Written by: Quintin Bentley Crevling

Imagine yourself floating on the open ocean rocking back and forth with a cold drink in one hand and your fishing reel in the other. There are few things in life more peaceful than these moments, but you shouldn’t dump your life savings into a fishing boat before you know the basics.

If you are buying a fishing boat you will need to learn how to repair common problems otherwise, you will find yourself calling marine services for assistance. You must know common issues for used boats, how to get your boat ready for the water, important maintenance fees, and where you will store your boat.

There is a myriad of problems that can occur on a used boat, so it’s important to know the biggest issues to look for. The first thing to check is the engine. If the engine cracks, then water will get into the oil and give it a milky appearance, so make sure to check the oil. Electrical issues are one of the most expensive problems for used boats.

You should turn on every single electrical component in the boat one at a time, and then all at once to test the fuse box. When you take the boat on a test run, make sure to show up early so you can hear how it sounds when it starts. Many owners will have the boat running when you arrive to create the illusion that it fired right up.

All boats must be surveyed to ensure they are fit for the water. This is an expensive fee as you will have to pay by the foot of your vessel and the employee’s hourly wage, which will surpass $100 an hour. You must also register your boat with the local government.

Fees vary depending on the length of the vessel and how you intend to use it. Most importantly, you must have insurance before getting on the water. This is for your protection, but more importantly for the protection of other people of the water.

Buying a used boat is a massive money dump if you don’t know how to properly maintain the vessel. You must constantly check fluids and lubricate parts to ensure they continue to run smoothly. This is not only costly but also a huge time commitment.

Luckily the large maintenance expenses only come around once every few years. Roughly every five years you will need to have the bottom of the hull scraped and painted so barnacles and weeds don’t eat away at the boat, or create a drag that wastes fuel.

Storing a boat is the most expensive necessity for owning a boat. If you can’t store your boat at home, then you will have to find a dock or dry dock to store your boat. It’s very hard to find an open space on a dock to store your boat in the water.

These high commodity spaces will go for upwards of $2,000 a year. The last resort is to store your boat in a covered dry dock. These expensive storage facilities will cost you as much as $600 a month!