Used Pontoon Boat Buying Tips

By Daniel Clemons

Pontoon boats, there are lots of reasons why many people are choosing these types of boats over other boats. The main one is the sturdiness, and the amount of square footage that they offer compared to speed boats and other types of boats. For your money a pontoon boat is the best option.

However, when it comes to purchasing a used pontoon boat you should use great care. There are many benefits to buying a used pontoon for sale rather than a new one. The biggest benefit is that you will save a ton of money by buying a used pontoon instead of a new one. Also a used pontoon boat for sale will have more room for negotiating than a new one.

It is very important that you are doing business with a company that has a good reputation, especially when you are going to be forking over probably a large amount of money for a pontoon boat. If you are buying a used pontoon boat, you want to be dealing with someone that will give you some type of warranty.

If you can physically see the boat before forking the money that would be great, some instances where you would not if you were buying the boat at an online auction site. If that is the case make sure they have lots of pictures that you can see. Another thing that you will want to look into is how new or old the motor, or motors on the boat are, as far as how much time they have on them.

If the owner of the pontoon boat is willing to take you out on the water to see how she runs that is a plus also, so you know exactly what it is you are buying and how she performs. You will also want to look into all of the repairs that the boat has been through, such as routine maintenance and major upgrades.

Have you ever seen those commercials about not buying a car without running a carfax or other type of survey, well the same thing applies when trying to get financed for a boat. This is where you can ask for a marine survey to be conducted, so you will know the true history and problems of the boat.

The marine survey is the responsibility of the buyer and they will more than likely have to pay for the survey as well as to have the boat lifted out of the water. Any problems that may be uncovered during the survey can allow you to negotiate more on the final price. The used pontoon for sale should be surveyed both in and out of the water and the survey should be done by an independent marine surveyor.

You will also want to get insurance for you boat. Buying a boat, especially a pontoon boat is a big investment, and you will need to get it insured just as you would with a house or a vehicle, this is no different. Also ensure that you have all of the Coast Guard requirements when it comes to safety equipment such as life jackets and fire extinguishers.

I hope that you were able to get more of a clue of what to look for when buying your first pontoon boat. The next steps is to determine how big you want to go and what it is you are going to be using the pontoon boat for. - 31901

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