Category: Reviews

By B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor)  When it’s time to sell your boat – whether by yourself or with a broker – you have a bit of work to get an easier, quick sale. It’s not so different from selling your house – first impressions matter, staging counts, and a good, clean look in photos and […]

By B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Well, I’ve put it off all summer, but as August draws to a close and Labor Day rolls near, it’s time to talk about the “W” word. Which is, of course, “Winterizing,” which no one likes to talk about when it’s still warm and sunny. But with a little advanced […]

by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) There are two basic types of powerboat engines – inboards and outboards. There are advantages to both types of installations, and situations where one is far better than the other. While this is a complex topic to get into technical detail on, we can explore them at a basic level […]

by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Buying a Boat? It’s time to follow up our articles on buying a boat, dealing with a bad survey, and why you should almost always get a survey when buying a boat. This article applies to buyers and sellers, because there isn’t always a great understanding about what a survey […]

by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Over the years, we’ve spent more than a few days and nights rafted to other boats. Sometimes it’s voluntary – when we meet up with friends we want to spend time with, for example. Other times it’s not; some marinas have limited space and rafting may be mandatory on slips […]

by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) There are a lot of romanticized idea about living on a boat, but what is boat life really like? There’s no single answer, because there’s no one way to live on a boat. The experiences of a blue water cruiser who moves from country to country and living at anchor […]

by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor)  If you don’t own a boat, or are just thinking about joining a boat, a Boat Club may be an attractive option to get you on the water right now without the larger commitment of buying a boat. The general model of boat membership clubs is that you pay a […]

by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor)  If you haven’t read our series on “Things to Look for When Buying a Boat” you might want to give it a look. A survey and sea trial is a crucial part of the boat buying process, and you shouldn’t skip it without a good reason. But what do you […]

by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor)  If you’ve read our articles on boat buying, then you’ve heard me jumping up and down about surveys and why you should almost always get one. I’m a huge fan of a professional survey by an accredited surveyor. But they are expensive and time-consuming, and there is a temptation to […]

by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor)  Fractional ownership is the idea that you buy a stake in a boat to share with someone else, then you share ownership expenses and usage of the boat. It’s not a new concept – friends and family have been sharing ownerships as partners for years. What is newer is the […]