So, your looking to buy a second-hand boat.

After browsing eBay boat section or one of the other on-line boat market places you will now have realized there are literally thousands of second-hand boats of all ages for sale and the choice is vast.

The only thing seperating several similar looking boats may be the asking price,condition,size & it's location,lets talk about asking price first.

Right from the start you should know what the size & type of boat you wish to buy is worth new even if buying used,on a new trailer with a new motor the horse power & the features you want so you can compare second-hand asking prices against brand new price which will also come with several years of factory warranty in case something goes wrong or blows up.

You must also 'water test' any boat you're going to buy,you wouldn't buy a used car with-out road testing it first.

"Life begins at 40"....  NOT WITH BOATS!!

Some sellers seem to think that a 40 year old boat is worth more than a new model on the showroom floor today,it's a bit like trying to sell a 1976 Toyota Corolla with 795,000K's on the clock for $35,000........not a chance.

Old boats were good in their day but their day is looooong gone.......buy newer,not older for several important reasons.

The age & design of the boat is an important factor,one for safety at sea & usability and secondly for ease of re-sale when that need arises,old boats are very,very hard to sell.

To give you an idea,a 1995 hull & motor is an old boat,compared to a 5 year old boat the 1995 or earlier vessel will have low sides or free-board & a poorly designed low transom & out-dated styling.

Cash for scrap...

IMPORTANT..In the 1970' and 1980's before marine grade aluminium sheet became widely available and used in boat building, makers used standard aluminium sheet which is subject to electrolytic corrosion in water so it's very common for old & even newer aluminium boats that have spent years moored (ex-commercial) or in the water alot to have electrolysis affected aluminium,the hull & even the frame can be affected and severely weakened,it is hard to detect to the un-trained eye or unless you look for it and is usually wide spread & fatal....scrap metal value only for those boats...but most of them aren't sold for scrap... they regularly come up for sale with a fresh coat of paint or fibreglass laid over the aluminium  temporarily sealing the thousands of pin prick (or larger) leaks.

Be extremely wary of an old alloy boat with riveted construction or any that lack several working zinc anodes's or had its hull painted below the waterline as electrolytic corrosion attacks the areas of the hull and motor in contact with water and if you can't remove the inspection covers in the floor to visually inspect the inside the hull's under-floor area lowest points for evidence of water getting in and pooling &/or electrolytic corrosion/pitting on the topside of the sheet as well as the internal frame and keel area...forget that boat.

Not all, but most newer aluminium boats from about the year 2000 onwards have modern,well designed hull shapes and interior layouts and have reliable and economical motors.

Some bigger aluminium boats have self-draining decks which can be handy for washing out or shedding rain water,these also have positive foam flotation sealed under deck which is good in a case of a wave coming in or hull damage at sea.

Most used boats will have operated in a harsh saltwater enviroment and been stored outside in all sorts of weather conditions from blazing summer heat waves to frosty winter mornings & days on end of rain & moisture.

Just one day exposed to those conditions leads to condensation forming inside engines & does all sorts of nasty things to finely polished un-protected surfaces inside,particularly on modern two-stroke engines that run 50 or 100 to 1 synthetic lube that is hydroscopic or attracts moisture in the air.

Not to forget the electronics,carpets,perspex screens & upholstery,you can estimate that over time the weather can damage fittings pretty quickly.

An important reminder about E.P.I.R.B's,you must have 406 Mhz frequency E.P.I.R.B as the old 121.5Mhz freq. E.P.I.R.B's is no longer being monitored,BATTERY WORLD stores will accept your old 121.5mhz for recycling.

If you buy an older boat or one that is only a couple of years old but been stored out-doors, be careful,it won't be only the outside that's weather beaten,sun damaged & faded & it will have no warranty if anything goes wrong so you will want to factor that into your pricing.

Wishes V's reality...

