I'm starting to look at boats. New boats are priced out of my league. MC dealer had a prostar for $140k. It does seem like the crazy used market is cooling a bit. More boats are hanging around on skiitagain and onlyinboards for several weeks. I favor MC Prostar, but would consider Nautique or Malibu. I would prefer a boat with low hours and good maintenance.

How do you purchase a boat like this sight unseen? I'm in Florida, but what if there is an interesting boat in Wisconsin or Utah? How do I get that boat checked out? I presume there are shipping services for boats. Any idea on shipping costs? Lots of questions for such a major purchase. I'd like to hear some advice and stories about long distance sales.

[6balls]

https://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/27453/for-sale-1998-ski-nautique-196

You buy this one.

To more appropriately answer: you know someone who knows the owner or knows the boat, or who can go check it out for you on your behalf.

[LoopSki]

Don’t buy sight unseen. Made that mistake once. Never again.

[MitchellM]

@LoopSki that's the kind of advice I'm looking for.

[jhughes]

First of all if it's the boat for you and you are serious about it, put a deposit on the boat. Don't dilly dally around. With my last boat I called the guy and said "I would like to buy your boat". Plain and simple. Deposit right then. The seller should have no doubt that you are the guy and that the transaction will happen. Otherwise you can't blame him for selling to someone else who is more committed.

Final transaction dependent on seeing the boat in person, testing it out, etc. and the deposit should be refundable if the boat is not as described.

If you can't get out there in person have a trusted friend check it out, then buy it and have it shipped.

Be a good buyer, be committed and serious. In a hot market I'd be annoyed by someone kicking tires or asking for excessive tests and inspections on an obviously good and sound boat.

[skimtb]

Unless you are only paying $5k, I would agree to go see it yourself, or maybe (maybe) have seller take to dealer, who you could pay for inspection and possible lake test?Even if you have someone on BOS check it for you, they may have different view of “ok” than you.
Exception also may be if it is only a year or two old and looks clean and covered by transferrable warranty. But if you are paying that $$$, a plane ticket and hotel room is a small investment to be 100% happy.It also depends on how picky you are. Some folks have bought boats without going to see and happy.
FaceTime walk around, lake test and pictures would make a lot of folks happy.
Good luck

[Rednucleus]

Always nice if you can ski behind it and pull a skier before buying

[keithh2oskier]

I sold my 20 year old 196 about a month ago. I had a few people call from a state or two away but in the end they didn't put a deposit down so it ended up going to a local couple which made everything WAY easier for both of us. One guy from UT or ID had a friend swing by to take a look and just make sure it was as-described and I really thought he would have bought it but in the end he sorta ghosted me. As a seller, I did a video on the exterior walk around, interior walk around and some quick video of it running in the driveway. If I would have thought about it the last time I used it, I would have gotten some driving the boat at speed so you could see the steering had no vibrations as an example. I was also very upfront about my boat and its short comings (5.0) and even told a guy at his size, it wasn't a good fit for him and would struggle at his elevation even with a different prop in my opinion. My big thing as a seller, was I wanted to be transparent as possible and especially for someone who was from out of the area because I didn't want to waste either of our time.

In the end, your in FL, which seems to be a popular place for boats unless your VERY specific about a certain make model and year. I would watch FB Marketplace, Craigslist, and SIA religiously. I bookmarked searches for all three and would check each at least 1x daily if not multiple times.

Also as a buyer, be educated, know what to look for and what issues will cost to correct or bring up to your expectation. It gives you negotiating power where you can talk price down without coming off as rude but more factual. Especially as some people have prices that are sky high (still).

[tjs1295]

How does the deposit work with a private party? What do you give/send/wire, and what guarantee do you have you can get it back if you don't end up buying? And vice versa. If someone accepted your deposit, what prevents them from selling the boat 5 minutes later when someone shows up in the driveway with enough cash to pay in full? Especially if you can't see the boat in person for two or three days. Does the seller turn down the full asking price in cash just because you sent them some type of deposit, and are 90% sure you will purchase? Just curious. Never did that before. I always felt I needed to be ready to buy immediately or risk getting nothing.

[keithh2oskier]

@tjs1295 I guess you could use an escrow company.

