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Buying a boat is a big and exciting decision, but one that you probably won’t be making lightly. If you are sitting on the fence or wondering should you buy a boat (or perhaps trying to convince your other half that it’s a good idea), in this article, we take a look at 15 compelling reasons why boat ownership will enhance your life for the better…and the reasons will surprise you.
Whether it’s a tiny but feisty Jon boat, a weekend cruiser, or a 200-foot superyacht, the benefits are the same. You’ll be amazed to discover that it’s not the cost or size of the boat that plays the biggest role enhancing your happiness, but the act of being on the water, in a space of your own.
So, are you asking yourself, “Why should I buy a boat?” Here’s all the why you could ever need;
- Reduces stress and enhances happiness
- Provides fresh air and exercise
- Allows you to learn new skills
- Offers freedom and adventure in a home away from home
- Creates meaningful memories with family and friends
- Allows you to discover the world in a new way
- Make new friends in a whole new community
- Creates a space for business use
- Potential for return on investment
- Escape the hubbub of life
- Have a whole lot of fun
- You’ll discover new destinations
- Connect with nature in a completely different way
- Have total control over your vacation
- Surprisingly affordable
1. Reduces stress and enhances happiness
Boats allow you to step away from the tension and anxiety of everyday life. Work, cell phones, daily chores, and traffic all take a toll on our mental health. By spending a few hours, a day, or a weekend on your boat, you don’t just remove yourself from those stresses, but you replace them with enjoyable, relaxing activities. It might be fishing or water skiing, swimming with the kids, or simply watching the sun set with a cold beer in your hand. There is a huge body of evidence proving that being on or near the ocean has huge mental health benefits, with evidence from academic research showing that hearing the ocean so close by brings a sense of calm and perspective, washing away daily stressors.
2. Provides fresh air and exercise
Boating is joyfully relaxing, but you also need to use a certain amount of muscle to get everything ready for a day on the water. Loading supplies, cleaning, towing, and launching can all be quite physical, and that’s ultimately good for you. While out on your boat, you can also fine tune your fitness with water sports or swimming, hoisting the sails of your sailboat, and filling your lungs with fresh, salty air. The simple act of balancing on a moving platform tones muscles throughout your body. And we all know that getting the heart pumping is good for body and mind, but doing it at sea gives a sense of satisfaction at the same time.
3. Allows you to learn new skills
Owning your first boat is a steep but enjoyable learning curve, keeping your mind sharp. Every day brings new challenges, from learning knots and mooring skills, to navigation and basic maintenance. You’ll enter into a whole new world, where the staff at the local chandlery will be your new best friends, and depending on the challenges you like the most, you’ll get a charge out of fixing faulty equipment, performing a flawless mooring in tricky conditions, or cooking a meal to perfection on the transom grill.
4. Offers freedom and adventure in a home away from home
The freedom that comes with being able to decide where to go, when you want to is extremely empowering. To own and captain your own boat raises a sense of self-esteem and provides you with a newfound sense of freedom. Imagine sailing along the coast for a weekend, or spending a day on the lake. Whether you eventually want to sail around the world, or never go farther than a few miles from your dock, ultimately the choice is yours. Holidays take on a new flavor, with the destination and budget set by you and not the travel companies. You choose your activities, where you eat, and where you anchor.
5. Creates meaningful memories with family and friends
Time spent at sea is time spent creating special memories and shared experiences with family and friends. Drag the kids away from their gadgets and teach them about boating, and you’ll be giving them a new set of life skills as well as spending quality time. As a family you could learn a new sport, such as stand up paddle boarding or wake boarding, or embark on sailing courses and learn together.
A boat can be a wonderful space to entertain friends too. On sunny days, crack open a chilled bottle of wine as you enjoy a freshly caught and grilled fillet. Or bring along your fishing buddies to go in search of new angling spots inaccessible from shore. Whoever you choose to bring with you, assign them a task so they feel part of the experience. It increases a sense of trust, and you’ll learn new things about each other as you work as a team.
6. Allows you to discover the world in a new way
There is a certain magic about being on the water that offers experiences unimaginable to land lubbers. The idea of catching your dinner over the side of the boat, of watching dolphins jump as the sun sets, of discovering hidden coves and secret beaches inaccessible from land are all possible. The experiences are more intimate, your senses more heightened, and the memories more profound.
7. Make new friends in a whole new community
Yachties, boaters, anglers—whoever you fall in with—you’ll join a unique, relaxed, and friendly community of people all with a shared passion for the sea. Being part of this niche community gives you a healthy sense of belonging. You will make new friends, learn from each other, share tips and advice, and socialize. Boating is a great equalizer that brings together folks who share their love of being on the water. After all, where else would your find people happy to debate the pros and cons of displacement, semi-displacement, and planing-hull boats?
