Screening Boats for Sale in Iowa: How to Choose the Right One for You

Feeling the urge to navigate the seven seas (or the closest body of water near your Iowa residence)? Purchasing a boat can help you attain such a feat. However, you should not be too hasty about such a matter. Much like owning a car, there are a couple of things you should take into consideration before buying a boat. 

Choose Your Water farer

According to Chris Kelly, a contributor in Boattest.com, you should first figure out what kind of boat you need. Boats are generally classified under three types: cruising, fishing, and watersports. Cruising boats are mostly used for leisurely excursions on water and can comfortably accommodate guests within the living quarters in their decks. Fishing boats, meanwhile, are usually designed to give maximum space for catching fish; some fishing boats also have living quarters located in the deck for overnight fishing trips. Finally, watersports boats are the fastest of the three types, and are often used to tug people in water skis and wakeboards along the water’s surface.

The Right Size

Apart from the type, choosing the right size is also important; bigger boats offer more amenities, obviously, but this also means that they also entail more maintenance:

The downside to bigger boats is they have more systems to understand and operate, and they may not be trailerable, and of course, they also cost more, both to buy and to operate. When you’re first getting started in boating you want the experience to be as fun and easy as possible. For that reason, we recommend your first boat be no larger than 22-24 feet, but make sure any boat you buy is certified to carry all the passengers and gear you plan to bring aboard.

What’s Your Budget?

Speaking of cost, it is best to see if you have room in your budget to buy a boat. It is recommended that you first check various boating outfits to gauge how much you’ll need to shell out. Companies like White’s Marine Center, for instance, offer various types and prices for boats for sale in Iowa that might be within your range.

New or Used?

On the subject of prices, most boat dealers in Iowa sell new and used units. As with new vehicles, new boats usually cost more, but often come with warranties that come in handy in case it needs maintenance. Used boats, on the other hand, can come cheaper, but is usually without a warranty. As such, hiring a marine surveyor to inspect the boat is the way to go. Buying a boat is an investment, so it pays to have your money’s worth with such a purchase.

(Source: How To Buy Your First Boat, http://www.boattest.com/)