What to bring to a boat inspection
The whole kit fits in one tote bag and costs less than an hour of a yard's labor rate. Every item here exists because it finds a specific, expensive problem before you own it.
Find the water
Phenolic sounding hammer (or a plastic-faced 8 oz mallet)
The single most valuable tool on a used boat. A dead thud instead of a sharp ring is wet core, and a recored deck is five figures.
Pin-type moisture meter
Confirms what the hammer suggested. Pin meters read at depth on cored decks where surface meters lie.
Non-contact infrared thermometer
Run it over the deck on a sunny day. Wet core holds temperature differently and lights up the whole affected area in seconds.
Awl or ice pick
For probing suspected soft plywood, bulkhead tabbing and rotten stringers. Ask permission before you make a hole.
See into the boat
Bright headlamp, hands free
You will be upside down behind an engine holding a mirror. A handheld light means you only have one hand left.
Inspection mirror on a telescoping handle
Reads the hidden aft face of the engine, the back of the transmission, and the underside of tank tops where corrosion starts.
Borescope / endoscope camera
Goes down chainplate slots, into bilge voids, and inside fuel tank inspection ports. Photographs what a flashlight cannot reach.
Small mirror and a rag
Wipe a suspect area, then look again. A wiped bilge tells you what is leaking now versus what leaked a decade ago.
Test the systems
Digital multimeter
Battery resting voltage, alternator output, shore power polarity, and whether the bonding system is actually connected.
Non-contact voltage tester
A five second AC safety check before you go putting hands in a bilge with shore power connected.
Coolant / antifreeze tester
Neglected coolant means neglected heat exchanger, and a raw water side full of scale.
Refrigerant-free compression tester (gas) or a shop's leak-down
For gasoline engines. Numbers across cylinders matter more than the absolute figure.
Record everything
Chalk or low-tack tape
Mark every soft spot as you find it, then photograph the marked boat. That photograph is your negotiating position.
Tape measure, 25 ft
Verifies the listing. Advertised length, draft and berth dimensions are wrong often enough to matter.
Nitrile gloves and coveralls
You will not check the bilge sump properly if you are worried about your clothes.
Knee pads
The entire inspection happens on your knees on nonskid.
Borrow before you buy. A moisture meter and a borescope are the two expensive items here, and both are worth renting or borrowing for one inspection. If you are looking at three or four candidates, buy them: they will pay for themselves on the first finding.
The pre-purchase inspection kit for your boat
Having the tools is half of it. The kit tells you where to point them on your exact model, what each finding costs to put right, and which ones should end the deal.
See the inspection kits