I see a lot of first time boat buyers at boat shows and the most common remark I hear is “I didn’t realise how many different brands of alloy boats there are, I knew what I was going to buy before I came here”.

They all have similar concerns and questions they ask as well, if you are getting into boating these questions are something you may well want to consider.

Handling the Boat

Handling the Boat When Towing

People frequently ask all up tow weight but often forget there will also be a rating on your tow bar for downwards weight on the tongue, while tow weight can’t be helped downwards weight can be by correct positioning of the axle(s).

Too much weight and your vehicle may have trouble steering and braking, too little weight and the trailer will push the back of your vehicle around (fishtailing).

As well as this remember:

· Trail weight over 1500kg must have hydraulic brakes.

· Trail weight over 2500kg must have electric over ride brakes.

· Combined weight (vehicle and trailer) over 2500kg must have class 2 licence.

Handling the Boat at the Ramp

The next thing I get asked a lot about weight for is holding the boat at the ramp while the car is being parked, whether it’s “the missus” that has to hold it or even people using it by themselves.

The truth is if you have a properly designed system for loading, unloading and holding your boat any size should be easily manageable.

Things like trailer guide poles, bow rope’s, stern rope’s, small holding anchors etc can all be made use of to take the work out of your time at the ramp, this may sound complicated but if you have the right length ropes etc worked out it will be very quick and easy.

Make sure you know the ramp you are going to use and be confident using it, if you are nervous about it have some practice runs when no one else is around, if you are nervous at the ramp you will be more likely to get flustered, make bad decisions and end up giving up on boating.

Be the person calmly giving the other red faced boaties a hand, not the one needing it!!.

Handling the Boat on the Water

Despite what the marketing around says there is no secret formula or weapon.

For hull design, everything comes at a compromise, more stable at rest the harder it rides, better in a head sea worse in a following sea etc, there are few things that can be done to bend the rules but they still come at a compromise.

Welded variable width chine’s can help performance but cost more to fabricate.

Flooding keels create stability at rest but add weight so require more horsepower for similar performance to non flooding hulls, require deeper water to launch as they float lower and the nature of the cavity makes it impossible to clean all the salt out which may cause corrosion at a later stage.

Deep vee’s often require planning strake’s for lift which adds wetted surface which in turn makes a hull less efficient and can make an alloy hull a lot noisier inside.

The bottom line is narrow down the models you like and test drive them to see if the performance is what suits you.

The Price

The Initial Purchase Price

There is no magic wand that can be waved over a boat to make it magically appear, if it is cheaper than the competition it is at the expense of something else, if the boat has similar features then it might be the trailer that is inferior or something behind the scenes that no one asks about, electrical wiring loom, steering components, navigation lights, bilge pump even the aluminium itself can be imported to save money and while it’s grade can still qualify as “Marine Grade” it’s quality can be a big step down (I have seen some inferior marine alloy go rusty!!).

There are of course ways to cut cost without cutting quality, simpler designs can cut labour down, a dealer trying to move a boat that he’s had for a while may cut their margin or you may get a better deal direct from the factory if this is an option.

Resale Value

Often a first boat is a stepping stone whether it’s planned that way or not, something to consider which often isn’t, is what the boat will be worth to sell or trade in 2-5-10? Year’s time.

A look through the magazines or online to see how much, and how many of the models, or even just the brands you are looking at, are selling second hand for can help make your decision, if there are a heap of them for sale second hand why? Or, if you can find hardly any or they move quickly chances are you will get closer to your asking price.

The Warranties

I frequently get asked “how long is the warranty” answer “3 years” they tick the box and that’s it.

Be sure you know what is covered under warranty and for how long. ASK! A 1-2-3-5+ year warranty WILL NOT COVER EVERYTHING. (this goes for hull, trailer and motor and the warranty may be conditional)

It may seem strange to put this under the price heading but there has to be some allowance made for this across the products sold and maybe sometimes cheaper can mean less warranty.

You will always have some cover under the consumers guaranties act and while you might think you are clever screwing the price down on the retailer at the time of purchase he will remember it and can still make it difficult to claim while still staying inside the terms of trade.

