Boating Information
Information on buying a boat and boating
Getting Started With Boating
Reasons To Buy A Boat
Costs Of Owning A Boat
Finance a boat
Financing A Boat
Cash Or Finance For Your Boat
Buying Boat Insurance
Types and Sellers
Types Of Boats Available
Types Of Boat Sellers
How to find a boat
Finding The Perfect Boat
Inspecting Your New Boat
Choosing The Right Boat
How To Test A Boat
Buying A New or Used Boat
Buying A Used Boat
Types of Boats
Buying A Yacht
Custom Built Boats
Buying Inflatable Boats
Buying A Fishing Boat
Buying The Right Fishing Boat
Misc
Choosing The Right Motor
Buying The Right Anchor
Trailers and Storage
Buying A Boat Trailer
Towing or Trailering a Boat
After Your Boat Purchase
Storing Your Boat
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Checking and Inspecting Your New Boat
After you find the boat you want you should do a very thorough inspection. This will allow you do discover any problems that are worrisome before you put out any money.
I was surprised to learn there are people who make a living inspecting boats. These people will perform a detailed inspection, much like a housing inspector does. Most likely you can be there when the boat is inspected and this gives you a chance to ask questions.
Although having your boat inspected by a professional is the way to go you can do it yourself in you are an experienced boater and know what you are doing. There are a lot of areas in the boat to inspect which makes it a tough job for newbies to boats.
If you do inspect it yourself start with the outside and be sure to check the bottom too. Then make sure all of the cables for steering are good and that there is no binding when you turn the wheel. Check everyone of the electrical controls and the lights, all of the pumps including bilge and fish and baitwell pumps. Also check under the floor if it has one and look for soft spots if it has a carpeted wooden floor. Floors are expensive to replace. If the boat has had good maintenance you shouldn't have a real problem.
You then need to check the engine as it's really the most expensive part of the boat to replace. way more than a car engine. If you don't know quite a bit about boat motors or motors in general take it to a boat motor mechanic. You might want to do this anyway as engines can be very hard to inspect and figure out.
After everything checks out good it's time to take the boat out and on the water for a thorough test drive. Before you start the motor tho check to see if it's warm. You could have run up against a sneaky seller trying to disguise the fact that it's very hard starting or smokes a lot when it's cold. If a person is trying to cheat me like that I'd still test drive the boat but I'd sure knock a lot off of my offer.
Check for any kind of oil leaks and check the bilges before you start your test of the boat. Move around in the boat to see how stable it is, run the hell out of it full throttle to see if it overheats or has other problems. Try hitting the waves at different angles to see if there is any type of pitch or roll that bothers you.
Also be sure that you test and make sure all of the instruments are working the way they are supposed to. Check the windshield if it has one and be sure the passage way window closes well against the opposite side.
If you are looking at a sail boat put all of the sails up to make sure they are good and to see how well the boat performs under the force of the wind alone. Watch the mast to see how it rigs under a big load and under a smaller wind load. Make sure of everything else on the sailboat, just as you did above.
Back at the dock again check under the floor for any water and that the bilge pumps did handle any that came in. If it's a fiberglass boat there should be no leaks. Aluminum or wood are much more prone to leaking.
If the boat you want to buy fails your inspection cruise don't forget about it yet. If you are willing to put some time and money in it to make things work the way they should you can use any problems you found as a bargaining chip to get a lower price. You may just come out ahead that way.
Boating information you need before you get a new boat
Choosing the right boat for you and your family
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