Buying a boat

Buying a boat is very different from buying almost anything else. A boat is an intensely personal thing. What may suit one person or family may not suit another. So where to start?

There are a number of basic tips. (Remember of course that these are owr views, so if you want professional advice - pay for it!)

Know your needs;
Think about your family;
Get your finance in place;
Know the market;
Think about selling;

The first step is to think about your needs. Are you looking to race your yacht? Do you want to go blue water cruising? Will it be you and your mates, or will family being going too? Finally do you want to make money from the boat? Are you prepared to charter the yacht on a bareboat basis, or perhaps with you as skipper?

Before you start looking, set a maximum price that you are willing to pay and try to avoid looking at anything priced higher. It will always be harder to stay in your price range once you've looked at more expensive boats. There's always a nicer yacht out there- no matter how much you spend. Been there - done that!

When we started looking for our new boat we wanted a yacht that had wheel steering, had a shower and fitted into our budget of 30,000 to 50,000 UK pounds. At the end of the day that narrowed down our choices to a 15 to 20 year old yacht of between 35 to 40 feet.

Once you have decided on the type of yacht you want, it is usually best to get your finance in place. Nothing will irritate a dealer more than someone who wastes time looking at boats, if they are not in a position to proceed woth a purchase. Finance is available from all sorts of sources, from personal loans, boat mortgages or a combination of both.