New potential boat buyer questions.

[vike47]

New to boating (well used to fish with Dad and now want to take my Son) and looking to buy a boat in the 50K range. Are there any guides for BC in particular in regards to liens search and registration for private purchases?
Trying to make sure I do things right.
I see people say to get a survey and sea trial. What exactly does that entail?
Are there any recommendations on a good surveyor?
Thanks in advance.

 

[ab1752]

New to boating (well used to fish with Dad and now want to take my Son) and looking to buy a boat in the 50K range. Are there any guides for BC in particular in regards to liens search and registration for private purchases?
Trying to make sure I do things right.
I see people say to get a survey and sea trial. What exactly does that entail?
Are there any recommendations on a good surveyor?
Thanks in advance.

There's a marine notary type service who can process the paperwork and collect the taxes. We used one with ours as it went through a broker. Boats don't exactly have a typical title registration other than a bill of sale. Taxes are collected when you transfer/ register the vessel with the transport Canada. Most deem the vessel registration as title.

I cant recall the vessel transfer agent we used but could look it up. Or a broker will provide this as part of their services.

 

[Foxsea]

New to boating (well used to fish with Dad and now want to take my Son) and looking to buy a boat in the 50K range. Are there any guides for BC in particular in regards to liens search and registration for private purchases?
Trying to make sure I do things right.
I see people say to get a survey and sea trial. What exactly does that entail?
Are there any recommendations on a good surveyor?
Thanks in advance.

When you buy a small, recreational boat it is provincially licensed, not registered. You will want to have a Bill of Sale and the License transfer form signed by the prior owner. You can have both notarized if you wish. You can find those documents through a web search or as provided by a notary. A notary can do a lien search, as well. If the boat has a trailer, it is transferred through ICBC with your favorite broker. Again, the previous owner must sign the transfer form.

You will want a survey and a mechanical inspection, the first for the hull and systems, the second for the engine(s) and drive(s). The sea trial gives you the opportunity to check out engine, drive, shifting, steering, trim tabs, etc. in operation. See the engine temperature and oil pressure are within range. Everything should work smoothly. Run the boat up to WOT and check that the rpm's are within range and that temperature is good for about 10 minutes.
The surveyor depends on where you live. Ask on this forum for recommendations.

 

[Baxter]

When I bought mine last summer I was nervous about all the unknows of this sort of thing so I opted to buy through a dealer. Was hard to find the right boat at the right price from a dealer, but I eventually did. Disadvantages here of course, but one big advantage is not having to worry about proper paper work, liens, etc. They take care of everything, and if they don't at least you have a company there to fight against instead of just a random individual.

 

[ericl]

If you can get a sea trial before a survey, do that. The sea trial is free & may disqualify the boat w/o spending any money. In addition to what has been said above, make sure the boat rides/goes the speed you want during sea trial. Many boats for sale are not in sellable condition; be patient & picky. Go to boat trader & yacht world to see what you can get for $50K; newer is better, new is best.

 

[vike47]

When I bought mine last summer I was nervous about all the unknows of this sort of thing so I opted to buy through a dealer. Was hard to find the right boat at the right price from a dealer, but I eventually did. Disadvantages here of course, but one big advantage is not having to worry about proper paper work, liens, etc. They take care of everything, and if they don't at least you have a company there to fight against instead of just a random individual.

With a dealer, did you still get a survey/mechanical check?

 

[Rayvon]

With the market being what it is today (a sellers market) you will have a hard time buying a boat privately with subject to conditions.There will be a lineup of buyers behind you waiting to buy it if it's a good clean boat.You will need to be the first or second caller and probably have to pay full asking price.If the seller is honest ,he may agree to your conditions prior to sale,but don't be surprised if he finds someone else ready to buy with cash,no conditions.Not the preferred way to buy a boat,but a fact of life these days.I bought a boat privately a couple of weeks ago,first caller had an appointment he couldn't change,so I got to see it first,I did my (ex-shipwright) inspection for rot etc. and had him fire up the motors for me.They were both low hour motors,so deal was done.If your new to boats ,I strongly suggest a survey be done by a competent boat person,not necessarily a so called "surveyor".There are all kinds of pitfalls in buying a used boat.Good luck,it's the worst buyers market I've seen in many years.

 

[Baxter]

With a dealer, did you still get a survey/mechanical check?

In most cases I would have, but for this one I didn't - reason being, the boat was only 3 months old with 9 hours on it.

Now, I do realize that a 3 month old boat with 9 hours COULD have issues, but I took a gamble thinking that issues were highly unlikely, and if there were some there is still warranty on the boat.

If I were buying something older, I probably would have got an independent check, the smart thing to do really. (BUT I am also kinda cheap, so perhaps I would still risk it).