First Time Boat Buyers Need To Get the Basic Rights
There are a bewildering number of choices for the first time boat buyer, but with a little planning the task can be made simple.
BoatTEST.com receives a lot of mail each week from would-be first time boat buyers. We’re happy to help new participants in the sport and are pleased to be able to lend any assistance possible in the process – that is our reason for being! This week we offer a tutorial on how a first time buyer should approach the process to minimize his chances of making a mistake. For most people it takes a little courage to buy the first boat, but once done most people never look back. Boating is a nearly limitless and certainly a very exciting world.
In order to have a rewarding boat owning experience you must “line up the stars” and a key “star” that must be on your transit is the “type” of vessel you buy. That is why boat “type” is featured so prominently in the BoatTEST.com search engine. One of your first objectives is to find the ‘type that best fits your needs.
1. What is Your Boat’s Mission?
Will you be water skiing, wake boarding, fishing, cruising, traveling around the world, or just put-putting along on a sundown cruise in a placid lake? Match the boat to your mission. It sounds easy, but it is usually harder than it sounds. The reason is that most people use their boat for more than one thing, so by definition virtually every boat at some point becomes a compromise. That is the nature of the sport.
So the name of the game is to find the the best compromise for what you want to do. Builders these days are making that easier by more broadly defining their boats and buy making available a greater array of options so that a buyer can tailor make a boat for his individual needs. Specialty boats such as center consoles and express fishboats are being more broadly defined these days by most builders who understand that their boats can make good cruising boats or day boats as well.
There is nothing wrong with having as your boat’s mission, particularly if it is your first boat, simple family day cruising. Once you and your family becomes integrated into your local boating community you will naturally gravitate to like-minded boaters. It will be then that you may decide to go in a different direction.
Most boaters own anywhere from three to 20 boats during their life-long boating career. The reason for that is that as their family grows and matures their boating needs and desires change. As their income grows, so do their boating aspirations. As they move from one place to another, the types of water available might change, therefore requiring a different type or size of boat.
Once you have chosen a type of boat, now it is time to star drilling down into some of the major details. Here are three important subjects yhou should address--
2. How many passengers will you carry?
Most boats will accommodate five to seven people. The advent of bow riders some 35 years ago and the demise of the cuddy runabout was precisely to be able to get more people aboard. Likewise pontoon boats have become very popular the last 20 years because of their prodigious carrying capacity and relatively low cost.
We hasten to add that when you are trying to determine how many people a prospective boat will carry DO NOT rely on the USCG capacity plate alone. This number is arrived at by using the boat’s weight carrying capacity and dividing by an unrealistically low body weight. ABYC standards for boat builders are equally unrealistic, in our opinion, as they often account for people standing in places designated with hand holds.
Small Boats
Our best advice is to allow about 22” or so in an actual seat or for each person. Small bow riders usually can only comfortably seat two people forward, one on each side. Deck boats because of their design can hold more in the forward cockpit, perhaps as many as four of five.
One of the improvements that has evolved over the years for center consoles is institution of a bench seat across the transom of the boat that folds out of the way for fishing. Because it is located just forward of the boat’s fulcrum it is usually the most comfortable place on the boat to sit, although a bit noisy.
More recently many builders of center consoles have created comfortable seating forward where once there were only casting platforms. In larger models of a couple of brands there are foldaway seats under the gunwales amidships in addition to an extra pair of seats behind the helm.
Some boats, by the very nature of their mission, are limited in seating. For example, rarely does one find a bass boat that has seating for more than three people.
The last several years day boats have grown in popularity. These are boats of almost any type, but which are designed to be used during the day for water sports and entertaining as many people as possible. While they might be large enough for short cruising they are really intended only for daytime activities maximizing the number of people aboard.
Large Boats
Seating capacity is just as important for large convertibles and motoryachts as it is for sport boats. How many people do you plan to have on the flying bridge? How many people do you plan to have in the cockpit or on the aft deck? How many people would you like to serve in a formal dining situation, etc. Most large yachts only sleep four to six eight guests and can entertain about 12 to 25 comfortably.
