Buy or rent a motorboat?
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As a novice watersports fan, with a preference for motorboats, you can choose to directly buy a boat. However without any experience, it is difficult to make an informed choice. What kind of powerboat complies in practice to your needs? And, do you still love sailing after staying a few days on board? Perhaps renting a boat is a wiser choice? Both renting and buying have advantages and disadvantages. Depending on your personal situation one of the two options will be for you the best choice. Here are some pros and cons of renting and buying you can consider when making your choice: Buying a boat: Advantages * Personal choice You can choose a motorboat to your own taste and application. Also you can give the boat a personal touch choosing the layout and equipment. This choice will be limited by the characteristics of a specific boat. If you buy a new powerboat at a shipyard, you often have limited choices regarding adaption of layout and equipment. Extras that deviate from the standard are usually not cheap. If you buy a second-hand ship, layout and other features are more or less fixed. You'll have to search for the boat that meets your needs and requirements. * Freedom You can go sailing where, when and how long you want to. When the sun shines, you can go to the boat and get on the water. If the weather is not so good, you plan another activity. Depending on layout and equipment, your boat can also serve as your holiday home! * At home feel You have your own stuff on board and know exactly where everything is and how all appliances and systems work. * Driving the boat You learn the characteristics of your boat well and know in every situation how the ship responds. This contributes to a nice and relaxing time on the water. * Hobby Are you a handy man? Even if you're not driving the boat, there are always chores on board. Enjoy the charm of the marina if you are not sailing. Buying a boat: Disadvantages * Investment Obtaining a motorboat usually requires a considerable investment. The money you spend on the boat is no longer available for other purposes (eg travel). Depending on the quality and type of boat, depreciation will be higher or lower. This may mean that you depreciate a lot of value within a few years. If you have a ship that is stable in value, you could even earn some money at "the end of the day". A good value evaluation with the purchase is therefore important. * Cost Except for the initial investment, owning a boat costs money yearly. Think of the cost of mooring, maintenance, winterizing, insurance and fuel. Depending on age and state of maintenance, the cost for repairs and maintenance can significantly increase. If you are handy and a bit technical, you can save a lot of money. However, you will also need time to do the work. If you have 2 left hands and / or no time you will have to delegate the work to professionals. They don't come cheap. * Freedom If you do not have a boat suited for a trailer, you are more or less bound to the waterways in the vicinity of your berth. Bridging larger distances with a boat takes a relatively long time. For people with enough free time or during long holidays this is of course no problem. Day trips and weekends are usually in the same area. All benefits of an owned boat are usually the disadvantages of hiring a motorboat. Vice versa is also true. Rent a boat: Advantages * Cost You don't need a large investment in order to drive a nice boat. You pay the rent and leave your berth. Renting a boat can be quite expensive, but for a company of several persons it is usually not more expensive than a foreign holliday. You are traveling in your hotel room! Maintenance, insurance and all chores are done by the rental company. You only enjoy the fun part of boating. * Freedom Every time you want to go boating, you can choose to go to a different location. This gives you much variety in terms of environment. You can also choose from different types of powerboats. If you have plans to sometime buy a boat, you know from experience what kind best suits your needs. Rent a boat: Disadvantages * Freedom Each time you want to go boating you timely need to make a reservation. If a nice weekend emerges it often will be difficult to rent a motorboat in the short-term. If the weather is bad during the week you rented the boat your holiday can turn out to be disappointing. * Driving the boat Every time you rent a boat, you will have to get used to the specific characteristics. It may take several days before you feel in full control. This can be detrimental to the relaxation and possibly the atmosphere on board. * At home feel In a rental boat you rarely feel at home. Before you, a lot of people used the sanitary facilities and slept on board. Good rental companies however provide a thorough cleaning but it will always remain someone else his boat. There is no best option when it comes to buying or renting. It all depends on your personal needs and circumstances. For people who have never been on a boat for a longer period, it may still be advisable to rent, prior to a possible purchase. Whether you really like boating becomes usually clear after you spent a week on a boat with your family. You will then also have a better picture of the boat you want to purchase in the future. If you like a free advice on buying or renting a motor boat, please contact us. You have decided to buy but have doubts because your lack of experience? In that case MotorbootMatch Purchase Counceling is definitely recommended. |