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!
Real Life Case Study: Don’t Find Yourself in this Position!
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.
Understanding the Journey to Boat Ownership
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.
Understanding the Steps to Boat Ownership Confidence
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.
It all starts with the desire and decision-making phase.
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 second stage is the deciphering stage and then the final buying stage.
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.
Getting Your Partner Onboard & Along with You
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;
The Gear Guys
Merry Mates
Luxurious Leisurers
Water Weekenders
Seclusion Seekers, and
Nautical Natives
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.
Conclusion
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!)
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