Unfortunately, the summer boating season is coming to an end. That’s the sad news. The good news is that Fall Boat Shows are in full swing and boaters are marking their calendars to make sure they won’t miss out on any “fall deals”.
New boaters have an opportunity to join the boating community; while seasoned boaters can trade up to a larger, a newer, or a new boat. But, buyer beware!
Buying one, two, three or even six boats doesn’t qualify you as a “Boat Buying Expert”. There is just too much to know. The majority of boat buyers make mistakes that cost them time and money, and often buy the WRONG boat.
How do you know which boat is RIGHT for you? The answer is simple—buy the one that FITS you and your family. Buying one that doesn’t FIT could ruin boating. Here is just one example of buying a boat that doesn’t fit from many horror stories in Buy a Boat With Confidence”.
MISTAKE
Not identifying the activities or type of boating before buying.
HORROR STORY
Jason bought a 28’ cruiser with 10’ beam to weekend cruise on his lake. He didn’t spend any time thinking about it. He just jumped into the purchase and got “a real deal”, because he was in the right place at the right time.
After two weekends of boating on his lake, he had covered it and was now bored. He quickly realized that what he really wanted to do was to trailer his boat to a series of lakes for a new adventure every weekend.
To satisfy his desire, Jason had to trade his wide beam cruiser for a minicruiser with 8 1/2′ trailerable beam. It cost him $10,000 overall to trade down.
If he had done his homework first and bought a boat that FIT his trip, he could have saved $10,000 and a lot of frustration and wasted time; and enjoyed what he really wanted to do with his boat right off the mark.
LESSONS LEARNED
Do your homework. Identify what boating activities you want to participate in (THE TRIP) and then purchase the right type of boat.
Don’t be in a hurry and end up with the wrong boat.
One new boater wrote to us –
“Thank you for taking the time to help out new boaters at your seminar.
My wife and I are working our way through “Buying a Boat with Confidence”.
We are very impressed with your attention to detail, and have learned many
helpful tips already in the first chapter.–
This was the first boat show we attended, so we were a little overwhelmed
with it all. Thanks again for sharing all your knowledge through your books.
We are very thankful for your offer to help us in our journey to learn to
enjoy boating, and will be sure to take you up on your offer when the time
comes.”
Don and Deb Longmire, Ontario
Don, like thousands of other “Buy a Boat With Confidence” buyers will be prepared and knowledgeable. He won’t make the hundreds of common boat buying mistakes and will save money throughout the whole boat buying process.
Equip yourself with “Buy a Boat With Confidence” before you buy your first or next boat.
Buy a Boat With Confidence will help you identify the boat that FITS–saving you time and money also ensuring a pleasant buying and boating experience. There are over 400 pages of boat buying information every boater should know before setting out to buy. It walks you through the 7-step boat buying process.
Fall Boat Show Links
Discover Boating – Boat Show List
National Marine Manufacturers Association – Boat Show List
Show Management – Boat Show List
Google your favorite boat manufacturers because many have a Boat Show Schedule on their sites.
Doug Dawson
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