3 Additional Costs When Buying a Boat

So you want to buy a boat and you want to know what you can afford. There are few immediate additional costs besides the price tag that you need to consider.

1. Registration fees: Like a car, there are state fees when you transfer ownership from one person to another. There is no set price on registration as it will change from state to state, so be sure to look it up when making your budget.
2. Tax: When you register the boat under your name, you also pay the sales tax on the purchase at the same time. This can get pricey depending on how much you are spending on your boat, so don't forget to get out the calculator and be prepared.
3. Transporting the Vessel: Nine out of ten times, when you buy a boat, you then have to transport it to your home marina. To budget for this you need to decide if you will sail it yourself, which possibly means time off of work and docking fees and gas along the way. Or you could hire someone to make the sail for you. If this is your plan, make sure to get a quote before buying the boat. The last option (depending on how big the boat is) is trailering. This you can attempt yourself depending on the size or hire a professional, who usually charges by the mile. Either way, put it in your budget!

Buy this jar here.


**Comment the costs you weren'y planning on!

3 Things to Ask When Looking at a Boat

Buying a used boat is not easy. There are so many things to consider and internet advertisements are not always so forthcoming.  So here are some questions you should ask along the way.

Okay, so while scouring the internet you found this gorgeous boat and it looks perfect for you. What now? There are a few things you should be sure to ask about. Among others, these are three questions I always ask when I contact a seller.

 1.Does the boat have a recent survey?

Having a recent survey is gold! It is a report about the boat written by a professional. As long as the survey isn’t too outdated, you should be able to get a good idea of the value of the boat and what kind of shape it is in and what you should keep your eye out for.

   2. Are the advertised pictures recent and do you have more?

Some sellers will post pictures from their boats glory days in the advertisement. There will probably be a picture of a beautiful sailing excursion, with the boat heeled over, shining in the sun. However, the sad fact is a lot of these pictures may be several years old and not too accurate.

I like to think that people do not post these pictures in order to deceive. Maybe that picture, that looks like it came from a magazine, is how they still see their old beater boats. Either way, before you spend time and gas going to see the boat, make sure to ask when the pictures were taken.

The other question I always like to ask is: do you have more recent pictures. You want to see every nook and cranny of the boat to make sure it’s worth your time and energy. So be sure to see as much as you can before planning a showing.

   3. Is the engine running well?

The engine can be a source of a lot of headaches and drain your wallet fast. Unless you are ready to possibly put thousands of dollars into fixing up or replacing an engine, be sure find out if it is running well.

Follow up questions to this could be: How many hours does the engine have on it? Has it had any recent maintenance? Is it the original engine or has it been replaced as some point?

*There are no hard and fast rules for what to ask, but these are what I generally use. Let me know what you would ask!

About Me

My name is Lauren Nash. I am a 21-year-old college student studying at The Kings College in the wonderful city of New York. I currently live in New Jersey and commute to the city.

This coming summer there are going to be some major changes in my life. Come August, I am marrying my boyfriend of four years, the ever-so-wonderful Samuel Holmes, and moving onto a sailboat in Jersey City. Yes, you heard me, MOVING ONTO A SAILBOAT!!! Yes, I am utterly aware of how crazy that sounds. But are you aware of how crazy cool that sounds too?!

I have always thought that I wanted to get married young so that I can have a bunch of adventures with my partner, and boy is Sam getting right on board with that (pun intended). Within only a few weeks of getting engaged, Sam randomly asked me “Hey, want to live on a boat?” I think my answer was somewhere along the lines of “HA HECK NO!”

But within two days, I was the one scouring the internet for sailboats every chance a got and texting Sam every time I found something interesting. My internet browser filled with bookmarks of possibilities in only a week. I’m hooked on this crazy idea and find myself reading other boat-dwellers blogs and articles constantly. While, I have grown up sailing, I honestly have little idea of what I am getting myself into. But I know this, it is going to be an adventure. 

Stay tuned into the blog and follow my journey as I discover my path to this adventure!