A
- Abstract of title
- The record of ownership and recorded liens on a documented vessel. Checking it is how a buyer avoids inheriting somebody else's debt.
B
- Bill of sale
- The document transferring ownership. Requirements vary by state and by whether the vessel is documented.
- Bottom paint
- Antifouling coating below the waterline. Its age and condition affect both cost to the new owner and what the survey can see.
- Broker commission
- Typically around ten percent of the sale price, paid by the seller. It buys marketing, buyer screening, paperwork and escrow handling — which is what an owner-direct seller has to replace.
E
- Engine hours
- Running hours on the meter. Useful but not decisive — a well-serviced high-hour diesel often outlasts a neglected low-hour one, and meters can be replaced.
- Escrow
- A neutral third party holding the funds until title transfers cleanly. The step private sellers most often skip and most often regret.
H
- Haul-out
- Lifting the boat out of the water, usually by travel lift, so the hull, running gear and through-hulls can be inspected. Normally at the buyer's cost during survey.
L
- LOA and beam
- Length overall and maximum width. They determine what a marina will charge and whether the boat can be trailered or hauled.
M
- Moisture in the deck core
- Water intrusion into the balsa or foam core between fibreglass skins. Expensive to repair and often invisible without a moisture meter, which is why it dominates survey findings.
O
- Osmotic blistering
- Blisters in the gelcoat below the waterline caused by water absorption into the laminate. Cosmetic at the mild end, structural at the severe end.
P
- Pre-purchase survey
- An independent inspection by a marine surveyor, paid for by the buyer, usually with the boat hauled out. It is the single most important step in a used-boat purchase and most insurers require one.
S
- Sea trial
- Running the boat under power and, if applicable, sail, with the buyer and often the surveyor aboard. Reveals engine performance, steering, vibration and handling that a static inspection cannot.
- Standing rigging
- The fixed wire supporting a sailboat's mast. Commonly replaced on a roughly ten-to-fifteen-year interval; age of the rigging materially affects value and insurability.
- Survey allowance
- A price reduction negotiated after the survey finds defects, as an alternative to the seller making the repairs before closing.
T
- Through-hull and seacock
- Fittings penetrating the hull below the waterline and the valves that close them. A classic survey finding and a genuine sinking risk when neglected.
U
- USCG documentation
- Federal registration for vessels of five net tons or more. Distinct from state registration and relevant to financing, lien recording and international travel.
What people actually ask us
These are not answered here, deliberately. A short answer to any of them would be wrong more often than it was right, because the honest answer depends on your situation.
- Do I really need a survey if the boat looks fine?
- What does a marine survey cost and who pays for it?
- What are the most common things a survey finds?
- How do I check a boat has no outstanding loans against it?
- What is the difference between state registration and Coast Guard documentation?
- How much is a broker's commission and what do I get for it?
- Can I sell my boat without a broker, and what do I have to handle myself?
- How do I work out what my boat is actually worth?
- What should I test during a sea trial?
- How old is too old for standing rigging?