Buyer's library
Used boat buying guides
Independent, buyer-protective guides — what to inspect, what it really costs, and how to avoid buying someone else's expensive mistake. Looking at a specific boat? Get an instant verdict →
Should you buy it?
- Should I buy this boat?
- Is this boat overpriced?
- What boat should I buy?
- Can I afford a boat?
- Should I get a marine survey?
- How much should I offer on a used boat?
- Questions to ask a boat seller
- Red flags when buying a used boat
- New vs used boat: which should you buy?
- Buying your first boat: the complete guide
- First boat: 17 ft vs 21 ft vs 24 ft
- How to read a used boat listing
- The best time of year to buy a used boat
Problems & red flags
- Boat engine hours: how many is too many?
- Boat transom rot: signs and what it costs
- Soft spots in a boat floor: what they mean
- Saltwater vs freshwater boats: what changes
- How much does a boat survey cost?
- Boat trailer rust: how bad is too bad?
- Boat hull delamination explained
- Outboard compression test explained
- Inboard vs outboard maintenance cost
- Common sterndrive problems to check
- Fiberglass boat repair cost
- Boat title problems: liens, missing titles, fraud
- How to do a boat lien check
- Old boat wiring problems
- Water in the bilge: how worried should you be?
- Two-stroke vs four-stroke outboard
- Boat osmosis blisters: how serious?
- Rotten boat stringers explained
- MerCruiser bellows: replacement and risk
- Gelcoat vs paint on a used boat
- How to check if a boat has flood or hurricane damage
This or that?
- Center console vs dual console
- Pontoon vs deck boat
- Bowrider vs cuddy cabin
- Inboard vs outboard power
- Sterndrive vs outboard
- Aluminum vs fiberglass fishing boat
- Sailboat vs powerboat: true cost
- Buying from a dealer vs a private seller
- Boat survey vs no survey
- Financing vs paying cash for a boat
- Yamaha vs Mercury outboard
- Wake boat vs bowrider
- Boston Whaler Montauk 17 vs 170
- MasterCraft ProStar vs X-Star used
- Bennington vs Sun Tracker vs Harris used
- Chaparral vs Cobalt vs Regal
- Grady-White vs Boston Whaler used
- Sea Ray SPX vs SLX vs Sundeck vs Sundancer
Buying by region
- Buying a used boat in Florida
- Buying a used boat in California
- Buying a used boat in Texas
- Buying a used boat in Michigan
- Buying a used boat in New York
- Buying a used boat in North Carolina
- Buying a used boat in Washington
- Best boats for the Great Lakes
- Best boats for the Florida Keys
- Buying a saltwater boat: what to check
- Buying a freshwater lake boat
- Buying a used boat in Minnesota
- Boat sales tax by state
- Boat registration cost by state
- States with no boat sales tax and the residency traps
- Does your state title boats?
- Boat trailer registration and title rules by state
- Florida's boat sales tax cap explained
- Buying a boat out of state
- Boater education card requirements by state
Buying guides by type
- Center console buying guide
- Bowrider buying guide
- Pontoon buying guide
- Bass boat buying guide
- Cabin cruiser buying guide
- Walkaround boat buying guide
- Deck boat buying guide
- Jet boat buying guide
- Used sailboat buying guide
- Trawler buying guide
- Aluminum fishing boat buying guide
- Wake/surf boat buying guide
- Express cruiser buying guide
- Dual console buying guide
- Sea Ray Sundancer buying guide: 240 vs 260 vs 280 vs 320
- Are Bayliners really that bad?
- Yamaha jet boats used: AR190, AR210, AR240
- Tracker Pro Team 175 TXW: what to check
- Malibu Wakesetter 23 LSV used buying guide
- Four Winns Horizon 180, 190, 200 used
What it really costs
- Boat ownership cost: the real annual number
- Boat loan calculator and rates guide
- How much does boat insurance cost?
- Boat depreciation explained
- Boat fuel cost: what to expect
- Boat storage and slip cost
- Boat maintenance cost by type
- Boat survey cost estimator
- Boat transport cost
- Used boat offer: how to price yours
- Free boat value lookup: what replaced NADA Guides
- ABOS vs J.D. Power vs real listings: which boat value to trust
- What is my boat worth? A five-minute method
- Boat depreciation by brand
- Do boat prices drop in winter?
- Boat prices by state: where the same boat costs more
- What a trailer is worth on a used boat listing
- Slip vs trailer vs dry stack: the real annual cost
- What truck do I need to tow a 20, 22 or 24 ft boat?
Engines & power
- Yamaha outboard buying guide
- Mercury outboard buying guide
- MerCruiser sterndrive buying guide
- Volvo Penta buying guide
- Suzuki outboard reliability
- Honda outboard reliability
- Mercury OptiMax problems to know
- Buying a two-stroke outboard boat
- Diesel inboard boat buying guide
- Repowering a boat: cost and when it's worth it
- How much does a repower add to resale value?
- Low hours vs well maintained: what the market pays
- MerCruiser 4.3 problems and repair costs
- MerCruiser 5.7 and 350 MAG common failures
- Volvo Penta SX and DPS outdrive problems
- Yamaha F150 problems: corrosion and what to check
- Mercury Verado reliability by generation
- Evinrude E-TEC after Evinrude shut down
- What saltwater use actually costs an outboard
- How to verify outboard hours without trusting the seller
How to buy a boat
- How to buy a used boat: the complete guide
- Used boat inspection checklist
- Boat negotiation tips that work
- Marine survey explained
- Boat financing guide
- Boat insurance guide
- Boat title transfer guide
- Boat HIN lookup guide
- Boat sea trial checklist
- Boat bill of sale guide
- How to avoid buying a stolen boat
- Boat buying mistakes to avoid
- Turning survey findings into a price cut
- Decode any boat HIN
- The HIN does not match the title
- Checking a hull number against theft records
- What a Coast Guard documented vessel is
- Boat recall lookup: how to check open recalls
- Buying a boat sight unseen