Scout Boats for Sale

Started in a brick barn

Steve Potts grew up around boats in the Charleston area. As a teenager he built a 14-foot boat called the Scout for a local dealer, The Outboard Shop. He went on to manage plants for American Fiberglass and later American Sail, and he repaired fiberglass bathtubs at night to save money. With $50,000 saved and the rights to the Scout name, he and his wife Dianne rented a small brick building in Summerville and built new 14- and 15-foot Scouts.

Hurricane Hugo flattened the operation in 1989. Potts rebuilt, spent his last money on a booth at the 1990 Atlanta Boat Show, and came away with 31 prospective dealers. Scout now runs a multi-plant site of more than 420,000 square feet on 36 acres, still in Summerville. Scout says it has stayed debt free, and Potts was inducted into the NMMA Hall of Fame in 2024.

The lineup

• Sportfish (175, 188, 195, 200): small center consoles for bays, creeks and nearshore.
• Dorado (175 Sport Dorado to 288 Dorado): dual consoles with a walk-through windshield, for families who fish and cruise.
• XSF (215, 220, 240): bay-style fishing boats.
• LXF (260 to 670): the big luxury center consoles. The 530 LXF uses an epoxy-infused carbon and E-glass hull and has a cabin with a master stateroom, galley and separate head and shower. The 400 LXF has also been offered in a lithium-ion version.
• XSS: sport-oriented models like the 281 XSS.

Scout also has a reputation for engineering ideas: its patented T-top and glass enclosure, the reverse shoebox hull-to-deck joint and the Strata Mount engine mounting system all show up in listing descriptions.

Buying a used Scout

It's a saltwater boat. Assume salt use and check accordingly. Look at the outboard brackets and lower units for corrosion, flush the engines and check the tell-tales, and open every hatch to look at the wiring and pumps.

Hardtop and glass. On boats with the T-top and glass enclosure, check the mounting points for cracks in the gelcoat and leaks around the glass. These carry a lot of load in rough water.

Multiple outboards. The bigger LXF boats run twin, triple or quad outboards. Get hours, service records and a dealer readout for each engine, and see that the hours are close to each other.

Systems on the large models. The cabin boats have generators, air conditioning, heads, water heaters and joystick or digital controls. Test all of them, and on anything over about 30 feet pay for a full survey.

Deck and hull. Walk the deck and listen for hollow spots, look for spider cracks around cleats and rails, and check the bottom for blisters or repairs.

Trailer and lift. Smaller Scouts usually come with a trailer, and many have lived on lifts. A trailer-kept boat in salt needs a close look at the axles, brakes and bunks.