You’ve decided to sidestep the boat dealers and buy from a private seller. Great plan: you’ll get more boat for your buck by cutting out the middleman.
We’ll run you through the boat-buying process. We’ll also introduce you to a new, better way to purchase and pay for a boat.
You’ve probably already settled on the type of boat and figured out your budget. If you haven’t done this preliminary research, now would be a good time to do so.
As a refresher, here’s a run-down of some of the boat types available on the private market:
This list presents a wide range of prices, capabilities, and functionalities. Hopefully, you’ve read community forums, visited dealerships, and done other research in your target category.
Once you know what you’re looking for and have a realistic budget, it’s time to go shopping.
You’ve done your research and figured out your budget; now it’s time to go shopping. You’ll find the best selection on the internet.
Most owners sell their boats on online listing sites. Search boats for sale on one or more of the following platforms, using their built-in filtering functions to narrow by boat type, make, model, year, price, distance, or other factors important to you.
The following are some sites you can use to shop for pre-owned boats for sale by owner. These sites are great for finding boats for sale, but lack basic transactional features (such as a way to send money safely and securely). DealNow is a transactional solution: find your boat for sale anywhere: buy it with DealNow.
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Facebook Marketplace |
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Local online classifieds |
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Pro tip: Most web platforms let you set up alerts. If you don’t immediately find the boat you’re looking for, set alerts across multiple platforms and wait for the right listing to pop up.
After you’ve found some interesting boats, you need to thoroughly vet them. Here are some best practices to keep you on course.
Most scammers operate under a false identity. You need to determine whether you’re dealing with a real seller or a catfisher.
Check the seller’s profile. Is it complete? If the website features identity verification, are they verified? Have they completed previous sales? What is their feedback like?
On social media platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, look at their social media history and whether you have mutual friends.
Be wary of the following red flags:
For better protection, invite the seller to finish the transaction on DealNow. Our identity verification and optional title check discourage scammers.
Boat listings should be thorough. For high-end sailboats and yachts, detailed explanations of the rigging, sails, motors, and navigation equipment should be present. Even for wakeboarding boats, bass fishing boats, or other watercraft, all the basic systems and features should be described. Look out for vague or generic descriptions, and pay attention to primary systems that aren’t discussed.
From wide-angle shots of the exterior to photos of the engine compartment, bathroom, and electronics, boat listings should be revealing. High-quality photos convey professionalism and a real desire to sell. Look out for listings that use stock images or contain few, low-quality images.
Check listing prices against J.D. Power Used Boat Values, ABOS Marine Blue Book, BUCValu, on-platform price assessment tools, and other similar listings. Based on the boat’s condition, it should align with market value. Watch out for too-good-to-be-true listing prices.
A boat history report is worth the investment when buying from a stranger. It covers maintenance history, accident history, previous owners, service records, and more. Ask the current owner for the boat’s HIN (hull identification number). Some sellers might embed this in their listings to speed up the process. Use websites such as boathistoryreport.com or boatfax.com to order a report.
DealNow lets you order a boat history report directly from your dashboard.
DealNow overcomes the catch-22 in the following ways:
Once you’ve narrowed your search, contact the seller. Seller-side boat scams aren’t common, but neglected and misrepresented boats are. You’re going to give the boat a good once-over when you meet in person, but it doesn’t hurt to do some advance due diligence.
Given the proliferation of shady characters across most boat sites, it’s best not to reveal your email and phone number to strangers. DealNow gives you an encrypted chat to message verified sellers and ask them questions, such as the following:
Trustworthy sellers are happy to confirm details from the listing, provide clear answers to your questions, discuss potential issues, review maintenance records, and agree to pre-purchase inspections.
Avoid sellers who provide vague answers, dodge questions, don’t know about the boat, and won’t agree to a professional inspection.
Never buy a boat without inspecting it. If the boat is far from your location, you’re in luck. DealNow makes it easy to buy a boat long-distance. You’ll order a professional boat inspection from your DealNow dashboard, and the inspector will act as your agent on-site. Read more about how the long-distance boat-buying process works.
