When buying a used boat, there are many things you need to consider and a lot of research that needs to be done. One of the most important things you can do is to check the history of a boat. Alot of times damage can be concealed by incredible fiberglass work and the boat can actually be restored to what is called "better than new" condition. A boat can be completely rebuilt essentially, and you would be none-the-wiser. However, no matter how much work you put into a boat, the HIN, or Hull Identification Number, remains with that boat, much like it would with a rebuilt car.
To help uncover some of the "rebuilds" and overhauls that take place on boats in attempts to hide damage, a couple of companies have generated services that give boat history reports, similar to the service CARFAX and AutoCheck provide for vehicles. These companies include BoatHistoryreport.com, Boatfax.com, MarineTitle.com and HINValid.com. As a consumer and an avid boater for 27 years, I decided to purchase all four of these companies' reports to see which is better for not only my clients but myself and my friends whom are also avid boaters.
BoatHistoryReport.com:
Price: $34.99 for single report, $44.99 for unlimited for 30 days
Details Included: Damaged in a hurricane, accident, run aground, salvaged, has environmental liens, submerged, seized, in a fire, or in a collision as well as warranty and recall checks.
Ease of use: Extremely easy. Enter your HIN and the report appears instantaneously. They are then stored in your account page which is your landing page each time you log in.
Customer Service: Very quick, very friendly
Information Provided: Showed all years coast Guard information if the boat was documented, showed accidents with details, one boat had an environmental lien, also provided surveyor information on one boat. Seemed very thorough. If the boat has a clean history it can appear like a useless report, however, this site obviously works so the value for peace of mind is well worth the money, even if your find out your boat has been well taken care of and isn't part of a treasure and adventure seeking pirates fleet.
Summary: Great service, great information, decent price. Well worth it.
Boatfax.com:
Price: Advertises for $20 but in order to get all the information, it quickly adds up to $34 per report. The second report you run, you do get at 50% off.
Details Included: Missing/Stolen data, recalls, hurricanes, liens, history, regional stats.
Ease of use: Difficult. The site has several bugs, and a lot of information so it makes it difficult to navigate. Also, once I purchased the report, it was difficult to find it again if I navigated away from it. On the plus side, they email the report.
Customer Service: 3 day response time. Thorough but not overly friendly.
Information Provided: NONE. None of the accidents or liens appeared on the report. The stolen data is only based on their own gathered information from previous customers, and half of the links on the report don't work correctly.
Summary: Try to use some of the other features they offer but stay away from the reports. They are so scattered with their focus, it makes it hard to do anything to 100% completion.
MarineTitle.com:
Price: $29.95 for unlimited for 30 days
Details Included: Vessel Documentation, Boating Accidents, Casualty and pollution, stolen vessels, auctioned vessels, and recalls.
Ease of Use: Fair. There site is incredible with the amount of information they have on it but it makes it very difficult for someone to find the history reports section. Plus, on the report itself, you have to click on each different database to see the information.
Information Provided: This site did pick up on some of the information but not everything. It was missing some of the key facts that boathistoryreport.com had. However, when it did have accidents available, on occasion it had a few extra details that none of the other sites picked up. These details were more related to what happened as opposed to the condition of the boat though so not sure if its useful information, just interesting. Doesn't offer as much as the others claim to offer but is more consistent than boatfax.com
To help uncover some of the "rebuilds" and overhauls that take place on boats in attempts to hide damage, a couple of companies have generated services that give boat history reports, similar to the service CARFAX and AutoCheck provide for vehicles. These companies include BoatHistoryreport.com, Boatfax.com, MarineTitle.com and HINValid.com. As a consumer and an avid boater for 27 years, I decided to purchase all four of these companies' reports to see which is better for not only my clients but myself and my friends whom are also avid boaters.
BoatHistoryReport.com:
Price: $34.99 for single report, $44.99 for unlimited for 30 days
Details Included: Damaged in a hurricane, accident, run aground, salvaged, has environmental liens, submerged, seized, in a fire, or in a collision as well as warranty and recall checks.
Ease of use: Extremely easy. Enter your HIN and the report appears instantaneously. They are then stored in your account page which is your landing page each time you log in.
Customer Service: Very quick, very friendly
Information Provided: Showed all years coast Guard information if the boat was documented, showed accidents with details, one boat had an environmental lien, also provided surveyor information on one boat. Seemed very thorough. If the boat has a clean history it can appear like a useless report, however, this site obviously works so the value for peace of mind is well worth the money, even if your find out your boat has been well taken care of and isn't part of a treasure and adventure seeking pirates fleet.
Summary: Great service, great information, decent price. Well worth it.
Boatfax.com:
Price: Advertises for $20 but in order to get all the information, it quickly adds up to $34 per report. The second report you run, you do get at 50% off.
Details Included: Missing/Stolen data, recalls, hurricanes, liens, history, regional stats.
Ease of use: Difficult. The site has several bugs, and a lot of information so it makes it difficult to navigate. Also, once I purchased the report, it was difficult to find it again if I navigated away from it. On the plus side, they email the report.
Customer Service: 3 day response time. Thorough but not overly friendly.
Information Provided: NONE. None of the accidents or liens appeared on the report. The stolen data is only based on their own gathered information from previous customers, and half of the links on the report don't work correctly.
Summary: Try to use some of the other features they offer but stay away from the reports. They are so scattered with their focus, it makes it hard to do anything to 100% completion.
MarineTitle.com:
Price: $29.95 for unlimited for 30 days
Details Included: Vessel Documentation, Boating Accidents, Casualty and pollution, stolen vessels, auctioned vessels, and recalls.
Ease of Use: Fair. There site is incredible with the amount of information they have on it but it makes it very difficult for someone to find the history reports section. Plus, on the report itself, you have to click on each different database to see the information.
Information Provided: This site did pick up on some of the information but not everything. It was missing some of the key facts that boathistoryreport.com had. However, when it did have accidents available, on occasion it had a few extra details that none of the other sites picked up. These details were more related to what happened as opposed to the condition of the boat though so not sure if its useful information, just interesting. Doesn't offer as much as the others claim to offer but is more consistent than boatfax.com