Looking to make a cool change? Need some wind in your sails? But, how much does a boat cost? Click here to learn how you can afford your dream boat.
You see photos of your friends out on their boat and get to thinking about what it would be like to cruise around on your own.
You know boat ownership is work but the ability to go and do what you want on the water — it sounds perfect. Ah — Blue skies and smooth sailing. But then you have to think about the money.
How much does a boat cost, anyway?
Continue reading this article to learn more about how much you’re going to pay to be a proud boat owner.
How Much Does a Boat Cost? – the 101
If you want to get in on no credit check loans, you have to figure out how much money you need to request. You should know that the cost of boat ownership goes beyond the purchase price and depends on what type of boat you have.
The following tips will give you a good idea of the amount of money you’re looking at spending.
1. Determine What You’ll Use Your Boat For
While one boat might be a great buy for some people — it might not suit your needs at all.
Do you want to use your boat to fish? Ski? Tube? Figure out what you want to do with your boat and then you can figure out what type of boat you need.
Before buying your boat, make sure you’ll have time to use it. If you don’t think you’ll have time to use your boat very much, you might choose to go in with a friend or family member and buy the boat together so you can share the fun and the expenses.
3. Can You Buy a Smaller Boat?
If you start looking at boat prices, you might start to feel a sinking feeling. The bigger the boat, the bigger the check you’ll have to write.
Maybe you want a big boat but you might not need it for what you’re going to be doing with it. If you can buy a smaller boat than you originally thought about, you can save thousands of dollars in the initial cost and you can save thousands of dollars in the boat’s upkeep.
4. Think About Where You’ll Keep It
Whether you have the boat in the water or it is small enough to put in dry storage, you still have to pay to keep your boat somewhere. Storing your boat or keeping it at a dock is not inexpensive and you should price check the places around your local area to see what they charge.
5. Are You Buying New or Used?
Another big piece of the puzzle is whether you want to buy new or used. If you want to buy a new boat, you’re looking at a much heftier price tag. While the initial price tag might be higher, it could save you a lot of back on the backend.
If you buy the boat and it has problems you don’t know about, you’ll be spending time waiting for repairs. You’ll also find that repairing a boat is not inexpensive.
The Best Way to Afford Your New Boat — No Matter the Price
Now that you have some idea about the boat that you want, it’s time to talk about how to afford the boat.
1. Do Your Own Maintenance
Boat maintenance is costly if you try to hire someone to do it. You can save thousands of dollars if you learn how to do simple maintenance tasks on your boat.
2. Find Insurance with Low Rates
If you don’t shop around for your boat insurance, you’re likely to overpay. Find out which company gives the best rates to boaters.
Don’t overinsure your boat. You might be worried that something is going to go wrong and you’ll have to pay big bucks for an accident but overinsuring your boat won’t help you.
You should also look for better rates each time your insurance comes around for renewal.
3. Clean Your Own Boat
Depending on the size of your boat, having someone come out to clean it could cost you hundreds of dollars. If you own a yacht — you’re looking at thousands of dollars.
Cleaning your own boat might take a little elbow grease but it will allow you to keep your cash in your wallet.
4. Take a Driving Course
If you don’t know how to drive your boat wisely, you’re going to hit plenty of snags. When you make a mistake with a boat, the repairs aren’t inexpensive so taking a driving course to become a responsible boat driver will help you keep those unexpected repair bills to a minimum.
5. Use Your Boat Frequently
If you don’t use your boat very much, things will fall into disrepair. Taking your boat out regularly will allow you to stay on top of things that need to be taken care of so they don’t get worse.
Not only will you be able to keep your boat in good repair but when you use it often, you’re getting your money’s worth out of it.
When you use the above five tips, you’ll be able to keep your boat upkeep and other issues to a minimum after you’ve put out the initial cash for the purchase.
Make Smart Business Decisions
Your finances are big business in your life. Now that you have some idea on “how much does a boat cost?”, you can learn other smart business tips throughout our blog. Bookmark your favorite sections and come back for more great reads.
