What to look for
Start with the use case, not the boat. A weekend-cruiser shopping for a 32-foot center console has very different priorities than a long-term liveaboard buyer looking at a 50-foot cruising catamaran. Define your intended use, typical passage lengths, the waters you'll cruise, the number of regular crew or guests, and your tolerance for refit work. From there, build a short list of two or three candidate makes and models that match — then compare specs, owner forums, and resale data before you ever look at a specific listing.
How to assess vessel condition
On any used boat, condition drives 30–50% of the variation in market value. Pull the full maintenance log and look for engine hours, oil-analysis history, recent service intervals, and any major systems that have been replaced (sails, rigging, batteries, electronics, canvas). Photograph everything you can on the first visit — bilges, engine room, chainplates, through-hulls, deck hardware bedding, and the underside of the cockpit sole. Patterns of damp, rust, or quick-fix repairs usually tell you more than a glossy listing ever will.
Why AI assessment matters
Most buyers compare two or three boats by gut feel. An AI assessment compares your candidate against thousands of comparable listings and historical sale data in seconds — flagging when a price is high or low for the year, model, and region, when the spec set is unusual, and when the economics of charter offset don't add up. It doesn't replace a marine survey, but it lets you walk into negotiations with the kind of objective baseline that brokers and sellers already have.
What to budget
Plan for the purchase price plus 8–12% of the hull value every year in ongoing costs. That covers mooring or marina, insurance, haul-out and antifouling, engine service, electronics, sails or canvas, and small repairs. Add 5–10% of purchase price as a one-time commissioning budget for surveys, registration, delivery, and the inevitable first-year fixes. If you're financing, work backwards from a comfortable monthly payment — boats depreciate, so a long loan on a depreciating asset can leave you underwater quickly.
How to finalize a purchase
Once you've made an offer subject to survey and sea trial, hire an accredited surveyor (SAMS or NAMS in the US) and attend the survey in person if you can. Use the surveyor's findings to renegotiate or walk away — never to feel guilty about asking. After acceptance, handle documentation through a documentation agent or maritime attorney, transfer insurance to the new policy on the day of closing, and arrange delivery or a captained shakedown if the boat is far from your home port.