When Would It Be a Good Idea to Consider Used Boats for Sale in Texas?

Whether it’s fishing or roaming the waters, Texas has a lot of marine enjoyment to offer. Its coastal region, comprising 3,300-mile bay-estuary-lagoon shoreline and 367-mile gulf shoreline, has a great diversity of fauna and flora. On top of that, the state has plenty of lakes, rivers, and paddling trails.

Anyone who wants to enjoy these opportunities will of course need a boat. When looking at boats for sale in Texas, aspiring boaters will find that they have a choice between brand new boats or used ones. Which one is better? That question has no be-all, end-all answer—either can be a viable option depending on a buyer’s situation. This article will focus on situations that make used boats suitable.

When on a Tight Budget

In general, used boats cost significantly lower than their new counterparts. Discover Boating indicates that with a used boat, one can afford a bigger boat for fewer dollars, enjoy lower ownership cost per year, and receive less setbacks in case the buyer wants a different boat later on. In terms of depreciation, the previous owner has already handled a good portion of that (25 to 33 percent), which had started piling since that boat was first sold.

Buyer has Some Boating Experience

A used boat will naturally be more risky in terms of overall quality but a buyer with at least a little bit of experience will be more able to detect problems and evaluate used boats more carefully. Still, Boat Test recommends hiring a marine surveyor to take a look at the boat to determine exactly whether the boat is a good bargain or a headache waiting to be transferred. Surveyors can be found through the National Association of Marine Surveyors (NAMS) and the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS) websites. Being able to hire a surveyor actually makes it viable for people buying a boat for the first time to consider used boats.

With improvements in technology, used boats are actually becoming more reliable today. Buying one is not as risky as before. To find good quality used boats for sale in Texas, boating enthusiasts can check out boat dealers such as White’s Marine Center.

Sources
New or Pre-Owned, Discover Boating
How to Buy Your First Boat, Boat Test