Boat Size

Or more specifically “What does the number on the side refer to?”

It should really only be used as a guide, some people think because the number on one boat is bigger than another it must be a bigger boat. Not true, there is no standard measurement for what the number has to refer to, it can be:

· LOA (length overall) which is tip to tip.

· HL (hull length) which is excluding additions like boarding platforms and bow sprits.

· LWL (length on water line) which is basically the length of contact the boat makes with the water when floating.

As well as variations in between, the best advice I can give people is to forget about the number on the side, stand in the boat and see if it “feels” big enough, if you need to get a tape measure out to satisfy yourself.

But… What Will It Be Used For?

Now all your questions are answered time to buy a boat right? Have you thought about what you want the boat for? In alloy fishing probably but have you really thought about what is required, I get the odd person come through that has really thought and is prepared but the rest will more than likely will end up with what the dealer sells them, usually it is something that kind of fits the bill, the customer is happy but doesn’t know the difference anyway.

But the dealer is very happy because that boat was on finance and was starting to cost him money.

This to me seems wrong, I like to do my best to give the customer exactly what will suit them best, I like to listen, offer alternatives or solutions and ask questions, in the long run it will result in happier customers.

Some of the questions I ask which you should know the answers to before buying are:

Primary Use

What will it be used for the majority of the time? Usually fishing for alloy as I said, how much of the time 50% - 80% more?

Secondary Uses

These are the things it may be used for occasionally, Diving, Water skiing, Overnighting etc.

But be careful how much of the boat is dedicated to secondary uses be realistic, I see a lot of people buy a boat because they want to overnight in it, do it once don’t like it, then the majority of the time they spend out the back on top of each other as they didn’t prioritise correctly.

You may be able to add uses together to better determine your requirements i.e. if you fish half the time but dive and ski a lot to you may want to forego a little cockpit space to give the boarding area more room to get on and off.

Alternatively if there is only a couple of people on the boat at a time it may not be a concern to give a lot of space to the cabin as there will still be plenty of space in the cockpit for the people on board.

Other Considerations

Number of People On Board

This needs to be considered not only from a comfort/practicality standpoint but safety as well, it is not uncommon for people, especially those new to boats to all go rushing to the side when a fish is brought up. If the boat is not capable of carrying the load you might find yourself in a nasty situation.

How Far Off Shore

How far from shore you go should also be considered, there are models in similar size ranges that are considered more “Blue water” boats, this is due to the construction methods and materials used.

Towing Considerations

What will the boat be towed with? Will it be safe to tow? Is it legal to be towed with it?

Boat Storage

Where will it be stored? Will it fit length wise, height wise, width wise?

Your Budget

Don’t be afraid to let the dealer know what your budget is, there may be other options to bring price down but still get what you want, and you will never know if you walk away without giving them the chance.

If you have a budget then stick to it but remember the most expensive way to buy is on price, only to realise it’s not exactly what you wanted.

Sometimes the better option is to hold off a little longer till what you really want is in budget.

Final Advice

Now you should be ready to buy a boat.

Make sure you drive the deal with the seller to get what you want not what they want.

That’s enough unbiased advice, now it’s time for my plug.

Here at Marco Boats

Here at Marco Boats we do our best to give you the boat you want we have a range of 20 models from 4.4m to 7.6m (LOA 4.4 to 8.3) so can find something to fit your requirements.

We mostly build only to order so don’t have stock to try to force on you.

We don’t even have dedicated sales men to bug you, everyone you talk to welds or grinds or fits out (except Laurette at reception), this means we all know exactly what goes into our boats and a fair bit about them as well.

We do of course have some dealers around as well and their circumstances may be a little different to ours but, the ones we do have we still have, because they give our customers the attention and after sales service we require and you expect.

As well as that you have our commitment to making sure our customers are as happy as possible.

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Marco Boats is a commercial business dedicated to the design, manufacture, sale and repair of customised aluminium fishing boats. The contents of the site are made available to help customers make the best choice when buying their next boat. To ensure you make the best selection please use the enquiry form to discuss your needs with a Marco Boats representative.