[MDB1056]

A lot of good advice above. I’m not one that would ever buy without seeing. Even if that means an investment on my part to see it, knowing if I don’t buy it I’m out my travel costs and time. I traveled from Arkansas to Michigan to buy my mine several years ago, knowing I was ready to walk if it wasn’t right. Seller knew I was serious making the trip. A deposit doesn’t have to be a lot . A simple agreement can cover the terms . To me the most important thing is narrowing your field so you know what you want and don’t. There’s a gorgeous 92 MC 190 on SIA I’d also be all over if I were looking.

[lefty]

100% go see it yourself and drive it. As mentioned above be prepared to walk or better yet don’t offer while you’re there, a days drive there and back is a relatively small % of 5he cost. Seems to be a cooler used market but prices will likely remain high ish given the cost of new. Being in Florida should help a lot. Good luck. Fwiw we invested 30 hrs of driving to find the boat we wanted. Time well spent.

[Lars]

@tjs1295 when we bought our boat after checking it out in person and meeting the sellers we had a signed bill of sale before any money exchanged hands. After that was signed we wired the money and a few days after that we picked the boat up.

[david_ski]

@6balls is right you know someone that knows the boat or the owner. @keithh2oskier recent experience is also a good summary of inline/local transaction complications.

I have bought 2 boats and sold 1 online. I bought, the first one in 2005 (93 PS 190) was 400 miles away and I have a friend (and boat owner of a 94 PS 190) that was almost local to the boat that scoped it out for me. I found it on Mastercraft Teamtalk. I tentatively agreed to buy after seeing and on lake driving in person. I did not ski behind it before buying. I kept it 11 years and sold it online to a buyer that purchased it without seeing it in person. I live in CA, he was in UT at the time, and I dropped it off in NV at his friends house. Sold 2016.

Second used boat I bought in 2016 was found on craigslist (03 SN 196 with ZeroOff). This was the third owner of this boat, and he had it less than 6 months in ownership. He thought he wanted it, but his life changed and he needed to get rid of it. He was located only 150 miles away. I was able to find the second owner that was local to me, that I had met once before. I reached out to him and we talked on the phone about an hour about the boat. The good, the issues, and the full ownership history. We made the 150 mile trip to check out the boat and buy it. We only did a driveway startup test to make sure the engine ran before purchase. I still have this boat and it is running strong with 1800+ hours.

It would be hard to buy without seeing in person. However, my primary skiing partner the last couple of years bought a boat in FL and had it shipped to CA before she saw it in person. She had friends that knew the seller and also knew the boat that reassured her to the validity of the deal. That deal also went through a FL local marine dealership for the financial transaction.

[tjs1295]

@Lars That makes sense. I might have misunderstood the previous advice. I thought people were seeing a boat advertised somewhere, calling the person up, and making a deposit right then before even going to look at it.

[MitchellM]

Great advice on this thread. Thanks everyone.As a Floridian, I do have a bit of an advantage with many ski boats to choose from, but the hours tend to be higher. I'm going to be patient and keep looking within the state.

[markn]

Having successfully purchased a Porsche sight-unseen and out of state I would apply the same approach with a boat if unable to physically see the boat. ALWAYS do a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) by a qualified shop. Pay the cost of inspection to a shop that specializes in direct drive boats. Ask to see maintenance records. (I have all major records for my 196 all the way back to 2005) Inspection from an independent shop might cost $250-300. Money well spent.Conversely, I was selling an older Porsche and a guy, asking all the "newby" questions for that model, made me an offer sight unseen and undriven. I told him I would not sell the car to him unless he viewed the car in person. Integrity of the seller is also important.Good luck in your search.

[MitchellM]

@markn years ago I bought a two year old 7 series BMW from someone in Texas. I didn't think anything of having him drive to his local BMW dealer where I arranged for an inspection by their mechanic which I paid for. I didn't think this type of inspection would be acceptable for a boat, but I'm obviously wrong if the seller is motivated and willing to work with me.

[markn]

Heck, boats are now MORE expensive than BMWs and Porsches!!!!

[BraceMaker]

@markn nothing more expensive than a cheap Porsche.

Oh no that's just surface rust... as the car goes onto the rotisserie to have the floors cut out.

[jcamp]

If you can't see the boat for yourself, definitely ask them to take it to a dealer and pay for that inspection yourself. I bought a boat that way last year, but more importantly, I DIDN'T buy a different boat just prior to that because the inspection found a lot of issues. Best $300 (the price of the inspection) that I ever spent ... Disappointingly, I shared the inspection with the seller and he continued to advertise the boat without disclosing the issues found in the inspection.

