I’ll take two of those and that yacht please!
We can all agree that boating has been around for centuries. Trade routes formed, recreational sailing became a ‘thing’ that people can go out and enjoy, and of more recent times, yachting has emerged as the new winner in travelling in style.
So, with so many yachts of varying sizes on the market, what should I be looking at?
A wise man once told me, “At the moment you think you should do something, it’s at that point in time, action should be taken.” Now I might be taking this a little out of context as it was more in regards to saving your vessel and your own life, but hey … it works in this instance too.
If you were to utter the phrase “I’d like to buy a yacht” whilst walking down a dock, I’m fairly confident more than a few people will jump out and offer their services. But when it comes to picking the right yacht, at the end of the day the decision lays on your shoulders alone! Pick the wrong yacht, and just like an old relationship, they can and will trouble you till the cows come home.
However, if I’m ready to get out on the water and I want a boat now, what should I do?
The answer to this million-dollar question is, Buy or build the one that you like the most! Maybe it’s one that you saw that had this amazing interior, or maybe you walked onboard and felt immediately at home. Whatever reasoning you have at that time, that is the reasoning that will help propel you forward into purchasing your next yacht.
So, if I’m telling you to shop around based purely on emotion, won’t I inevitably find myself with a possible lemon?
Of course, there are more than a few opportunities to fall into a yacht that should really be made an ornament or scrapped, but with the right people in your court, you can always mitigate these pitfalls.
The reason I bring this up, is that the standard of construction is improving every single month, and the likelihood of falling prey to a bad egg is reduced. Now some manufacturers’ products are sometimes more prone to warranty items, but if you do your homework, and the builder is using well-made and respected machinery and parts, you will benefit from their knowledge and pedigree.
Yachting is very much driven by what the market is willing to pay, and if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. However, there will be times when some key negotiating can come into play to allow you to make a move on a yacht that really needs some work. Having a good survey will help you with this process … oh, and a good broker too!
If you are relatively new to yachting and don’t feel confident that your choices are strong, ask around and ask the questions that you think are relevant to what you want. You may not get the right yacht first time around, you might find that moving up slowly in size every few years is something that is more palatable. Speak to some captains, talk to a few brokers, but most of all, before you do anything … know the Reason why you want a boat and How you want to use it.
Once you have that, it makes a world of difference in finding you that first yacht. If you don’t see what you like … hey, let’s create one for you!
Blue Skies!
Follow my journey @BlueOceanYachting
