START BOATING
How easy is it to get into boating and where do you even start? Our two-part guide aims to simplify the first steps towards owning your first boat so that you can get afloat with confidence. First off, choosing the boat...
Everything you need to know about getting into boats, from training and clubs to hull shapes and buying protocols
Do I have to start by buying a boat?
No, there are plenty of ways to experience boating without committing to ownership straight away. Booking a training course with an Rya-accredited school is probably the easiest and most useful way of getting a feel for handling a boat. You can find a list of courses and schools at www.rya.org.uk. The Powerboat Level 2 course provides a great introduction to motor boating as well as a handy qualification for chartering or buying your own boat.
Chartering a skippered boat is another good way of getting a taste of boating. There are charter companies all over the world, so whether it’s a long weekend in the Solent or a couple of weeks in Greece, you can get a feel for cruising with a skipper on hand to show you the ropes.
Once you have built up sufficient experience and qualifications, you can also charter without a skipper to see if you enjoy running your own boat. Some boat dealers even have their own charter boats so potential customers can try before they buy.
Another alternative to ownership is boat clubs, where you pay an annual membership fee to have access to a small fleet of boats that you book in advance. This is a great way to experience a range of different sizes and style of boat without the capital expense and commitment of buying one.
Boat sharing is an option, too, where you split the cost of buying and running a boat with other people. This usually involves buying a share of a boat (typically between 1/10th and 1/2) and paying an annual contribution towards the running costs. An online booking system is used to allocate time onboard fairly between the shareholders. When the time comes to sell, either the whole syndicate agrees to sell the
Build up your knowledge before you go shopping. Brokers’ websites are a good way of seeing what’s out there
boat or you can sell your share to a new fractional owner.
This is a popular solution for people who want a bigger boat in an overseas location but may not have the time or resources to buy and run it on their own. The Yacht Share Network (www. yacht-share.net) is a good source of shares in boats for sale.
What about buying my own boat?
There is plenty of choice out there but it can get bewildering. Reading magazines like this one is a great place to start your research and build up knowledge before you go shopping. You can find a whole lot more information as well as boat tests, virtual video tours and boats for sale on our website (www.mby.com) and Youtube channel (Youtube.com/ybwtv). Brokers’ websites and listings are also good sources for seeing what’s out there and getting a feel for prices.
Boat shows are another invaluable resource for a would-be boat owner. Wandering around the stands lets you view a wide variety of craft in one place. As well as new boat builders, shows are a good way to find charter companies, boat clubs, marina operators, insurers and training centres.
What type of boat should I look for?
Again, there are a lot of options so it’s important to have a clear idea of your priorities when looking for a first boat. Where will you use and keep it? Who will you use it with?
Will you use it all year round or just for some summer fun?
Get a clear idea of how you intend to use your boat and narrow it down from there. With a first boat it makes sense to start small to keep the boat and its related costs manageable. There is nothing stopping you from buying a bigger boat as a first-timer but a smaller boat will be easier to handle and maintain. RIBS (Rigid Inflatable Boats) make excellent starter boats as they’re relatively affordable, safe and – most importantly – surrounded by an inflatable rubber bumper in the event of any unforeseen berthing mishaps!
What about hull shape?
The three main hull types are displacement, semidisplacement (sometimes referred to as semi-planing) and planing. A boat with a displacement hull pushes through the water rather than over it, which in most cases restricts
the boat’s speed to a formula based on its waterline length (1.34 X√LWL). This equates to between 6-10 knots for boats in the 20-50ft category. Displacement boats tend to be heavier than planing craft and well suited to either inland waters, where speed limits apply, or long-distance cruising where fuel efficiency and seaworthiness are paramount.
A semi-displacement hull is capable of creating some dynamic lift at speed but most of the vessel’s weight is still supported by buoyancy. This hull shape, favoured by the likes of Fleming Yachts, is a best-of-both-worlds solution that can travel long distances comfortably and efficiently at displacement speeds but can also up the pace to 20 knots or more for shorter distances, albeit while using considerably more fuel.
These days most entry-level motorboats have planing hulls. Designed for cruising efficiently at higher speeds, they create dynamic lift, allowing them to rise up onto the surface reducing drag and allowing them to skim across the waves rather than push through them. The downside of a planing hull is that it can slam uncomfortably in rough seas and isn’t as well suited to displacement cruising as a smoother round-bilge hull shape.
