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Buying a Boat

I wanted to share some thoughts about boat buying.  I’ve been around boats most of my life, in fact my father used to tell me stories about going fishing with him while I was in a baby carrier.  It has been said that the two happiest days in your life are  the day you buy your boat and the day you sell it.  I can’t imagine owning real estate  in Wilmington, NC without a boat and I hope I never experience the latter part of that old adage.

I want to talk a little about an “all-around” boat, something you can fish inshore and on calm days head out on the ocean.  I would recommend something in the 17-19 foot range with a center console.  In today’s tough economic times a boat like this can be easily maintained at little cost.

19ft inshore boat

Photo from Boats.com

When looking at boats, keep versatility in mind.  You might have a family that likes to water ski or go tubing and a boat like this will do the trick as well as being rigged as a fishing machine.  Also, keep freshwater fishing in mind as you can trailer it to some of our local rivers and lakes.

One of the biggest mistakes that I see folks make is buying a boat that is functional for their immediate need but which does not accommodate all their current and potential requirements.   Time, money and frustration could be saved by carefully looking at all potential current and future uses.

This is a great time to buy as  there are plenty of good used boats out there.  There are also terrific deals on new boats as well.  Just turn left out of the Eastwood Gate from Landfall NC and guess what?  Water galore!!

Remember to practice catch and release and, please, take a kid fishing!

Jim Coley/Broker

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