It’s no longer necessary to spend a weekend searching every used boat lot in town to find a used boat. Instead, it’s likely waiting for a few clicks away on one of the hundreds of used-boat sites. They’re not all equal, though. Here are a few sites and places you should look at when shopping for a used boat.
The best places to buy used boats are Boat Trader, Boats.com, YachtWorld, Craigslist, Newspaper or magazine classifieds, and Facebook Marketplace. However, if you prefer offline than online, most likely, you have few options, either a private seller, broker, or independent dealer.
If you need a new boat, the process is pretty straightforward. Find a boat you like, get some new boat price quotes from competing dealers, and go to the dealership. But, shopping for a used boat gets a little more complicated.
When you’re shopping used, you can buy from a slew of places like a dealership’s used boat inventory, an independent dealership, or a private seller to online sites like Boat Trader, Boats.com, YachtWorld, Craigslist, etc., which are very good in their own ways.
If you are buying online, you need to be careful to avoid fraud. Meet the owner in person and see the boat physically rather than virtual to avoid fraud. That being said, we will now see them in a detailed way.
Related post – When Is The Best Time To Buy A Used Boat? Check this article to know all the key insights on when to buy a used boat to save some money easily.
Where Are The Best Places To Buy Used Boats?
1. Boat Trader
Boat Trader is one of the popular websites to buy or sell a new or used boat. BoatTrader is a Miami, Florida-based website in the marine classified segment aimed at the US.
BoatTrader, which also lists a huge number of boats and allows searches by multiple criteria. BoatTrader also includes some fixer-uppers from liquidators. Boat Trader, YachtWorld, and Boats.com are all owned by the same company, so you may find some similar pros and cons in them.
Pros of buying a Used boat on Boat Trader
- Boat Trader is a great place to buy small-sized boats, and you will get some decent-sized big boats as well.
- It’s great to get a sense of the market, understand boat prices and valuations, and see what’s out there.
- Boat Trader also includes some fixer-uppers from liquidators.
Cons of buying a Used boat on Boat Trader
- The listings stay up there forever. And sometimes you might be looking for a boat that was sold (days or weeks ago) already.
- Boat Trader is primarily focused on selling new or used “small” boats, not big boats. However, you will find big boats, but you may have fewer options to choose from.
- You might hear this all over the forums that the brokers won’t respond properly if you are looking for an inexpensive boat (which may give less commission for them); rather, they only respond well if you are buying an expensive boat.
2. YachtWorld
You probably would have heard this name by now. YachtWorld is one of the biggest websites to sell or buy a new or used boat. There are numerous boats available here and a perfect place to explore different boats.
In May 2011, Boat Trader was merged with YachtWorld and boats.com brands under the new company Dominion Marine Media. And lately, it changed its name to Boats Group. So you may find some similar pros and cons in them.
Pros of buying a Used boat on YachtWorld
- YachtWorld is one of the biggest websites to sell or buy a new or used boat. You can find many boats unless if you want a small boat, which is hard to find.
- YachtWorld has better capabilities for refining your search. For example, you can search for a boat by condition (new/used), length, year, price, type, make, region (country and state wise), hull type, etc.
- You can use YachtWorld to help you learn more about specific models and differences in options and equipment due to the availability of more boats.
- If you are looking for Yachts, big cruisers, or a big boat, YachtWorld is the only best option.
Cons of buying a Used boat on YachtWorld
- YachtWorld includes boats listed by brokers and dealers—not individuals. Unfortunately, that means these boats tend to be larger and more expensive—not the place to search for smaller boats.
- Yachtworld is primarily focused on selling new or used “big” boats, not small boats. However, you will find small boats, but you may have fewer options to choose from.
- YachtWorld is so popular that competition is a bit high and can drive the price up a bit, and the sale couldn’t last long enough during the peak season.
- You might hear this all over the forums that the brokers won’t respond properly if you are looking for an inexpensive boat (which may give less commission for them); rather, they only respond well if you are buying an expensive boat.
