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HullVet · hosted by Hank

Buy the right boat, at the right price, without getting taken.

The Honest Boat Buyer's Kit: five books, 314 pages, 15 printable dockside tools, a working cost calculator and 5 HullVet listing checks. Power or sail, trawler or pontoon, from the first listing to your first year as an owner.

$47Launch price.
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Instant download · 6 PDFs + Excel · 30-day money-back guarantee

The five books of the Honest Boat Buyer's Kit and the True Cost Calculator
  • 314pages in 5 books
  • 63boat and engine profiles
  • 62model groups with Oct 2026 asking prices
  • ~115sources listed so you can check

The problem

The price on the listing is the one number you'll only pay once

Behind it sit the slip, the insurance, the haul-outs, the engine the last owner never serviced, the soft deck under fresh non-skid, the lien from an unpaid yard bill, and the day you have to sell.

The boat industry's own figures say about four in ten first-time buyers are out of boating within five years. It's rarely a disaster. It's usually a boat that didn't fit the life they actually lived, or a bill nobody warned them about.

Almost every one of those mistakes happens before you buy. This kit is how you avoid them.

What's inside

Five books, fifteen tools, one calculator

Read on any screen, or print the checklists and take them to the dock on a clipboard.

Cover of The Honest Boat Buyer's Guide

Book 1 · 130 pages · 20 chapters

The Honest Boat Buyer's Guide

  • What a boat really costs: every line of the yearly bill and four sample budgets
  • Why the "10% rule" lies for cheap boats, and how to budget by length, location and age
  • Every boat type and engine type, honestly: what each costs you and who it suits
  • Cheap for a reason: project boats, storm boats, orphan engines, repos and liens
  • How to read a listing like a mechanic, and spot a scam in 30 seconds
  • The one-hour walkthrough you do yourself before you pay a surveyor
  • Sea trial numbers to write down, and how to hire a surveyor who works for you
  • Defect-adjusted pricing, word-for-word negotiation scripts, and the paperwork that protects your money
  • Loans, insurance, marina contracts and a 90-day buying plan
Cover of The Used Boat Field Guide

Book 2 · 86 pages

The Used Boat Field Guide

  • 49 boat profiles covering 60+ popular used models: trawlers, cruisers, center consoles, pontoons, sailboats, catamarans and houseboats
  • 14 engine profiles, from Ford Lehman and Cummins diesels to MerCruiser sterndrives and four-stroke outboards
  • Asking prices collected in October 2026 for every profile: number of listings, model years, median and middle-half range
  • What to check on each one, and who should walk away
Cover of The First-Year Owner's Manual

Book 3 · 49 pages

The First-Year Owner's Manual

  • The first 30 days, week by week
  • Safety gear, the rules, and what happens when the Coast Guard comes aboard
  • A maintenance calendar you can actually keep, and 10 jobs you can do yourself
  • Where cheaper parts are fine, and where they can start a fire
  • Fuel, ethanol and diesel bugs; storm plans and insurance claims; winterizing
  • Upgrades that pay, and how to sell without losing your shirt
Cover of The Dockside Toolkit

Book 4 · 15 printable tools

The Dockside Toolkit

  • Walkthrough checklist with repair-cost tags on every line
  • Seller phone screen and questions for the seller
  • Sea trial scorecard and survey report decoder
  • Defect-adjusted price worksheet, offer letter template and negotiation script card
  • Closing-day checklist, true cost worksheet, boat comparison scorecard, red-flag card
  • First 30 days checklist, maintenance log and a plain-English glossary
Cover of The Partner's Guide

Book 5 · 12 pages

The Partner's Guide

  • For the person being asked to say yes to a boat: the honest money, time and safety picture
  • The questions worth asking before anyone signs
  • A boat agreement to fill in together

Excel · opens in Google Sheets

The True Cost Calculator

  • Your yearly budget and five-year cost of ownership
  • Cost per day on the water
  • What a loan really costs, and the years you'd owe more than she's worth
  • A side-by-side score for up to three boats

Bonus · online

5 HullVet listing checks

  • They never expire, and kit owners can add HullVet Pro: 10 checks a month for $10
  • Screenshot a listing, get a verdict: worth a look, fair, overpriced or walk away
  • With how the asking price compares and the questions to ask the seller
  • Sign in at HullVet with the email you buy with; the checks are waiting

Plus a short Start Here guide that tells you which pages to read first, depending on where you are in your search.

