If you have been afflicted with ‘boating fever’, which has overtaken and consumed your life and you are now considering moving away from being an excited passenger on someone else’s boat to purchasing your own craft, then continue reading as we take you on a boat-buying journey.
If you’ve got the ‘fever’, there is no turning back now. You’re hooked! And, as the waves of euphoria overcome and permeate your every cell
urging you to get out on the water, you’ll come to understand why some many people love messing about on boats.
Put your wallet away for a while and don’t dive headlong into a boat purchase you might regret! Let’s get the facts first as there are many different types of boats to suit a variety of different uses and needs.
We know buying a boat can be confusing at the best of times, with numerous engine types and configurations, as well as all the different hull designs, along with plenty of boat sizes and shapes to sift through before making your final purchase decision – but bear with us – we’ll help you sift through
the debris and find the perfect craft.
STEP 1
KNOW YOUR BOATING AIMS
The first thing you need to decide on is what you will use your boat for, whether cruising inland dams and lakes or going out to sea for charter fishing – or simply using it as a leisure boat offering summer sundowners and cruises – to paying clients.
Your boat choices will change dramatically if wakeboarding and wakeskating are on top of your list. Decide early on what function the boat will predominantly be used for.
Other considerations should be whether you want to be able to sleep on board, whether you will trailer the boat or it will be docked at a marina. Ask yourself all your boating requirement questions as this will point you in the right direction and ultimately narrow down your boating search.
While many boats can be used for a variety of activities, you still need to decide what the primary use of your new boat is.