8. Creates a space for business use
One of the more underappreciated benefits of owning a boat is using it for business purposes. Imagine being able to take potential clients or business associates out on your own boat instead of to a restaurant or the golf course. Not only does it create a lasting image of you and your business, but it allows for a relaxed and uninterrupted space to conduct business conversations. Dine together on the deck, enjoy a spot of fishing, and with the calming sea environment and relaxation of being aboard a boat, you may have a new deal signed on the dotted line in no time.
9. Potential for return on investment
Owning a boat is an investment—and rarely one on which you’ll make money. As you factor in purchase costs, running costs, and maintenance costs, the numbers will add up. But there are ways to off-set these expenses and occasionally see a real return on your investment. Whether you want to charter your boat out for a few weeks a year, or think about other boat business ideas— everything from running wildlife watching excursions to operating as a dive boat—there are fun and lucrative ways to off-set your investment and keep costs down.
10. Escape the hubbub of life
In this fast-paced world, the appeal of being away from the masses and out on the water is greater than it’s ever been. Boating provides a sense of quiet and escape that is unlikeanything you’ll find online. You’re free of traffic and noise, you don’t need WiFi, you’re not surrounded by buildings and people, and you have a wide expanse of water in front of you offering an intoxicating sense of freedom. Boating provides the ultimate escape from everyday life and you’ll return to land after a day of cruising feeling revitalized and refreshed.
11. Have a whole lot of fun
Getting out on the water is an enjoyable activity for anyone who takes part. In that sense, a boat offers great value for money. Think about RVs as a comparative example. They’re excellent for getting from A to B and offering a comfortable living space while on vacation, but you still need to find the fun elsewhere such as hiking or sightseeing. In contrast, a boat is fun all by itself, offering a comfortable space from which to soak up nature, explore new places, spend time with friends and family, and escape life on land. You can scuba dive or swim alongside it, use it for watersports or fishing, set off on overnight or weekend adventures, use it as a mindful space for soaking up some quiet time, and entertain friends. The list is endless.
12. You’ll discover new destinations
Boats allow you to explore new places, whether that’s locally or setting off across the world. Being able to tow your boat on a trailer gives you untold freedom to explore new cruising grounds and have completely new adventures. Whether you choose to go boating on lakes and inland waterways or prefer the coast, you can hitch up your boat trailer and set off for a day or weekend of exploration. Alternatively, long-range boats such as trawlers or sailboats will allow you to cruise for months or even years, exploring the far corners of the globe.
13. Connect with nature in a completely different way
Chugging out of a harbor in the early morning accompanied by a pod of dolphins, watching flying fish soar across the surface of the ocean, seeing seals, pelicans, whales, seabirds, and so much more marine wildlife is an undoubted highlight of boating. Whether you’re on the sea or a lake, there will be wonderful moments where you get to experience the wilds of nature and the changing seasons. And it doesn’t just stop at wildlife. Sunsets and sunrises are more magical, rainbows and far-off rain clouds are more dramatic, the air is that much fresher. You’ll connect with nature in a way you didn’t know was possible.
14. Have total control over your vacation
Boating allows you to take charge of your vacations and travel where you want, when you want. There are no flight tickets to book or hotels to arrange, you simply stock up and set sail. You can spend anything from an afternoon on your boat to a weekend or several weeks. Suit your vacation to your budget, too. Stop in marinas and dine in waterside restaurants, cruise down the Florida Keys, or simply cook up a BBQ on a deserted lakeside beach; it can be as luxurious or as simple as you like.
15. Surprisingly affordable
Speaking of budget, boating isn’t as expensive as you might think. Of course a large boat doesn’t come cheap, and neither does the upkeep (see our guide to The Real Costs of Owning a Boat). But you can get yourself a small, affordable boat that can be trailered and stored in your yard for a few thousand dollars (read How Much is a Yacht? for more ideas on costs). And don’t forget you don’t have to pay for the boat upfront as there are excellent loan and marine finance deals to be found allowing you to pay monthly for your boat and fit the repayments into your budget.
From the best aluminum bass boats to the top pontoon boats under $30,000 and the best choice of beginner sailboats, there are plenty of well-priced new and used boats out there that will get you out on the water and enjoying the boating lifestyle. Check out the hundreds of boats for sale in your area listed on Rightboat, and if you’re a first time boater you’ll want to read our thorough step-by-step guide to How to Buy a Boat.
