Buying a boat is a huge decision that requires extensive research before taking diving in. When broken down into smaller decisions, though, you’ll find it much easier to decide on, shop for, and buy a boat that is the best fit for you. Below are five areas that will help you define the boat that best meets your needs.
1. Consider more than the price tag
Don’t look at just the purchase price of the boat. The price tag is just the beginning of the total cost of owning a boat. Prudent shoppers will prepare a boating budget that accounts for the purchase price, maintenance, operating costs and insurance.
2. Choose the right size boat for your needs
Boat size is related to the price of a boat. Knowing the amount you can afford to spend on a boat after taking its real cost into consideration will make choosing the size easier. You may find that while you want a larger boat, your boating budget requires you to start smaller. However, even if you have an unlimited budget, it may not be practical to purchase the largest and flashiest boat if you don’t quite have the boat handling skills to captain it yet.
3. The perfect boat is one that you have time to use and care for
Perhaps before you finally decide on the size of the boat, you may want to consider how much time you can afford to spend boating and maintaining a boat. Boat maintenance can be time consuming on a large boat, so if you don’t have a lot of time to devote to maintenance and can’t meet the expense of having maintenance done, opt for a smaller, simpler boat.
