5 Boat Shopping Pitfalls To Avoid


You hear the tales in the neighborhood watering holes all of the time -- these stories of woe from people whose ships don't really measure up. The mistakes people make while shopping for a ship are often the same, and you can learn from these mistakes by preventing them altogether.

1. Not Using Every Resource Available

Sure, BoatTrader.com is a superb resource for finding a boat that is used. But obviously it is not the only one. The more specific you're about obtaining a particular make and model of boat, the more you need to look under every rock you can locate, metaphorically speaking. For example, Google"Sea Ray Sundancer 260 for sale" and see what pops up. There are all kinds of metadata websites you've never heard of the hunt through local classified sites and for-sale ads, but they can be really difficult to discover. Google makes things easier by discovering and rank those other sites. And don't hesitate to click the next and third pages of Google search results. At times the best listings and information are on sites that aren't as optimized for Google searches as others.

Tell your friends at the sandbar or the local watering hole where you go angling. You never know who they understand and what kind of ships their friends may be seeking to sell. We live in a world where connections have never been more significant. Put yours to good use.

Another fantastic source is forum sites, where you are able to register and talk about what you're looking for with like-minded people. Take that Sea Ray 260 Sundancer, for instance. WTB is Internet-speak to get"wish to buy." This sets in motion a lot of individuals who might know somebody selling theirs. There are also plenty of committed owners' forums for the major boat brands. In this example, Club Sea Ray are a fantastic resource. Assess your forums every day -- there's a good deal of churn in the information exchange there.

2. Not Being Patient

How many times have you ever been missing, only to turn around and then eventually learn you hadn't gone far enough before turning around? To put it differently, you misplaced patience, and gave up before you had a chance at success. Finding a particular kind of used anything can be tough. Locating a particular kind of used boat is no different. It takes dedication, as pointed out previously, but it is probably more important to exercise a fantastic deal of patience in finding everything you're looking for. Keep looking. Keep going. Give yourself a chance to be successful. Turning back is no way to do that.

3. Focusing on Price, Not on What You Would like

I really don't know if Gucci ever owned a boat, used or new, but he'd have made a smart shopper. If you find yourself confronted with a selection of a lower-priced boat that doesn't have everything you desired, and a boat with a higher cost, yet all of the gear you were searching for, in two or three years you will have forgotten how much cash you saved. Most likely, you'll either wish you had anted up for that bimini top or gone to the expense of adding a single. Focus on what you want. Price comes second.

4. Not Casting a Net Wide Enough

True story: I once drove from Orlando, Fla., to Nashville, Tenn., to Purchase a car. I awakened Saturday, checked it out on Sunday afternoon, then drove home Sunday afternoon and arrived home late that day. Why?

Since it had been clean and well-kept enough for me to consider, it was the color I wanted, and it had the equipment I wanted -- rather than exactly what I did not want. It was the closest one to mepersonally, not an 1,800-mile round trip in 24 hours strikes me as close. I took a buddy with me and we left a road trip from it. We drank some beers in Nashville and played some pool and created some great memories.

My point is that I kept widening my circle till I discovered what I wanted. I could have waited for one to come to me, but if you get impatient it is better to throw a broader net than it would be to settle. I likely would have driven to Chicago if needed.

5. Settling

"Oh, well, I can't find a sterile Sea Ray 260 Sundancer, therefore I guess I'll just find something else."

We had names for that kind of person in grade school. Quitter was one of those kinder choices.

I suppose you need to be sure that your expectations are realistic. Perhaps there are not many 10-year-old Sundancers out there with less than 100 hours , with full canvas, double big-blocks, generators, and air conditioning, for less than $25,00. Rather than settling for something that you had not set out for, maybe have a look at the mirror and be sure your objectives are realistic. But do not settle. That never works.