Your First Powerboat: How to Find, Buy, and Enjoy the Best Boat for You

by Robert J. Armstrong

Overview

Navigate the hazards of boat ownership with absolute confidence

Next to your house, your boat may well be the biggest investment you ever make. Buying and owning a boat involves one baffling decision after another. Yet informed, impartial guidance is almost impossible to find—until now, that is.

This essential manual provides a method to the madness of boat buying and ownership, plotting a straight course through an ocean of confusion while it answers such questions as:

• Why fractional ownership often makes sense
• How to avoid buying a boat you'll never use
• How to identify the Goldilocks boat—not too big, not too small
• How to choose a powering option
• How to negotiate the best deal on any boat-new or used
• How to be your own surveyor, and why even a new boat may need a professional survey
• Why you should finance your boat even if you have the cash, and where to find the best loans
• How to calculate the total cost of ownership before you buy!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071496735
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	07/21/2008
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Bob Armstrong is a respected boating author and journalist, a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed Master, and a boat captain since 1962. He is the author of the bestselling Getting Started in Powerboating. Armstrong works as a charter-yacht captain and consults on boat purchasing decisions for individuals and businesses. He has worked as a boat surveyor, a buyer's and seller's agent, and an expert marine witness.

Table of Contents

Preface     IX
Do you Really Need to Buy a Boat?
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     1
Owning a Boat Can Be a Bittersweet Pleasure     1
Viable Alternatives to Ownership     5
It's a Wrap     16
Choosing the Right Boat
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     17
The Wrong Boat Can Never Be Right     17
Things to Consider Before You Buy     18
List Your Priorities     42
Make the Sea Trial Count     43
It's a Wrap     44
New or Used?
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     45
Which Is a Better Buy?     45
Let the BUC Stop Here     50
Dealer or Private Sale?     51
Repossessions     53
"Ugly Ducklings"     53
It's a Wrap     56
Package Deals
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     57
What Does the Deal Include?     57
Final Thoughts     67
It's a Wrap     68
Financing
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     69
Who Needs Financing?     69
Boat Loan Basics     71
Money Sources     79
Registration: More than Fifty Ways to Pay the Piper     81
It's aWrap     85
Where Will you Keep It?
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     86
Where Will Your Boat Sit When It Isn't in Use?     86
It's a Wrap     95
The Joys of Trailering
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     96
Why a Trailer?     96
What, Exactly, Is a Trailerable Boat?     96
The Realities of Trailering     99
You'll Need Some Education, Too     105
It's a Wrap     105
Choosing the Right Dealer
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     106
What Makes a Dealer "Right"?     106
It's a Wrap     110
Be your Own Surveyor
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     111
Narrowing Your Choices     111
Reading the Telltale Signs     111
Assessing Value     124
Checking Out New Boats     129
The Sea Trial     133
It's a Wrap     138
But you'll Need a Professional Survey, too
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     139
Why Have a Survey?     139
Types of Surveys     140
How to Find a Surveyor     147
Specialty Surveys     148
It's a Wrap     149
Insurance: Another Way Boats are Different
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     150
They Have You Covered     150
The Devil Is in the Details     152
Policy Limits     152
Filing a Claim     158
Keeping Premiums Low     159
It's a Wrap     161
Maintenance
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     162
Maintenance Options     162
It's a Wrap     168
Warranties
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     169
All Warranties Are Limited     169
What Isn't Covered     172
It's a Wrap     174
Education
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     175
What Kind of Education?     175
Course Options     177
It's a Wrap     182
When It's Time to Sell
Do I Need to Read This Chapter?     183
Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow     183
It's a Wrap     189
Gallery of Powerboats
Bowriders     191
Center Consoles     192
Convertibles/Sedans/Sportfishermen     193
Cuddy Cabins     194
Deck Boats     196
Express Cruisers     197
Houseboats     199
Motoryachts     200
Performance Boats     201
RIBs     202
Runabouts     203
Ski Boats     204
Trawler Yachts     205
Wakeboard Boats     206
Walkarounds     207
Resources     208
Index     215