How much does a cheap boat cost?
Small, affordable boats are getting more and more popular as a form of healthy, bonding recreation for family or friends and people who need some time on their own. The most important reason for that tendency is the very good price of modern boats. Thanks to that boating became just another fantastic activity available for everyone. In this article, we will explain how much money you need to buy and maintain a cheap boat.
What type of boat owner are you?
The first question you need to ask yourself is what exactly do you plan to do on your boat because that determines what size you should go for and what equipment you need.
Boat for just myself or maybe for a couple? No problem!
For example, let’s say you need a boat mainly for yourself. You want to spend time on the boat mainly on your own with a book or fishing rod. Just enjoying the peaceful floating on the water. From time to time you would take a companion or two with you but mostly you just want to buy a boat for yourself. In this case, you should absolutely go for the smallest and cheapest option.
Smaller models in our offer will be perfect for a completely comfortable one-person boat experience, but in case there’s a need to take a passenger, they will be able to carry even 4 people total.
Boat for 4-5 people? Still not a fortune to spend!
If your perfect boat trip involves your wife or husband and kids or your fishing friends, you probably should get a bigger boat for greater comfort. The good news is that models designed for 5 passengers are not very pricey too, but you need to pay in mind that they might be a bit more complicated to transport and store. There’s no need to worry, but it’s definitely worth knowing how to deal with those issues.
Here’s our article on storing, towing, and trailering the boat.
How expensive is the boat equipment?
If you buy a boat in our webshop or in our showroom, you get a complete set of necessary accessories, such as oars and cleats for free. With all those things you can safely go on a boat trip, but there’s much more optional equipment you can add to your boat purchase to make it more comfortable, practical for your use, or even luxurious.
As an option, you can for example add a CD/MP3 audio system to your boat, you can swap key plastic elements for more stylish, leather-like material, Garmin fishfinder, a ladder on the side of the boat for climbing from the water, and many more. There’s a lot of ways to make the boat perfect for you. On every product page you’ll see a list of possible additions, so make sure you don’t miss them with the boat purchase to get them cheaper!
How much does it cost to own a boat?
Now you know how much you will pay for the boat itself and all the equipment you’d like to have. How about taxes, maintenance, and all the other costs?
Taxes and license
Just owning a boat doesn’t cost anything. With boats smaller than 15 m in length or motorboats with speed under 20 km/h there is no need to register and no tax whatsoever. You don’t need to have a license to use the boat either, so no need to worry and run from the water police if you see them.
Maintenance cost
Like any other vehicle, boats need maintenance, but it’s safe to say that especially if you don’t have a motor, its cost will be significantly lower than with a car. Small, simple boats don’t need hardly any maintenance at all and its eventual cost is roughly 5% of the boat price per year. Remember though, the more optional equipment your boat has, the more expensive its maintenance will be.
Insurance cost
Insurance for small boats is not mandatory, so it’s totally up to you if you buy one. Usually, for boats with no motor, the price of insurance won’t exceed 0,5% of the boat price, so it should be very cheap and definitely a thing to consider.
Fuel cost
If you decide to buy a boat with the motor or buy a motor separately, there will obviously be a cost of fuel involved. Exactly as with a car, the final cost of the fuel depends on how often you use the boat, for how long, and how powerful the engine is. It won’t be very expensive, but there will be cost and because of it, you will be less motivated to move your muscles while rowing. Unless that’s the whole point, then go for the motor!
If you’re interested in knowing all the costs involved with all the details, check our other article – Costs of having a boat.
Everyone can have a boat!
As you see, it’s not that expensive to have a boat, and the benefits of having it are simply fantastic. Boats allow you to spend more quality time with your family or just some peaceful time on your own with a fishing pole if that’s your preference. There are many forms of recreation and if you’re here, I’m pretty sure you know exactly what will be the perfect one for you. If you’d like to know some more about boats, check our other articles: