What is the total cost of boating?
The average cost of a new boat is $60,000 to $75,000, but you could pay far less — or far more — depending on what you have in mind. But if you’re asking “How much does a boat cost?” you’ll factor in mooring fees and storage, fuel, insurance, licensing fees, maintenance and much more.
Upfront Costs & Annual Maintenance
Before you buy, you’ll want to consider the upfront purchase costs. The first step is figuring out how you want to spend your time on the water and what type of boat you want to buy. You might want a fishing boat, or a bowrider for family fun. Perhaps a cabin cruiser that could house your family overnight for extended trips, or a specialty craft like a pontoon boat for family parties or a ski/wake boat for watersports.
Our Boat Finder Tool can help you identify the boat style that’s right for you by selecting your preferred activities, number of passengers and more criteria for your ideal boat. Then, be sure to learn more about the initial purchase costs in our comprehensive guide on Boat Values and Prices: Negotiating Your Purchase.
How Much Boat Can You Afford?
Once you’ve identified your favorite activities, calculating how much you want to spend is the next step. How much boat can you afford? Using that number, you can decide how to formulate your boating purchase. If you’re financing the purchase, remember that your credit rating will factor into your purchase; since this is a discretionary purchase, don’t tie up needed cost-of-living funds in your boat. You can learn more by visiting our Boat Loan Calculator.
First time boaters, no sweat!
If you are new to boating, you’re going to have more questions than answers when you start looking into resources. The dreams of days out on the water with family and friends, fishing, watersports or just feeling the wind in your face have arrived! But finding the right boat for you can be overwhelming. Luckily, you have us at Union Marine to be your north star to help chart your course so that you can choose which boat is right for you. Before you get too deep in the water, here are some tips to get started.
- Establish what type of boater you want to be. Are you looking to go out for the day, the weekend, or longer? Are you going to be in the ocean or freshwater, or both? Are you fishing, partaking in wake surfing or wakeboarding, or diving? Answering these questions will help you figure out what boat is right for you.
- Storage and launching. Where are you going to keep your boat, and more importantly, where are you going to launch it?
- Depending on the size of your vessel, you have options. If you plan to keep it at home, we’d recommend covering it at minimum and preferably in a garage or undercover. Storing your boat at home, of course, is free. If you do not have room at your home, you can store it on a rack storage for a monthly fee. Larger boats might require moorage at a marina or boat club (more on that here), also for a monthly fee.
- Launching the boat comes with another set of options. If you’re already moored at a marina or boat club, you can just unplug and go! However, if you’re storing the boat at home, you can look up your nearest boat launch on Google, your city’s Parks and Rec Department or use takemefishing.org as a resource by using their “boat ramp finder” option. Check that out here.
- The boating license. Like a drivers license, many states require the driver to pass a test and/or complete a boater safety education course. You can search online if your state requires a license or head over to the Discover Boating page here to see what the requirements are.
- Practice makes perfect! What we mean is, find a body of water near you and familiarize yourself with the rules of the water. The same way you learn to drive a car and learn the “rules of the road” and the ins and outs of driving, you should do the same with your boat. IF you can receive on-water instruction, we would recommend it! At Union Marine, we provide a number of workshops throughout the year to teach new boaters the basics, so make sure you check our events page for information on upcoming classes. You can also utilize Union Marine’s very own captain who will take you through the ropes once you have purchased your boat.
Owning a boat opens you up to a world of possibilities you never knew existed and a whole new way of exploring. Once you learn what it takes to get your sea legs, it will be time to get out and use them!
Guide to boat ownership
The average cost of a new boat is $60,000 to $75,000, but you could pay far less — or far more — depending on what you have in mind. But if you’re asking “How much does a boat cost?” you’ll factor in mooring fees and storage, fuel, insurance, licensing fees, maintenance and much more.
