Buy a used boat with a survey and a clean title
A used boat purchased and registered — hull identification number checked against title and lien records, a marine survey commissioned and interpreted correctly, engine compression and sea-trial results documented, and the state vessel registration and title transfer completed in your name.
Not on sale yet
Included with every copy
- Your own copy — keep it forever
- Gets better over time — free updates included
- Run it on web and mobile
- Invite a partner to go through it with you — you share the same progress
- 1 knowledge checks to test what you've learned
- The playbook's community — ask questions, get additions, and see how other buyers improve it, right on the step
Who it's for
Recreational buyers in the U.S. purchasing a pre-owned motorboat or sailboat from a private seller or broker. This fits first-time boat buyers and experienced owners who want a repeatable due-diligence process.
About this playbook
This playbook walks you through the full used-boat purchase from the moment you find a promising listing to the day the title is in your name. You will decode the HIN and check for liens, conduct a thorough sea trial with compression and oil testing, commission a professional marine survey and read the report like an expert, negotiate price reductions based on findings, and complete the state registration and title transfer. It covers private-party and broker sales for motorboats and sailboats up to 50 feet in the United States. It does not cover financing, dockage contracts, or dealer warranties. By the end you will own a boat whose condition you understand and whose title is clean.
What you'll do, step by step
Free preview — these steps are open to read in full before you buy.
Phase 1: Pre-Offer Vessel Research
0/4Verify the boat’s identity, ownership, and history before committing to a purchase price or survey costs.
- 20 min
- 30 min
- 45 min
- 15 min
Phase 2: Sea Trial and On-Water Evaluation
6 stepsPhase 3: Professional Marine Survey
4 stepsPhase 4: Purchase Closing
4 stepsPhase 5: Registration, Title Transfer and Trailer
5 stepsDetails
What you need first
You have identified a specific used boat you are seriously considering buying. You have a general budget that includes the purchase price plus at least $600–$1,500 in due-diligence and transfer costs. You have a place to keep the boat (slip, mooring, trailer storage, or dry stack). You have a valid driver’s license and can travel to the boat’s location for a sea trial and out-of-water inspection.
Tags
What people who used it say
Only buyers who got through at least half the steps can leave a review.
No reviews yet. The first ones appear once buyers get through at least half the steps.
Common questions
About the creator
I document hobbies and weekend projects in concrete steps — no jargon, no stages skipped.
Similar playbooks
