What’s the best speed boat for a first-time boat buyer?

If you’ve decided to take a step off solid ground and behind the wheel of a speed boat but aren’t quite sure what would work the best for you as it’s your very first boat purchase, things can feel a little overwhelming.

The amount of options out there are substantial, but don’t stress. To guide you through things and help you make your final decision, here are the considerations you should keep in mind.

Decide on a budget

It’s a bit obvious, but sometimes (especially with boat buying) it can be overly tempting to tell yourself ‘Oh, it’s only a few grand more, it’s fine’. But if it’s going to really stretch your budget to spend it, you should be well aware of that fact.

Crunch the numbers and make sure that the figure you have calculated isn’t veered away from too much. Because right off the bat, your budget will dictate the type of speed boat you are able to actually afford.

Choose a specific type of speed boat

If you’re not yet aware, there are a few different types of speed boats out there, including:

• Bowriders: where seating is offered in the bow of the boat. These are great for various kinds of watersports like water skiing as well as relaxed cruising with friends and family.
• Fish-and-ski: As the name suggests, this is a great hybrid boat that works equally well as a fishing boat as it does towing skiers and wakeboarders. A great all-rounder option.
• High performance: Want to go fast? These low, relatively long boats will help you do exactly that. Ideal for racing, high-speed cruising and towing skiers and wakeboarders (but less so than the other options).
• Wake boats: While they’ve got plenty of go, these are commonly used as slower-moving boats to create a wake behind for wakeboarding.

Understand outboard vs. inboard

Then there’s also the question of whether you want an inboard or outboard motor.

Outboards allow for easier self-servicing and draining, generally weigh less so are better in terms of fuel economy and speed.

Inboards provide a safer option for watersports, are much quieter and deliver a lower centre of gravity which can be beneficial in heavier swell.

New or used?

Like buying a car, choosing to go with a new boat has many of the same benefits like the inclusion of warranty, that it’s done zero hours so you know it hasn’t been thrashed or mistreated in any way, and it’ll be absolutely immaculate inside and out. But also consider that you need to do a number of hours to ‘break in’ the engine of the boat. That means taking it very easy for 10-20 hours before putting it under too much of an intense load. Plus you’re paying new-boat prices.

The other side of the coin is used. Yes, the boat is going to be cheaper than new. And you won’t have to spend hours breaking in the engine. But it’s imperative that if you DO go second-hand, you arrange to have it inspected by a professional as it can be easy to miss some pretty serious issues - especially if it’s an inboard.

Speed into a great boat financing deal with Stratton Finance

See what we did there? Puns aren’t the only thing we’re great at though - we’ve been in the business of connecting Aussies with fantastic boat finance packages for decades, and you can bet we’ll do just the same for you.

If you’d like to chat about boat financing, give our friendly team a call now on 1300 955 600. We’ll make the process hassle-free and easy - and incredibly quick as well. If you’d prefer, you’re welcome to send us an online enquiry and you’ll hear back from us shortly.