What to Look For in a New or Used Boat

Humanity has long since had a close relationship with water. Although not a marine species, human beings have long since used water for boating for fishing, trade, exploration, and even warfare. Many remove landmasses such as Australia were first inhabited by boat-riding early humans, allowing the human race to truly spread across the globe. Boating dates back long before the written word, and boat technology has come a long way since then. Primitive fishing boats later became caravels and triremes, and warships such as galleons appeared. Later, metal boats and ships powered with steam appeared, including warships and passenger liners, and later diesel and even nuclear-powered vessels.

But not every ship out there is a Navy destroyer. The United States is home to a robust and popular civilian boating industry, and many pontoon boats for sale, speed boats, and fishing boats for sale can be found from coast to coast. An interested buyer may find many boats for sale in their area, even in dry areas far from the nearest body of water. What’w the current size of the industry, and what should a buyer keep in mind when looking for boats for sale?

The Industry of Boating

Many sales reports show that Americans are buying more recreational boats than ever, including among younger adults. These boats are often natively made, and most Americans live within an hour’s drive to a navigable body of water, too. This means that boating customers can be found in nearly any state, not just states such as Michigan and California. Overall, the American boating industry has an economic impact close to $121.5 billion, and that’s including direct, indirect, and induced spending of all kinds. This http://www.mysuitesandco.com/ industry also supports around 650,000 direct and indirect American jobs and some 35,000 small businesses, all related to docks, building or repairing boats, marine supply stores, and more. Sales are growing, in fact. Annual American sales of boats, marine products and related services saw a 3% boost in 2016 to reach $37 billion, and that trend was once predicted to continue throughout 2018. Similarly, sales of power boats was expected to grow 6-7% over 2016.

Who is buying these boats for sale, such as pontoon boats and speed boats? The numbers show that the typical boat owner is a middle-class, middle-aged adult with a household income below $100,000 (but not necessarily a lot lower). Something similar can be said about RV, car, and house buyers, who tend to be middle-aged, married adults with solid incomes. All the same, many Millennials, young adults born between 1982 and 1995, are making up a larger percentage of RV, boat, car, and house customers. This, in turn, means that marketers are paying close attention to the spending habits and interests of these Millennial buyers, and that includes boat sales. This may shape the industry in coming years, since Millennials are now old enough to afford major purchases such as this. But whether a boat buyer is a Millennial or their Baby Boomer parents, they should know what to look for in a boat for sale.

The Finest Boats for Sale

A customer may find boats for sale at a retailer even far from a nearby body of water. This is possible since boats may be sold on and with trailers meant to carry them around, and a powerful enough SUV or truck can tow them to and from bodies of water and storage sites. New boats will be among the most expensive boats to buy, but they have modern standards of power, fuel efficiency, safety, and features, and they may boast features that older boats lack. Such new boats will be free of any mechanical issues and will have full factory warranties in place, and may be quite stylish.

Used boats are also an option, and like used cars, they may be bought at a greatly discounted price but should be test-driven first. A used boat’s engine may be checked for issues after a trial run, and the buyer may check for any cracks or holes in the hull. If everything checks out, the used boat may be bought. The owner may make small and easy repairs, such as replacing worn out boating carpet.