Boating Information
Information on buying a boat and boating
Getting Started With Boating
Reasons To Buy A Boat
Costs Of Owning A Boat
Finance a boat
Financing A Boat
Cash Or Finance For Your Boat
Buying Boat Insurance
Types and Sellers
Types Of Boats Available
Types Of Boat Sellers
How to find a boat
Finding The Perfect Boat
Inspecting Your New Boat
Choosing The Right Boat
How To Test A Boat
Buying A New or Used Boat
Buying A Used Boat
Types of Boats
Buying A Yacht
Custom Built Boats
Buying Inflatable Boats
Buying A Fishing Boat
Buying The Right Fishing Boat
Misc
Choosing The Right Motor
Buying The Right Anchor
Trailers and Storage
Buying A Boat Trailer
Towing or Trailering a Boat
After Your Boat Purchase
Storing Your Boat
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Should you be buying a cruising yacht
While a cruising yacht is a milestone for some people everyone likes the idea of a shiny new boat be it yacht or small fishing boat. Yachts are a bit expensive for most people and you shouldn't spend more than you can afford. When you buy a yacht look at what comes with it and decide if it's everything you want.
There are some different types of construction and most yachts today are made of GRP(glass reinforced plastic) construction. In other words a lot of fiberglass and some other compounds. The real problem with this is osmosis as the blisters it leaves can be expensive to repair.
Steel construction is by far the strongest material and a great idea. There have been steel boats that hit a reef or bank and just received scratches. Tho steel has many advantages over the other types of construction the enemy here is rust. You need to keep all surfaces painted and primed to avoid rust.
Aluminum is very popular in the construction of top quality custom built yachts but it's rare in the normal cruising market. When you are looking for an aluminum yacht be sure it was constructed by a professional builder rather than an amateur. There can be problems later on with amateur built aluminum yachts.
Even tho wood is the normal building material it still has a lot to offer. As long as you get the right kind of wood it can last as long as any other material. However know that maintenance costs with wood are very high particularly if you don't do it yourself.
Ferro-cement is really concrete and it is a cheap but strong method of hull construction. A ferro-cement hull would use materials easier to obtain locally than wood, and be longer lasting than a wooden hull, especially in tropical conditions. It would probably be faster to build, and use less specialized labor thus making it somewhat cheaper. It was a very popular product for yachts in the 70s and is still used today.
Popular yacht rigs include the sloop, cutter and ketch. In that order. A sloop is the simplest of the three while the ketch and the cutter will divide the sail plans into much more easily managed areas. Ketch rigs can sail under mizzen and headsail alone and cutter rigs can have a simple twin headsail and a downwind option.
What you need versus what you want. Before you start looking make a list of what you absolutely must have and then make another list of things you think would be nice to have. There are a ton of additions and add ons you can find but they can get very costly very quickly.
Always plan out your budget and what you can afford before starting to shop for a yacht. A nice yacht can cost a lot of money which might be something you need to save for. Your own yacht is great to sail on if you have a lot of money to spare.
Boating information you need before you get a new boat
Tips about the buying of custom made boats
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