would you buy a boat right now ?

[Muxey]

Newby fancys a boat on the broads/ seagoing,
Is it a good time to buy , ie winter coming up covid Brexit!
I just feel if i leave it any longer i may be too old .
Your views ?

 

[Bigplumbs]

Look now on the Broads and see what is available and what you can afford. Carry on looking until Feb. If you leave it much later you might hit the silly season.

Re the Broads I would not worry about Brexit

 

[Greg2]

The market has been brisk since lockdown was lifted, resulting in swift sales and lower levels of stock at brokerages than would normally be the case. Boats still selling and with the prospect of ‘staycations‘ being more common / popular as a consequence of the pandemic perhaps demand will persist.

What the longer term impacts of the pandemic or Brexit will be are anyone’s guess so I would agree with Bigplumbs and say keep looking and buy when you see what you want. Worth saying that you should also be exploring mooring options as marinas on the Broads are getting fairly full.

 

[oldgit]

Your a long time dead , get on with it

 

[Momac]

There aren't too many good boats for sale , and good boats that come up at a sensible price have been selling quickly.
So start looking now and it may take longer than you think to find the right boat.

 

[ashtead]

Buy yourself a Trader or such like and motor it up there but don’t forget to post an account of your voyage to the broads on here . Would be following a well trod path as a search of the forum will reveal.

 

[ShaneAtSea]

Ive decided to postponed buying until next year.

There is just too much uncertainty with Covid at the moment and it looks like that things are going backwards not forwards.

A global recession is sure to come so buying a boat is not a sound financial investment.

Although, im sure that the price of boats will nosedive over the next 12 months with people holding onto their cash for the foreseeable future.

However, It might also be a great time to get a bargain.

 

[South Coast]

Its a great time to buy a boat or camper van, these are two ways you can see yourself safer while enjoying your leisure time in these uncertain times, Covid is not going away anytime soon and for the foreseeable future you will have to take all precautions you can to keep safe, sleeping in your own bed and staying in your own house/boat/campervan is one of these things, that is why so many have been sold. You still have to live life and that means adapting to the threats around you, boating is one way to minimise risk and have fun and adventure for those fortunate to be able to afford it. Yes we face uncertain times economically but there is still a lot of money about just being directed to different areas, boating is one of the safer activities around at the moment Covid wise where you can get away from the daily grind.

 

[Bigplumbs]

Ive decided to postponed buying until next year.

There is just too much uncertainty with Covid at the moment and it looks like that things are going backwards not forwards.

A global recession is sure to come so buying a boat is not a sound financial investment.

Also, im sure that the price of boats will nosedive over the next 12 months with people holding onto their cash for the foreseeable future.

However, It might also be a great time to get a bargain.

My goodness. Is your glass half full or half empty

 

[ShaneAtSea]

My goodness. Is your glass half full or half empty

When it comes to spending a sizeable amount of cash on a boat then I'll weigh up the pros and cons

Unfortunately at the moment the cons fair outweigh the pros.

Also, it's all about personal choice. I was looking to buy in the USA so as I can't even get into the country it's better to postpone ?

 

[Halsey]

We went through exactly the same dilemma over the last month - we sold our previous boat VERY quickly and wondered what to do ...................

Decided - Money in the bank is worth nothing, Boats are never a sound investment, COVID isn't going anywhere until at least 2022 and life is too short, so we went ahead and are very pleased we did - we have the winter to sort the inevitable "jobs" list and be ready for next season.

Half full...........

 

[jrudge]

There is always a reason not to do something. Economist can offer whatever predictions they wish but there are rarely if ever accurate.

Boats a priced all over the place - but the ones with daft prices stick - just like houses.

Find a decent boat and offer a fair price. Spend the winter fixing stuff and enjoy the summer.

This is the end of the season and owners are aware they will be paying the fees over winter, doing the next service etc so this should give one minor wiggle room.

Will people have fire sales of boats if the economy declines etc etc? My view is that if your business was going to be hit it has been hit by now and you know the issue. Some will emerge of course but many businesses have had a torrid time already.

 

[dombuckley]

Good boats are selling quickly, but moorings are selling even quicker. I've had a couple of clients who bought boats which had been brought up to the Broads to sell, who then found it very difficult to find somewhere to put them.

Once youve found a suitable boat, call round all the marinas and boatyards to see if there are any suitable berths before you sign on the dotted line.

 

[oldgit]

" buying a boat is not a sound financial investment. "
Blimey, that will be news to most on this forum .

 

[Greg2]

We went through exactly the same dilemma over the last month - we sold our previous boat VERY quickly and wondered what to do ...................

Decided - Money in the bank is worth nothing, Boats are never a sound investment, COVID isn't going anywhere until at least 2022 and life is too short, so we went ahead and are very pleased we did - we have the winter to sort the inevitable "jobs" list and be ready for next season.

Half full...........

That’s pretty much what we did for the same reasons. Last boat unexpectedly sold swiftly as lockdown lifted and things were selling so we decided to act quickly. Boating is important to us and life without it in current circumstances would be missing something.

What will happen from an economic perspective and the boat market in particular is anyones guess but as my sadly departed father-in-law used to say, ‘You’re a long time looking at the lid!’
.

 

[SolentDavid]

I started looking at the start of lockdown and soon decided on the boat I was aiming to buy, at the beginning of next year. Whilst looking, I soon noticed that the boat I wanted (I saw 3 of the ones in the spec I wanted) had all sold, and lesser spec versions of that model had increased in price, and still unsold. I noticed a trend in the price going up of most models and there being les stock to select from.

Still keen to buy next year, I have re-evaluated my needs/wants to my budget and have identified a few other options that still tick my boxes and make me prepared to spend my cash.

I know I will be paying more than I would have been before this pandemic, but as has been said before on this thread, you only live once, so I'm prepared to pay the same amount, but have a slightly inferior boat to the one I could have had pre price rise and stock issues.

 

[Momac]

...... im sure that the price of boats will nosedive over the next 12 months with people holding onto their cash for the foreseeable future.

In recent months boat sales appear to have experienced good times. I presume vendors have achieved near asking prices . Not sure that is due to change with even more people realising holidays and activities at home are the best plan for next year . The numbers of boast for sale near me are very low.
I do wonder if property , including boats, is safer than cash.

 

[Muxey]

Thanks guys, ill keep looking , a couple of boats i liked have sold quickly but i won't panic.

 

[AdeOlly]

There aren't too many good boats for sale , and good boats that come up at a sensible price have been selling quickly.
So start looking now and it may take longer than you think to find the right boat.

Yup - we were looking before lockdown but did't make a decision. Since lockdown lifted the market has been nuts. We managed to miss a couple, and had one sold from under our noses sight unseen at asking price. In all my 16 years of browsing brokerage sites I've never seen so little for sale, certainly at the sub £100k level where I live. Asking prices are reflecting this too i think, We have a couple of potentials, but neither have any paperwork whatsoever behind them.... for another thread.

 

[Tomte]

If I didn't already have a boat, I would buy one now. I'm not going from an economic point of view now, you're just a little safer on a boat at the moment. Who knows when the next lockdown will come and what will be allowed? Life on a boat is a lot easier in this times. Little contact with other people, if necessary hardly any, and yet you are not locked up and can go to places where it is not so bad.