Whether you would be buying a cruiser boat that has been used previously or one in its newly-manufactured state, you’ll want this to be everything you want in your perfect boat.

You probably have heard about the notoriety of used car salesmen. The marine industry is in many ways similar to that as well.

But, relax!

For first-time boat buyers, there needs to be an extra level of care and attention given to the buying process.

Those who have owned and sailed several boats often forget this reality.

With their experience, some still get ‘taken for a ride’ while trying to buy a boat.

We’ll be discussing those important things that would help you in making sense out of your cruiser boat purchase.

But before then, let’s have a brief look at this special class of boats.

Wikipedia described cruiser boats as a special type of powerboat with onboard accommodation for the owners as well as guests.

Cruiser boats are designed for overnight stays and are suitable for those planning to live aboard their craft.

These boats have almost all of the comforts of a modern home.

They come equipped with a galley, a head, and at the very least, a berth.

They come with heating and air conditioning systems, power generators, and a few other amenities you’ll find in a modern home.

Cruiser boats range in size mostly from 25ft to about 45ft. They have most of the amenities of larger yachts. Compared to yachts, they cost significantly less and are operable by the owner rather than a special crew.

(NOTE: Are you thinking of buying a cruiser boat? You can check out this 2008 Riviera 4400 Sports Boat fo Sale here!)

Trawler owners are seen as some of the most experienced boaters in the boating industry.

Truth is that there are no statistics to back this up. But over the years, we’ve been privileged to meet a lot of boaters living the trawler life.

It turned out that many of these boaters have quite impressive cruising experiences.

But does that now mean they are experts at buying a trawler boat?

I’m not going to call anyone a trawler boating expert.

As it is said in the industry, not many people get to buy that many boats in their lifetime to make them become experts.

Even with decades of experience, you’ll still need to update yourself on the intricacies and risks of the boat buying process.

Not one person is immune to making mistakes but with the right knowledge and resources, you can get to buy the best trawler boat for the money.

This will guarantee your confidence in your boat purchase, something which will be needed for a happy boat ownership experience.

So, what’s it with Trawler Boats?

It’s often kind of difficult to define what makes a trawler a trawler.

However, it is generally accepted that they come designed with round displacement bottoms or hulls and are fitted with smaller fuel-efficient engines.

Trawlers are more of a leisure cruiser.

They average about 6 knots to 12 knots, although some more powerful displacement hull models can go as fast as 20 knots if you want more power.

If you’ll be buying a trawler boat, you won’t be in a hurry.

Rather, you’ll be getting ready to soak in the fun as you cruise leisurely en route your chosen destination.

Trawler boats are also loved because of their abundant space.

They’ll usually have spacious saloons on their main decks along with several staterooms or cabins below.

If you want to soak in the sunshine, the open aft deck will give you enough space for that.

Trawler boats can offer all the convenience of a modern home.

The 2011 Clipper 36 and the 2017 Azimut 43” Magellano trawler-style boat, for instance, has very comfortable sleeping accommodation as well as a nice galley and bathrooms.

Aside from making you comfortable all through your long distance cruises, you can also decide to live aboard your trawler. Many a boater will give anything for a thrilling and adventurous trawler life.

You’ve got a choice between choosing a new trawler boat and buying a good used trawler boat for sale.

Both of these instances come with a lot of benefits along with their downsides.

Ordering a new boat gives you greater flexibility of design and specifications.

You can also expect your boat to arrive brand new and in excellent condition.

However, this is quite expensive and you may have to wait a long while before your order gets manufactured, shipped and delivered.

Often this is longer than one year.

Used boats offer greater value but if you aren’t careful enough, a bad purchase will easily ruin your boating experience.

You can always try and find a trawler boat in excellent condition.

The 2017 Azimut 43” Magellano trawler-style boat cited as an example above is like a sweet spot between this two.

It has hardly been used, with less than 220 hours on her, and it’s still in excellent and nearly new condition. If you’ll be buying a trawler-style boat like this, you’ll be getting real value at a far lower price.

Buying a trawler boat to live the trawler life is a dream that excites many enthusiastic boaters.

However, there are a lot of things which when combined, will help to shape your boating experience.

As part of your decision-making phase, you’ll need to consider your trawler boating goals and objectives.

Answer important questions that will relate to what experience you want.

These include how much time you’ll have to be spending onboard and which places you’ll likely want to go.

Some other things include the number of people you’ll mostly have onboard which would greatly determine the perfect size of the trawler boat you’ll need.

You’ll need to also be clear on your budget for repairs and maintenance.

However, don’t over-analyse these to the extent where you’ll end up confused and not doing anything.

