A Beginner’s Guide to What You Should Have Aboard Before Leaving the Dock When you're shopping for your first boat, safety equipment probably isn't the part you're most excited about. You're thinking about the boat. The engine. The seating. The fishing
A Beginner’s Guide to Budgeting Beyond the Purchase Price When you're shopping for your first boat, it’s easy to focus almost entirely on one number: The purchase price. Or, if you’re financing: The monthly payment. Those numbers matter. But they don’t tell you what
A Beginner’s Guide to Preparing Your Boat for Freezing Weather and Seasonal Storage For boat owners who live where temperatures drop below freezing, winterization is an important part of ownership. It may not be the most exciting part of boating. But it can help prevent some of the most
A Beginner’s Guide to Keeping Your Boat Reliable, Safe, and Ready to Use One of the biggest differences between owning a boat and simply enjoying one for an afternoon is maintenance. Boats live in a tough environment. They deal with: * Water * Sun * Heat * Vibration * Fuel * Electrical systems * Trailer use
A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Coverage Before You Get on the Water Boat insurance is one of those topics many first-time buyers don’t think much about until they’re close to taking delivery. The boat is picked out. The trailer is ready. The financing is done. Then
A Beginner’s Guide to Where Your Boat Will Live When You’re Not Using It Buying a boat is exciting. Figuring out where to keep it usually isn’t. But storage can have a major effect on how easy, expensive, and enjoyable boat ownership becomes. A boat that fits
A Beginner’s Guide to Getting In and Out of the Water With Confidence For many first-time boat owners, driving the boat isn't the most intimidating part of boating. It's the boat ramp. You pull into the parking lot and there are trucks and trailers
A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Your Boat Trailer When you're shopping for your first boat, it’s easy to spend nearly all of your time thinking about the boat itself. The seating. The engine. The electronics. The storage. The color. But if you plan to trailer your
A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Boat Weight, Trailer Weight, and Tow-Vehicle Limits If you’re shopping for a boat and plan to trailer it, one of the most important questions is: Can my vehicle safely and comfortably tow it? That sounds simple. Look up the boat’s weight.
A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Boat Propulsion System When you're shopping for a boat, horsepower gets a lot of attention. But where the engine is located and how its power reaches the water can be just as important as how much horsepower it produces. Outboards,
A Beginner’s Guide to How Hull Design Affects Ride, Stability, and Performance When you're shopping for a boat, it's easy to focus on the things you can immediately see. Seating. Storage. Horsepower. Electronics. Upholstery. But one of the most important parts of the boat is
A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Boat Engine Horsepower is one of the easiest boat specifications to focus on. It’s a big number. It’s easy to compare. And it’s tempting to assume that more is always better. Sometimes more horsepower absolutely makes sense. But not