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Friday, 9/5/2008 Buying
Your First Boat
There are
some key questions you need to answer before buying your first boat.
What size water will you be operating on? Small rivers and lakes? Very
large bodies of water? How much money do you have budgeted? It's easy
to get caught up in the "must have this and that feature" trap when
looking at new boats. Don't go overboard (no pun intended!) and spend
more than you can afford. With that in mind, here are a few tips:
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Tow
vehicle - You must have an adequate tow vehicle. Boats and their
trailers can easily weigh over 3500 lbs. You want to ensure that the
vehicle you plan to tow your boat with has the rating to get the job
the done, especially when pulling your boat up hills or mountains. A
good, professionally installed transmission cooler will help keep
things running well. Better yet, buy a vehicle with a towing package
already installed at the factory.
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Aluminum
- An aluminum boat is cheaper than fiberglass, and more
forgiving of mishaps that occur, like banging into the dock or hitting
submerged stumps or rocks. A drawback is they ride rougher and are
easily blown around with the slightest wind. In smaller lakes, a 16-17
foot aluminum boat would probably be a good choice.
-
Fiberglass - A fiberglass boat is more expensive than aluminum, but
can handle rougher water and give you a smoother ride. Also, they can
go faster.
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New or
Used - There are several advantages to buying a used boat. You can get
a larger boat for the money and used boats tend to hold their value
much better. Of course you can end up with someone else's headaches.
Outboard engines are known for being short lived and other things that
don't show up on casual inspection. If you're planning to buy a used
boat, be sure you know a lot about boat inspections or take someone along that does. You can also find boat inspection guidelines on the
internet.
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Boat
Handling - There are many subtle nuances to boat handling, and not
just learning to launch and retrieve. Listen for the pitch change when
trimming down, and learn how to handle things like shallow water
take-offs. If unsure, take someone along that knows how to handle a
boat and get a few lessons.
-
Safety
and Regulations - Make sure you know the regulations for boating in
your area. You will be held responsible for things like missing life
jackets, no registration. etc. A lot of boat ramps operated by
government agencies will have officers at the dock that are looking
for problem areas. At the least, you should have enough life jackets
for every person on the boat. And don't forget a properly charged and
rated fire extinguisher. Take enough fuel to make your complete
round-trip with plenty to spare. Don't forget a radio and navigation
devices if you are going to be a long way from shore.
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