see also: | Buyer’s Guide | ex Hire Fleet boats | New boats |

Should I buy a New or a Used Boat?

The new boat / used boat dilemma is ultimately resolved by the size of your budget.  Most people with unlimited funds would prefer a new car to a second hand one, although the canny and experienced purchaser can often do deals with almost new or ex-demonstration models, and there are some parallels in the boating world.  If your priority is to have something tailor made to your own exacting specification, then something brand new is the obvious choice.  You can have all the extras that you want together with the reassurance of a manufacturer’s warranty and no worries about the boat’s history, its maintenance, or its condition.

Inexperienced or first time boaters might imagine that it is safer to buy new and they may perhaps lack confidence to explore the previously owned market, but it is certainly something to think about. There are risks to buying a new model: we know of people who bought directly from the boat builder before all the glitches with the steering had been fully addressed with the result that it had to be modified by the yard once a solution had been found. 

If you buy a used boat all of these wrinkles will have been ironed out (the same is also true of technology, marine or otherwise – it is often advisable not to buy the latest version but to wait for the bugs to have been removed.) If you buy a pre-owned boat, you will save money by avoiding the initial depreciation costs and it will have been properly run in. Although the boat and its associated technology might be older, everything will be tried and tested, including the reputation of a particular make or model.  If you make less of a financial commitment at the beginning, it can be easier to change your mind if you discover that your circumstances have altered or you don’t use it as much as you thought, so in a sense you have more flexibility.

Only you know what you can afford and what your needs and priorities are.  Our best advice is that always buy from a reputable dealer or broker, work out your finances stringently and see what is available for the price you have in mind. This will often determine your choices.  There are advantages and disadvantages to both options and one of the things that we love about the boating world is the wonderful variety of craft you see on your travels, from gin palaces to floating sheds.  It really is true that when you are out on the water everybody is equal, so in that sense it is a surprisingly democratic pastime.  Buy the best boat that you can without breaking your budget – you can always trade up, or down, later on – and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime…

TIP : If you buy through our partner Boatshed, they have a tried and tested sequence of Preparation and Research, Viewings, Offer, Contract and Deposit, Survey and Ownership. Check out our detailed information.

The Boatshed Sequence

More Buying and Selling Advice from Waterways Boats . . .