Guides for boat owners
New boat owner
Before you buy and the first season after. Money, paperwork, rules and what tends to go wrong.
Buying a boat: pitfalls and what to know first
What makes boat purchases expensive afterwards: running costs, no berth, stolen goods, loans on the boat, private sales as is, VAT on imports and hidden engine faults.
I've bought a boat. What do I do now?
Your first weeks and first season as a new boat owner, in order: paperwork, insurance, berth, qualifications, safety, environmental rules and winter storage.
Buying a used boat: checklist
Go through this before you buy a used boat: hull, engine, paperwork, contract and ownership.
Pre-purchase survey: price, scope and terms before buying a boat
What surveyors themselves charge for a pre-purchase survey, and what to order: survey ashore, sea trial and report.
Boat insurance: compare price, excess and winter cover
How to compare boat insurance using the same details, and what applies to engine damage, theft protection, lifting and winter storage.
Boat berths: how to find one, how the queues work and what it costs
Municipal harbour, boat club or private marina? How the waiting lists work, what affects the fee and how to find available berths near you.
Boating certificates and licences: what are the requirements?
Do you need a boating licence? Förarintyg, kustskepparintyg and the personal watercraft operator's certificate: what is required and when.
Safety equipment on board: what the law requires and what you should carry
The law asks little of a Swedish leisure boat, but navigation lights, a sound signal and lifejackets are still the essentials. Checklist for boats under and over 12 metres.
Life jackets: rules, types and how to choose
50, 100, 150 or 275 Newton? How to choose the right lifejacket, what CE marking and EN ISO 12402 mean, and how to check an inflatable lifejacket.
Right-of-way rules at sea: who gives way?
Powerboat vs sailboat, head-on, crossing and overtaking: the give-way rules in the COLREGs explained with a table, plus what applies in narrow channels.
Navigation marks in Sweden: lateral, cardinal and special marks
How to read Swedish navigation marks: red and green lateral marks, cardinal mark topmarks and lights, isolated danger marks and yellow special marks. With table.
Knots for boat owners: 8 knots you will actually use
Bowline, figure-eight knot, round turn and two half hitches, reef knot, sheet bend, bollard hitch, slipped knot and cleating: when to use them and how to tie them, step by step.
Registering a boat in the ship register: who has to and how a change of ownership works
Which leisure boats must be in the ship register, how to register a boat voluntarily and how to report a change of ownership to Transportstyrelsen.
Boat theft: how to protect your boat and engine and report a theft
Police advice on preventing theft of boats, outboards and drives, in the water and on land, and what details you need when you report a theft.
Alerting sea rescue: 112, VHF channel 16 and what to say
How to raise the alarm in a distress situation from a leisure boat, what questions the rescue coordination centre asks and what you are obliged to do when someone else needs help.