It’s time to schedule the meetup. If you’re able to travel to the boat’s location, it’s not a bad idea to have a professional inspector to accompany you. If you’re doing the deal remotely, DealNow makes it easy to hire a local inspector who will act on your behalf. When you select from the seller’s available times, you can specify that you want an inspector to arrive to the meetup as well.
Not only does DealNow’s in-app messaging simplify setting up a meeting and inspection, but the seller’s identity is verified, so you’re not getting catfished.
DealNow also allows you to seamlessly order boat shipping as part of your transaction. Buy a boat from anywhere in the US and have it delivered to your driveway—with no third-party coordination required.
Many people think a boat is just a hull with a motor, but the reality is that boats are complex, with many different elements working together to keep you safe and relaxed as you explore lakes, rivers, and oceans.
Let’s run down the list of what you (or your inspector) will want to scrutinize.
The vessel should generally reflect the photos and description from the listing. Note features that don’t work or cosmetic damage that wasn’t photographed or described.
The sea trial is your chance to use and assess the boat in action. You and the seller will take the boat out and see what it can do. It’s best to schedule sea trials for the afternoon so you can operate the boat in light and dark conditions. You’ll also want to take it into all water conditions it’s rated for.
During the sea trial, assess the following:
Use any surprises to reconsider your interest or negotiate a fair price.
If you’re happy with the boat, the seller, and the price, it’s time to finish things up. Your boat closing starts when you and the seller sign a bill of sale.
A boat bill of sale memorializes the:
While not legally required in most states, you should complete a bill of sale regardless. To understand why, let’s quickly talk about the catch-22 that occurs during high-dollar private-party transactions.
When exchanging large amounts of money with a stranger, a catch-22 occurs; neither party wants to make the first move and be taken advantage of.
Both parties want to get the deal done, but they also want to protect themselves from fraud.
To overcome the catch-22, many folks turn to escrow services. These solve the issue, but they introduce a lot of expense, time, and inconvenience into the process.
Another way to overcome the catch-22: a bill of sale that memorializes the terms of the transaction and legally binds both parties. Should a seller renege after receiving payment, you could prevail in court.
You could print two copies of a bill of sale. They can come from your state licensing department or from BoatUS or the U.S. Coast Guard. You bring them to closing, and then you and the seller sign and countersign both copies. You each take one home for your records.
In the unlikely event you’re dealing with a truly bad actor, a paper bill of sale is flimsy. Conceivably, the seller could get your money, then confiscate both copies of the bill of sale and hightail it out of there. You’re left with no funds, no boat, and no legal recourse.
Here’s another risk: a scammer may use an alias, and may even have a false ID to back it up. All legal protections evaporate if you don’t have the person’s legal name and signature on the document.
DealNow makes the bill of sale easy and secure. Each of you (buyer and seller) electronically signs the bill of sale in our mobile app under your verified legal identities. You each get a notification that the other has signed, and you’ll each retain a copy in your DealNow dashboard.
A digital bill of sale, signed and countersigned under verified identities—and stored securely in the cloud—is a fairly strong deterrent against scammers and other bad actors.
Once the seller has signed the bill of sale, you have the green light to pay for the boat. As it happens, there aren’t many great ways to transfer large sums of money between strangers. Most payment methods:
Let’s compare the different ways you can exchange funds. Then, we’ll show you why DealNow is the preferred solution for private-party boat sales.
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Physical cash |
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Wire transfer |
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Personal check |
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Cashier's check |
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PayPal |
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Venmo |
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CashApp |
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Credit cards |
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Cryptocurrency |
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Escrow services |
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Wouldn’t it be great if you could snag the combined pros of every payment method listed above while ditching the cons?
DealNow is all that and more. We specifically designed it to make high-dollar private-party transactions safe, fast, and cheap.
After the seller gets paid for the boat, they will sign over the title.
