Buying a used boat should be a pleasure. It is, as long as you do not confuse the viewing with the decision. Most costly mistakes do not come from a hidden defect: they come from a boat chosen for a use that does not exist, a price accepted without comparables, or a viewing led by enthusiasm rather than method. Here is what we explain to the buyers we guide on the French Riviera.
Start with the real budget, not the asking price
The purchase price is only the entry ticket. A boat costs 8 to 12 % of its value every year in ownership costs: berth, insurance, engine servicing, antifouling, winter storage and the unexpected. On the French Riviera, an annual berth ranges from a few thousand euros for a small unit to more than 15,000 € for an 18-metre. Run that calculation before you fall for a model. Many buyers oversize their boat for two summer weeks and pay for it all year.
Read the listing between the lines
A polished listing is not a good boat. Be wary of old or blurry photos, of "engine serviced" with no invoice, of missing engine-room and bilge photos, and of a listing online for over a year with no price drop. Conversely, engine hours consistent with the age, a complete service history and a seller who answers precisely are excellent signals.
The questions to ask before you travel
Three questions, asked on the phone, save you entire weekends: how long has the boat been for sale and have you had offers, who carried out the servicing and do you have the invoices, and will you accept a survey and a sea trial. Hesitation on any of the three often says more than the viewing itself.
The viewing: look where nobody looks
Allow two hours, a torch, and the reflex to open everything. The truth of a boat is in its bilges: lift the floorboards, look under the berths, inspect the engine room before any start. Insist on a cold engine start, never an engine already warm on arrival: the smoke and the cold-start behaviour tell the real story. And never view a single boat: the third one makes you lucid.
Sea trial and survey
A sea trial is not a cruise, it is a test: full rated rpm, stable temperature, vibration, smoke under load. Above 50,000 €, an independent survey is almost always warranted: it costs 600 to 1,200 € for a 40-footer and reveals osmosis, structural defects and hidden repairs. Choose an independent surveyor, never the one recommended by the seller. The report also becomes your best negotiating tool.
Negotiate on facts, not on desire
Every defect found has a measurable cost: antifouling to redo, batteries near end of life, tired sails, dated electronics. The gap between asking and transaction prices commonly reaches 10 to 25 % depending on the age of the listing and the season. Make a written offer, conditional on a satisfactory survey and a successful trial. Your best leverage remains the real alternative: the other boats you have viewed.
Securing the transaction
Before any transfer, check the boat's legal situation (mortgage, outstanding loan, seizure), the seller's identity and the VAT status. A boat without proof of paid VAT can face a reassessment of 20 % of its value. The sale agreement must precisely identify the vessel, annex the inventory, provide for an escrowed deposit and conditions precedent. Ownership transfer and handover happen only after funds clear, and the boat must be insured in your name the same day.
Going further
We have gathered the most common mistakes in a free guide: The 10 costliest mistakes boat buyers make. For the complete, step-by-step method, with viewing and sea-trial checklists, a budget grid and an annotated sale agreement, see our course, Buy your boat without getting burned.
And if you would rather delegate, we can view the boat for you or handle your purchase end to end: see buyer services. To discuss it, contact Florian on +33 6 99 52 46 39.