Great boats. Their next chapter.
Buy your next wakeboat. Sell the one that got you here. See how Ballast brings the auction together.
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For buyers
Find the boat you'll build your weekends around.
Browse real listings with full specs and disclosed defects, ask the seller a question before you commit, then bid in a public, seven-day auction where you can see exactly what you're up against.
Full disclosure, not a guessing game
Specs, photos, and known defects on every listing. Ask the seller something directly — the answer is public, so every bidder sees it.
Bidders are verified, not anonymous
Every bidder's identity is verified privately with a government ID check, and placing a bid requires a saved payment method — you're not competing against accounts that were never going to pay. Public pages show a member handle, not a name.
Winning isn't the end of the mystery
Ballast's 5% platform fee is charged to your saved card when you win — it's part of your winning bid, not added to it. Once it's paid, messaging with the seller opens so you can arrange the rest.
2018 Super Air Nautique G23
Lake Travis, TX
A live auction card — labeled as an example here.
Bidders and sellers are verified. The boat isn't.
Every bidder and seller confirms their email and phone and passes a government ID check through Stripe. Ballast doesn't independently inspect boats — sellers disclose condition themselves, and seller Q&A is public.
Costs, rules & support›
What it costs
Free to list, free to authorize and go live. An optional $49.99 Showroom Boats placement. On a sale, the buyer pays Ballast a 5% platform fee, included in the winning bid; you receive the other 95% directly from the buyer. Full numbers are below.
Platform rules
Every auction runs seven days. A reserve, once set, can only be lowered — never raised. A bid in the final two minutes extends the auction by two more minutes.
Real support
Questions about an auction or your account — contact us directly.
How bidding actually works
See what's actually out there
Filter to exactly what you want by make, model, year, and length, and save the ones you're watching — instead of scrolling classifieds for the right boat.
Know before you bid, not after
Full photos, specs, and disclosed defects on every listing. Ask the seller something directly and their answer is public — every bidder sees it, so nothing gets settled in private.
Bid with confidence, not anxiety
Every bidder has passed an ID check and saved a payment method before they can bid — so you're not competing against accounts that were never going to pay.
Winning is the easy part
When you win, your saved card is charged Ballast's 5% platform fee — it's part of your winning bid, not added to it. Once it's paid, private messaging with the seller opens so you can arrange the remaining 95% and pickup together.
2018 Super Air Nautique G23
Lake Travis, TX
See what's actually out there
Filter to exactly what you want by make, model, year, and length, and save the ones you're watching — instead of scrolling classifieds for the right boat.
2018 Super Air Nautique G23
Lake Travis, TX
Know before you bid, not after
Full photos, specs, and disclosed defects on every listing. Ask the seller something directly and their answer is public — every bidder sees it, so nothing gets settled in private.
Specifications
Example
- Year
- 2018
- Engine hours
- 210
- Seller Q&A
- “Any gelcoat repairs? ” — Answered publicly, visible to every bidder.
Bid with confidence, not anxiety
Every bidder has passed an ID check and saved a payment method before they can bid — so you're not competing against accounts that were never going to pay.
Place a bid
ExampleWinning is the easy part
When you win, your saved card is charged Ballast's 5% platform fee — it's part of your winning bid, not added to it. Once it's paid, private messaging with the seller opens so you can arrange the remaining 95% and pickup together.
$46,000
Your 5% platform fee ($2,300) is part of your $46,000 winning bid. Once it's paid, messaging with the seller opens so you can arrange the remaining $43,700.
Before you bid
What to know before you bid
What you need, what winning costs, how an auction runs, and what Ballast does and doesn't do.
What you need to bid
- Browsing auctions needs no account. Watching a boat needs a free account.
- Asking the seller a public question needs a confirmed email and phone number.
- Bidding also needs a government ID check through Stripe, done once, and a saved payment card. Nothing is charged when you bid.
What winning costs
Your winning bid is your total purchase price. At auction close, you pay 5% to Ballast Boats as the platform fee included in that price. Once payment is confirmed, private communication opens with the seller. You pay the remaining 95% directly to the seller and arrange completion of the sale together. Taxes and other third-party costs may be additional.
How long an auction runs
Every auction runs seven days. A bid in the final two minutes extends it by two more minutes, so a last-second bid can't end it early. Bids are public, and bidders appear under a member handle.
Reserves
Some sellers set a reserve, the lowest price they'll accept. You can see whether it has been met, never the amount.
If an auction ends below its reserve there's no winning bid and no fee. The seller and the highest bidder can still make each other offers, and an accepted offer becomes the price, with the same platform fee.
Checking out a boat
Each listing shows specs, photos and the defects the seller has disclosed. Questions and answers are public, so every bidder sees them. You can also ask the seller to arrange an inspection or sea trial; the seller decides.
Ballast doesn't inspect boats, arrange inspections or check a boat's condition.
A Ballast administrator reviews every listing before its auction can go live. They can approve it, ask the seller for changes, or decline it. A review is not an inspection, and Ballast doesn't certify a boat's title, condition, engine hours or mechanical integrity.
How AI is used on listings
Sellers can use AI to help organize their notes, answers and photos into a draft. AI only suggests: the seller reviews and confirms the story, anything AI extracts stays a suggestion until the seller confirms it, and a Ballast administrator approves the story before it is published. AI doesn't verify anything about a boat.
After you win
You and the seller arrange the remaining balance, the closing, transfer of ownership, pickup and any inspection or shipping directly. Ballast doesn't collect or hold the balance and isn't a party to that transaction.
Paying the platform fee doesn't confirm that the remaining balance has been paid, that ownership has transferred, or that the boat has been delivered. You and the buyer can arrange any independent closing service you like; Ballast doesn't provide one.
If nothing is live right now
A boat alert emails you when a matching boat goes live. We can't say when a matching boat will be listed, or whether one will be.