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Cost of Boating Accessories might keep some out off the Water

Cost of Boating Accessories might keep some out off the Water

The expense of operating, maintaining, and of course buying a boat stops many people from owning a boat as much as they’d like to. Besides the initial cost of boat ownership, it is the continued cost of boat insurance, fuel, and the many boat accessories that makes most people shy away from this type of recreational activity. One advice is for boat owners to shop around for great deals on the various required boating accessories while keeping the U.S. Coast Guard designation on many of the key items in mind.

For one thing, many of the boating accessories have new products enter the market every year and buying last year’s models may result in some powerful savings over the cost of the new year’s models. Some items simply never go out of date and how they appear may have little to do with how they function. It may also be possible to buy some of the boating accessories used from private individuals or dealers, resulting in even more savings.

Caution needs to be exercised when buying used boating accessories as some of the items could deteriorate with age. Personal floatation devices such as life jackets are best bought new to insure they not only meet Coast Guard standards but will also work properly when needed.

Replacing your Equipment with New or Used Versions

Often times when a boat owner needs to replace any of their accessories they would run to the nearest store and buy the latest model to hit the market. It’s also quite possible that a dealer has some of last year’s stock remaining and in order to clean their inventory and make room for new models they’ll often sell it at huge discounts. Furthermore, you can find private owners who lack the financial resources to keep their boating dream going and are therefore selling off some of their marine accessories.

Note that some of the boating accessories should never be purchased with price in mind. Safety related items such as fire extinguishers should be brand new and of top quality to insure they will function as designed should you ever need them. You wouldn’t want to have your boat burn down because you “saved” 20 bucks by buying a cheaper extinguishers that appears to be defunct. Buyers should also double check and make sure their safety-related boating accessories are approved by the Coast Guard for the type of vessel in or on which the product is to be used.

People should also not be reluctant about buying boating accessories from discount stores, or going the used route provided they are from a reputable resource. There are a ton of boating websites that provide buy, sell, trade opportunities for boating equipment. A site like Cheap Sailor or even Craigslist is a good place to start. Durability might be slightly less, but in some cases it’s cheaper to buy replacements every couple of years as opposed to buying top of the line equipment the first time around.