Boating and Swimming

Families, fisherman and friends alike love to spend time on boats during the summer as well as various other times of year, so much so that more and more people invest in one every single year. The problem with purchasing a boat nowadays though is the fact that everything comes right off the factory line without any consideration to a consumer’s particular needs. And for this reason is purchasing a custom boat extremely popular, but also pretty pricey. Consider the fact that you’ll spend up to 50% more on a custom boat than you will on a boat that comes right off the line.

Is this something that sounds good to you? What if you were to find out that custom really means custom including the boat layout as well as the colors and pretty much anything else you can think of. It truly is an ideal investment if it is something you can afford, because a custom boat can allow for an enhanced overall experience. Better yet, you can even customize your boat to be the best it can be for the activities you like such as fishing and skiing or anything else you can possibly think of, talk about a specialized boat!

The good news is that when you purchase a custom boat you don’t have to incorporate everything you want into it all at once. You can actually start with what you are comfortable so you can start to enjoy the boat while adding to it as you can. Also, if you are looking for a way to incorporate some things you want that are specific but you are on a limited budget, you can always invest in a partial custom boat. For example you can buy the shell of the boat and then choose from a number of custom samplings to make the boat how you would like it to be.

It’s a good idea to shop in person when choosing a custom boat or even to work closely with a design expert to hash out exactly what you want before even begin to shop around. If you don’t you might end up with something you imagined, but isn’t an actual reality which will cost you more money customizing the boat in the long run. The bottom line is that purchasing a custom boat is the best way to enjoy the experience of being a boat owner without having to worry about having a boat that is so similar to everyone else around.

All vehicles that are currently driving on the road today have to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles by law. This is because, just like those types of vehicles, boats can be dangerous and the state wants to know what boats are on its waters. Many people forget to register their boats and find themselves faced with stiff fines when are caught boating without registration paperwork. In the end, it’s easier to just go through the boating registration process just like it is with cars and trucks; there’s far less hassle in the end.

When it comes to boats, there are two types, non-powered and powered; only one of these types has to be registered by law. Powered boats are boats that have any kind of power source at all – whether it’s a legitimate power system or even just a small auxiliary power system. The law states that any powered boat that’s used in water of the state must first be registered with the DMV; “water of the state” is any stream, lake or pond regardless of size and all of the salt water up until three miles out. These boats must go through the boat registration process; failing to properly register a boat will result in stiff penalties.

The fees that you pay for going through the boat registration process are not large at all, especially when compared to how much it costs to register some other vehicles. For powered boats – which is what nearly all boats being registered are – the fee is only $24.00. For non-powered boats, which haven’t been required to be registered since June of 2004, the fee is only $10 and is entirely voluntary. However, always remember that if you choose to remove your boat’s power source, you cannot obtain a refund for your registration fee; and if you add a power source to a boat, you must immediately register the change and pay the DMV’s $24.00 registration fee if you intend to use it.

To complete a boat registration, there are some steps you must go through. First, you have to complete the DMV’s boat registration application paperwork, which is available either directly from the office or from their website; all you have to do is print it out. Then you must locate your bill of sale, out-of-state title, invoice, etc and have the application fee ready. Then, all you do is go down to the office, give them the paperwork and your boat is legally registered.

Everyone knows about car auctions and antique auctions but very few people realize how common and how popular boat auctions are these days. So why would people choose to use boat auctions instead of just buying one on their own and not dealing with any possibility of a hassle? First, boats that are bought in a boat auction usually cost only a fraction of the hefty price tag they were purchased originally for. In addition, many people find that they can’t buy boats directly from dealers because of things like poor credit and there are some auction houses that choose to work with anyone, so they have a chance to purchase their boat that way. And perhaps most importantly, many people go to a boat auction looking for rare, antique boats that they can’t find anywhere else – antique boats often pass to auction houses after their owner passes away, giving people a chance to buy a rare boat.

The auction process itself can differ from auction house to auction house, so some minor details might be different but in most cases, the process is very similar. Some houses even insist that their bidders register themselves with them so that they can keep track of everything that way, but many do not. Either way, once the bidding starts, it works like any other auction: boats go up for bid, bidders place their bids and whoever bids the highest goes home with the prize, so to speak. Bidders are then free to bid on them, verbally if it’s not a silent auction, and the one who bids the highest obviously goes home with the boat.

The auctions themselves are usually very simple: a boat goes up for bid, bids are put up and the boat goes home with whoever bids the most. In almost all cases, the former owner of the boat has to supply the boat auction house with paperwork that details a boat’s history and proof of its condition. This is, first and foremost, a way to try and avoid the sale of stolen boats at boat auctions; it also helps avoid any claims that a boat sold was not in good condition.

So what should you do before going to an auction to make sure you end up going home with what you want? To avoid this, do your research; determine what you want in a boat, what you are planning to use it for and what type of boat will best suit your needs before you even start looking. Try to figure out what size boat will best fit your needs so you aren’t coming home with one that’s too small to really use or far too big to handle. And most of all, don’t decide to settle – there will always be more boat auctions and chances are one will have just what you’re looking for.