First Post - My First Boat

So, you say, after that story why should you listen to me for advice on how to buy a boat? Well, I want people to learn from my experience. I was burned badly on my first transaction, and I don’t want it to happen to anybody else. I grew up in a boating household, the “son of a sailor” so to speak. My father already had a small cabin cruiser when I was born, and living 2 blocks from the beach on Long Island Sound was ideal for a young boy who loved rowing around in an inflatable and sailing a Sunfish on hot summer days. My father’s passion for boating and fishing combined with my family home’s proximity to the Sound, allowed me to be around boats my entire childhood. In addition to sailing on a classic 17 ft Sunfish lent to me by my brother-in-law, I enjoyed the various powerboats my father owned throughout my life, including a 21 ft center console fishing boat, as well as 25, 28 and 33 ft cabin cruisers. After finishing college and starting a professional life landlocked north of Hartford, Connecticut, I spent several years away from boating. In the spring of 1999, after cashing in some stock options from one of my successful dot-com businesses, I purchased my first boat – a 27 foot Chris Craft express cruiser.

As somebody who had worked in the Internet industry since 1996, the worldwide web was the first place I looked for information on everything from where to get a boating license, to how to get marine insurance, to how to name a boat. But content on these subjects was disparate – and it was hard to weed out sound advice from rumors and ramblings. So, at the same time that I bought my first boat, I also launched a web site (FirstBoat.com), where I began to aggregate information and resources for new boat owners. The site included either information, or links to other sites where you can find information, on subjects such as boating navigation and safety, how to choose a boat name, and information on boat loans and insurance. When I couldn’t find or write a good article to post on the site about a subject, I would provide visitors to a link to another website that might have the answers they were looking for. When visitors submitted a question that I couldn’t answer myself, I submitted it to an online boating forum where other experienced boaters might be able to provide an answer. By collaborating and staying on top of all the information that was pertinent to new boaters, I have essentially become a go-to guy for people looking for advice on buying or enjoying their first boat. New boaters know that if I don’t know the answer, then I can find the answer for them.