Look inside

Real pages from the kit

Tap any page to see it full size.

Real numbers

What sellers were really asking

Most buying guides tell you a boat is "worth about" something. The Field Guide shows what sellers were actually asking, collected from US marketplace listings on 6 October 2026. A few examples:

BoatListingsMedian askMiddle half
Catalina 301977-199957$17,500$12,900–$22,000
Boston Whaler Montauk 150-1902005-2027136$40,991$30,000–$59,900
Bennington (2023 and older)2001-202398$35,980$24,999–$58,900
Sea Ray Sundancer 300-3701988-200878$74,900$59,990–$99,000
Grand Banks 36 Classic1975-198912$94,000$65,500–$116,000
Lagoon 380/39/40/4002003-202723$280,000$199,000–$344,000

Asking prices, not sale prices: boats often sell for less, and the book explains how to use the numbers. Listings counted are the ones we collected for each model group that day.

Why this kit

What makes it different

Power and sail

Most guides only cover powerboats. This one covers trawlers, cruisers, fishing boats, pontoons, sailboats, catamarans and houseboats.

Real, current prices

Asking prices for 62 model groups, collected in October 2026. Not guesses, not "about".

Check our work

Every number we lean on is listed with its source in the book, so you can check it. About 115 sources in all.

Honest about safety

Including where "same part, cheaper box" advice can put a fire in your bilge, and the rule that says why.

Made to be printed

Large, clear type, and checklists laid out for a clipboard on the dock, not a phone screen in the sun.

No commission

Nobody pays us when you buy a boat, and nobody pays us when you don't. No broker, dealer or lender sponsors this kit.

Is it for you?

Who it's for, and who it isn't

It's for you if

  • You're six months to five years from buying a used boat
  • You're shopping now and want to stop guessing
  • You've found a boat and want to check it properly before you pay a surveyor
  • You've just bought one and want to get the first year right

It's not for you if

  • You're buying brand-new under warranty and the dealer will handle everything
  • You want a repair manual with torque specs. We tell you what a job is, what it costs, and when to call a pro
Hank, founding host of HullVet

Your guide

Written for you by Hank

Hank is HullVet's founding host and the presenter of Honest Boat Talk on YouTube: plain talk about buying, owning and living aboard boats, built on real sources. This kit is the long version, everything we'd want a friend to know before they hand over the money.

Hank

Hank is an AI-generated character. The research, prices and sources behind this kit are real, and every chapter lists them.

Read it. Then decide.

Read the books, print the checklists, run your numbers. If the kit isn't worth far more to you than it cost, email us within 30 days of purchase and we'll refund you in full. No forms, no questions.

Questions

Frequently asked

I'm years away from buying. Is it useful now?

Yes. Part One of the Guide is about the decisions that save the most money, and they happen long before you look at boats: what kind of boating you'll really do, what it costs where you live, and whether to rent, join a club or buy.

Does it cover sailboats?

Yes: a full chapter on checking the rig, sails, chainplates and keel, plus 13 sailboat profiles and 4 catamaran profiles in the Field Guide.

Is it only for the US?

It's written for North American buyers (Coast Guard rules, US paperwork and US prices), with UK narrowboats included. The inspection, survey and negotiation advice works anywhere.

What do I get, and in what format?

Six PDFs (the five books plus a short Start Here guide) that you can read on any device or print, an Excel spreadsheet that also opens in Google Sheets, and 5 HullVet checks linked to the email you buy with. You download the files right after checkout, and the link is in your receipt email too.

Are the prices real?

Yes. The Field Guide's price boxes come from asking prices on US marketplace listings collected on 6 October 2026. They're asking prices, not sold prices, and the book explains how to use them and why boats often sell for less.

Is this financial or survey advice?

No. It's education to make you a smarter buyer. Always hire your own accredited marine surveyor, and talk to a professional about loans, tax and legal questions.

How do I pay, and who handles it?

Checkout is run by Lemon Squeezy, our online reseller, which takes cards, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay and handles sales tax and VAT. The charge on your statement comes from Lemon Squeezy.

What if it's not for me?

Email us within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

Do the math before you fall in love, not after

The Honest Boat Buyer's Kit: 5 books, 314 pages, 15 printable tools, the True Cost Calculator and 5 HullVet checks.

$47Launch price.
Get the Complete Kit

Instant download · 30-day money-back guarantee