There’s certainly nothing more exciting than studying to be a skipper. The art of sailing tends to be one of the most elusive areas of study for many of us, after all. It’s a luxury in itself to be out on the water at all, whether you find yourself cruising on luxury catamarans or setting sail on some humble monohulls.
Once you’ve graduated from sailing school and received your boat licence, however, chances are high that you’ll want to procure your very own vessel for your first solo seaside journey, and we urge you not to cannonball into this process. Buying a boat is substantially more complicated than buying a car, with elements like servicing and storage being some of many key considerations that will need to be made well before you even leave the docks.
We’ll be exploring some other notable considerations you’ll need to make prior to procuring your own little vessel below.
Outlining Your Boating Budget
The first thing you’ll need to do is get a firm understanding of your boating budget, and we don’t just mean the amount that you’d be comfortable to spend on your vessel alone. Your boating budget refers to the overall costs of boat ownership, meaning that you should be factoring in the estimated costs of ongoing boat servicing, storage, and maintenance, as well as the costs of your safety gear and other supplies that you’ll need to source before leaving on your maiden voyage.
Different vessels have different mandatory and recommended safety gear and requirements, and it’s your responsibility as a boat owner to ensure that your future vessel meets these standards. Going over your boating budget on the cost of your vessel alone may result in you not being able to actually take your boat out on the water for months to come, simply because it wouldn’t be safe nor potentially even legal to do so. Purchasing a vessel within your overall budget, however, will ensure that you’ll be able to flex your new sailing skills almost amongst signing your purchase agreement.
New VS Used Vessels
But what if you can’t find any boats that are within your budget? Well, you may or may not be surprised to hear that the vast majority of first-time boat owners actually do opt to buy a pre-owned vessel over a brand new boat. There are countless benefits to buying a used vessel over a new boat, especially for first-time boat owners. Although lower prices may be amongst the most primary benefits to buying pre-owned boats, setting sail on a pre-owned vessel can also take a lot of the pressure off of new sailors during their maiden voyage. Alongside this, pre-owned boats are also more likely to come with some additional gear, especially if the previous owner is selling with the intention of putting their sailing career to rest.
There are, however, some concerns to keep in mind whenever you are looking at a pre-owned boat, with visible damage being just the tip of the iceberg. Other factors like engine performance and the condition of the hull must absolutely be considered prior to purchase. You should be wary of pre-owned vessels that aren’t accompanied with thorough documentation of their complete servicing history. If there are even tiny gaps in that vessel’s servicing history, you should set your sights elsewhere. And it is definitely your right to ask the seller questions during your pre-purchase inspection of the vessel.
Of course, the main advantage of buying new is that you’ll have a guarantee that that vessel has procured no damage whatsoever. With regards to some new models, you’ll also be able to experience the most up-to-date design features and on-board technologies for effortless modern sailing. If you can’t stretch your budget to purchase a new vessel but would still prefer to buy new over pre-owned, you do have the option to seek out a boat finance plan that will allow you to invest in the vessel of your choice without having to compromise.
Pre-purchase Inspection, Maintenance, & Storage
Whilst we have touched upon these next three considerations in a financial context, it’s well worth noting that there is a bit more to organising your pre-purchase inspection, ongoing boat maintenance, and boat storage than assessing their respective costs alone. For instance, you should have a solid idea of where exactly you’d like to moor your boat when it’s not in use. Is there a local dock that you’d like to use? Are you aware of the requirements that this dock holds for its owners?
You may even decide that you don’t want to rent out dock space, and opt to keep your vessel in a private boatshed on land. Of course, dry boat storage may hold certain disadvantages for specific types of boats or potentially even for boat owners, so these considerations should absolutely be kept in mind during your boat purchasing process.
Similarly, your boat maintenance should ideally always be managed by a licensed boat mechanic who has had experience working with the type of vessel you’re looking to purchase. If you have a mechanic in mind, it’s well worth consulting with them prior to purchasing, just to ensure that they’ll be able to conduct your servicing and any necessary repairs with total authority.
Mapping Out Your Journey
Finally, with all the housekeeping out of the way, your purchase papers signed, and your boat being sent straight to your mooring or boatshed of choice, all that’s left to do is ready yourself for your highly anticipated maiden voyage! Where will be your first stop? Will you be embarking alone, or will your family or any friends be accompanying you?
Be sure to map out your itinerary using estimations of your travel speed and the time you’d like to allocate to all the sights that dot the way to your final destination. And make sure that you keep a detailed log of your journey too, both for the sake of immortalising all the windings and wanderings of your first jaunts as a skipper, as well as for ensuring that you stay in the loop with any issues that may arise with your vessel along the way.