Upfront Costs & Annual Maintenance
Before you buy, you’ll want to consider the upfront purchase costs. The first step is figuring out how you want to spend your time on the water and what type of boat you want to buy. You might want a fishing boat, or a bowrider for family fun. Perhaps a cabin cruiser that could house your family overnight for extended trips, or a specialty craft like a pontoon boat for family parties or a ski/wake boat for watersports.
Our Boat Finder Tool can help you identify the boat style that’s right for you by selecting your preferred activities, number of passengers and more criteria for your ideal boat. Then, be sure to learn more about the initial purchase costs in our comprehensive guide on Boat Values and Prices: Negotiating Your Purchase.
How Much Boat Can You Afford?
Once you’ve identified your favorite activities, calculating how much you want to spend is the next step. How much boat can you afford? Using that number, you can decide how to formulate your boating purchase. If you’re financing the purchase, remember that your credit rating will factor into your purchase; since this is a discretionary purchase, don’t tie up needed cost-of-living funds in your boat. You can learn more by visiting our Boat Loan Calculator.
How to tow a boat?
Towing or “trailering” a boat can be a lot tougher than it looks. If you’re new to boating and researching what boat is right for you, you may also want to research your road vehicle as well to make sure you have something that is capable of towing your new boat. Here are some valuable tips on towing your boat so you’re ready on day one!
- Prepping your towing vehicle: As we mentioned above, knowing the vehicle that’s going to be towing your boat is extremely important. Making sure it can tow the boat loaded down with gear is the first thing you need to do. Secondly, the hitch. The proper sized hitch and ball will ensure your boat is secured and safe.
- Prepping your towing vehicle: As we mentioned above, knowing the vehicle that’s going to be towing your boat is extremely important. Making sure it can tow the boat loaded down with gear is the first thing you need to do. Secondly, the hitch. The proper sized hitch and ball will ensure your boat is secured and safe.
- Prepping the towing trailer: Making sure the boat trailer is road ready for a fun season of boating will save you a lot of headache and money in the long run! There are very few things more terrifying than blowing a tire on your boat trailer and potentially damaging or losing your boat entirely. We recommend making a checklist you can refer to that includes some of the following key things to check before departing:
- Check tire air pressure before each trip (check thoroughly before departing after the off season).
- Check signal lights. Be sure all the lights are working. Newer trailers will have the longest lasting LEDs, and you can upgrade the replacement bulbs to LEDs that are longer lasting.
- Double check and make sure the boat is secure. This includes all straps at bow and transom!
- Check the trailer brakes (if applicable) and make sure they’re working properly.
- Check to make sure that there is no loose gear, such as life jackets, water toys, lines, etc that could fly out of your vessel.
- Double check the loaded gear when checking for loose gear to make sure that you didn’t forget anything for your day / weekend / trip out on the water.
- Launching and loading your boat: Congrats! Now that you have made your trip and arrived safely at the water, you’re ready to launch your boat! After your outing on the water is done, load your boat and trailer back to its original resting place. For detailed tips on how to launch and load your boat, stay tuned and subscribe to our newsletter. We’ll be adding that soon with videos you can follow as well!
Where can you find moorage?
Have you just purchased a big boat and need a place to “moor” or store it? Are you out on an overnight or weekend trip, and need a place to stay? Are you heading out for a prolonged trip and will be in need of multiple spaces? Are you looking for long term liveaboard slips? Are you reading this and just wondering what we’re talking about? There are many options in mooring a boat, so let’s explain what moorage is and why it’s important to you as a boat owner.
Moorage: “A place where a boat or ship is moored (kept).”
While there are more definitions, the basic long and short of it is defined by the above. Now let’s define “slip”.
Slip (Marine): “A “parking” space for a boat surrounded by 3 sides forming a “U” shape.”
Perfect. Now why are these important? If you’re the owner of a bigger boat, whether it’s a fishing boat, yacht, or cabin cruiser or largely anything in the 30ft or above category, it’s likely you’re going to have your boat moored. Now those who have been around boats for a long time will likely correct you on your use of “slip” versus “moorage”, but when you call around to the local marinas, they’ll know what you mean as a new boat owner when you ask for moorage fees.
