Buying your first boat, step by step
Most regret about a first boat comes from buying for an imagined lifestyle instead of a real one, or from skipping the inspection to save a few hundred dollars. These steps keep you out of both traps.
Start with how you will use it
Picture an ordinary weekend, not a dream vacation. Where will the boat go, how many people will usually be aboard, and what will you do once you get there? Fishing, towing a tube, cruising to a waterfront restaurant and overnighting all point to different hulls.
Your water matters as much as your plans. A shallow lake, a tidal river and open coastal water each reward a different design, and the size of the boat decides whether you can trailer it home or need a marina.
- Pontoon boats: stable, roomy and easy to handle on calm lakes and rivers.
- Bowriders: versatile day boats for cruising, swimming and watersports.
- Center consoles: walk-around fishing boats that handle chop well.
- Cabin cruisers: overnight comfort, with higher fuel and upkeep costs.
- Sailboats: slower and quieter, with a learning curve that many owners love.
Budget for the whole cost, not the price tag
The purchase price is the easy number. A common rule of thumb sets aside roughly 10 percent of a boat’s value each year for upkeep, and storage, insurance and fuel come on top of that. Older or larger boats often run higher.
Price the recurring costs before you shop so the monthly figure doesn’t surprise you in August.
- Storage: a marina slip, dry-stack rack, storage yard or your own driveway.
- Insurance, which many marinas require before they will give you a slip.
- Routine service, bottom paint, winterizing and spring commissioning.
- Registration, taxes, fuel and a trailer if the boat travels by road.
Decide between new and used
A new boat comes with warranties, current safety features and a known history, but it loses value quickly in its first years. A well-kept used boat can deliver far more boat for the money, provided you verify its condition instead of trusting the listing.
Dealers can help with financing, trade-ins and after-sale service. Private sales are often cheaper, but every protection a dealer would give you becomes your own job, from checking the title to arranging the inspection.
Inspect before you commit
Make any offer on a used boat subject to a satisfactory survey and sea trial. Hire an independent marine surveyor, ideally one accredited by a professional body such as the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors or the National Association of Marine Surveyors, and never one suggested by the seller. Insurers and lenders often ask for a condition and valuation survey, and a separate engine inspection is worth paying for on any boat with significant hours.
During the sea trial, run the boat the way you will actually use it.
- Start the engines cold and watch for hard starts or heavy smoke.
- Check gauges, temperatures and steering at idle, cruise and full throttle.
- Look for water in the bilge before and after the run.
- Test electronics, lights, pumps, horn and every switch on the helm.
- Listen for vibration or new noises at different speeds.
Get the paperwork right
Every modern boat carries a 12-character hull identification number. Make sure it matches the title, registration and bill of sale, and that no one has altered the plate. Ask the seller to prove the boat is free of loans or other liens before money changes hands.
Every state requires you to register a motorized boat that isn’t federally documented, and many states title boats as well. Larger boats that measure at least five net tons can be documented with the U.S. Coast Guard, and buyers of documented boats can request the vessel’s ownership and lien history from the Coast Guard’s National Vessel Documentation Center.
Insure, equip and learn the rules
Compare agreed-value policies, which pay a value fixed when you buy the policy, with actual-cash-value policies, which subtract depreciation after a loss. Confirm the navigation area the policy covers and the liability limit your marina expects.
Federal rules set minimum safety equipment for recreational boats, and most states require boater education for at least some operators, often depending on age. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary offers free vessel safety checks that walk you through what your boat needs to carry.
- A properly sized, approved life jacket for every person aboard.
- A throwable flotation device on boats 16 feet and longer.
- Fire extinguishers, visual distress signals and a sound-producing device where required.
- Working navigation lights for any trip after sunset.
- The engine cutoff lanyard or wireless link, worn whenever a boat under 26 feet with a cutoff switch is up on plane.