In our article on “How to Buy a Boat – The 3 Stages of the Boat Buying Process”, we discussed the importance of getting up to speed with the correct ‘nautical know-how’ you’ll need, so you avoid costly boat buying mistakes.

A lot of people in the market to buy a trawler boat don’t know what exactly to expect, nor do they have people they can trust to turn to for advice on how to buy a boat.

This affects their boat buying confidence, and in fact, research has shown that 70% of first-time boat buyers feel they don’t know enough to buy a boat. Therefore, many go all in with so many unrealistic expectations. This is perhaps the easiest mistake to make.

Important Tips to Help You in Buying a Trawler Boat

• Buy a boat suitable enough for the crew and passenger size as well as the cruising goals you have.
• Good used trawler boats have the best value but you should be wary of fixer-uppers. Nearly new boats like the 2017 Azimut 43” Magellano trawler-style boat are great options. The  Excellent condition and performance of this boat at prices you won’t get for brand new boats.
• Buy a boat that has an excellent maintenance record. The 2011 Clipper 36 is an example of one such a boat, lovingly maintained by her one-owner-since-new fishing enthusiast.
• Have a definite budget and financing option before going into the market to buy a trawler boat.
• Consider several options before finally settling for the most suitable one
• Be wary of fixer-uppers, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
• Be sensible with your negotiations and purchase. It doesn’t hurt to seek advice from boating experts and professionals.
• Remember that buying a boat is just the first step; you’ll need to maintain it properly and arrange for small unexpected repairs and running costs.

Conclusion

Buying a boat comes with lots of fun and benefits, no doubt! It just happens that many people find the boat buying process scary and complicated.

If you ask, a lot of people would like to own a boat. It’s however unfortunate that many of these people don’t even understand where to begin.

The process appears quite complex and overwhelming but if you find yourself in this position, you’re not really alone.

A recent study conducted by the industry organization Grow Boating, revealed some mindboggling facts.

As much as 64% of first-time boat buyers do not have enough confidence that they know enough about boats to buy one just yet.

Another 70% of the people willing to buy a boat just don’t have people they trust who can advise them on how to go with the process. You’re probably wondering why things are like this, aren’t you?

You see, it all comes down to these three things;

But if that is just the problem, then what is the solution?

This article is meant to help aspiring boat owners get a better grasp and understanding of the boat buying process. This is what we shall be discussing in the remaining parts of this article.

1. the Deciding Stage
2. Deciphering Stage, and
3. the Buying Stage
   Now, let’s examine what each of these stages consists of.

The Decision-Making Stage

The “Deciphering” Stage of the Boat Buying Process

“Buying” Your Dream Boat

Talk to a Boating Expert You Can Trust

Once again, we are approaching the tail end of the year.

The holiday season is almost here and for most aspiring boat owners, this season represents the best time to buy a boat.

It really is!

Apart from greatly contributing to the fun and anticipation in the atmosphere, it is the easiest time to get quality boats at lower prices during the holiday season, especially right from mid-December.

(NOTE: Are you thinking of buying a boat this holiday period? You can check out our ‘Nearly New Collection’ of Boats for Sale here!)

So, you’ve been dreaming and scheming about this all year long and now seems like the best time to take the plunge.

You feel very excited but then you remember you’re significant other.

You aren’t exactly sure if they’re feeling the same excitement about boating and without their consent, it’s a real possibility that the dream will just fizzle out.

Buying a boat is a big purchase and most people often over-think before embarking on such decisions.

What if your partner does not agree?

What if she or he cannot understand the beauty and tranquility of a boating lifestyle?

The onus is on you to help them see the possibilities, from your own point of view. If this seems such a big thing to do, that’s why we’re here to help you!

Here, the steps!

The best thing is never to find yourself in a position where your significant other stands in the way of your boat purchase.

This means getting them aligned with the goals and vision prior to the point of purchase.

Well prior to the point of purchase!

You don’t want to do this the hard way like this couple we heard about recently.

The man, Ben, had finally found a perfect 50ft boat he’d so much love, but the wife is clearly not interested in the idea to a boat purchase, at least, for the moment.

We decided to share this with our boating community online and well, the comments were mostly hilarious and made in jest.

Some suggested leaving the wife and finding a new wife with the beautiful boat!

Truth is if Ben had known, things might have been a whole lot better and easier.

The thing here is that there are six distinct stages that new boaters go through to boat ownership. The first step is usually the longest and a person may not progress from here for years, if at all.

While Ben is long gone into the latter stages of this journey, for some unknown reasons, the wife got left behind.

In a case like this, there is bound to be big misunderstandings.

