Data shows that there are over 900,000 registered boats around Australia. If you add all the small sail and paddle craft that do not require registration, the estimate increases to close to 1.8 million craft that Aussies of all walks of life enjoy.

‘Old salts’ will tell you that owning the right boat increases your enjoyment on the water immensely. By nature, we tend to take an aspirational approach and look beyond our needs, however that is not always the best path for those looking to get into boating for the first time.

As the skipper, knowing that you have the right boat goes a long way to ensure you enjoy the experience and that your time on the water is not hindered by having a vessel that does not suit your needs. Buying your first boat is exciting for all the family and John Crawford Marine, we genuinely enjoy helping you along this journey.

Buying a used boat is a very personal choice, so take your time and do your research. There are a lot of ways to buy a used trailer boat,  some methods are riskier like from an Auction/Private Sale or Tender. Or you can purchase from a trusted and established dealer whereby your risks are greatly reduced.  Allow enough time to explore different types of boats and different brands within each category.

Begin by narrowing down your choices. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • What do I want to do with the boat?
  • Where do I want to go boating?
  • Who is going with me?
  • How many people should the boat carry?
  • Will we be going offshore?
  • What is the towable capacity of your car/4WD?
  • Overnighting? Entertaining? Fishing? Water skiing?
  • How much am I willing to spend on boating?

The answers to these questions will help steer you towards making the right decisions by narrowing your choices to a short list of boat types or categories and features you require, features you would like, and features you want to avoid.

Once you have narrowed down your category choices, the real fun begins. It is time to go shopping. I and my team appreciate that you will need to shop around and hers some tips and questions to ask each dealer to compare ‘apples with apples’. You may not know the exact boat you want yet but you know what kind of experience and service you want to have, so do not be afraid to ask the hard questions as listed below:

  • Do you provide and complete pre-purchase inspections with your own in-house employed workshop technicians or do we have to pay and organise independent inspections?
  • Can we see a copy of these reports, what cost is there to us?
  • Do you guarantee title on the boat/motor/trailer and accessories or do we take the risk of t being stolen or under finance to another provider?
  • What warranty is there after we purchase the package or do we take all the risk?
  • Are you a member of the Boating Industry Association?
  • Do you provide either on water tuition or provide a dry handover to help us become familiar with the boat?
  • Can you provide insurance quotes from two of Australia’s leading pleasure boat insurers?
  • Upon collection is the rig packed ready to tow and come with the reassurance that the trailer has been workshop serviced? Does it have the correct trailer plug to marry to our car? R-Clip? Correct tie down strap? Over hand flag if needed? Correct shackles?
  • Do you transfer the remaining hull and trailer registration into our name on our behalf or do we have to navigate this ordeal ourselves? (Qld buyers only)
  • Can you help us arrange a competitive finance quote?
  • Can you help us dispose of our old boat or take a trade-in?

At John Crawford Marine, all the above is included and can be arranaged in our tow away pricing, we are here to serve you with experience, respect and the desire for your satisfaction in offering you genuine reassurance that we want you to enjoy your boating journey.

Buying a late model, quality used trailer boat doesn’t have to be fraught with danger, it makes perfectly good sense to save considerable money by purchasing  a late model rig and no one sells better used boats than our team at John Crawford Marine.

We look forward to welcoming you to the boat yard or purchase online safely no matter where you live in mainland Australia!

Yours in boating,
Matthew Hodson
Managing Director