Has anyone ever bought a boat without a demo ride?

[shiftman]

Yes, it sounds like a silly question, but hear me out. I often hear boat buying enthusiasts talk about bargain hunting boats in winter. Some great deals can be found, or so I'm told. Obviously, such a find cannot be demo'd in places where the cold weather and dropped water levels prohibit it. As such, there seems to be a significant risk involved with this type of shopping.

If you have ever purchased a boat without first demo'ing the boat, I would certainly appreciate how you approached it. I have found a "prospect" that has already been winterized and our lake levels are low. Basically, I am unsure as to how to proceed.

Thanks

 

[hunter77ah]

I scored one of these winter deals. It required me taking a really cold set on January 3rd. The dealer thought I was crazy but I told them I wasn’t interested unless I could demo it. 

Unless it is iced over, suck it up and make sure it’s the boat you want. 

[drh]

I did but probably wouldn't again. I got pretty lucky with mine that nothing was wrong that would have been revealed on the water. Keep in mind this was a 1999 Sportster so the investment was relatively low - I was willing to take the risk. I had him run it in his driveway on the hose and gave everything a good once-over. I probably should have paid more attention to the running gear but I didn't really know any better at the time - it turned out to be ok but without a water test you wouldn't know. Also I bought it from the original owner so he knew the entire history of the boat and he seemed like a decent guy. His reason for selling made sense.

Even if it's been winterized I would ask if they could crank it and run it for you for a minute with no impeller - that would make me feel better and wouldn't hurt. Is this private party or a dealer? Any recent videos of the boat on the water?

[jwl019]

I bought a '97 Sunsetter Lx and later a '01 Sunsetter LXi several years ago without a demo ride.  Both turned out to be get boats the years I had them. Both came from the original owners as well.  I was nervous all winter wondering how they would preform, but come spring, they worked perfectly.

Fast forward to spring of 2018 and I almost bought a Makai as soon as the dealer got one without a water test and ride.  Glad I held off until I could do the demo since I was unimpressed with the surf wave and would have been greatly disappointed had I just bought it without the demo.

If it is an older boat, look it over and talk to the owner to see how maintenance was handled to get a feel of if you think you need a demo.

If it's a somewhat newer boat, I highly recommend you wait to demo it to make sure it is what you want for the amount of money you will be spending.  Also study up on anything you can find about similar year model boats to see how people set them up for whatever you are wanting to do with it (ballast, waves, ski, etc).

[Sixer]

My first Malibu that I bought was a new holdover from across the country.  Only saw pics online.  I knew it was the boat model that I wanted, and it was brand new, full warranty so what could go wrong.........RIght?  A LOT!  Turns out the dealership was using the boat as a "parts" boat, and was taking things out here and there, and not replacing them.  My tower was bent.  Missing stereo amplifiers, actuators, and numerous other items.  Long story short, my local dealership went through a ton of "warranty" fixes for me and made it right in the end after missing the majority of the summer with my "new" boat in the shop.  The dealership that sold me the boat is no longer a Malibu dealer.  Funny how that works out.  I probably wouldn't do it again without a flight to at least get my eyes on it.  When I bought the boat, I almost bought a different one instead from Florida, but I was worried about it being near salt water and fading from sitting in the sun for a year.  Overall, I think it's worth a $300 flight in order to save yourself a several thousand dollar possible mistake.  Good luck!

Edited November 14, 2019 by Sixer

[NMMalibuFamily]

I bought without a ride...  Matter of fact I bought in November and the first time on water was May. That was a long 6 months. In my experience everything turned out great, but it was only due to significant diligence on my part and getting a dealer involved to provide independence in the review of the mechanics. Good luck - find a great deal for you!

[Cole2001]

Bought a new 2016 just about 2 years ago without doing a demo. The boat came with full warranty and the dealer was very ensuring they would send out parts of any warranty item that would come up. 
 

