Guide · Updated November 14, 2026
How to pass your boat's records to the new owner
A boat's records are part of what the buyer is paying for. Handing them over cleanly at closing keeps the history with the boat, and keeps your personal information with you.
What goes with the boat
- The service history: every log entry with the date, engine hours and what was done.
- Receipts for major work, like a repower, rebuild or new electronics.
- Past surveys, inspection reports and oil analysis results.
- Owner's manuals, warranty paperwork and serial numbers.
- Spare keys, and anything you know about quirks (the battery switch that sticks, the fuel gauge that reads low).
What stays with you
- Your insurance policy and personal contact details.
- What you originally paid and your cost records, unless you choose to share them.
- Your trip notes and personal entries.
- Copies of your title and registration once the transfer is done. The buyer gets the signed title itself at closing.
When to hand it over
Share the service history while the buyer is deciding, since it helps sell the boat. Hand over the full records, manuals and keys at closing, when the signed title and payment change hands.
With My Boat Logs
The log can go with the boat. Send it to the buyer and they get the boat's specs, engine hours, service history, manuals, warranties and surveys. Your title, registration and insurance copies, bill of sale, what you paid, trips, notes and costs are removed first (unless you choose to share costs). The new owner then starts their own 14-day free trial.
Common questions
What records should I give the buyer when I sell my boat?
The service history, receipts for major work, past surveys and inspection reports, owner's manuals, warranty paperwork, serial numbers and spare keys.
What should I keep private when I sell my boat?
Your insurance, personal contact details, what you paid, cost records and personal notes. The buyer gets the signed title itself at closing, not copies of your other personal documents.
What happens to my My Boat Logs log when I sell the boat?
You can send it to the buyer. They get the boat's specs, engine hours, service history and records, with your personal information removed, and they start their own free trial.
Hand over a history, not a shoebox
My Boat Logs keeps your maintenance log, receipts, documents, costs and reminders for each boat in one place, and one link shows a buyer the documented history with your personal details removed. $39.99 a year per boat after a 14-day free trial.