Related Post – Average Used Boat Prices. Check this article to know the average prices of 80 boats of different boat models in a detailed way.
3. Boats.com
Boats.com is another popular website to search for both used and new boats. The company has websites in 9 markets and 8 languages, listing over 350,000 boats in approximately 152 countries, giving you many opportunities to search for boats.
Pros of buying a Used boat on Boats.com
- Boats.com is a great place to buy all types of small-sized boats, from small-sized fishing boats to big-sized cruisers.
- Boats.com has better capabilities for refining your search. For example, you can search for a boat by condition (new/used), length, year, price, type, make, region (country and state wise), boat type, activity, etc.
- The company has websites in 9 markets and 8 languages, listing over 350,000 boats in approximately 152 countries, more shots to look for (source).
Cons of buying a Used boat on Boats.com
- Boats.com is not a good place to search for big boats or yachts. Instead, YachtWorld is good for big boats.
- Customer support is a bit poor, and you might not get inquires quickly, or it will take more response time.
4. Craigslist
Craigslist is another great website to buy and sell anything. In just a few clicks of the mouse, one can browse advertisements for boats, housing, items for sale, jobs, information forums, help for services, etc., on there.
In other words, it is a classified advertisements website. It is a great website to look for local sales rather than non-local ones. You are best off accepting cash for a Craigslist sale. Personal checks can bounce, and scammers can fake cashier’s checks and money orders.
Craigslist also suggests you’ll reduce your chances of being scammed if you shop locally and meet the owner in person rather than virtual.
Pros of buying a Used boat on Craigslist
- Craigslist is free so that anyone can post a boat or any other vehicle for sale. You’ll find a mix of boat dealerships and private sellers on this site.
- You can find the local deals very well on craigslist compared to boat trader, boats.com, etc. So Craigslist is worth checking as well.
Cons of buying a Used boat on Craigslist
- You’ll have to filter through a number of listings to find a boat that suits your needs.
- Some listings have no photos at all. Unfortunately, many of the boat photos you’ll see are just plain bad.
- Most importantly, information on the boats tends to be limited, and you may have to contact the seller to get the information and the boat history report.
- Craigslist is free so that anyone can post a boat or any other vehicle for sale. But, unfortunately, being free, opens doors for scammers. And then there are ads placed by scammers for boats that don’t actually exist.
5. Facebook Marketplace
You can use this FB Marketplace on the FB app by tapping on the Marketplace icon at the bottom of the Home page (it looks like a little storefront). Unlike other marketplaces, Facebook Marketplace doesn’t charge any fees for listings.
You can shop for local stuff, and you can message owners to tell you about the boat and explore why they’re selling. By doing that, you’ll reduce your chances of being scammed if you shop locally and meet the owner in person.
Pros of buying a Used boat on Facebook Marketplace
- On Facebook Marketplace, you can click on sellers’ names and see their Facebook profile and how many boats they have for sale. You can use this information to form an impression of how they cared for their boat, but it’s no substitute for a boat history report.
- Facebook Marketplace is free, and anyone can sell their boats.
- You can find the local deals very well on FBM and craigslist compared to boat trader, boats.com, etc. So FBM is worth checking as well.
Cons of buying a Used boat on Facebook Marketplace
- Facebook Marketplace search is not good enough, and you have to scroll through tons of listings that aren’t even close to what you searched for to find matches.
- Without FB, you won’t be able to enter the Facebook marketplace; that is, you cannot access the Facebook marketplace without a Facebook account.
6. Classifieds (Newspaper, Magazines, etc.)
Classified advertising is a form of advertising, particularly common in newspapers, online, and other periodicals, which may be sold or distributed free of charge. They are much cheaper than larger display advertisements used by businesses, although display advertising is more widespread.
Classifieds are another great place to look for used boats locally. Particularly the classifieds on boating magazine sites. Oftentimes these are posted online (not just print), like Old Boat Magazine’s classifieds page.
Also, don’t forget your local newspapers, as many have online classifieds, which are worth checking and won’t show up in a simple google search.
