Never owned a boat before,Just wanna know what l should look for before buying from a private owner and what kinda questions should be asked.

the big hole you chuck the money into

Look at the condition of the fabric in the seats and carpeting. Look for signs of sun damage and neglect. If the interior is neglected the motor probably was as well. Ask about the hours on the motor and some have hour meters. Ask about the motor maintenance records and whether or not is has been in salt water. If so check to be sure the motor was rated for salt water usage. Ask the age of the batteries.

Here is a few things that u should consider absolute deal-breakers, no matter the price:
1. if boats in ur state/province have titles, & the owner does not have the title, run do not walk as fast as u can in the opposite direction. outboard motors in my state have a separate title from the boat, but boat trailers don't.
2. if it is on a trailer, ask the owner to crank the engine for you. If he does so without supplying water to the lower unit (outboard or stern drive), walk away -- he does not know what he is doing. It only takes 30 - 45 seconds dry running to damage the water pump.
3. Check the transom for soft spots. If it is an outboard, tilt it up far as it will go, grasp the lower unit & give it a good shake -- transom should not flex at all. Give a few taps with a screwdriver or something, listen for a hollow sound. Soft transom means ''project boat''.
4. Compression test the motor. If the lowest is not within 7 percent or so of the highest, walk away.

Get a test drive if u can -- engine should start quickly, idle for long periods, accelerate without bogging, cruise at full throttle for long periods.

Ca not get a lake test, discount the price substantially & add a spark test to the compression test -- most modern marine ignitions should jump a 7/16'' gap outside the cylinder on an inline spark tester. You can not judge how well an engine will perform under load by listening to it run on a garden hose attachment.

Accessories not working is a pretty minor issue for anyone who is handy (and u better be if you're buying a used boat). Maybe fishfinders & navionics can get pretty expensive.

Get a surveyor to have a look at it.
It will be well worth his/her fee to be sure that you do not buy something with big problems, and should you be told that it will need some urgent work doing, ''in the region of n pounds that will give you some haggling power with the seller.

This is an extremely open ended question. Myself & l am sure many others here in the forum could write a book on this subject.

Private owners r tough, some r honest, others r looking to unload a lemon.

My first piece of advice is to take a friend or trusted family member with you. Anything to help with some information & education.

How r u going to use the boat?

What r the hours on the engine? And do not let the owner give u some crap about not having an hourmeter. If u can not find it right away, look around. Has it ever been sunk?

Does the boat look in good condition? Are there soft spots in the floor? If the hull looks abused, that most likely means the engine was too.

What does the prop & skeg look like? If the skeg is gone, walk away. Did the owner have the decency to change the beat up prop? Look for the little things that signify a less than conscientious boat owner.

Drive it. And really take it for a ride.

l could go on & on.

Best of luck. Have fun.

jtexas and truenorth have given you excellent advice and there are indeed many, many more things to look for when buying a used vessel. The links below will take you to two of many sites, found by Googling ''buying a used boat.''

Do your homework upfront!!! Remember.there is no such thing as a dumb question.only the dumb answer the owner will give you!