Boats don’t “scale’ every well. So while a 20-footer might hold eight people, a sixty footer won’t be able to handle any more overnight. In fact there are a number of long range cruising boats that are in the 40’ to 60’ range that are really designed primarily for a couple, with provision for an occasional guest or two.
For Large Families?
So where does all of this leave large families and the kids’ friends? Our advice is that no matter what size your boat is, large or small, don’t be too proud to break out sleeping bags and put guests where ever you can find space. Be alert to sofas that convert into beds, flying bridges that have a place for a sleeping bag or two, and cruising canvas that can button up a cockpit or aft deck for overnight accommodations. The most important thing is being with friends and sharing with them the joy and beauty of being out on the water.
3. How Much Stowage Capacity Do You Need?
Most boats have some space for anchors, fenders and lines, towels and some spare clothing – but don’t count on it! You must consider the mission of your boat, make a list of all of the equipment, dry goods and stores that you will need to have aboard, then find a place for it all – before you buy!
We can tell you that no boat we have ever been on has enough stowage space no matter how big it is. Thankfully, boat builders are doing a much better job these days of utilizing every nook and cranny to store gear.
On boats 20’ and smaller, remember that it is a USCG requirement that the boats float level if swamped. That means tat many spaces that would otherwise be used for gear will be filled with flotation foam. Many boats over 20’ also often have lots of space devoted to flotation material which will cut down on available stowage, so don’t take anything for granted.
On Large Boats
When considering large sedans, express cruisers, convertibles and motoryachts it is good to remember that some builders are far better than others at providing plenty of useable storage space. Just because the boat boat is large, don’t assume there is a place for everything you might need or want to bring aboard. Carefully itemize what you will want to have aboard and find a place for it before signing a contract. You will be surprised at how creative some builders are in finding usable space – and how neglectful others are of the same issue.
4. What Kind of Performance Do You Want?
When we speak of performance we are referring to hole shot times, 0 to 30 mph, WOT speed, best cruising speed, fuel economy at best cruise and at displacement speed, range at these speeds and riding comfort. All of the above characteristics will depend on load you have aboard, the engine horsepower, prop geometry, bottom shape and what floats your boat.
Two people can have exactly the same boat and be thrilled or disappointed depending on what their performance expectations are. So it is important to clarify to yourself and to the boat dealer exactly what kind of performance you expect.
For example, quick acceleration, crisp handling, responsive steering, and low wake are important if you are planning on doing a lot of water skiing. On the other hand, if you are just going to be cruising with a gang of people and doing some occasional tubing, you may not care so much about hole shot times, but you will care more about riding comfort and ability to stay on plane with a load.
Fishermen will have their own set of performance criteria depending of whether they are fishing offshore or inshore and what specie of fish they are after and other considerations. Buyers of large boats will be concerned most with fuel economy and ride, usually, although some will also be interest in WOT speed.
For first time buyers our advice is to seek out a mentor who does the kind of boating you want to do. Brain pick him about performance, getting the pros and cons. Discuss the subject with a boat dealer or two. Never buy a boat without telling the selling dealer precisely what kind of performance you expect. It is his job to know the products he sells and what they can and can not do.
It is your job as an educated consumer to do your homework before you go to a boat show or dealership. Use BoatTEST.com performance tables to compare boats and engines. With over 1,300 tests you should be able to get a good handle on the type of performance you should be able to expect in most boat types and sizes.
Summary
It takes courage to become a first time buyer. But once you have taken the plunge you will discover that you have entered a new world. As we often say, boating is more of a lifestyle than it is a hobby or recreation. True died-in-the-wool boaters are constantly fascinated by the complexity of the sport and its challenges that they can take on when ready to go to the next level.
Remember, BoatTEST.com is always here for you to answer your questions and help you along your way, just contact us through Member Services...
Good luck on your journey!