In tough economic times like these the boat is the first thing people sell when they need money & the last thing people buy,so there are currently lots on the market & it's a buyers market so now is the time to buy if you can find the right boat & seller.

If a seller doesn't price his boat correctly to start with or won't "meet the market" in terms of negotiated price he will only waste his time & money & eventually have to sell at some time in the future for much less than he would have got today...particularly in the falling market we have at the moment & boat buyers are pretty thin on the ground & could easily dissappear if economic conditions get much worse.

Ding a ling...Ding a ling...I've got a bite!

The other type of seller to be wary of is the one "testing the market" or "fishing for a sucker".

They advertise their several year old boat or thirty five year old boat for a near or more than new price hoping some sucker who hasn't done their home-work & will just wander up & give them tens of thousands of dollars.

Do yourself a favour & let them keep it...don't even enquire,there are lots of far better boats for many thousands less of your hard-earned dollars on anyday.

Cobwebs on the telephone...

You will see these over-priced boats advertised time & time again, clued-up genuine buyers in the market reject them & they don't sell,watch over time for ones on eBay that sell or where the bidding stops at & thats about current market price or what you'll pay for a similar vessel...presuming the seller hasn't got his mate/s or the zero feedbackers bidding it up to just below the reserve price which is much more common than you might think.

Size counts...

Size of your intended boat is another thing,I have found that I generally use my smaller 3.7mtr aluminium boat rather than my 5.5 meter Runabout because the 3.7mtr is easy to trailer,launch & retrieve,but I still need the bigger craft when the situation demands.

So think carefully about size & intended use,we would all like a big boat but smaller costs less in all respects & often gets used more.

The trailer is another often over-looked area when buying a used boat,check for internal corrosion by shining a torch light up the tubes,corrosion on the brakes,spring packs & U bolts & elsewhere on the frame,check for fatigue cracks particularly around the tow-ball coupling & spring mounts,you might be up for costly repairs if you want to keep it registered or tow it safely.

On even a new boat trailer check every 6 months your wheel bearings for clean grease un-contaminated by water and when you get your used boat trailer it would be wise to replace the bearings & grease/split pins even before you tow it home.

Check the tyres are not cracked and perished,tyres have a date code branded into a oval shape flat about 2 cm long on the side wall,read the last 4 digits, example: CJ0404   would be made in the 4 month of 2004,tyres over ten years old should be replaced even if they look OK,8 ply rated tyres are best to avoid punctures & can carry more load.

If you don't have a spare wheel for your trailer Murphy's law states you will get a flat every second time you tow it,get a spare wheel & attach it to the trailer & keep it pumped up,now you will rarely,if ever get a flat.

Make sure the wheel nuts aren't rusted solid to the studs,you don't want to be stranded on the side of the highway 200kms from home on a Sunday morning out just of mobile phone range just after you've sheared 5 rusted studs off the hub.

When your towing your boat after 15 minutes or so & into any long trip stop in a safe spot off the roadside and feel the hubs and bearings for approximately even heat levels,if one/both side/s is too hot to touch somethings not right and will need re-packing /re-placing or the brakes could be dragging,you may need to fix it before you go any further as faulty bearings can sieze up with-out further warning and you will lose your wheel and axle end at the very least.

Watch out for a fresh coat of paint over a boat trailer,often done to cover up major,extensive & terminal rust,you'll more than likely be up for a whole new trailer & they don't come cheap.

Reading between the  lines...

The other piece of most important advice I can give when buying any boat relates to money owing or outstanding finance owing on a boat which is highly likely on any modern boat.

You will need ask the owner for & sight the registration papers (boat & trailer) & personally view & write down all the details on the H.I.N/Boatcode plate & do a check with the 'Register of encumbered vehicles' & see if the owner has full title to sell the boat & that it is not reported stolen or part owned by a finance company...otherwise you might find it being re-possessed & then you will have to recover your money from the seller,who will have spent all your cash,if you can find him.

So thats about it,good luck with boat hunting & safe & happy boating to all.