When buying a boat, you have to first determine your needs and budget, but it is not that easy to determine them. Where to start, how much are the taxes, how does the process work? Together with Deniz Özçakır, Trio Deniz Sales and Marketing Director, you will find the reposes to these questions.

The concept of the “boat” has a very wide range as a product. You can see a boat of 5 meteres boat with outboard engine can have a similar price to an average car. But there can also be found a 24-meter megayacht, with a price expressed in millions. It is a very broad concept in terms of both price and usage. We ask ourselves many questions before we buy a boat. Which to buy: sailboat or motor yacht? If you choose a motorboat, the next question to come is that will it be a small outboard boat or an inboard motoryacht in the larger yacht class? When it comes to sailboats, different questions arise: Is it a performance sailboat or a boat of more recreational charecter?

A motorboat can be a trawler-style displacement boat that you can go longer distances or a fast-moving sports boat with a planing hull feature. They can have a flybridge or not.

There are so many products, segments, brands and sales organizations in the industry that it is easy to get lost among them. But if you determine your criteria well, it will be very easy to choose the right boat for you, your family and the people you will use the boat with.

How and where you will use the boat is important. If you are sitting by the sea, you can reach the sea directly and you want to use a trailable boat, then the type of boat you will buy will be pretty different than a boat to be used in a marina.

One of the most important criteria when buying a boat is how and with whom you will use the boat? Will you only use the boat for weekend fishing with your friends, or do you want to spend long hours on the boat with your family and loved ones? How many people will stay on the boat? Sailboat or motor yacht? By asking yourself these questions, you need to determine the type and size of the boat according to the answers you will give.

The budget of the boat will also be an important criterion when determining your boat. But here, you need to calculate the annual operational budget of the boat, how much you want to spend, and what your price range will be for a boat. By combining all these criteria, it is possible to find the right boat, reach the convenient product range and choose the brand.

This question is one of the first questions that come to the minds when people decide to buy a boat. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The decision has to be made according some knowledge acquired through researches. The biggest advantage of buying a new boat is that it offers the newest hull and deck, with the latest design features, reflecting the latest technological developments. In addition, when you buy a brand new boat, it means that you are getting a boat with manufacturer warranty. You should make sure that you buy the boat from a correct distributor or dealer. Not every distributor and dealer can offer you the same quality of service. Especially on a brand new boat, after-sales services are important. Working with the right distributor or dealer will make the processes much easier when buying a brand new boat, to advance the processes quickly in case of any problem, disruption or accident that may occur; to feel always having someone to address in case of troubles who will inform you during the solution process. When buying a new boat, you have to order in advance for certain supply times, make prepayments and wait for the delivery of your boat for a certain period of time. Buying a new boat is advantageous for buyers who make long-term plans, want to benefit from service quality and want to own a boat that reflects the latest developments.

A second-hand boat, on the other hand, can be considered advantageous for those who act with the thought that the deficits have already been eliminated, if the latest technologila developments are not the primary motivation Another advantage is that the boat is yours as soon as you get the boat by seeing the boat and talking to the owner on the boat. Those who want to own a boat without waiting can choose to buy a second hand boat.

In the last 10 years, sailboats approached motoryachts and motoryachts have approached sailboats in terms of design. Despite their differences in their forms and promised lifestyles, sailing boats approach motor yachts in terms of comfort, ease of use and the space they offer, and motor yachts have come very close to sailing boats in terms of usage of green energy and economic fuel consumption with the development of technology witnessed in the last 10 years. Brands have started to offer more modern trawlers and small machined but stable boats which are capable of long cruising. Thus, it is possible to cruise with less fuel consumption with less carbon footprint. This was a feature long formerly attributed to sailboats. Sailboats, on the other hand, were known as less comfortable, difficult to use, narrow and limited boats compared to motor yachts 10 years ago -which is no more true today.

However, in the last 10 years, new developments, technologies, have brought sailboats closer to motor yachts which are known with their ease of use, space and comfort. Despite these similarities, the two products are still very different from each other. One of the most important differences, is the lifestyle brought by them. If cruising is more important to you than getting somewhere quickly with high speeds, and you prioritise the interaction, onboard activity, time spent on sea and adventure, sailingboats may be the right option for you. But if you are looking for comfort, a larger deck area, being able to go faster, and making more distances in a shorter time, a motor yacht will be more suitable for you. Although they are similar to each other, the sailboats are more advantageous in terms of operational cost, and fuel consumption. Maintenance costs are lower than motor yachts. There are big differences between the two products in terms of budget and lifestyle. The fact that sailboats compete to offer more space, ease of use and comfort which are the aspects attiring people to motorboats. Therefore, they will always remain as two separate product groups, but both will take the right features of each other and try to offer more useful options to boaters. Here, deciding which of the two different product ranges is suitable for you, will determine how you will enjoy your boat.

When buying a boat, the budget you will spend on the annual operations of the boat is as important as the investment budget. These budget items do not have to be paid once, but as long as you have a boat you will have tos pare some amount of Money fort he maintenance expenditures. Operational budget items are generally expenses such as marina, insurance, maintenance, fuel; and if you have a captain, salary, employee insurance.

Marina fee: It covers the largest portion of your annual operational budget. If you have a small boat that can be transported on a trailer, you can avoid this expense by keeping it in your own home or warehouse. Marina fees can vary greatly from marina to marina and from region to region. For this reason, before buying a boat, you’d better to get an idea about the annual marina fee by asking price quotes from different marinas in the region.

Insurance fee: Another cost that you have to bear every year is the insurance cost of the boat. The insurance cost is generally 3-4 per thousand of the value of the boat.

Annual maintenance costs of the boat: Every boat will have small or large annual maintenance costs. For both the machine, the hull and other accessories. The cost will increase depending on the size of the boat and the excess of the systems on it.

Captain expenses: If you are going to use the boat with a captain, expenses such as the captain's salary and insurance will be another important item. Crew expense can be added to this amount, depending on the size of the boat.

Cleaning and maintenance expenses: You should clean and maintain the boat at regular intervals even when you are not using it. If you can't do it yourself, you can entrust your boat to the companies that do this job and ensure that routine cleaning and operations are carried out. This is one of the annual operational costs you need to consider.

Fuel expense: If your boat is a motor yacht, and have one or two big machines, the fuel you will consume can be an important expense. If you have a fast-moving motor yacht with large engines, this is an incredibly important factor in your annual operational cost. That's why some users put it at the operational cost, and some don't. An annual expense budget emerges from the sum of these items. This should be roughly calculated when buying a boat. Knowing what costs will be taken into account annually, and calculating whether these expenses will be incurred or not, is a vital aspect to be taken into consideration while thinking of buying a boat.