Friend of mine just bought a newer boat on a crappy day, and didn’t do a water demo.
If you have warranty remaining, great trust in your dealer and know it’s the boat you want I would do it. 

[hethj7]

I actually have never demo’d.  I bought my used 2000 VLX with no demo.  I had planned to but out of state logistics didn’t work out.  My new 2016 and 2019 were never demo’d either.  And the buyer of my 2016 bought without a demo - just lots of pictures and video sent to him.  
 

 Now, on the used boat I bought I did have the local dealer to the buyer do a compression check and inspection.  I wouldn’t have bought without that.  

[carguy79ta]

I bought my new A22 with no ride, love at first sight..great boat, no regrets. Bought my 2nd new boat, same way. I had done my research and it was what I wanted. Again no regrets. wouldnt buy a used boat without a ride and prolly a survey.

 

[1HELLUVALIFE]

It really depends on what year boat. I mean same as a buying a car. you wouldn't buy a 10 year old car with 120k miles, without at least hearing it run and take it around the block.  

If it is brand new and under warranty that is one thing. If it is 10 years old with 800 hours it could have been treated like most on here. With oil changes every 50 hours, impeller every other year and detailed multiple times  a year.

But it could have been uncovered most it's life and only been serviced 3 or 4 times or when something breaks. I have known both types of people.   

 

[RyanB]

I agree that there are a lot of variables.  I bought my 2014 new, and we did a demo mainly because the dealer wanted to.  I would have been fine buying without a demo.  Exact same when I bought my 2004 Crownline new.

I have a bit of a hobby of flipping boats.  I have a target boat in mind, usually under $15,000, so the dollars at risk are less, but I have yet to take a boat on the water that I buy to flip.  And I have yet to have someone ask me for a water test when I sell.

[formerathlete]

Did our A22 build without a water demo of an in stock A22 or T22. Sat in both a T22 and an A22, along with a couple of Moomba's before deciding on the A22. Water test was going to happen but my schedule and the dealer's schedule just never fit right. I think it was okay in our case because the A22 was literally the only new boat within our budget that would fit in our garage (8' door height). If we bought used, I wouldn't do it without a water test. 

[asp13]

I bought my 2001 sunsetter lxi without ever going for a ride in it. I'm in Calgary and the seller was in the Okanagan (7ish hour drive) and I couldn't make it out there to see it in person. Luckily my Dad lives out there in the summer and he went for a spin with the owner and spent some time on the boat going over everything with him. Ended up being a great purchase and we love the boat. I also made sure to have a pre purchase inspection done before pulling the trigger

[ORMailbuboater]

Interesting quesiton.  Demo meaning the actual boat you are buying or just that model and year?    My last boat I demo'd a 2016 23 LSV but then placed an order.  Once the boat was in just picked it up.  So I guess I did not demo the boat I purchased just knew that I wanted that year and model.  Boat I have has been great.  Not perfect as Mailbu continues to make improvements.  Probably do the same on my next purchase.  Know what model and year I want then demo.  If buying used the most certainly would demo before purchase.  

[Eagle River Mike]

I bought mine without a test ride and without even seeing it.  It was a end of season deal on a new Response LX.  Great price and dealer threw in winter storage.  Picked boat up the following spring and boat was spotless and ready to ski.  Boat has been flawless and going on its 19th summer.   This past summer, I purchased a new hold over pontoon without a water test as dealer had to rig engine.  Again, not a single issue.  Know your dealer and know your product and shouldn't be an issue.

Edited November 14, 2019 by Eagle River Mike

[Cole2001]

Now that I think of it I haven’t even been to my dealer or met the owner in person. They aren’t local and everything was done by distance.

Dealer relationship is everything. 

