What to establish before you commit to a pre-owned bridge or engine-room unit — and which answers should make you walk away.
Used marine equipment is bought on trust and photographs, usually from several thousand miles away. These are the eight things worth establishing before money moves.
1. Has it been powered up?
"Tested" covers everything from a full function check to somebody watching a lamp come on. Ask specifically what was tested and what the result was. A supplier who tests properly will be pleased to tell you.
2. What exactly does the rating plate say?
Model families change through their production life. The plate carries the revision, the supply voltage and often a manufacturing date that the model number alone does not. Ask for a photograph of the plate rather than a typed part number — transcription errors are common and expensive.
3. What is it wired to?
Compatibility usually fails at the interface, not the unit. NMEA, serial, synchro and stepper outputs are not interchangeable, and a unit that is correct in every other respect will not help if it cannot talk to your equipment.
4. Are the photographs of the actual unit?
Not a catalogue image, not a photograph of a similar one. If the listing shows a manufacturer press shot, ask for pictures of the item in stock. Corrosion, missing screws, replaced connectors and previous repairs all show up in real photographs.
5. What is included?
Mounting brackets, cables, connectors, cradles and manuals are frequently missing from used units and frequently assumed to be present. Confirm rather than assume — a bracket for an obsolete unit can be harder to find than the unit.
6. What warranty is offered, and on what?
A short warranty honestly described is worth more than a long one with conditions you will never satisfy at sea. Establish what happens if the unit fails on installation, and who pays freight if it does.
7. How will it be packed?
Marine electronics travel badly. Export packing means a crate, not a box — with the unit immobilised, the connectors protected and the whole thing able to survive being handled by people who do not know what is inside.
8. What paperwork comes with it?
Commercial invoice and packing list at minimum. If your forwarder, port or customs authority needs anything specific, say so before dispatch rather than after arrival.
The answers that should worry you
- Vague test descriptions. "Working when removed" is not a test.
- Reluctance to send more photographs.
- A part number that does not match the plate in the pictures.
- No answer on what is included.
None of these are proof of a bad unit. All of them are reasons to ask another question before paying.
What good looks like
Photographs of the actual item, a clear statement of what was tested, an honest account of cosmetic condition, and a straight answer about what is in the box.
Our listings state condition and test status on every item, and the photographs are of the unit you would receive. If you want more of them, ask — we would rather answer a question than take a unit back. You can browse what is listed here.
Looking for a specific unit?
Send a model or part number. Most of what we ship never reaches the catalogue.