Related Post – The Average Cost Of Maintaining A Boat Per Year. Check this article to know all the maintenances you need to do on a boat and the overall costs of those maintenances per year.
The Secondary Options To Buy Used Boats
Forums
Forums are another great option to look out for used boats. Like in iBoats, The Hull Truth Boating Forum, etc. Even if you can’t find one in those forums, you can open a new thread that I am willing to buy a boat; anybody interested in selling one can Pm me or something.
However, it will be hard to buy a boat via forum compared to other options, but they are a great resource to look for, and you can ask where to buy a boat locally and many other questions. Most likely, you will be less likely to get spammed in forums than other options.
eBay Motors
eBay is used to be a good place to buy used boats, but now it changed a lot. Some of the comments on eBay from other boaters in the forums are listed below.
1. Even if the boat were listed on eBay, you would have GREAT difficulty getting a refund. The way to buy a boat on eBay is to INSPECT the vehicle before buying it and then paying in CASH when you receive the boat. The fact that the seller doesn’t want you to SEE the boat before buying is a BIG red flag.
2. The ‘seller’ will ask you to pay in a way that you can’t get your money back, like by wire transfer or gift cards. You will be SOL once you realize that there is no boat, only a photo meant to lure gullible buyers because of the ridiculously low price.
So shop local, meet the owner in person and see the boat physically rather than virtual to avoid fraud.
Offline Options To Buy Used Boats
1. Private Seller
Shopping for a boat in the private-party market offers a varied selection and the opportunity to get the best price. However, you sacrifice the convenience of seeing many boats side by side, as you do at dealer lots.
Negotiating with a private-party seller is usually much easier than negotiating with a salesperson at a dealership. In addition, there are many ways to find private-party sales in Friends, Relates, Facebook, Craigslist, Forums, etc.
With private-party sales, you’ll find that the prices are lower across the board. However, that also means that you have to set up your own financing, do your own paperwork, and make sure everything is correct.
2. Independent Dealers
An independent dealership isn’t affiliated with any new boat brand, which means it sells only used boats. Without a new boat inventory to maintain, independent dealerships can have lower operating costs than other dealers, leading to lower prices.
Since the quality can also vary from one place to another, I recommend you do a small Google search and see what kind of reviews that dealer has. Independent dealerships are useful if you’re trying to find an affordable (inexpensive) used boat.
Use your best judgment if you do business with independent dealers, and make sure you run a boat history report for anything you are seriously considering. Finally, since they tend to be smaller, independent dealerships may not offer to finance, and those that do offer to finance may not offer it at competitive rates.
3. Other Options
Some brands offer CPO (Certified pre-owned) boats. Buying a certified pre-owned (CPO) boat is a convenient way to find a used boat in excellent condition. CPO boats, which are sold from dealerships of the same brand, go through extensive inspections and are reconditioned with factory parts.
They also come with the best warranties. Generally, CPO cars are very famous across, but CPO boats aren’t that famous. Rather CPO boat engines are quite famous compared to boats.
Related post – Are Boats Money Pits? Check this article to know more about the overall costs of boat ownership, like costs of storage, maintenance, fuel costs, insurances, etc., per year.
The Final Thoughts
Any used boat shopper should check out online used boat listings to see what’s available in their price range. But if you want to buy online, keep in mind that you’ll face the same challenges as someone buying offline and may even have a few extra hurdles to look out for.
The best places to buy used boats are Boat Trader, Boats.com, YachtWorld, Craigslist, Newspaper or magazine or other classifieds, and Facebook Marketplace. However, if you prefer offline than online, most likely, you have few options, either a private seller, broker, or independent dealer.
Many financial experts will tell you that buying an inexpensive used boat and keeping it for years is one of the savviest things you can do to minimize the cost of boat ownership. But if you pick the wrong boat or place to buy, that “cheap” boat could cost you thousands in repairs or finance costs.
The bottom line is, no place is the best for every shopper. Finding the best place to buy a used boat is really about finding the best place for you.