Set up a comparable trial

Choose two or three jobs the boat will do often. A family on the Chesapeake might prioritize boarding at a fixed pier, a quiet 20-knot cruise and quick access to the head. A couple with a short finger pier might put safe access to a midship cleat first. Tell the seller which tasks you want to see when you schedule the trial.

Confirm the exact model year, engine package and layout. On a demo boat, note changes from the configuration on your quote. Ask for the expected crew, fuel and water loads and the route. A lightly loaded outboard boat and a fully equipped diesel pilothouse can both feel very different once you account for the day’s conditions and how they were loaded.

Check the local marine forecast and agree that the captain will lead the trial and make operating decisions. Confirm where the required safety equipment is stored and wear appropriately fitted life jackets. Arrange a separate inspection with your surveyor or mechanic if you are serious about a particular hull. The buyer’s job here is to see how the boat fits the intended use.

Work through the boat at the dock

  1. Board the way you will at home. Record which side you use, the step up or down and which handhold you can reach. Try it with your usual bag, with the boat secured and with the captain’s permission. Note the berth layout if your marina has a different pier height or a shorter finger.
  2. Rehearse line handling. While secured, stand where your crew would work. Check whether they can reach the cleats and retrieve fenders without climbing around a door, table or seat. Ask the captain to demonstrate the approach and departure during the trial.
  3. Set up the cabin for a real trip. With the boat secured, convert any berth, open the head door and find places for jackets, coolers and overnight bags. Sit in the passenger seats you will use. Check forward views and the access path when those seats are occupied.
  4. Have the seller show service access. Find filters, batteries, bilge access and shutoffs with the seller. Ask which routine jobs need removable panels, special tools or a haulout. For a used boat, request service records and give your mechanic the engine serial numbers.

Capture observations underway

Have a passenger keep the notes. At idle or no-wake speed, watch sightlines and steering response. At a stable, comfortable cruise, record the speed, RPM and total indicated fuel flow across all engines. Observe the view from the helm and the noise at the same passenger seat on each boat. If the captain can safely make reciprocal runs, record both directions and compare them with wind and current noted.

A GPS reading is speed over ground. Current can materially affect a single fuel economy reading, as can loading, sea state, trim and instrument accuracy. Compare similar trips and speeds, then keep the raw readings with your notes. Ask the captain to show wiper coverage, ventilation and defogging where practical. If the weather leaves a key question unanswered, put it on the follow-up list.

Illustrative fuel calculation. At 24 knots and 18 total U.S. gallons per hour, the boat covers about 1.33 nautical miles per gallon over ground at that instant. At 23 knots and 20 gallons per hour on the return heading, the reading is 1.15. If both readings held for equal time, the combined figure would be 47 nautical miles divided by 38 gallons, or about 1.24 nautical miles per gallon. Record these as trial observations. For passage planning, work from verified fuel capacity, actual consumption in representative conditions and an appropriate reserve.

Sea trial worksheet

Print this table or copy it into your notes. Use one column per finalist. Write “unverified” where the trial could not answer a question, and mark the checks that would prevent you from buying.

Record the same observations for both boats
CheckBoat ABoat B
Exact year, model, layout and engines________________
Date, route, wind, chop and current________________
People aboard, fuel, water and gear________________
Boarding side, step and handhold________________
Docking sightline and crew access to cleats________________
Stable cruise, heading 1 (knots, RPM, total gal/hr)________________
Stable cruise, heading 2 (knots, RPM, total gal/hr)________________
Passenger view, conversation and movement________________
Cabin, head and storage with your crew aboard________________
Service access and unresolved questions________________

Decide what needs another look

Turn each unresolved item into a decision. If the cockpit becomes hard to cross with the table up, put the table down and try again. If a child seat or the dog’s boarding spot only works on one side, confirm that it matches the slip before ordering. If cruising figures differ sharply, compare conditions and configurations before ranking the boats.

For a used boat, give your independent surveyor and mechanic the exact issues to investigate, including alarms, unusual vibration or visible leaks. Search the Coast Guard recall database by manufacturer, model and year, then ask the builder or dealer whether any listed campaign applies to the specific hull and how completion is documented. Keep a written list of what the seller agrees to fix and how you will verify it. When both boats meet your requirements, use the dealer quote worksheet to compare what each would cost at delivery.

Primary sources