There are all kinds of reasons to own a boat. If you live on a shore, boat ownership is as practical as a car in the suburbs. If you live near the water, you very likely have more than one boat. You could have a boat for transportation, one for fishing, one for sport, and a few unpowered craft such as canoes and kayaks.
At some point, you might become interested in picking up a used craft for a serious amount of money. You don’t have to be a champion pulling in 54 pounds to warrant such a move. Boats are not just for the rich and famous. They are for everyone.
If you are savvy, you can save a whole lot of money buying preowned. That said, even the savvy can be taken in by a deal that is too good to be true. Medium to large craft are marvels of engineering. If you don’t want to take a bath with your next boat purchase, here are a few things to look for so you don’t get soaked:
General Appearance and Condition
It is hard to know how well a boat has been treated. Minor external damage can hint of more serious wear and tear. It will also tell you something about the owner of the boat. If they didn’t care enough to fix the little things that you can see, how can you trust them with the big things that you can’t.
It is just like when you sell a used car. The first thing you do is take it to the best San Diego auto body shop you can find to get those unsightly nicks and scratches taken care of. You would also be sure to get those tiny windshield cracks fixed. You want to get the best value from your equipment and give your buyer a strong first impression.
You should never accept less from a person selling you a boat. Of course a certain amount of visible wear might be understandable. But that really isn’t the point. You want to know that the craft has been treated with care and attention, not with neglect and disregard. You will be ready to look for the little things. But don’t overlook the obvious in the process.
Foam Saturation Issues
Your new boat purchase doesn’t have to be one of the 5 worst submarines of all time to utterly sink your hopes and dreams of joyous boat ownership. You need only make the mistake of buying a used boat without checking for foam saturation damage.
There are ways to detect the problem. See how the boat sits in the water after the owner has removed all the heavy objects from the craft. Many will not take this step fearing that the request is unreasonable. It is not. Be sure the scuppers are well above the waterline and that the boat appears nice and even.
If you are unsure after giving it some observation, check the cored areas of the boat with a moisture meter. If you know what to listen for, you can tap on suspected areas with a mallet. The sound is noticeably different from the sound made by tapping on dry areas. Take your time when doing this examination. Skipping it can lead to a costly mistake.
Joint Separation
The hull bone is connected to the deck bone. That connection is watertight in a healthy joint connection. You are going to have a hard time just eyeballing it to see if there is a problem. The key to spotting problems can be found with an examination of the rubrail. Think of a rubrail as a type of bumper that protects the hull from damage. If the rubrail is warped, bent, twisted, or otherwise deformed, there has likely been violent contact. Use a water hose to test the integrity of the joint in that section.
When it comes to purchasing a used boat, keep a weather eye on the general condition, the condition of the foam, and the joint separation.