How to read a used-boat listing: the 10 things they don't tell you
A listing is written to sell. Learning to read it is half the job: the surveyor does the other half, but only on the right boat. Here are the ten points to check before you even pick up the phone.
1. Is the price VAT included or excluded?
First thing. "VAT excluded" on a company-owned boat means +22-25%. If nothing is written and a private individual is selling, there is normally no VAT to add, but ask for the original purchase invoice anyway.
2. Year of build or year of registration?
They are not the same. A boat built in 2008 and registered in 2009 is a 2008: for value, the build year counts. Some listings use the more favourable year. The CE certificate and the hull identification number (HIN) tell the truth.
3. Are the engine hours consistent with age and history?
A private owner does 50-120 hours a year, a charter boat 400-600, a boat "used two months every summer" 30-50. If the numbers do not fit the story, ask for the reading from the engine diagnostics and the service log.
4. Who is selling?
Private owner, broker or company? The private owner charges no VAT but may lack paperwork; the broker has his commission inside the price (5-10%) and sometimes says so ("commission not included"); the company almost always sells VAT excluded. It changes the negotiation.
5. Do the measurements match the builder's spec sheet?
Length, beam, tanks: compare them with the model's official data. A different beam or tank size can mean the wrong model, a different version, or a copy-paste from another listing. And length decides category and fees.
6. What is missing from the equipment list?
Look at what is not there: liferaft, EPIRB, sails with a year, rigging with a year, batteries with a year. What is missing is what you will have to buy. Safety equipment absent from the list is a signal.
7. "Overhauled", "rebuilt", "new": when and by whom?
Every word of this kind is worth something only with an invoice. "Engine overhauled 2026" can be a full €8,000 rebuild or an oil change. Ask for the invoice and the workshop.
8. Does the same listing say the same things on other portals?
Search the model and price on other sites. It happens that year, hours or length change from one portal to another, and that the price came down together with the data. Ten minutes of searching worth thousands.
9. Why is the seller selling?
"Changing boat", "not using it", "family reasons" are normal. But "not using it" means a boat that has been sitting, and a sitting boat has problems of its own: old fuel, batteries, impellers, seacocks. Ask how long since she last went out.
10. What does it really cost?
Price + VAT if due + predictable work + survey + paperwork + transport. Then the yearly costs: mooring, insurance, maintenance (about 10% of the boat's value a year for a 10-12 m boat). The final number is often 30-50% above the listed price.
The method in practice
Take the listing, answer these ten questions, write down the ones with no answer and send them to the seller. From the speed and quality of the replies you already learn a lot. Then compare the price with 5-6 boats of the same model for sale, not with your gut feeling.
This is exactly what a CheckMyBoat report does: paste the listing and in a few minutes you have the ten questions already asked, the comparison with other listings and the real cost. The rest is for the surveyor, on the right boat.