Used boat buyers advice......

Sea test where you use every gadget on the boat. Make sure to have an impartial boat mechanic thoroughly check out the motor with a compression test included. Make sure the wheel bearings and tires are good on the trailer.

I bought my skiff used and got a great boat for a very reasonable price.

Would you take the mechanic on the sea trial?

The three best pieces of advice I can give;

(1) Sea trial - as mentioned already, take it out and see how it performs. During that time, look in/out of every nook/cranny.

(2) You are buying the seller as much as the product - it might sound weird but you are buying the person and how they maintained and used the boat. There's a big difference between someone that just puts the boat/motor up after each use and someone that does a thorough rinsing...obviously. Look at how they keep their other assets.

(3) Get two notarized Bills of Sale or complete two separate Bills of Sale for the boat and trailer. In my experience, the LAWLF will take the original Bill of Sale for the boat and then complain about making you a copy. The DMV will also want an original copy for the trailer.
Get them notarized with two independent witnesses.


You can get a survey on the boat and motor but that takes time and $$$$. A good sea trial using common sense and knowing whether you can trust the seller will ferret out any major issues.

As mentioned, if you can get a seller to agree to those conditions of a survey, sea trial, compression test, etc...go for it. However, very few sellers for smaller boats (usually under $100K) will take the time and effort to go through that because another buyer with less hassle will be along shortly if not standing in line behind you.

Good luck with the sale!

Bay boat
Composite
Honda 150

If the seller won't agree to your terms then let him dump the boat off on some other sap. The four contingencies I mentioned would take less than a week to complete.

However, one thing in your favor is that unlike the other 49 states in Louisiana buyers have redhibitory (SP?) rights. I'm not an attorney, but it is sort of the opposite of caveat emptor (buyer beware). The reasoning is that who can know more about the condition of something other than the person selling it. Ask the seller if the boat has any problems that you should be made aware of. If he lies to you then you have something like 30 days to return it for a full refund. Ask an attorney licensed in Louisiana.

One more thing about not surveying a small craft. It is true that few purchasers demand one, but some do. I once saw a case where a purchaser of a Sea Ray wanted one on something like a 22 foot runabout and the surveyor found a void in the hull. No problem - even though the boat was out of warranty Sea Ray came in and fixed it free of charge.

There are a lot of good deals to be had on used boats so take your time. If you don't get this one then another will come along.

POWERBOATLISTINGS

YACHTWORLD

BOATS.COM

Guy is asking about $500 over avg retail on nada, low retail for that boat is about what I was looking to spend. How do those deals usually shake out? I know there a multitude of factors that go into it.....but on an average deal.

The boat is a bay stealth......I'm seeing some mixed reviews on the hull truth. Any first hand experiences here?

Thanks.......you're an excellent resource on this board

Older baystealths ain't too bad the newer ones on the other hand are wet honestly I'd be more concerned about the Honda

The motor is a 2006, 4 stroke.

Besides nada where else would you research price?