***Note***The difference between a slip and a mooring area is that mooring balls are set in the middle of the water and can be tied up to by a boat while a slip is attached to a dock.
Whether you store your boat in the water year round or during boating season, you’re going to need to moor in a slip at the marina of your choice. This comes with a price-per-foot fee that you will either pay monthly or yearly, depending on your agreement with the marina. Long term slips are becoming more valuable as popularity in boating increases. Since we don’t know where you’re located, Google will be your friend to find the moorage nearest you to keep your boat stored all year round. Slips can also be seasonaland that moorage ends at the end of the said season. But what if you’re going on a trip?
This is where the mooring balls mentioned above can be your friend as well as dockside parking. Usually payment is required daily, much the same as staying at a hotel and isn’t going to be long term. Moorage balls and free dock spaces can be found in most port based cities, but to find specific areas, make sure to map out your trip ahead of time so you know which spaces are available to the public.
We hope this explains moorage all around and can provide you with enough information to find your local marina to secure a space for your boat! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our professionals to help you further! Cheers!
Where to store your boat?
Alright, you have your boat. You have your boating license. But you don’t have the property or a garage to store your boat. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?! Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Boat storage is a common issue that comes up for many boat owners in large cities. Where are you going to put your boat? Here are some options!
Boating Season Storage
Starting with options during boating season, let’s begin with land storage. With smaller vessels, most boats will be subject to “boating season”, starting with the time that the freezing temps thawand it’s comfortable to take your boat out, to the time that your boat will have to be winterized. Again, these are the options to be used if you CANNOT store the boat in a garage or at your own home.
Outdoor Dry Storage: Any number of local storage businesses usually have parking lot areas that can provide a space to store your vessel. Union Marine offers Outdoor Dry Storage and Winterization options. Space fills up fast, so contact our service department to reserve your space today! To protect your boat from the elements, always keep a cover on it!
Indoor Dry Storage: Indoor storage can protect your boat from the elements year-round.If the storage is heated, your vessel will be protected from freezing. Although more costly than outdoor storage, you can guarantee more security and protection for your vessel.
Rack Boat Storage: This can be an option in places that offer commercial storage, or larger storage areas. Anywhere you find boats, you can usually find rack storage. Indoor or covered outdoor (sometimes uncovered) rack storage is usually inexpensive and guarantees that your boat is protected.
In-Water Storage (Moorage): Moorage is usually for larger vessels where they’re too heavy to put on rack storage and too big for a garage. Outdoor storage is still a viable option but launching is not easy nor conducive to a pleasurable boating experience. So the final option is to just keep your boat in the water. Moorage fees may vary and slips may differ between short term and long term. Lastly, some may be covered while others aren’t. All of these options affect moorage prices as well. While in the water, keep in mind that there will be haul out fees for maintenance.
Boating Storage Costs
Washington storage costs vary. For boat-centric storage, you can count on $55-$60/foot as a base and this goes as high as $250/ft for indoor storage. This is a higher estimate but it’s good to keep your bases covered and make sure no surprise fees arise. For non boat-centric storage/moorage, you can give your local storage companies a call and see what they charge monthly.
Winterization
The most important thing you can do for your dry storage vessel is winterizing it at the end of the boating season. Union Marine’s team provides this service to make sure your boat isn’t damaged by freezing temperatures and rough weather during the off season. Lastly, we recommend shrink wrapping your boat to ensure the inside stays dry and the outside is protected from the elements.
There you have it! Google will be your friend during this process of searching for boat-centric and local storage options as well as moorage if you’re around high boat traffic and water areas!
Launch and retrieve your boat
The average cost of a new boat is $60,000 to $75,000, but you could pay far less — or far more — depending on what you have in mind. But if you’re asking “How much does a boat cost?” you’ll factor in mooring fees and storage, fuel, insurance, licensing fees, maintenance and much more.
