Buy a boat or continue to rent? This is a question that will inevitably come to the mind of any passionate boater. But how can you be sure you're making the right choice? To help you, you can first study your program and use. Indeed, we can estimate three ways to practice sailing:
- One to three weeks per year
- More than 3 weeks to 3 months per year
- More than 3 months per year
Depending on the length of time you spend sailing, here are our tips.
I sail one or two weeks a year
Our advice: rent.
If you sail less than 3 weeks a year, you will not be financially successful to buy a boat. In addition to the purchase cost, you will have to add the maintenance cost of your boat (pontoon, wintering, careening, fuel, insurance). This budget will be much higher than the one you will have to pay every year for these few days of freedom on the water.
By continuing to rent, you can avoid these costs, but also allow you to vary the areas of navigation. Indeed, in two weeks, if you decide for example to sail from Brittany to Corunna in the northwest of Spain, you will have little time to enjoy stopovers, unlike a rental on the spot.
Several solutions are available to you to rent your vacation sailboat you can choose to rent between individuals or to use a professional organization. Nevertheless, read our advice before renting through a private individual .
I sail from 3 weeks to 3 months a year
Our advice: management-rental.
Many rental companies offer management-rental formulas the idea is to buy a new boat and rent it at a base of the company. The idea is to buy a new boat and rent it in a base of the company, which then takes care of everything (harbor fees, maintenance and insurance). It can be rented by other boaters and you will receive a fixed income during the contract period.
In exchange, you will be able to use your boat (or a similar boat in any other base than yours) up to 12 weeks per year. A good compromise to make the purchase of your boat profitable.
I sail more than 3 months a year or I am preparing a long cruise
Our advice: buy.
If you have the possibility to sail several weeks a year, if you live close to a port or if you have the opportunity to be available on weekends, the most profitable is to buy your boat. Even more so if you are planning a long trip with your family for example, you can then sell your boat when you return.
In fact, renting a boat on a recurring basis will end up costing you more than buying it, even if you take into account maintenance costs. After that, it is up to you to decide whether you want a new or used boat. You can also consult our article on The 5 key points to buy a used boat or discover how to prepare your boat purchase .
And you, what is your choice? Do you own or rent boats?
