Buy & Negotiate

This stage turns a shortlist into a binding path: offer, deposit, independent survey, sea trial, and negotiation of repairs or price. Emotion peaks here; process protects you.

Overview

Plain next steps

• Still need a shortlist? Find your boat first.
• Sanity-check asking prices with the boat value tool — ranges for education, not a formal appraisal.
• Find a surveyor via Find them online · surveyors before you waive contingencies (their sites · ≠ founding).
• Then structure offers around boats you actually inspected.

Whether you buy from a dealer, broker, or private party, treat the transaction like a small real-estate deal: written agreement, contingencies, clear who pays for haul-out, and a clean path to title. Never waive a competent independent survey on a used boat of meaningful value.

Steps

1. Engage representation. Dealer salesperson, buyer’s broker, or careful FSBO process. Know who fiduciary duty runs to.
2. Run initial diligence. HIN check, ask for service records, lien awareness, flood/salvage history questions, trailer title status if included.
3. Write an offer with contingencies. Price, deposit amount/escrow, survey & sea trial rights, closing date, included equipment list, and “subject to financing/insurance” if needed.
4. Hire an independent marine surveyor (buyer’s survey). Prefer SAMS/NAMS-credentialed where available; match surveyor specialty to boat type.
5. Schedule haul-out / bottom inspection when age, value, or risk warrants (most used boats).
6. Sea trial with a checklist. Engines cold start, temp/oil pressure, gears, steering, electronics, bilge pumps, and performance vs expectations.
7. Review survey & prioritize findings. Safety/structural vs cosmetic; request seller repairs, credit, or walk away per contract.
8. Finalize agreement & move to finance/insure/register tracks in parallel.

Common mistakes

• Using the seller’s “friendly mechanic” as your only inspection.
• Sea-trialing without a written offer framework (wasted yard fees, weak leverage).
• Focusing on shiny gelcoat while ignoring moisture readings, stringers, and engine compression/oil analysis.
• Verbal equipment lists—“Does the liferaft stay?”—that vanish at closing.
• Forfeiting deposit language you did not understand.
• Skipping trailer inspection when the package is trailerable.

Pros who help here

Find them online — brokers, dealers, surveyors, documentation help, and transporters when you need a calm second opinion (their sites · ≠ founding).

You’re ready when

• Purchase agreement is signed with clear contingencies.
• Survey (and oil analysis if applicable) is in hand.
• Repair/credit outcome is agreed or you have walked away cleanly.
• Deposit is in proper escrow/trust per local practice.

FAQs

How much is a typical survey?
Often a few hundred to a few thousand USD depending on LOA, type, and haul-out—budget haul + block separately.

Can I negotiate after survey?
Yes; that is the point of a survey contingency. Be specific with line items.

Do new boats need surveys?
Less common, but commissioning checks and dealer PDI review still matter; complex yachts sometimes get a prepurchase survey anyway.

Private party vs broker?
Private can be cheaper but you own more process risk. Brokers add structure and market access; confirm representation and fees in writing.