Re: Thinking of buying a boat
The very first thing you need to be concerned with is will this be a trailer boat or will you rent a slip? Salt water or fresh water? If you do fresh water only, glass or aluminum boats are fine. If it will live in salt water you'll want a glass boat. If its a trailer boat, what do you have to tow it with. The towing capability of your vehicle will dictate how big the boat can be. How big is your family? Weight carrying capability (not # of people) for the boat you choose is the next thing to consider. That capacity by the way, includes motor, gas, gear, batteries and people. As a first timer, I'd recommend going with an outboard. When chosing the engine make sure its horsepower is at or very near the maximum rating for the boat. And if buying new, you should negotiate to get the engine of your choice, not necessarily the one the dealer is pushing. The most important thing you can do is "research". Narrow your list to no more than three boats of similar size, power, and features and deal on those. If you hop-skip around between brands, different sizes, different models, different horsepower, I can assure you that your first purchase will be disappointing and you'll probably end up paying too much for something you don't like. Good luck and enjoy whatever it is you end up with.
