Buying Guides

Bass Boat Buying Guide: Choosing Your Fishing Machine

Aluminum vs fiberglass bass boats, outboard and trolling-motor choices, honest price bands, and how to vet a used rig before tournament morning.

Bowrider Buying Guide: The Family Day Boat, Done Right

Which bowrider size fits your crew, sterndrive vs outboard power, realistic new and used price bands, and what to inspect before you buy used.

Cabin Cruiser Buying Guide: Weekends That Don't End at Dusk

What cabin cruisers cost new and used, express vs aft-cabin layouts, engine choices, and the inspection points that save weekend cruisers real money.

Catamaran Buying Guide: Sail, Power, and Life on Two Hulls

Sail and power catamarans compared - layouts, engines, realistic price bands, charter-history checks, and what to inspect before buying a used cat.

Center Console Buying Guide: Bay Boats to Offshore

How to choose a center console: bay boat vs offshore hulls, single or twin outboards, realistic price bands, and used-boat checks that matter.

Deck Boat Buying Guide: Maximum Space, Real Speed

How deck boats blend runabout speed with pontoon-level space, which hulls and engines to pick, price bands, and the used-boat checks that matter.

Fishing Boat Buying Guide: Best Boat to Buy for How You Fish

Find the best fishing boat to buy for lakes, bays, or offshore water — hull styles, power options, price bands, and used-boat inspection tips.

Houseboat Buying Guide: Buying a Home on the Water

Pontoon vs full-hull houseboats, powered cruisers vs floating homes, realistic price bands, moorage and insurance realities, and used-boat checks.

Inflatable & RIB Buying Guide: From Tenders to Offshore

From roll-up tenders to offshore RIBs - tube materials, hull types, engine sizing, price bands, and how to check a used inflatable before you buy.

Jet Ski Buying Guide: How to Buy the Right PWC

Buying a jet ski? Compare Rec-Lite, recreation, and performance models, get honest price bands, and know exactly what to check on a used PWC.

Motorboat Buying Guide: Find the Right Powerboat

How to choose a motorboat: hull shapes, outboard vs sterndrive power, honest new and used price bands, and exactly what to inspect before you buy.

Pontoon Boat Buying Guide: What to Know Before You Buy

What pontoon boats cost new and used, which layouts suit families, anglers, or watersports, and what to inspect under the deck before you buy.

Sailboat Buying Guide: Choose the Right Boat for the Wind

Which sailboat fits the way you plan to sail, what new and used boats really cost, and the rig, hull, and sail checks that matter before you buy.

Trawler Buying Guide: Go Far, Burn Less

Why trawlers cross oceans on sips of diesel - full vs semi-displacement hulls, single vs twin engines, price bands, and used-boat survey priorities.

Wake Boat Buying Guide: Ski, Wake & Surf Boats

Ski, wake, and surf boats explained — hull and ballast tech, V-drive power, honest new and used price bands, and what to inspect before buying.

Yacht Buying Guide: What to Know Before Buying a Yacht

What buying a yacht really involves: size classes, brokerage price bands, the survey and sea trial process, and the honest costs of running one.