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

What Type of Boat should I Buy?

Why don’t you draw up a list of questions to ask yourself? Here are ten to consider!

  1. How ambitious do I want to be – do I want to sail the seven seas or explore the inland waterways?
  2. What part of the world do I want to sail in (there might be different regulations regarding specifications)?
  3. Will I want to live aboard for significant lengths of time or will a week away be enough for me?
  4. How many people do I plan to take with me?
  5. What are the criteria which really matter to me – comfort, space, handling, or the ability to transport it?
  6. What are the things I can do without?
  7. What is my budget?
  8. How big is my contingency pot?
  9. Can I afford to buy new?
  10. Do I need finance?

These will help you to sort out the wheat from the chaff in terms of bow riders, fishing boats, sailboats, cruisers and live-aboard pèniches.

Do try to stick to your list of wishes and needs once you have drawn it up, as it is easy to get seduced by something that is a little out of your reach once you are let loose in a dealer’s showroom.  Be practical about what you can afford in terms of purchase price, maintenance expenses and running costs.  A friend of ours ruefully observed that owning a boat is like endlessly setting fire to fifty pound notes, so it is a good idea to be both disciplined and realistic at the outset as this will save you heartache later.

Once you have decided all your priorities, start visiting dealers – you can do this online in the first instance and a number of sites offer video tours of the boats they are selling.  We know a couple who bought a boat on this basis without seeing it first themselves and although they loved it and had no regrets, there were one or two nasty surprises they found out about when took possession, so our advice to you is to inspect any potential craft in detail yourself. If you are buying second hand make sure you get a boat survey carried out by an expert and if possible, a warranty to cover the first few months of ownership.  If you get the chance, take the boat, or one that is similar, out for a short trip so that you know how it feels to be at the helm.  We did a week’s holiday on the model we were thinking of buying before we committed to our purchase and it gave us added confidence when it came to the transaction.

It doesn’t do any harm to talk to people who sail the kind of boat you are considering.  If you hunt around online you can find a number of owners’ associations, for example, the Dutch Barge Association or The Cruising Association and in our experience, people are very generous in sharing their wisdom and advice.

In the end, only you will know what kind of boat makes your heart beat a little faster and just as with buying a house, you often end up with something you fall in love with.  However, do the research first, talk to as many people and visit as many sites as you can, buy from a reputable broker – we have a warm working relationship with Boatshed and can highly recommend them both for buying and selling, try the boat first to see if it suits your needs, get a survey if you are buying second hand and in all cases be clear what guarantees are on offer.  One final thing – the majority of boat owners own more than one boat in their lives.  It doesn’t do any harm to play safe to begin with, both in terms of cost and ambition.  Buying an entry-level boat doesn’t mean that you can’t trade up later once you know the ropes – in every sense!

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 . . .