Buyer Questions
Services Offered
What type of services do you offer to a buyer or prospective buyer?
As a user of boats.com, you will have access to an array of information and services.
Without registration, you can browse the site to do research, find service providers and learn about what's going on in your area of boating interest. You have full access to the following services:
- Research boats in Boat Specs.
- Research engines in Find an Engine.
- Locate boat services.
- Browse Boats for Sale (but you won't be able to see the Seller Contact Information without registering).
- Browse and search the many articles in fishing, powerboating, and sailing.
- Create an owner review on a product.
- Sign up for newsletters.
If you want to do more than just browse, conduct research or locate a service in our directories, you'll want to complete our simple registration process. By registering, you will benefit from the following:
- See boat seller contact information when searching for a boat in Boats for Sale.
- Save search criteria in Boat Specs or Boats for Sale.
- Add any boat, product or engine to your Favorites list.
- Access and customize My boats.com, your own personal boats.com page that puts all your favorite boats, product, engines, destinations, news, calendar events, etc. - on one page, summarizing only those things that are important to you.
- Receive promotions and discounts (you can also opt-out of this benefit when you register).
Does boats.com guarantee boat or product sales?
No. Boats.com is an online intermediary bringing participants from the boating community and marine industry together. Boats.com does not sell the boats, products or engines and thus cannot provide a guarantee. We do our utmost to ensure that participants in our community are trustworthy. If you have a problem with your product, please address your questions directly to the seller.
How do I get financing for a boat or engine?
Financing for boats and engines is available through boatsbank, the quick, convenient way to reach multiple marine lenders with one online loan application.
Can I get insurance through boats.com?
Yes. Comprehensive and competitive insurance coverage for your boat is available through boatsinsurance.
Can I get a warranty through boats.com?
No. Boats.com does not provide a warranty for boats or engines.
Search Features
What is the difference between Search and Advanced Search?
In the Boat Specs area, you can conduct a basic or advanced search of Boat Information. The basic search allows for a broad search with many results. If the basic search produces too many results and you wish to narrow your search results, click on Advanced Search on the main Boat Specs page. In an Advanced Search, you can search by maximum draft, beam, dry weight, minimum hull warranty, number of berths, maximum bridge clearance and keel type.
How do I save my boat search? Are the results saved or just the criteria?
After you perform a search in Boats for Sale or Boat Specs, you have the option of saving your search. (See the left menu bar link called Save Search.) By doing so, you are saving your search criteria, not the boats that were returned in your original search. The benefit of saving a search is that you can run that search again at a later time to see if any boats that fit your criteria have been added or removed from the site since your last search.
Where do I find my Saved Searches?
There are two places you can find your saved searches.
- Click on Boats for Sale or Boat Specs, and go to the Saved Searches pull down menu to select the search you wish to re-run.
- Click on My boats.com and view the bottom right section called My Searches.
How do I delete a Saved Search?
In order to remove or delete a Saved Search, you must go to My boats.com, click on the Edit button next to Saved Searches. This will present a page that prompts you to check the box next to the search you wish to remove.
Boat Listing Information
Does every boat listing have a unique identification number? Can I search by this unique Listing ID number?
Yes and No. Every boat does have a unique identification number. The listing ID number is part of the contact information that is viewable once you've logged in, conducted your Boats for Sale search and clicked on "View contact information" for a specific boat that is for sale.
You will NOT be able to search the site by listing ID number. Be sure to click Add to Favorites to save the specific boat detail page, then click Save Search or print out the contact information so that you can find the boat listing in the future.
If you forget your search criteria but still have the listing ID number, you can go to the Contact Us page and email customersupport@boats.com. The boats.com Customer Support Crew will search the database for you and send you the seller's contact information or boat specifications for that listing ID.
What do the different "status" terms mean next to a boat listing in My boats.com or Boats for Sale search results?
You can view the status of a listing in the following areas of the site:
- Boats for Sale search results: New boats with no status and pre-owned boats with an Active or Sale Pending status are displayed.
- My boats.com > My Favorites > Boats for Sale section: Here you can see the current status of all your favorite boat listings.
Boat listings that appear in Boats for Sale search results:
- Active: If a boat is still available, the listing status should be Active.
- Sale Pending: If a boat sale is pending but it is not yet finalized, the listing status shows as Sale Pending. Boat listings that do not appear in Boats for Sale search results:
- Inactive: A listing could be Inactive if the seller wishes to take it off the market for a few days.
- Sold: If a seller informs us that a boat has been sold through boats.com, the listing status will change to Sold for seven days. After the seventh day, the status changes to Removed.
- Removed: If a listing is removed by the seller, it will automatically be taken off any further boats.com search results and the status will be changed to Removed.
Why can't I see the detail to a boat listing in "My Favorites / Boats for Sale" on My boats.com?
If a boat listing has a status of Inactive, Sold or Removed, you will no longer be able to view that boat detail page because the seller has taken the listing off the market. You will only be able to see a sold boat listing for up to seven days after the boat has been reported as sold. Boats that are removed for other reasons are immediately taken off the site.
How do I print boat listings and specs?
To print out boat listings and specifications, click on the Print button on your browser. If you need full print coverage select File / Print / Properties and then select Landscape.
Boat Photos
How do I know whether the photos of the boat represent the true boat?
Boat photos linked to listings are uploaded and selected by the owner of the boat. A seller can use a personal picture of the actual boat or select a stock image of a sister ship provided by boats.com. Although we cannot guarantee that all photos are 100% representative of the boat that is being sold, we strive to review every listing description and photo to make sure that it is true to the make and brand. If you find a listing that is misrepresenting the actual boat, please let us know by emailing customersupport@boats.com.
Contact Seller
Where do I get seller contact information once I find a boat I'm interested in?
If you find a boat in Boats for Sale and you are interested in learning more, you can access the seller's contact information by clicking "View contact information" on the listing page. If you are registered and logged in, you may view this information. If not, you will be prompted to log in or register.
I have contacted the seller and no one has gotten back to me, what do I do? Can you help me?
Boats.com does not intermediate between buyer and seller or serve as a communications middleman. If you have tried all contact methods provided by the seller and you still do not get a response, send us an email at customersupport@boats.com. Reference the seller and we will verify that the contact information in the database is correct. We will send you a confirmation email with the correct information.
Terms of Use
Where do I find the Terms of Use?
You can find the Terms of Use on the bottom of each page. You will also find the link to the Privacy Statement on the bottom of each page.