[Behic2320]

We just bought our 2020 23 LSV without a DEMO, knew its what I wanted and dont regret it one bit. This is my 2nd malibu and have not even thought twice about my decision. We love these boats and the family time they get us 

[granddaddy55]

Lots of us including myself have bought new boats for the right model, year and price with no demo, but a used boat is quite another story unless the price is so good you expect to fix quite a few things anyway with the ability to do it yourself 

if you can’t handle that mechanical responsibility yourself , get a great enough price so you can afford someone to fix it for you 

[greg2222]

Buying boat is not the same as buying a car . Boat dealers cannot demo every boat they have as per potential costumer request. I understand buyer wants to know how the boat rides but usually they not buying the boat they demo. 

[Nitrousbird]

21 hours ago, 1HELLUVALIFE said:

It really depends on what year boat. I mean same as a buying a car. you wouldn't buy a 10 year old car with 120k miles, without at least hearing it run and take it around the block. 

A lot of buyers will it seems.  Sold my wife's '06 Audi A4 early last year.  90k and some minor body damage.  Over 10 years old and I basically had to make the kid buying it go for a ride around the block; he didn't even care for me to start it.  Got decent money for it.

Sold my '07 Escalade EXT a year ago with 160k on the clock.  Guy heard me start it, did a 1 minute walk around (didn't even sit in it) and gave me full price...which was actually $1500 more than what I really wanted for it.  He knew it ran as I met him at a gas station as I took it to work that day, but had no idea how it drove.

I never heard from the Audi buyer again.  I've head from the Escalade buyer a couple of times, as he put a bunch more miles on the truck and loves it.  It is amazing how many people don't care for a test drive.

I did buy my first boat ('89 Sea Ray) back in '00 with no demo.  I was straight out of college and shouldn't have, but there ended up not being anything wrong with the boat and the price was right at the time.   I doubt I'd do it again unless the price was REALLY right and I could still hear it run on the hose and do a thorough inspection.

[85 Barefoot]

Bought several without demos and sight unseen.  It's great negotiating leverage, actually.  Sellers know that someone flying in are very serious.  I've had some surprises, but nothing that big of a deal.  I think bilge and interior photos speak to how well someone can expect a boat to have been taken care of and maintained.  

[Ronnie]

Every Malibu boat I have owned until last year, I sold out of state without a demo. But...I had my dealer verify the boats were in great condition before they left here. If you're trying to decide on which model, Demo, Demo, Demo.

[Raimie]

Yup, my '14 T22. I demoed an A22 but the T22 wasn't available yet. I wasn't disappointed at all, but whenever possible I would demo.

[justgary]

I think some of us are confusing the term "demo" here.  It sounded to me like the OP was talking about a "check ride" or "water test" when he said "demo ride."  I certainly would not have a problem with you wanting to water test my boat if I'm selling it, but I'm not going to take you for a demonstration ride so you can see if you like this hull better than some other one.  To me, the difference is that you are ready to buy the boat and want to convince yourself that it is mechanically sound enough for the price you are offering.  I did water test my boat since it was 15 years old at the time.  My friend and I took the owner's wife to the slalom lakes, where we made four passes.  My friend did a slalom run, I did a slalom run, I barefooted, and we returned at wide open throttle.  Took only a few minutes.  I told her I would buy it as we put it on the trailer.

So, to answer the question, I think it is reasonable to ask to run the engine to make sure a rod isn't knocking or something.  It is also reasonable that you pay to have it winterized again, unless the owner did it himself and is willing to do it again (and why not, it's pretty simple).  The worst case would be an owner with zero mechanical skills, since he would probably not trust you to even remove a cover to look at things.  Maybe you can pay your friendly mechanic to do a moonlight job to help you inspect the boat.

 

[shiftman]

Thanks to those who replied. Some very useful information was provided. To clarify some points, let me add some additional information:

* I used the word "demo" when I actually meant "check ride".

* This is a used boat from a private seller. About 700 hours.

* This will be my first wakeboard boat. It is 20 foot in length and the length does concern me a bit from a "rough ride" perspective.