Your First Boat

As a newcomer to boating, it's tough to make intelligent choices mainly because you don't have enough experience. That often leads to the situation in which the boat you think you want ends up not really fulfilling your needs. Of course, if you've got the money to spend, that won't make much difference. You just go out and buy another one. I'm addressing here primarily those who can't afford to make a first time mistake.

This is one of the reasons why I recommended an used boat as a good first choice. If your decision is a wrong one, the amount of money invested is far less. But let's say that you're determined to buy a brand, spanking new boat.

Style  The style or design of the boat is important only insofar as that affects the practical use of the boat. As we pointed out in our Bubble Boats article, there are a lot of boats out there with the latest in new styling that may leave a lot to be desired in terms of both ergonomics and safety. A newcomer isn't likely to understand that a boat with heavily rounded fore deck can be downright dangerous. But an experienced boater knows only too well that if you can't move around on it without fear of falling on your head, or overboard, fancy styling can be as worthless as wings on an elephant.

Style also seriously affects ergonomics. Ergonomics is the study of how manufactured products relate to the movement of the human body, the intent being to create more user friendly products. When it comes to boats, ergonomics is often badly overlooked, and many boats, particularly small ones, are anything but user friendly. We've seen some incredible examples of this lately involving boats with so much upholstered seating that the only place to walk around in the boat was ON the seating. Sure, the boats looked wonderful in the pictures. But the reality was that to use the boat, you had to walk on the furniture. Pretty, yes. Practical, no.

Size -vs- Quality This, in my view, is the most important issue of all. It's human nature that we all want the biggest item for the money. After all, we have been talking about ergonomics here, and that means adequate space to move around in. But as with everything in life, more space = more money. And lots more.

Builders and designers know that the way to attract your interest is to give you as much space as possible. They also know that to do that, they have to drastically cut costs somewhere in order to give you more space for your money. In other words, builders are always attempting to give you more space for basically the same amount of money. Unfortunately, this works against our desire for decent quality, as they have to use cheaper materials and construction methods to give you that larger space for less money.

Luxury -vs- Utility  Builders also know that people are constantly demanding greater and greater luxury in their boats. Naturally, more luxury costs more money. So, again, somehow, someway, the builder has to find a way to rob Peter to pay Paul. The more fancy interiors, the more high tech gizmos and gilhickeys boaters want, the more these things drive up the price.

So where does that leave you? Well, it leaves you with same conundrum that even experienced boaters find themselves grappling with. The age old question of quality and durability versus......shall we say, pizzazz! It's a question of utility and practicality set against the lust for luxury.

Your Situation   Now, if you live on a river or lake front property and have your own boathouse, you won't find yourself with much of a problem there because you can store your fancy new boat in your boathouse at little additional cost. But since few of us live under those ideal conditions, we need to first decide where we are going to keep the boat, and how we are going to use it.

A lot of boats in the stern drive category are just fine for those that have inside storage facilities available. All that upholstered luxury will do just fine if it's only exposed to the weather on the occasions that you use it. But it's another story again for the boater who's going to keep his boat floating at a marina where it's exposed to weather all the time. Here's where a boat that's a bit more Spartan and utilitarian will benefit the owner.

Where You Use Your Boat   We can draw a general rule of thumb that the more luxurious the boat, the less likely it's suitable for rougher water environments. It's pretty easy to draw distinctions between those boats that are designed for partying and day tripping, as opposed to those that are intended to get more vigorous use. You probably already know about boats intended for rougher waters have deeper vee hulls. And you've probably noticed that there's a huge gap in the market between the more rugged sport fishing boat types and the so-called "family cruiser" or runabout.

Is there any good meld between the two? Hmmm, not that I know of, which is why I said there was a huge gap here. Which boils down to the problem of making a more difficult decision between the elements of size, shape, luxury, practicality and performance. The problem being that if you are in a place like San Francisco Bay where the wind seems to be always blowing, buying a luxury boat with a flat bottom doesn't make much sense. No more sense than buying an upholstered cocktail barge and letting it sit outside in the Florida sun for 12 months per year.

Yes, making these kinds of decisions is difficult because, in all probability, your desires are going to clash with your as yet unrecognized needs. Yes, those four color boat brochures look wonderful. But are they really? What I've discussed to this point are some of the major mistakes that first-time buyers make. They become overwhelmed by the sheer good looks of the boat, while forgetting about the more practical realities.

If you are interested in avoiding these mistakes, you need to carefully consider the points of how and where you use the boat, as well as the storage situation when it's not in use. Buying a luxurious gadabout will be fine for those who live in more ideal locations where the waters are protected or calm most of the time. They're fine for those who have inside storage available, particularly for those who will not use their boats frequently.

Next, you should consider the utility value. Here's where style and practicality often cross swords, regardless of the size of boat you're talking about. For example, a boat with a cockpit filled with luxurious seating arrangements isn't going to be much good for extended cruising or other water sports. Can't you just see it now as your guest plops down his scuba gear or water skis on that sparkling white cockpit upholstery? Or what about when he or she heads down below dripping salt water wet after just having crawled out of the ocean? On your beautiful white cabin carpeting, that is.

If you're into nothing but the heavy social scene, these kinds of boats are fine. But if you and your friends are more heavily into outdoor activities, plopping down into that finely upholstered seating while dripping wet with sweat is not so fine.

Neither is heading out in rougher waters when all those finer delicacies of luxury are subjected to walls of spray cascading off the bow, and everything inside the boat getting bashed around and frequently flying through the void spaces, only to crash against some unfortunate delicacy.

Ultimately, if your investment in a boat means anything to you, you need to consider how you use the boat carefully. Choose one where the durability of its appointments matches your lifestyle.