When most people think about boating, they imagine an expensive-looking boat with an illustrious name stylized on its side-essentially something they could never dream of affording. What they don’t know is owning and maintaining a boat can be a lot cheaper than you think.
Once you take the initiative to go down to a local boat dealership, you will find that owning a boat is a lot cheaper than you think. With less than $300 every month or so, you could get yourself a new boat in no time at all.
Of course, buying a boat is not all there is to be an actual boat owner; it just about covers most of the cost of owning a boat. The other things you have to worry about are expenses like maintenance, Insurance, storage, and winterization. Once you understand those costs and you are well aware of what it takes to deal with all of them, you are well on your way to becoming a legitimate boat owner.
Maintenance
Maintenance for a typical boat can be a lot cheaper than most people anticipate. A bulk of the maintenance and care that the typical boat needs can be provided by routinely scrubbing down with fresh water after each trip.
More extensive maintenance includes oil changes, engine checks, and periodic repairs. Depending on which area you live in, the cost can vary. The price mostly depends on the professionals that live in the area. They mostly charge on an hourly basis, so you should factor that into your calculations before you decide to buy a boat.
Insurance
Just like you get Insurance for your car, you also need Insurance for your boat. Boating accidents can be just as dangerous as motor accidents. To get the best out of your boat, you should invest a sizable sum in its safety. The costs of Insurance are heavily dependent on a number of factors. The insurance company will factor in the size, age, length, type, and original cost of the boat before they give you an actual quotation.
Before you go with any insurance company, you should compare premiums, and search for better prices online. You should also take boating courses; boating classes can help you reduce the cost of premiums. Since you will be learning about how to take care of your boat better, fewer accidents are guaranteed to happen.
Winterization And Storage
It’s important to find a safe place to store your boat while it’s not on the water. There are loads of safe ways to store your boat that are not as expensive as you might like to think. The first is storing it on a trailer in your yard.
You could also rent out a rack facility assuming your boat is not too big. These facilities usually don’t cost a lot of money, and they keep your boat safe in trailer-like units. You could opt for year-round storage or something more seasonal. If you own a larger vessel, you could also store your boat in a marina slip like at Cedric Marina. Like with most service-based companies, the prices differ from region to region.
