Buying a used boat in Scotland: what to check before you buy

30 July 2026 · Rio Brown Marine, Oban

Most bad boat purchases go wrong before any money moves — usually because the buyer travelled on hope, or didn’t ask the awkward questions until it was too late to ask them comfortably. Here’s what we’d tell you on the phone.

Before you travel

• Ask for photographs of the bad bits, not just the good ones. The engine with the cowling off. The bilges. The hull below the waterline if it’s ashore. A seller with nothing to hide will send them.
• Ask how long they’ve owned it and why it’s for sale. Neither answer disqualifies a boat — but a short ownership and a vague reason together deserve a follow-up question.
• Ask what doesn’t work. Every used boat has something. “Nothing” is an answer that tells you about the seller, not the boat.

Paperwork

• Proof of ownership is the one thing you cannot compromise on. Ask to see the bill of sale from when the seller bought it, plus receipts, berthing invoices or insurance documents in their name. In the UK there is no compulsory register of boat ownership — an SSR (Small Ships Register) number is not proof of ownership, just a registration.
• Engine serial numbers should match any paperwork, and it’s worth noting them down.
• Service records matter more than hours. Six hundred hours with receipts beats two hundred hours of mystery.
• If there’s an outboard, ask when the impeller was last changed — it’s a cheap job that tells you whether servicing actually happened.

The engine

• Ask for a cold start. A warmed-up engine on your arrival is the oldest trick there is. Say in advance: “Please don’t run it before I come.”
• Watch the smoke on start-up, listen for it settling to an even idle, and check the tell-tale or exhaust for cooling water.
• Treat quoted hours as indicated, not gospel — meters get replaced, engines get repowered. Condition and records tell the real story.

The hull

• On a GRP boat ashore, look along the hull below the waterline for blisters, gelcoat cracks and badly matched repairs. Small chips above the waterline are cosmetic; soft spots and bubbling below it are a conversation.
• Press on the deck and transom — flex or sponginess can mean water in the core, which is a much bigger job than it looks.
• On a RIB, check the tubes hold pressure — ask when they were last pumped, and ideally see it a day later.

Trailers

A “free” trailer can cost more than the boat. Check the bearings, brakes, lights and tyres (tyres perish with age long before the tread goes), and make sure the combined weight is legal behind your licence and your vehicle.

The viewing itself

• See it in the water if you possibly can, and push for a sea trial on anything with an inboard. On this coast most sellers will oblige — a refusal is information.
• Bring a torch, lift every hatch, and smell the bilges. Fuel or fresh water where it shouldn’t be always has a cause.
• If the boat justifies it, a professional survey is a few hundred pounds against a five-figure mistake. On smaller boats, a knowledgeable friend is better than nobody.

Money

• Never pay a deposit to “hold” a boat you haven’t seen, and be wary of any pressure to move faster than you want to.
• Agree in writing what’s included — trailer, electronics, safety kit, outboard — before money moves, and get a written bill of sale with both parties’ details when it does.

Buying through a brokerage means much of this is already done — ownership checked, honest listing, a clear record of what’s included. But the checks above apply anywhere, and a good seller will respect you more for making them.