Buying a Boat at a Boat Show

Biggest Mistake

Too many boaters make the biggest mistake at the Boat Show. They purchase the boat and are sorely disappointed later. All this could be avoided with a little homework ahead of time.

The biggest mistake people make is buying a boat, before they decide what activities they want the boat for. A few examples:

The kids needed a head, but the bowrider didn’t have one.

The cottage taxi boat didn’t have a big enough motor and was too bulky for skiing at the cottage.

The guy who fell in love with and bought a narrow beam mid cabin cruiser, but it wasn’t roomy enough for his family of "large" people. It looked suitable to him at the Boat Show, but when his family was aboard, it was tippy and wouldn’t perform under the load. Worst of all, it turned out to be an "excuse me" boat. Every time they moved, they had to say "excuse me" because of the small space. We know families this has happened to and they had to cut their holiday short and buy a larger boat to suit them.

The bed was too short leaving the feet hanging over the end.

There wasn't enough room for the knees when sitting on the head.

Don’t make this common mistake.

Don’t end up buying the wrong boat. It could cost plenty to trade.

Don’t waste valuable time buying a boat that doesn’t "FIT" your needs.

First Step

The very first step in buying a boat should be,deciding what your boating activities are going to be. This should be done well ahead of attending a Boat Show, in consultation with your family.

Will your primary activity be waterskiing, day cruises, day sailing, fishing, overnight trips, weekend trips, week trips, longer cruises, cottage taxi, speed, or a combination? What will your secondary activities be? Do you want a boat for fishing but also want to go on overnight trips from time to time? Do you want a cottage taxi but still want to be able to take day long trips and ski at the cottage?

Take the time to identify your primary and secondary activities FIRST.

Once you have identified your primary and secondary activities, you need to match up the activities with the right type of boat.

Help is Available

Need help matching your activities with the 70 different types of boats (not brands, but types) on the market? Since there are 70 different types of boats on the market, don't feel bad if you need help during this matching process. The representatives at the Show can offer some help or you can use "Boating Activities and Boat Types". It has over 100 pages describing the 12 boating activities and all 70 boat types. As well, the boat types are cross referenced to the activities, so they are already matched up for you.

Each boat type is described with primary and secondary activities, size range, motor type, fuel type, hull type, whether they are trailerable, how many people the boat holds or sleeps, price range new, price range used, features and benefits.

"Boating Activities and Boat Types" is available as a pdf file, so you can download immediately"--no shipping or printing costs at ww.BoatingWithDawsons.com/products.

At a Boat Show, You should be able to..

When you go to a Boat Show, you should be able to clearly describe the type of boat you are looking for that "FITS" your family activities.

If you need help identifying the right boat type to FIT your family activities, "Buy a Boat With Confidence" takes you through the entire 7-step boat buying process to help you avoid the mistakes of others and buy the right boat that "FITS" you and your family. Throughout the process, you will SAVE money.

To get your copy of "Buy a Boat With Confidence" go to www.BuyTheRightBoat.com It is available as an electonic download or as a printed copy. The book comes with 4 bonus reports.

Whoppin Wakes

Again, many thanks to all our subscribers who contributed their stories and challenges with monstrous wakes. "Whoppin' Wakes" is now completed and on the site. All contributors have been emailed their complimentary copy. Others can be ordered at http://www.boatingwithdawsons.com/howto/Wakes.html

34 Pages teach you how to be a Wake Conquerer--not a Wake Victim--only $9.95.

Next Newsletter

We'll discuss the "Boat Buying Budget". How much should you spend on the boat portion of your budget and what else do you have to budget for?

Knowing how much you have to spend and what makes up the whole boat purchase will take the stress out of buying your boat.