Looking for budget boats

Advice on where to look for budget boats

Where to find budget boats

I recommend looking at classified ads where the owner is likely to have given a realistic asking price. Avoid auctions as it’s just too easy to get caught in a bidding war.

Boat brokers and specialist boating sites are another option. Brokers sell boats on behalf of a customer - brokerage boats - and may also have trade-ins. Older boats or those with no service history will often be sold as seen with no warranty, so you need to check very carefully before parting with your cash.

Beware the project boat

Front gardens and boat yards across the country are littered with project boats. Probably bought at auction with the best of intentions, they may have been sitting unloved for years. Alternatively, the current owner has run out of money, motivation, or both!

Avoid project boats unless you find a good example and you factor all the parts and work required into the total cost. In almost all cases you will be better off spending that amount on a boat that can be used immediately.

My personal experience

I looked at classified ads on eBay and Gumtree as well as brokerage boats. A broker passed me on to a friend of his who had a Bayliner for sale in the North of England, and I ended up paying a 10% deposit. Unfortunately I made the mistake of paying this directly via a ‘friends and family’ payment.

When it became apparent there were some issues with the engine and the trailer was not road legal, I pulled out. The seller refused to return even a portion of the deposit. Caveat emptor…

I ended up buying a Fletcher Arrowhawk 180 from a private seller - a retired guy who bought and sold Fletchers. Although nearly 30 years old, it was on a brand new rollercoaster trailer with a receipt for £2,500 along with recent service history for the outboard. Best of all it had been used as a ski boat on fresh water so had little or no use in salt water. It’s a rare bow rider model - a style which is much more common in modern boats.

After purchase I discovered a water leak in the outboard that cost £250 to repair. This was my own fault as I didn’t inspect the outboard properly or know what problems to look out for.