Upfront Costs & Annual Maintenance
Before you buy, you’ll want to consider the upfront purchase costs. The first step is figuring out how you want to spend your time on the water and what type of boat you want to buy. You might want a fishing boat, or a bowrider for family fun. Perhaps a cabin cruiser that could house your family overnight for extended trips, or a specialty craft like a pontoon boat for family parties or a ski/wake boat for watersports.
Our Boat Finder Tool can help you identify the boat style that’s right for you by selecting your preferred activities, number of passengers and more criteria for your ideal boat. Then, be sure to learn more about the initial purchase costs in our comprehensive guide on Boat Values and Prices: Negotiating Your Purchase.
How Much Boat Can You Afford?
Once you’ve identified your favorite activities, calculating how much you want to spend is the next step. How much boat can you afford? Using that number, you can decide how to formulate your boating purchase. If you’re financing the purchase, remember that your credit rating will factor into your purchase; since this is a discretionary purchase, don’t tie up needed cost-of-living funds in your boat. You can learn more by visiting our Boat Loan Calculator.
Get a boating license
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW BOAT!
You did it! You took the dive and picked up your new vessel and it’s ready to hit the water! Hypothetically, you should already have your license before you make your purchase. But if you don’t, here’s a little “how to“guide to the steps needed to get your boating license. This shouldn’t be confused with how to get your boat licensed…. Your sales person will go over that with you and we’ve covered that in “owning a boat” in our other resources.
Step 1: Determine if your state requires a license to boat!
We’re going to assume that if you’re reading this here on the Union Marine website that means you’re a Washington State resident. This means that you must be at least 12 years old to operate boats (classified as vessels) with 15 or more horsepower and 14 years of age or older to operate a personal watercraft (classified as a PWC).
***NOTE*** PWC classifies as a wave runner, jetski, etc.
If you’re not in Washington state, then check out Discover Boating’s website here to see what your state’s requirements are.
Step 2: Sign up for boaters education classes.
A majority of the boating classes can be taken online. In the Puget Sound area, there are a fair number of resources available for “in-person” classes. Whilewe recommend those as a supplement, we would recommend getting your boaters safety license and certification through Boat-ed.com as it is the official Washington State resource. That can be found here. We would recommend keeping a boaters handbook on hand until you’re familiar with the rules of the water as well! Pick that up here!
Step 3: Let’s get out on the water!
You’ve done it! You have your boat, you have your license – now get out on the water and enjoy your new vessel! Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to keep up on continuing training and workshops year-round at Union Marine if you’re ever feeling rusty or need a refresher!
Anything else before we reach the bottom?
The average cost of a new boat is $60,000 to $75,000, but you could pay far less — or far more — depending on what you have in mind. But if you’re asking “How much does a boat cost?” you’ll factor in mooring fees and storage, fuel, insurance, licensing fees, maintenance and much more.
Upfront Costs & Annual Maintenance
Before you buy, you’ll want to consider the upfront purchase costs. The first step is figuring out how you want to spend your time on the water and what type of boat you want to buy. You might want a fishing boat, or a bowrider for family fun. Perhaps a cabin cruiser that could house your family overnight for extended trips, or a specialty craft like a pontoon boat for family parties or a ski/wake boat for watersports.
Our Boat Finder Tool can help you identify the boat style that’s right for you by selecting your preferred activities, number of passengers and more criteria for your ideal boat. Then, be sure to learn more about the initial purchase costs in our comprehensive guide on Boat Values and Prices: Negotiating Your Purchase.
How Much Boat Can You Afford?
Once you’ve identified your favorite activities, calculating how much you want to spend is the next step. How much boat can you afford? Using that number, you can decide how to formulate your boating purchase. If you’re financing the purchase, remember that your credit rating will factor into your purchase; since this is a discretionary purchase, don’t tie up needed cost-of-living funds in your boat. You can learn more by visiting our Boat Loan Calculator.