The seller will fill out their section of the title, which includes their contact information, sale date, purchase price, and engine hours (if applicable). You’ll fill out your contact information, and you’ll both sign. You’ll both also need to transfer a separate title for the trailer (if applicable).
Note: Some states require notarization of the transfer of title process.
Congrats, you‘re a boat owner. There’s just a little paperwork to do.
You’re now the proud owner of a new-to-you boat, but you still need to register it with the government in order to legally operate it.
Here are the agencies for each state, to the best of our knowledge. Research the appropriate boat registry agency for your state to make sure you’re going to the right place.
Before you go to register, get boat insurance coverage (You can compare insurance companies and get a policy from your DealNow dashboard.).
The boat registration process varies by state, but generally you will:
Note: Boats under 12 feet often don’t require registration or titling in many states. Check your state requirements to learn more.
Once you have your registration documents, you can get out on the water.
DealNow uses self-serve technology to remove friction from private-party boat transactions and to make them affordable and safe. Here’s the purchase process:
September, October, and November are the best months to buy boats in the US. As colder weather approaches, the boat market sees less demand, which pushes prices down. Private sellers in northern states are motivated to get rid of their boats to avoid winterizing them.
Ten to fifteen-year-old boats are considered the sweet spot. Initial depreciation has leveled out. And not enough time has gone by to warrant serious concern about the boat’s seaworthiness (as long as the seller has been responsible).
For a boat of that age, an engine with less than 1,000 hours is reasonable. However, proper engine maintenance allows gas motors to maintain reliability far past 3,000 and diesel boat motors to surpass 10,000. Always get a boat survey to get the best boat for your money.
A boat is a good buy if it performs as described and you like the price. During your inspection and sea trial, test all systems and compare the boat to its listing. You should also hire a marine inspector or boat mechanic to assess the boat. They can give you a professional opinion on whether or not the boat is a good buy.
Boats are categorized by size, power source, type of motor, and function. Here are some of the common categories:
First-time buyers should factor their price ranges and intended use into their boat choice.
In a recreational setting, pontoons and bowriders are the most common types of boats.
Pontoon boats are stable and spacious. They’re used for leisure activities, such as cruising, fishing, and water sports. They typically have a flat deck supported by pontoons and are best suited for calm waters such as lakes, lagoons, and rivers.
Bowrider boats have an open bow area that allows for ample seating. They are useful for many recreational activities, including day cruising and watersports. Bowriders usually range from 16 to 35 feet in length and are suited for freshwater and open ocean use.
The term “small boat” usually refers to a Class A boat. They are less than 16 feet long. Class A boats include:
If you can manage it without draining all your resources, it’s better to pay cash upfront for a boat. You’ll save a bundle that would otherwise go to interest payments, and your long-term net worth will thank you.
If you can’t swing cash upfront, there’s no shame in taking out a boat loan. Many boats cost as much as homes, so people often finance them. If you have a great credit score, you’ll get a competitive interest rate if you use a reputable lender.
The safest payment method when buying a boat is DealNow. Unlike physical cash (which can be stolen) or checks (which take too long), DealNow facilitates instant, verified transfers of any amount directly between boat buyers and sellers.
DealNow’s platform secures transactions by:
With DealNow, you get the immediacy of cash with bank-level security. Funds are held in FDIC-insured accounts with easy offboarding to your regular bank.
If you’ve found a pre-owned boat and are ready to buy it, an escrow service can secure the transaction. Unfortunately, traditional escrow services are expensive and slow.
DealNow gives you escrow-like security in the palm of your hand. Where an escrow company charges hefty fees, DealNow only charges a small, flat fee. It also lets you finish the deal in a fraction of the time.
Buying a boat from a private seller is often better and cheaper than buying from a dealership. Here’s why:
Bottom line? Private sales let you stretch your boat-buying dollar further.
DealNow is the easiest way to close your own vehicle deal, anytime. It’s the safe and simple way to avoid fraud, sign documents, and instantly transact, all in one app.
