Purchasing a boat without test drive/ride

[basshole51]

I have boat 10 different used boats over the years and always test drove them. Being that we have 8-10" of ice on our lakes here in WI that isn't an option right now. I have always told myself to test drive a boat before buying but don't want it miss a good deal.

the boat I am looking at is only 5 years old with 50 hours on it and has a 150 four stroke Mercury

the boat is immaculate and like new and well cared for so I don't foresee any issues with it.

what kind of additional things would I want look for ? any ideas on how to test the motor without going to a lake or having ear muffs?

I always check for bent prop shaft, check lower unit oil, check engine oil, check steering system for play check motor and transom for abnormal play, check wiring.

[Rangerdeepv]

Compression, mold, maintenance, fire it up with a pair of cooling muffs. Check electronics and trolling motor working. Don't be afraid to open hatches and look deep inside.

[ksubasser24]

Have taken to a third party dealer with agreement that if it all checks out you will buy it. Dealer should be able to run the motor in a heated shop and do all the compression and leak down tests.

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

I always vowed that I would never buy a boat without a test ride but on the last day of Dec. 2015 I broke my vow. I found a nice Skeeter FX21 at Wiedas in KY. Needlesss to say it was very cold. I got lots of pictures and got serious about purchasing it. I asked for a test ride and was told that it was too cold and they were having a lot of remodeling done plus they were short staffed between Christmas and New Years. I decided to take a chance and drove up to look at it. It was as pictured and I did have an extended warranty on the engine. I took a chance a trailered it home to Tennessse. The folks at Wiedas are great. I did have a problem after I got home but one phone call was all it took and they took care of it. I still have the boat and love it. I think taking a test ride is always best but if you can't and you are buying from a reputable dealer your risks are pretty low. They only want satisifed customers, bad PR spreads too fast these days. I did get them to start the engine for me in the shop and check the compression. We went over everything to make sure all the switches worked. Your biggest safeguard is knowing who you are buying from.

[PaulGifto]

Have taken to a third party dealer with agreement that if it all checks out you will buy it. Dealer should be able to run the motor in a heated shop and do all the compression and leak down tests.

This ^^^^

[basshole51]

yes I am buying from an individual and not a dealer. However I have a friend that works for a very reputable dealer close to this boats location maybe I could have them perform compression, leak down, diagnostics and run it in a heated shop in a tank.

[Dave A]

yes I am buying from an individual and not a dealer. However I have a friend that works for a very reputable dealer close to this boats location maybe I could have them perform compression, leak down, diagnostics and run it in a heated shop in a tank.

I think that's an excellent idea, offer to pay your friend for his time.

[barbarian]

Some might think crazy, but I’ve bought easily over a dozen without even starting the motor. Never had a seller scam me. With that said, I have walked away a few times because things made me uneasy - either boat didn’t match comments or seller gave me non-trust worthy feeling and I thought I was being scammed or some comments just weren’t adding up.

[oldmanwinter]

I have bought a few boats now without test driving them, first two I picked up in Florida off EBay years ago. Picked them up and brought back home and had them serviced at a dealer before turning over the key. No major issues but new plugs, filters and a impeller change and I was good to go.
last boat I bought of Graigslist, had asked for the most up ti date pictures, got them the same day and made an offer that was accepted.
Drive down two weeks later to A town outside of Nashville and had the engine started on muffs. My buddy who was with me said the pictures could not justify how good the boat actually looked. Yes I have had a couple of minor things over the past six years but that is ti be expected but I paid for the boat in cash and have no monthly payments. Also out of the deal I acquired a new friend in the seller of the boat who I maintain monthly texts and pictures of our fishing trips.

[06 SB]

Ask any Z-7 owner with a hooked hull how much they wished they would have taken a test drive.

[99R93S]

Have taken to a third party dealer with agreement that if it all checks out you will buy it. Dealer should be able to run the motor in a heated shop and do all the compression and leak down tests.

I agree 100% with this. I bought my last boat in a similar situation as you. I met the owner, went all thru the boat, all thru the service records, engine print out, etc etc. I felt so good about it that I did not take it to a shop. It turned out well for me. I would never advise doing that, my point however, if it really feels right, then do what you feel is right.

[Philly]

Some might think crazy, but I’ve bought easily over a dozen without even starting the motor. Never had a seller scam me. With that said, I have walked away a few times because things made me uneasy - either boat didn’t match comments or seller gave me non-trust worthy feeling and I thought I was being scammed or some comments just weren’t adding up.

Same. I’ve bought a bunch of boats without a test ride and I have sold a bunch of them where the buyer never requested a test ride.

[Sylvanboat]

Air temps dropping. Ice should be off many lakes soon, particularly in Illinois. Nor far from you. Grab boat and owner and come on down. Plenty of lakes for a test ride. Good luck.

[printman71]

The new 2000 Stratos 20SS I purchased late in 1999 taught me to NEVER buy a boat without a test drive. If you know the story behind these, you know why.

[yandeltx]

If its like you say and the right price I would buy it. You’re going to be disappointed if someone beats you to it.

[Almag6]

Test drives only. Every boat i bought without getting on the water has been a dud.

[Ohio Archer]

Three years ago I bought a Skeeter MX from a dealer in MI in February. Obviously no chance of a test ride (drove up in flying snow). Had low engine hours, looked like it just came off the truck. Had the dealer fire up the motor inside the shop (water tank), checked all the electronics then trailered it home in the snow. It's been a great boat and the only one of it's kind I could find at the time (had been looking for a while).

This was the second used boat I bought without a test ride. The first one, an Odyssey aluminum bass boat, worked out just a well.

[apenland01]

I bought my boat in Dallas and had a mechanic in Arlington check it out for me. Cost me $125, but worth every penny. The owner was willing to haul it to the mechanic and accept whatever was said about the boat. After talking to the mechanic, I headed to Dallas for a long weekend...

[MikeKz]

Dunno if I'd do on a boat, but I did buy a car from Vroom located in FW/DAL area of TX had it shipped to Ohio. Hired a guy to take 99 pics of all-over, felt pretty good - only 1 year old and 22k miles, so pulled the trigger.

[I.P. Freely]

I’ve bought 5 boats in the last 6 years. 3 test rides and the other two I didn’t. All turned out be great boats. Take your time and go over the boat from top to bottom. Ask questions, inspect, check maintenance records, and most importantly, compression check. Good luck.