What about engines?
For leisure motorboats the most popular engine types are outboard, inboard sterndrive, inboard shaftdrive and inboard pod drive. Planing boats below 40ft are most likely to have either outboards or inboard sterndrives. An outboard is generally petrol powered and mounted on the transom at the back of the boat. This makes it easy to access for maintenance, frees up space inside the boat and the propeller lifts clear of the water when not in use to help prevent fouling and corrosion.
An inboard engine, which can be petrol or diesel, sits inside the hull and propels it either via a sterndrive leg mounted on the transom or via a shaft that passes through the bottom of the hull with a propeller on the end of it and a rudder behind it for steering. Sterndrives (and outboards) steer by pivoting from side to side to change the direction of thrust.
Pods are generally used on craft from 40-75ft and in multiples of two or more.
They tend to be more efficient than shaftdrives and take up less space but the major benefit is joystick manoeuvring. This allows the helmsperson to push the joystick in the direction they want to go and let the
Boat shows are an invaluable resource. Wandering around the stands allows you to view a variety of boats in one place
computer steer the pods independently to make it happen. Recently, joysticks have become available for twin sterndrive, shaftdrive and even outboard boats so they are no longer the preserve of pod drive craft. Bow and stern thrusters – small propellers facing sideways at either end of the boat – are another means of helping with docking manoeuvres.
There are pros and cons for all of these engine and drive partnerships but it’s best to be guided by what boat is right for you and not just the type of engine and drive system it has.
What’s the process for buying How do I buy a new boat?
In most cases you buy a new boat from a boat dealer who is a distributor for a certain brand or brands. However, with lower volume yards or brands who build bespoke boats you may deal directly with the manufacturer. If the boat is already in stock the process is similar to buying a new car from a dealership.
You usually put down a deposit to reserve the boat, an invoice is raised and the final balance is paid on handover.
If the boat isn’t in stock and has to be built to order you enter into a sale and purchase agreement which lays out a build schedule and what happens if the purchaser can’t make payment or if there is an issue during the build process. On larger boats, payments tend to be taken in stages, most commonly three but it can be more. This usually starts with a deposit, stage payments becoming due either on agreed dates or at certain points during the build process, for example when the deck is joined to the hull or before a high-cost part of the build such as installing the engines or other expensive components. The final balance is paid before delivery. You may want to consider employing a marine solicitor to help you through the legal process of this on a bigger boat and make sure your payments are properly accounted for.
What about buying a used boat?
Many buyers do this as you get more for your money. Of course, you don’t get any control over the boat’s specification and unless you buy an approved used boat from a dealer there is rarely any warranty to speak of. Most brokers sell both used stock – where the broker owns the boat – and brokerage boats, where they act as a conduit between vendor and buyer, much like an estate agent does during a house sale. Only here, the broker also handles conveyancing and funds so performs the job of an agent and solicitor rolled into one. As the buyer, the broker will act on your behalf to communicate with the vendor and handle the paperwork and arrange a sea trial if it gets to that point.
On newer used stock an unconditional offer may be agreed. This is a seven-day agreement for when both buyer and seller want a quick sale. A conditional offer is a 30-day contract which allows the buyer time to survey and sea trial a boat.
Have clear priorities and be guided by which craft is right for you rather than the type of engine or drive system
A marine survey, like a house survey, addresses the condition of the boat (though not necessarily its machinery, for which an independent engineer’s check may be prudent) and highlights any potential problems with the boat. The buyer may use this information to ask for the issue to be rectified or to renegotiate with the seller. A deposit is usually taken before a sea trial.
Can you finance a boat?
Yes you can and the most popular way of doing this is with a marine mortgage. Since the 2008 financial crash there are fewer players in this sector than there used to be and most are only interested in lending to businesses or towards the purchase of larger, more expensive boats.
There are some companies out there that will lend smaller amounts of money, though, even sub-£25,000. A marine mortgage works in much the same way as a property loan with fixed and variable rate loans available but the APR rates tend to be a little higher with repayment terms of 10-15 years maximum.
Marine mortgages can be applied to new and used boats, though some lenders may be reluctant to pay out if a boat is in disrepair or classified as unseaworthy.
A survey addresses the condition of the boat, but machinery should have an independent assessment from an engineer