And that is why we recommend not finding yourself in this situation. You should progress through the stages with your partner going along with you.

We’ve thoroughly explained this in our article on “How to Buy a Boat – the 3 Stages to Boat Buying” and we’ll brief it here again.

Here are the three stages involved. It is strictly necessary to have your partner onboard with you (literally) and tagging along with the plan so you both can progress at a similar pace.

This is the stage at which you desire to own a boat. Not only that; you go ahead and start to research and explore what you need to help you chart you and your partner’s boating goals, so you can get your plan underway.

This first stage with the three sub-steps is very important to help get your partner on board with your boat buying dreams.

Both of you will need to chart your goals and objectives with careful consideration of your needs, wants and expectations.

The first three steps in this first stage are very critical and will determine how far you will go with your partner on the boat buying journey.

You can read our previous article on this for a broader understanding, but this is basically what an ideal boat ownership journey should look like.

But the first thing you should do is assess yourself and discover what type of new boater you probably are.

It should interest you that there are about 6 types of new boaters;

Take a look at yourself and see which group you identify with the most.

And then, see what type of boater you think your partner will be if they were to be a boater?

Consider and understand just how critical these differences are and will impact your boating dreams along with your partner’s.

Secondly, evaluate exactly where you and your partner are, on the boat ownership journey.

This will also impact you and your partner’s boating dreams as well.

Once you have a broad knowledge of you and your partner’s place on the journey as well as the type of boaters both of you are likely to be, you should then concentrate your efforts on aligning those differences.

The last thing you can to do is to critically examine and understand how all of these things will impact your boat buying journey.

This understanding will get you prepared to handle future challenges and you’ll be right on track to successfully go through the next stages successfully and happily with your partner.

Understanding the six stages in the journey to boat ownership will basically take you and your partner from unaware to aware, from doubt to clarity of purpose, from being stuck to making actual progress, from being suspicious to being sure, from half-the picture to a full clear view, and, from fighting distractions to staying focused.

It seems all too simple but it actually isn’t.

Still, it’s a better way when you compare it with Ben’s case.

When you’re aligned with your partner from the outset, it’s a whole lot better than running around helplessly in the latter stages.

Perhaps you’ll need more info on how best to handle your specific situation. We are always available to help. You can drop us an email or schedule a call with us here at BASCO Boat Advisory Services.

We’ll be more than happy to help you with a boating strategy call.

We’ll help you get on track with the stages so your partner can be on the same page with you.

If you’ve got some other helpful tips or feedback, we’ll also be happy if you share these with us.

Cheers!

(NOTE: Are you thinking of buying a boat this holiday period? You can check out our ‘Nearly New Collection’ of Boats for Sale here!)

You may have heard about how nice it is sailing through the Australian, Pacific or Atlantic waterways. No doubt there is a lot of diverse boating destinations in these places but how about a sailing holiday in Asia?

If you do, welcome to Asia!

With a coastline of about 62,800km, Asia promises a lot of beautiful beaches and picturesque boating hotspots for boaters, sailors and holiday goers alike.

Why not schedule your next vacation and come to the largest continent in the world?

As far as boating goes, you’ve got a whole lot of adventurous destinations to explore. Let’s see!

You can begin your Asian sailing holiday from Thailand.

Thailand boasts friendly people an outstanding cuisine and even more than a handful of some of the best boating destinations in Asia.

You get to cruise and sail amid the beauty of limestone cliffs rising straight out of the sea.

You get to see white and sandy beaches that are very inviting and beautiful.

You can also hop off your boats into the lush forests and experience the beauty of nature.

Thailand has it all and can be your gateway to an unforgettable sailing and boating holiday in Asia

Exploring the Phang Nga Bay of Thailand promises you breathtaking views and an experience you’ll remember forever.

From the Koh Kudu Yai with its forested limestone cliff towering above the waters, you still get to see the clear blue sky above making it seem like you’re right in the middle of a paradise.

You can explore the Koh Phanak with a small boat. Here you’ll be welcomed by high limestone cliffs and overgrown lush vegetation.

The Railey Beach Krabi, the Koh Hong, and the entirety of the Phang Nga Bay will no doubt excite most boaters making a strong case for Thailand as one of the best boating destinations in Asia.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind at the mention of India?

Elephants, tigers, jungles, or religion?

You’re actually right but this diverse country is even more than these. India boasts a solid heritage as far as culture and ancient architecture is concerned.

But there’s even more. The Indian coastline offers much more and is a pretty nice destination for your next sailing holiday in Asia.

So, where do you start in India? Let’s go Kerala!

Myanmar

Indonesia

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Malaysia

So, how do you plan to sail through Asia for your next holiday?