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The viewing, or inspecting your boat is a very

important part of the buying process. Inspecting

will allow you to see what you are buying before

you pay any money.

You may want to use a surveyor to do this, as they

will perform a very detailed inspection of the

boat you are interested in. You can be present

if you like, as this will give you the chance to

ask questions if you like.

Although using a surveyor is the best way to do

an inspection, you can do it yourself if you are

experienced and confident enough. There are many

parts of the boat to inspect, which makes it

nearly impossible for beginners.

If you inspect yourself, make sure you look at

the bottom of the hull, the interior, the control

cables, electrical system, pumps, and be sure

that everything is in working order. If the boat

has been well maintained, you shouldn't have a

problem looking everything over.

The engine should also be checked, as it is very

important to the boat. If you don't know a lot

about boat engines or engines in general, you

should get a mechanic to look over it for you. You

may want to do this anyway, as the engine can

be very tough to inspect.

If everything is up to par, it's time to take a

test drive. Before you fire up the engine, check

to see if it's already warm. If the engine has

trouble starting or smokes when cold, the seller

could have warmed up the engine prior to you

arriving to disguise any problems.

Check for oil leaks as well, checking the bilges

at the start and end of the test drive. When

moving around, see how the boat performs. You

should experiment with hitting the waves from

different angles, looking for any type of roll

or pitch.

Make sure you also test that all the instruments

are working correctly, then run the engine for a

period of time to see if it overheats.

If you are buying a sail boat, put the sails up

and see how the boat performs under wind pressure

alone. Also, make sure you examine the mast and

how the boat rigs under load.

If the boat you are planning to buy doesn't pass

any of your tests, don't rule it out just yet.

If you are willing to put both time and money into

making things work, you can use any problems as

bargaining tools to try and get a lower price on