[markn]

@BraceMaker how true, except maybe a dedicated Porsche race car....ask me how I know!!!

[vtjc]

I bought one boat sight unseen and have sold one boat sight unseen. Another I negotiated a deal and flew long distances to inspect and towed the boat home. Before buying my current boat I drove over 12 hours one way to check out a different boat at a dealer for another brand. It had been miss represented, with nearly double the reported hours, undisclosed gelcoat damage, and a cracked floor. I am grateful I drove to inspect that boat before buying it at a distance and having it shipped. After a long time of searching, I was able to find my current boat in mint condition in a neighboring state. I won't buy another boat without seeing it myself. Bringing to a dealer/mechanic for inspection should be agreeable to any seller.

[brody]

I purchased mine used from a dealer so was a little safer. Friend of mine hired a marine surveyor which cost him about $200 to look at a boat. First one was crap saved him the trip. He bought the second one

[BrennanKMN]

I found a good conversation with the seller (assuming not dealer) can go a long way in addition to GOOD pictures. Especially if they're a skier.

The last boat I bought I called them, chatted with them and with enough pictures felt it was worth the risk. Sent a $1000.00 check overnight and drove from MN to TX the following weekend to drive it and tow it home.

I don't think I'd buy it sight unseen, but unless the thing fell apart on the water I wasn't overly worried.

Older more 'family friendly' boats are a different story in my opinion. A lot more opportunity to be duped on those I think. A closed bow ZO 3-event boat has a pretty limited market and most of the people that buy them use them for dedicated reasons and keep them up.

[Xpropman]

@MitchellMPlease call me I have 5 used Nautiques. I’m in Florida.863-six05-zero 3 4 zero

[MitchellM]

@Xpropman do you have a way I can look at your inventory online?

[Fastguy888]

We all get excited about the boat; but without a safe working trailer to get it to your favorite spot, the boat is useless. Make sure the trailer can safely get your boat to your destination. Check that tires and bearings are newer and in working order. You will hopefully spend countless hours enjoying and thinking about your boat and skiing; however, while you are trailering your new baby, all you will be thinking about is the trailer (or hopefully not if its in good order).

[markn]

No better source for all things Nautique in central Florida than Xpropman.

[MDB1056]

Would have to respectfully disagree with @BrennanKMN. Older boats are easier as far fewer systems and things to be in error etc. They're simple compared to current models. A good on site inspection, various mechanical checks, and thorough shake down runs should identify most any potential concerns. Anyone who does not have good working knowledge of what to look for etc. should definitely have a shop check. In my opinion, assessing the current owners knowledge of the same can also tell you a lot about how the boat has been cared for.

[LLUSA]

I've sold several of my boats sight unseen betterto have someone check it out. U ship will deliver the boat to your food

[buechsr]

I've bought several boats sight unseen. facetime is great for this purpose. I disagree in the value of a shop inspection. At best they're going to look at things that can be seen visually (which can be done on facetime) and check compression and maybe a leakdown test. True those might show a glaring mechanical problem, but they'd likely manifest themselves on a facetime on water demo. If the seller is honest about cosmetic flaws, to me, that builds credibility as to candor regarding mechanicals. It's a used boat, not a garage queen ferrari. Good pictures of the bilge are important. They'll be telling if it ever "sunk" on the trailer.

uship will bid the transport. I would NOT recommend going with the lowest bidder. I did get somewhat burned doing that. In his defense, it was a boat in literal pieces, with the engine in the truck bed and the interior duct taped to the roof. No lie.

Perhaps you want to post the boat here. A lot of eyes will give you feedback on their impressions.

[UWSkier]

When I bought my boat, it was in Portland. I was in Arizona. I used airline miles to fly up, test drive, and buy it with cash on the spot. I even rented a pickup and brought my draw bar with me in my carry-on luggage (was interesting explaining that one to TSA). Boat got stored at a friend's place until the shipper could pick it up. Only issue I ran into was getting the guy to locate and send me the trailer title.

I wrote up a sales contract for the transaction for the outstanding items such as the trailer title so I wasn't terribly worried that it was delayed a bit.

I highly recommend asking for very detailed photos, then flying/driving to see it in person yourself or having someone you know well check it out for you.