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Boating Tips For Beginners No 3

OK, so we have decided on the boat we are about to fall in love with. We sort of think and dream, depending on the size of our finances and having spent endless hours reading the appropriate sail or motor boat magazines looking at pictures and endless hours on the boating web sites, how big a boat we can afford. First of all, you must set a budget and it’s always good advice to stick within it. If you can wave some of the folding stuff around when you are bargaining as your deposit, it’s surprising what effect it can have on a seller to clinch the deal. Like I explained in Tips No 2, if it’s bigger than a trailer boat, it will have to live on the water or on a hard standing generally in a boatyard or a farmers field. Boats don’t mind getting wet living on the water, providing you take them out generally once a year and paint the bottom with Anti-foul. After all, that’s what they are built for. Any boat will happily live in a marina, alongside on a river mooring or even out on a buoy mooring in the middle of a river or estuary, the only difference being cost and availability. Don’t ever buy a boat of any kind no matter how cheap it’s being given away for, without having somewhere for it to live. You could find yourself with several tons of wood, fibreglass or even steel desperately looking for a home. The above is a major consideration in any boat purchase.

Having determined a home for your future love, the vessel and its equipment you intend to buy should be thoroughly surveyed preferably by a professional. A marine surveyor could save you a lot of heartache and pots of money by advising and reporting on any obvious or pending faults. They don’t cost the earth and are a sound and wise investment. This is the start of your bank account starting to grow holes and the numbers on the bottom of the statement getting less with each viewing. But don’t worry, you can’t take it with you and if you don’t have your boat then some loving relative is going to spend it for you.

Also speak to several insurance companies and get some quotations on the type of boat you are thinking of buying. Like car insurance, it is essential and accidents on water can be very costly.

Ask the owner of any intended purchase you are considering, how long they have owned the boat, have they proof of ownership and their reason for selling. Ask has the boat ever been involved in any accidents or suffered any damage and what if any repairs have been carried out. Invoices and service records are a must and the most important invoice you need to see is that the VAT been fully paid at the time of original purchase. If you go into a foreign port or on the continent, you must always have this documentation together with the usual passports available otherwise your boat could be confiscated.

Right, the survey comes back with advice to carry out some repairs to ensure that the vessel is seaworthy which will be a major consideration when you come to make an offer, any defaults are bargaining pawns that determine the actual price to pay as are any extras such as life belts, life rafts, tenders and outboards. Crockery, gas bottles, flags, flares (in date) ropes etc, etc. Always try to get as many extras thrown in because these can put extra hundreds on the price. It’s only when you get home that you realise “Where are the Fenders”. They start from about £10 and go up. So make a list of everything included and make sure it is complete at point of purchase.

Author: A Shea

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