3rd Post: Dream Big, Buy Small

It is with these aforementioned scare tactics that I encourage you to consider a smaller boat than you currently anticipate purchasing, in order to make sure you buy a late model boat. Even if you have to spend slightly more than you anticipated now, your total cost of ownership (TCO) will be less if you buy a brand new boat or at least a high-quality boat that is less than 4 years old. Believe me, you will be much happier spending an extra $10,000 (spread over 10 years that may be only an additional $100/month) if it means you don’t have to go through the hassle of trying to sell the boat in a few years with a heavily eroded engine or hull – then you have to start all over again! Your best bet is to start smaller than you intended to, and work your way up after enjoying your first boat for a few years. It is sad when you first come to the realization that you might have to buy a smaller or less “fancy” boat than you had planned on buying.

Personally, I was in big-time denial when I first came to that realization as a buyer. Call it sticker shock or naivety, but more than one boat dealer told me that I had champagne taste and a beer budget! I was also told that I wanted the equivalent of a Jaguar for the price of a Ford Escort. What I found, as I came to the realization that I might not be able to buy the ultimate boat of my dreams right now, was that first of all, most people experience the SAME thing. Meaning, everyone I speak with at my marina wishes they had a bigger, faster or different boat than they currently enjoy. Second, by looking at the used boat classifieds and seeing the same boats for sale at boat dealerships over and over again, I came to realize the fact that if you buy a big boat that turns out to be a lemon, you may get stuck with it for a very long time – it will take longer to sell than a higher quality boat. Third, because of better and better designs each year, you may be surprised at how much more living space a brand new 24 foot express cruiser will have compared to a 10 year old 27 foot express cruiser. That’s right, a “smaller” boat in description built ten years later will likely have a bigger beam (that means it will be wider), and almost certainly will be designed to give you more room to move around in the cabin. Now, you just have to quell your ego! If you think it’s “cooler” to have a 27 ft boat built 10 years ago instead of a 24 ft boat built last year, you will be wishing you were “uncool” when your 10 year old boat is being repaired instead of letting you enjoy it on the water!