Gig Harbor is a boat town, and used boats change hands constantly. A good 14-foot Livingston skiff with trailer and motor goes for $4,000–$6,000. A 19-foot bowrider in decent shape is $12,000–$25,000. The market moves fast, and a private-party sale at the right time of year (May, just before crab season) can save you 30–40% off dealer prices.

But buying used is buying risk. Here’s the field-tested inspection checklist for the most common Peninsula-area boat types.

Before you go look

  • Check the WAVR/HIN (Hull Identification Number) on the transom. Verify it matches the title.
  • Check WA Department of Licensing records for current registration and lien status. ($15 lookup.)
  • Check NOAA for any vessel involvement in incidents.
  • Photograph the boat’s listing page in case it changes.
  • Bring a friend. Two sets of eyes catch more.

The general 60-minute inspection

Take a full hour. Sellers expect this.

Hull (10 minutes)

  • Walk the entire perimeter. Look for any stress cracks, gelcoat spider lines, or prior repair work (mismatched gelcoat, slightly different sheen).
  • Tap the hull with your knuckles every 18 inches. Hollow / dull thuds = potential delamination. Crisp/sharp thuds = solid.
  • Check the transom especially carefully — it’s the highest-stress structural area. Cracks here are expensive.
  • Look at the bottom paint. If it’s bubbled or peeling badly, the boat sat in a wet slip too long.

Engine (20 minutes)

This is where most money is lost on bad used-boat purchases.

  • Compression test. Bring a compression gauge or ask the seller to do one. Should be within 10% across all cylinders.
  • Lower unit oil. Drain a small amount. Should be clean and slightly amber. Milky / opaque = water intrusion (very expensive).
  • Spark plugs. Pull a couple. Tan/light gray = healthy. Black sooty = running rich. White = running lean (bad).
  • Hours. A 4-stroke outboard with <500 hours is barely broken in. >2,000 hours is well-used. >3,000 hours, factor in major service.
  • Listen to it run. Cold start should be smooth. Idle should be steady. No misses, no smoke (a tiny puff of blue smoke at first start is normal; ongoing blue smoke = burning oil).
  • Water pump test. Most sellers run the engine on muffs (water-feed adapter) before sale. Watch the pee stream — it should be a constant strong stream.

Wiring & electronics (10 minutes)

  • Test every switch. Bilge pump, blower, lights, radio, fish-finder, GPS.
  • Look at the wiring under the dashboard. Tinned, marine-grade wire? Or auto-grade copper that’ll corrode in 2 years?
  • Check the battery. Marine-grade dual-purpose, in a box, with proper terminals?

Trailer (10 minutes)

Often overlooked, but a $2,000 line item if it’s bad.

  • Bunk boards / rollers. Should be in good shape, no rotting wood, no broken rollers.
  • Bearings. Spin each wheel — should be silent and smooth. Grind/squeak = bearings are toast ($150-300 to repair).
  • Wiring & lights. Plug in the trailer connector and verify all lights work.
  • Tires. Trailer tires fail by date, not mileage. Look for the date code (4-digit week/year). >7 years = replace.
  • Tongue / coupler. Inspect for cracks. Try opening and closing the coupler.

Title & paperwork (10 minutes)

  • Make sure the title is in the seller’s name. If not, walk away.
  • Lien check. Any active lien needs to be cleared at sale (typically the seller pays it off at signing).
  • Outboard title is separate from hull title in WA. Make sure both are clean.
  • Bill of sale. Notarized is overkill for under $5k but not a bad idea for higher value.

Boat-specific tips

Livingston skiff (12’–16’)

  • Double hull. Check for water in the inner hull (drill a small drain hole at the lowest point if there isn’t one already, drain, observe).
  • Floor. Original Livingstons have wood-cored floors. Check for soft spots — walk around with weight on each foot.
  • Steering. Manual or hydraulic? Hydraulic adds value but introduces leak risk.
  • Common engines: Yamaha 9.9, 15, 25 four-stroke. Mariner 9.9. Avoid pre-2002 two-strokes — emissions/parts hassle.

Boston Whaler (13’–17’)

  • Deck integrity. Whalers have foam-cored decks. Tap test critical. Soft = water intrusion.
  • Original or rebuilt console. Original 13’ Whalers are valuable; modified ones less so.
  • Premium pricing — be patient. Don’t rush a Whaler purchase.

19’–22’ bowrider (Sea Ray, Bayliner, etc.)

  • Stringers. This is THE big check on bowriders. Stringers run lengthwise under the deck and provide structural strength. Soft stringers = boat is structurally compromised. Often hidden — ask seller for engine-bay photos showing them.
  • Drive (sterndrive vs outboard). Sterndrives have bellows and U-joints that fail. Inspect the bellows for cracks.
  • Upholstery. Mildew and tearing common. $1,500-3,000 to replace.

Red flags to walk away from

  • “Just got it back from a ‘mechanic’ last week.” (Why?)
  • “Always serviced — but I lost the records.”
  • Seller won’t let you take it for a sea trial.
  • Bilge full of water. Some water is normal; standing water is bad.
  • Engine running rough that “just needs a tune-up.”
  • Title not in seller’s name.
  • Out-of-state buyer / seller with hard-to-verify story.

Sea trial

Before signing, take a sea trial. 30 minutes minimum.

  • Cold start.
  • Idle for 5 minutes — temperature should stabilize.
  • Run up to cruise speed. Observe RPM, temperature, smoothness.
  • WOT (wide open throttle) for 1 minute. Should achieve advertised top speed.
  • Idle in reverse, idle in neutral. Should be smooth.
  • Trim down, trim up. Should respond.

If everything checks out, you’re ready to negotiate.

Negotiation

Most Gig Harbor private-party boats sell at 90–95% of asking after 1–2 weeks listed. If you’re seeing the boat in the first 48 hours of listing and you really want it, expect to pay 95–100% of asking. Patience is leverage.

The Gig Harbor Sales advantage for boat buyers

We’re hyperlocal — buyers and sellers live in the same towns. Trust signals (verified phone, real names, in-app messaging that doesn’t share contact until both sides commit) reduce scam risk vs. Craigslist. And our 48-hour buyer-protection window means if the boat fails to start the day after pickup despite the seller representing it as running, you have recourse.

Use Stripe checkout for any boat under $10k. Above that, use a cashier’s check at a marine surveyor’s office (or escrow.com).

Browse marine listings →