Buying a used boat on Marketplace without buying someone's problem

A used boat on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp or Craigslist is three things you are buying at once, a hull, a motor and a trailer, and in many states each has its own title. The deals are real, because boats cost money to keep and most sellers want out before winter, and the mistakes are real too, because a soft transom or a motor with water in the lower unit costs more than the boat. Here is the paperwork, the inspection you can do on the trailer, what a water test adds, the scams, how to judge the price, and how to be first to the good one.

Before you drive out

• Ask what is titled. In many states the hull is titled or registered, the trailer is titled separately, and the motor may have its own paperwork. Ask for photos of all of it, and check your state's rules. "Bill of sale only" on a hull that should have a title is a registration project you will own.
• Ask for the HIN. The hull identification number is on the starboard side of the transom. It should match the paperwork and be undamaged.
• Ask about hours and when it last ran. A boat that "ran great two summers ago" has sat two winters.
• Ask whether you can see it start. On the trailer with muffs, or on the water. A seller who will not run it has told you something.

On the trailer

1. Transom. Push hard on the top of the outboard or outdrive and watch the transom; flex, cracks at the corners, or a dull sound when tapped means it is soft, and that is a walk-away or a rebuild price.
2. Floor and stringers. Walk every inch of the deck; soft spots are rot underneath. Press under the seats and in the corners.
3. Hull. Look for gelcoat cracks around fittings, repairs that do not match, and blistering below the waterline. A keel worn through to fiberglass has been dragged.
4. Outboard. Pull the cord or turn the key with muffs on a hose. It should start cold, idle, and pee a steady stream of water. Check the lower unit oil: milky means water, which means seals. Tilt and trim should work. Look at the prop for dings and the skeg for damage.
5. Sterndrive or inboard. Check the bellows for cracks, the engine bay for oil and water, the belts, the hours. Milky engine oil is water. Ask when the impeller was last done.
6. Electrics. Bilge pump, nav lights, horn, gauges, trim gauge, fish finder if included. Battery date.
7. Trailer. Jack each wheel and spin it, listening for bearings; look at tire date codes (trailer tires age out); check lights, the winch strap, the bunks or rollers, the coupler and safety chains, and the frame for rust at the welds. A trailer in bad shape is $500 to $1,500 you did not budget.
8. Water test if you can. Plane, turn, idle, reverse. Water in the bilge after twenty minutes is a leak.

The scams

• The deposit to hold it. No.
• The boat "in storage" out of state, with shipping. No.
• Stolen boats and trailers. Both are stolen constantly. Run the HIN and the trailer VIN, match them to the paperwork, and walk if a plate is missing or ground.
• Title washing. A boat from a flood or a hurricane state with a clean title from somewhere else. Look for a waterline inside the hull where none should be.

Meet in daylight, bring a friend, and for a boat-sized sum do the money and the titles at the bank together.

Is the price good?

Boat prices swing with the season, the region, the hours, the motor's age and whether the trailer is included. The same bass boat is priced differently in October in Minnesota and in April in Florida. The honest comparison is with the last several like it near you, this month. Deal Scanner does this for you: once a search has seen a few listings, each new one gets a Deal Score showing how far under the typical asking price near you it sits. Fall is when motivated sellers list; an alert set in September catches the winter-storage sellers before anyone else.

Getting there first

Set one search in Deal Scanner for the boat you want ("Lund 1650", "Tracker Pro Team", "Boston Whaler 17", "jon boat"), your town and how far you will tow, and a price range with a real low limit to keep the $500 "needs motor" listings off your phone unless that is what you want. Deal Scanner watches Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp and Craigslist from that one search, with the app closed, and buzzes you when a listing is posted, Deal Score attached. Three searches are $3.99 a month, and you cancel anytime in your phone's subscription settings. Only need it for the month you're looking? Cancel when you've got it. It works for the person who wants one boat for the family and for the person who buys and sells them.

Searches that work: the model, then the type ("aluminum fishing boat", "pontoon"), then the motor ("Mercury 115") for the sellers who list by engine.

FAQ

Does a used boat need a title?

In many states the hull is titled or registered and the trailer is titled separately; some states also paper the motor. Check your state, and make the HIN, the trailer VIN and any motor serial match the paperwork.

How do I check a used boat for rot?

Push on the transom with the motor as a lever and watch for flex; walk the floor for soft spots; press under the seats and in the corners. Soft means rot underneath.

What should I check on a used outboard?

Cold start on muffs, a steady water stream, idle, tilt and trim, and the lower unit oil; milky oil means water in the gearcase.

What is a fair price for a used boat?

Whatever the same model, motor, hours and condition is asking near you this month. Deal Scanner's Deal Score compares each new listing with the typical asking price your search has seen.

How do I get alerts when a boat is listed near me?

Set a Deal Scanner search for the model or type, your town, a radius and a price range. It watches Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp and Craigslist and buzzes your phone when a match is posted.

Sources checked

State boat-titling and registration pages for the Midwest states we buy in; outboard service manuals on lower-unit inspection; Facebook's, OfferUp's and Craigslist's own safety pages. Checked October 26, 2026.