A Guide to Purchasing a Fishing Boat: What you Need to Know

If you are one of the many anglers in Australia and you are looking to invest in your very own fishing boat, there’s a lot to consider. Of course, your choice of boat would very much depend on the kind of fishing you plan to do, and whether or not you intend to use the boat for any other activity, and with that in mind, here are a few tips when looking to buy a fishing boat.

• Think Water – This means you should look at the conditions of locations where you plan to fish, how deep is the water? Are you planning to go freshwater or sea fishing? If, for example, the water is quite shallow in some places, then you want a boat that is able to move around in such shallow water, and think about current, which might require a powerful boat that can handle strong currents.
• Reputable Boat Dealers – You should avoid private sellers when looking to acquire a fishing boat, and with an online search, you can be view new and second-hand fishing boats for sale from a reputable boat dealership. If you are looking for a used boat, then you need to check the boat’s history to ensure that it has always been well-looked after, and the seller would have the full service history of any boat you are interested in buying.
• Ocean-Going Fishing Boats – If you are planning to do some saltwater fishing, there are basically two types of fishing boat; inshore and offshore. An inshore boat would be ideal for fishing in calm coves and bays and would be smaller than an offshore fishing boat, plus a lot cheaper. Offshore fishing boats have powerful outboard or inboard engines and can handle catching large predatory fish, while this type of vessel is suitable for fishing 20-30km from the shore, as it can handle large swells and has the power to help when trying to land big fish.
• Freshwater Fishing – If you are planning to fish rivers and lakes rather than the ocean, then the ideal boat would not have to have such high standards as an ocean-going vessel. A small boat with a low-power outboard would be ideal, and if you are in any doubt about the suitability of any given boat, talk to the boat dealer, who can make some recommendations.
• New or Used – If this is your first boat purchase, it might be best to choose a second-hand boat, as least until you gain some experience, and when you are ready in a few years, you can upgrade to a new vessel and your requirements are now known. It is a good idea to calculate your budget prior to looking at boats, as this will save you a lot of time, and once the boat dealer knows your budget, he can recommend a suitable vessel.

Buying a fishing boat is an exciting experience and if you make sure that the boat is suitable for the type of fishing you wish to do, you will enjoy many years of fishing.