1. Set your criteria before browsing advertisements
Write down your actual programme: usual crew, area, season, time aboard, manoeuvres manageable with a small crew and available berth. Divide criteria into essential, desirable and optional. A spacious saloon does not compensate for excessive draught in your cruising area or manoeuvres the crew cannot manage.
Use the same comparison sheet for each boat: year, version, engines, equipment, history, declared work, documents received and unanswered questions. Distinguish an advertised specification from one confirmed by an invoice or inspection. This prevents incomplete equipment lists being compared as though they offered equivalent capability. Record the date of each answer so later changes remain visible.
2. Establish who is selling and what is included
The RYA highlights checking the seller, ownership, inventory and written transaction terms. These principles are useful, but its legal detail primarily addresses the UK context. Have the agreement adapted to the applicable jurisdiction and the vessel’s circumstances.
Match vessel identifiers to its documents and request available evidence: ownership history, invoices, registration, any financing and tax status. An advertisement stating ‘VAT paid’ is not sufficient evidence on its own. Have cross-border uncertainties examined by a suitably qualified person before committing or transferring funds. Keep a record of what has been confirmed and what still depends on documents that have not been produced.
References for this section : RYA — Boat buying made easy
3. Use the viewing to identify better questions
Follow a consistent route during the viewing: exterior, openings, bilges, technical installations, accommodation and records. Note smells, water marks, visible repairs and equipment that cannot be tested. Take photographs with permission and connect every observation to a specific location. Do not dismantle anything without permission and the required competence.
Ask why an item was replaced and which underlying cause was addressed. An invoice can document a job without guaranteeing the whole system. On a catamaran, compare both engines’ and transmissions’ histories without assuming identical use. Your task at this stage is to formulate questions for examination, not produce improvised technical diagnoses from superficial signs.
4. Commission a survey with an explicit scope
The IIMS code expects reports to explain limitations and uninspected areas. It also distinguishes general inspection from specialist examination. Agree in writing what will be inspected ashore, afloat, under load or after dismantling, and what remains excluded from the assignment.
Select an independent surveyor suited to the vessel type and review their terms. The Canal & River Trust advises buyers to commission their own survey rather than rely on the seller’s; its specific British inland-waterway requirements do not automatically apply to seagoing yachts. Budget for lifting and any specialists needed to resolve unanswered questions. Make sure the report’s exclusions are understood before treating its conclusion as a complete assessment.
References for this section : IIMS — Small Craft Code of Practice · Canal & River Trust — Buying a second-hand boat
5. Plan a sea trial that produces usable evidence
An ashore inspection and an operational trial reveal different things. Marine Survey Associates explains the value of assessing propulsion under load, which an ashore viewing alone cannot provide. Appropriate competence and the day’s safety conditions must govern the trial.
Prepare a trial sheet with those involved: conditions, vessel loading, people present, systems tested and observed anomalies. Do not prescribe engine speeds or manoeuvres that conflict with equipment requirements. Record anything that could not be verified and why. A trial in calm weather does not establish behaviour in every condition; an absence of alarms does not guarantee freedom from defects. Use the evidence within its actual limits.
References for this section : Marine Survey Associates — Instructing a surveyor for a pre-purchase survey
6. Turn findings into a financial decision
Group findings into four categories: safety or compliance items requiring attention, reliability work before the planned programme, scheduled maintenance and optional improvements. Obtain quotations including access, removal, handling and acceptance testing. A component price alone is not a complete repair quotation.
Add purchase price, transaction costs, preparation and contingency, then compare the result with available resources. A price reduction does not resolve an impossible yard schedule or a defect whose extent remains unknown. Record the decision and its conditions: proceed, investigate further or withdraw under the applicable agreement. Include the practical time needed to organise and verify work, not just the amount paid to a contractor.
7. Prepare handover and the first departure
Before handover, compare the final inventory with the agreement and list outstanding items: original documents, keys, manuals, maintenance records, transferable access codes and accessories. Arrange the necessary cover from the moment you take responsibility and identify the formalities applying to the ownership change.
In France, the maritime ministry describes sale notification and ownership registration, including Démarches Plaisance for eligible cases. Check the process matching your transaction. Finally, allow a local familiarisation period. Completing a purchase does not replace learning the systems or verifying completed work before an offshore departure. Give yourself time to ask the previous owner and relevant technicians practical questions.
References for this section : Ministère chargé de la mer — Acheter, vendre, enregistrer un navire
Buy a documented condition that suits your programme, retaining the opportunity to investigate uncertainties before making the final decision.
Your practical checklist
Sources & documents
- RYA — Boat buying made easy
Accessed 2026-11-02 - IIMS — Small Craft Code of Practice
Accessed 2026-11-02 - Marine Survey Associates — Instructing a surveyor for a pre-purchase survey
Accessed 2026-11-02 - Ministère chargé de la mer — Acheter, vendre, enregistrer un navire
Accessed 2026-11-02 - Canal & River Trust — Buying a second-hand boat
Accessed 2026-11-02
