What to beware of when buying a used boat?

I seen some pics of decent boats online "25' powerboats" ranging from about $3,000- is this too cheap? They are saltwater boats with cuddy cabins, not performance boats, don't know what brand. Is there any pitfalls I should look out for? What if there are holes in the hull; any such thing as non-repairable damages? ThanksWhat to beware of when buying a used boat?
blisters are always a problem to look out for.

Then if its an I/O and has been used in salt. The

exhaust manifolds rot and can cost a LOT to get fixed.

$3000 can get you a nice boat or a piece of crap

just depends on what you find.

If your spending more, get a survey done of the boat. The money you pay for a survey is well worth it. Good luck


with any used boats your going to have problems just do your research but 3 grand seems kind of cheap to meWhat to beware of when buying a used boat?
Best advise...take it into the shop and have profession go through it before purchasing. We bought a used boat this summer through a private seller. It was sold to us "lake ready" and it have been dead in the water all summer. We have spend way too much money trying to get it to work properly. I wish we would have taken the time to have a professional run through it so we would have known what we were getting into.



We got taken advantage of...so do your homework and check out some boat forums for others experiences with the brand.
1st let me tell you wat boat stands for than you can make a eduacated choice

B---BREAK

O---OUT

A---ANOTHER

T---THOUSAND

---GOT IT---What to beware of when buying a used boat?
Water in the bilge and type of construction of the cross members. Some are wood encased in fiberglass. Check the moisture and see if they are rotting already. Most $3,000 25 foot boats have been sitting out in rain. A moisture meter will be more than worth its cost.



Tap along the hull and check for weekspots. Both a change in sound when tapping, or the hull sinks in when pressed. Put your head close to the hull and look for ripples in the hull.



There's more but a not so obvious check is to see if the boat is underpowered. i.e., if you plan to use the boat often with 5 people then bring along 5 people for the test drive, and 1 to 3 more to simulate the weight of the boat when full of fuel. I bought a boat that flew when it was just me, my wife, and the dealer and almost no gas. But when we filled up the boat, we could not get it to plane.
Beware of the seller%26gt; Have it surveyed if your new at boating Have a mechanic look at it%26gt;