A Checklist for Buying a Second-Hand Rowing Boat

A second-hand rowing boat is one of the kindest introductions to coastal life: quiet, cheap to keep, and a fine reason to be out on the water at seven in the morning. But the gap between a bargain and a money pit often comes down to twenty minutes of careful inspection. Here is what to look at before you shake hands.

Decide What You Actually Need First

Before you travel to view anything, be honest about how you will use it. A stable, beamy dinghy is ideal for pottering around an estuary with a picnic and a dog; a longer, narrower hull with sliding seats is a different creature entirely, built for fitness and speed but far less forgiving in a chop. Think about weight, too. If you plan to launch solo from a slipway, a hull you can drag and lift matters more than a few inches of length.

• Where will it live — driveway, dinghy park, boatyard, or a mooring?
• Can your car and roof bars or trailer actually carry it?
• Will you row mainly in sheltered water or along an exposed coast?
• Do you want to carry a passenger, a small outboard, or fishing gear?

Inspect the Hull in Good Daylight

Ask to see the boat outside on a dry day, ideally upturned on trestles or grass so you can see the whole hull and the keel band. Take a torch, a small screwdriver, and a notebook.

• GRP hulls: tap the hull with a coin and listen for dull, hollow thuds that suggest delamination. Look for star crazing, chips through the gelcoat, and repairs standing proud of the surrounding surface. Small raised blisters with a vinegary smell may indicate osmosis.
• Wooden hulls: check the stem, transom, keel, and gunwales for rot and softness. With the owner's permission, probe suspect timber gently. Paint blistering, splits along the grain, and failed glue lines in clinker ply all need attention.
• Aluminium hulls: look for pitting and white corrosion around fastenings, especially if the boat has lived in salt water.
• Every hull: check buoyancy tanks and hatches for trapped water, drain plugs for sealing, thwarts and floorboards for soundness, and the keel band and skeg for wear from being dragged up slipways.

Oars, Rowlocks and Fittings

Oars are expensive to replace and easy to overlook. Check the shafts for splits, especially where the blade meets the loom, and look for rot or crushing around the leathers and buttons. Cracked or delaminated blades, and a mismatched pair, are common on older boats. Bring a tape measure if you want to be sure they suit the span.

Then check the rowlocks and sockets: metal crutches wear oval and rattle, plastic ones crack, and elongated sockets let the oar slop about. If the boat has a rudder, inspect gudgeons and pintles for play and corrosion. Finally, list what is included — bailer, anchor, fenders, cover, a spare oar — and what you will have to buy on day one.

The Trailer Deserves Equal Scrutiny

A sound hull on a rotten trailer is not a bargain. Surface rust on a galvanised frame is normal; flaking scale and powdery rust around welds, the drawbar, and suspension mounts are not.

• Spin each wheel and listen for rumbling or grinding bearings; check for grease and any play.
• Examine tyre sidewalls for cracking and check the date code — anything over six or seven years old is worth replacing even with good tread.
• Look at the winch strap for fraying, the jockey wheel, lights, and the coupling for wear.
• Confirm the boat sits properly on its bunks or cradle, supported along its length rather than on a few hard points.
• Check the trailer plate and make sure the laden boat is within its limits, and that your car and licence suit the towing weight.

Ask About Storage and History

How a boat has been kept tells you a great deal. A hull left uncovered on a trailer for years will have faded gelcoat, perished seals, and rainwater sitting in the bilge. Ask whether it has been stored indoors, kept under cover, or turned upside down, and how long it has been out of the water. Ask whether it has been used in salt or fresh water, how often it was rinsed, and whether it has ever been repaired or damaged. A seller who volunteers photographs of past work is usually a seller worth trusting.

Paperwork, Sea Trial and Agreeing a Price

Check that the hull identification number on the transom matches any documents, and ask to see a bill of sale and receipts for major work. If an outboard is included, note the serial number and any service history. Ask directly whether the boat or trailer is subject to outstanding finance — a boat still under a credit agreement can be repossessed from you.

Wherever possible, row the boat before you commit. Fifteen minutes on the water will reveal leaks at the seams, poor trim, heavy steering, or an uncomfortable rowing position that no amount of staring at a driveway ever will. Then price the work you have found: bearings, tyres, a new pair of oars, or a small timber repair. Use those figures to negotiate, and be willing to walk away — there is always another boat. When you do agree a deal, write a simple receipt listing exactly what is included, sign it, and keep a copy. Then go and enjoy the water.