Boat buying & selling, explained

A bill of sale is what proves a boat changed hands in BC. Here is a free fill-in template, and how the same page is used for a licence transfer, the Canadian Register, PST and an ICBC trailer transfer.

Most boat brokers charge about 10% of the sale price, paid by the seller at closing. Here is how splits, minimum fees and the listing agreement change what you pay, what a good broker does for the money, and when you might not need one.

No pro camera needed. Here are the exact 18 photos and the one video that sell a boat — shoot them on your phone in about 20 minutes.

The number you pick decides whether your boat sells in two weeks or sits all summer. Most owners price off the wrong data — what other boats are asking, not what they actually sold for. Here's how to find the real number, the factors that move it, and why an auction prices a boat better than you can.

Three ways to sell a boat, compared honestly: the 10% broker cut, the slow grind of a private listing, and the reach of an online auction. Plus prep, pricing, and the paperwork that actually closes a deal.

Boats in BC have no lien-on-title system, so a hidden loan is the real risk for buyers. Here is how the Pleasure Craft Licence, the Canadian Register of Vessels, PST, GST, and PPSA searches actually work in 2026 — and how a clean sale protects both sides.

In British Columbia, the boating season is short and buyer demand is brutally seasonal. List at the wrong moment and your boat sits for months while the window closes. Here's how to read the demand curve and use an auction deadline to sell inside it.

A Pleasure Craft Licence says nothing about loans. In BC, the check is a Personal Property Registry search on the hull, every motor, the trailer and the seller, plus a Transport Canada check for registered vessels. Here is how to run it, read it, and clear a lien.

A boat can be state-titled, USCG documented, or both — and the paperwork decides whether you actually own it free and clear. Here's how each works, where liens hide, and the exact checks to run before you wire a dollar.

A spoofed email and one wire can erase a down payment in 24 hours. Here are the boat-buying scams that actually take people's money — cloned listings, fake escrow sites, curbstoners — and the platform rules that make each one harder to pull off.

A boat's 12-character HIN is the closest thing it has to a fingerprint. Here's how to decode it, find the hidden second copy, and check for liens, recalls, and theft before money changes hands.

The buyer has 30 days to move a Pleasure Craft Licence into their name, and has to do it before using the boat. Here is what Transport Canada needs, the online and mail steps, and the BC PST, trailer and lien checks that go with it.

A marine survey is an independent professional inspection of a boat's hull, systems, and safety gear. Here's what it covers, what it costs in BC in 2026, and how to use one to buy confidently from an online auction.

A used boat bought privately in BC carries 12% PST, which you pay yourself on FIN 405. From a dealer it is 7% PST plus 5% GST. Here are worked examples, what counts in the price, the exemptions that exist, and the deadline.

A car test drive lasts ten minutes around the block. A boat hides most of its faults until it's working hard, far from the dock. The sea trial is where you make the boat work hard on purpose — and it's the single best hour you'll spend before money changes hands.

A plain-English breakdown of every fee in an online boat auction — buyer's premium, deposits, escrow, and BC sales tax — with a worked $50,000 example so you know exactly what hits your account before you bid.

A broker listing can sit for months while you keep paying moorage. An online boat auction does the opposite: it sets a 7-day deadline, puts your boat in front of pre-qualified bidders, and lets competition — not a slow back-and-forth — decide the price. Here's exactly how the mechanics work, end to end.

A reserve is the secret floor your boat won't sell below. Dropping it feels reckless — but no-reserve listings usually draw more bidders and often finish higher. Here's the math, the risk, and when to keep a reserve anyway.

What it costs to move a boat by road or by water, what drives the quote, and the 2.6 m (8'6") width line that turns a cheap haul into a permit job.

Asking prices and selling prices are two different numbers. Here's an honest look at what used boats actually trade for in BC and the Pacific Northwest, what moves a boat up or down the range, and how to sanity-check a price before you buy or sell.

Boats are better with people around them. Here's where the Pacific Northwest boating community actually gathers — clubs, online forums, courses, and resources — so you can learn faster, ask questions, and find your next raft-up.