• Pick the Right Family Boat
• Find a Family Boat on eBay Motors
• Buy Family Boats With Confidence

Pick the Right Family Boat

One of the biggest thrills in life is basking in the knowledge that you’ll soon buy a family boat. You worked out the finances and got your spouse's blessing. Before you pull out your stack of Boating World magazines, order a mountain of brochures, shift your recliner to your favorite thinking position, and wade through your research materials until you find the perfect boat, you need to do some less glamorous background work.

The goal is to end up buying the right-size boat that will allow you to do whatever you want at a price you can afford from a dealer who will meet and exceed your expectations. In other words, get the perfect boat for your family.

Find the right dealer

Before you decide what kind of boat to get for your family, find a great dealer. As experienced boaters know, your boating happiness depends on the quality of your boat dealer, especially if you’re new to boating. An outstanding dealer looks at the sale of a boat as the start of a long-term relationship, not a one-time deal. The best dealers will help put you in the right boat, get it set up so you can enjoy it to the fullest, teach you how to use it, keep you on the water with a great service department, and in many cases they’ll even be your boating social director. Unfortunately, some have the goal of selling you the most expensive boat they can ... period.

Word of mouth is your most powerful tool in finding a great dealer. Hanging around places where boaters congregate and asking a lot of questions is the best way to get the real scoop. People usually say nothing but good things about their boat, but when it comes to dealers, boaters are more than willing to share their experiences if they had a problem. Once you find several dealers with high marks from other boaters, you can narrow the field considerably.

Create a budget

You want a boat your family can enjoy as often as your schedule permits. Consider your budget before buy. If you can barely afford a boat, you won't have the money to operate it. Factor in all aspects including insurance, maintenance, storage, fuel, and add a little to make sure you have a margin to handle unforeseen circumstances.

Set your priorities

Decide what you want to do with your boat. A versatile boat allows you to enjoy a smorgasbord of different activities, but to find the perfect family boat you have to prioritize your anticipated needs. Make sure the boat you select satisfies your primary goal first and foremost. Getting a boat that does everything — just in case you might try something — will likely lead to a "Jack of all trades, master of none" situation. Don’t be afraid to think of alternate solutions. For example, if you plan to water-ski 80% of the time, but want to fish once in a while, you might purchase a dedicated ski boat to satisfy your main passion, and then buy an inexpensive Jon boat to take care of your occasional fishing itch.

Size up your boat

When deciding what size boat to get for your family, set a game plan and stick to it. Yielding to your impulses can result in a mistake. For example, when looking for a 22' boat, you may find a 25' boat for just a few thousand dollars more. Before taking the plunge, make sure you have an adequate tow vehicle. If you don't, you'll need to make do — which can ruin your fun and even lead to a terrifying experience — or buy a larger tow vehicle and throw your boating budget out of whack. Conversely, if you decide on a 25' boat, get sticker shock, and opt for a 22' boat, your new boat won't adequately meet your needs. If it looks like you need to change your game plan, back off and take more time to study the situation.

Find a Family Boat on eBay Motors

Once you know what family boat make and model you want, go to eBay Motors, click the Boats link under Other Vehicles, and start shopping on eBay!

• Categories: Select the type of boat you want from the list of Categories. You can choose from Fishing Boats, Powerboats & Motorboats, Sailboats, and more. Subsequent Categories lists on the left side of listings pages will help you narrow your options further.

• Product Finder: Drop-down menus on the Power & Fishing Boats Finder and Sailboats Finder, found on the left navigation bar, allow you to narrow listings by boat type and length.

• Search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words by entering keyword terms into eBay's Search box or use the Advanced Search feature on eBay Motors. The search items by eBay Motors Category option allows you to specify item location by distance in miles or ZIP code.

• Compare: Mark the checkbox next to each boat item listing that interests you. Click the Compare button to view listing and product details side-by-side.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Family Boats With Confidence

Hundreds of family boats on eBay Motors will likely interest you. When trying to select the right boat, get to know exactly what you're buying, research the seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Many sellers put a lot of time into creating their listings, making an effort to ensure they include all the information buyers need. Carefully read the details in listings for the boat(s) you consider buying and carefully review available photos. Before placing a bid or buying an item, be sure to:

• Have all your questions answered. If you still have questions after reading the listing and reviewing the photos, contact the seller using the Ask seller a question link in the “Seller information” box in the top right corner of every boat listing. Also request additional photos if you want to see the boat from a particular angle that isn’t shown in the photos included in the listing. If you have more questions than you can address in email, get the seller’s phone number and give him/her a call. Some boat sellers even include their phone number so you can call them directly. Just remember that you need to actually bid and buy on eBay in order to be covered by eBay and PayPal protection programs (see "Buyer protection" below for more details).

• Get delivery details. Calculate and include delivery costs into your final price. This may simply be the cost of driving across the city or state if the boat is close-by or it may mean working with a shipping company that can transport the boat from anywhere in the country. To learn more about shipping costs, ask the seller or contact DAS, an eBay Motors-approved vehicle shipping service.

• Complete your transaction on eBay. Always complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay and PayPal protection programs (see "Buyer protection" below for more details).

• Know your payment options. Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know. Instead, pay with PayPal for amounts less than $2,000 (including deposits), a money order, or direct bank-to-bank fund transfer.

• Track items with eBay Toolbar. Use the free eBay Toolbar to track items you bid on and watch. It includes Account Guard, a feature that indicates when you're visiting a verified eBay or PayPal website and warns you when you enter your eBay password into an unverified site, even if it looks like eBay or PayPal.

Know your seller

Just as important as researching your boat purchase is getting to know the seller. Take time to research the seller so that you can feel positive and secure about every transaction. Key things to look for when evaluating a seller are:

• Positive Feedback. What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have? What do buyers and sellers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Sales history. Find out how long the seller has been a registered eBay user and look at the types of items a seller typically sells. It’s okay to buy a boat from a seller who hasn’t sold one before — many of the boat listings on eBay are from individuals selling their own boat. If the seller’s feedback seems low, take the time to look at the Feedback details; sometimes a seller's Feedback looks low until you realize that they’re a boat dealer and their Feedback count comes entirely from boat sales.

• Terms and conditions. What are the terms and conditions of the sale? Are the terms agreeable to you? Sellers typically set terms and conditions, but you should make sure you agree with them. If not, find another seller/boat or contact the seller to find out if he/she is open to your suggestions.

• Good communication. Once you’ve initiated communications with the seller, how is he/she communicating with you? Is the seller courteous and professional? Is the seller responsive? Once you bid on a big-ticket item such as a boat, communicate with the seller through My Messages in My eBay. All legitimate Second Chance Offer messages will come through My Messages and not to your email address alone. Always contact the seller before accepting a Second Chance Offer, and never respond to any request to send money via Western Union or other instant cash transfer service.

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event a problem arises during your transaction, you can typically work it out with the seller. However, if you can’t, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection up to $20,000: Each boat purchased through eBay is automatically covered against fraud and material misrepresentation up to the cost of the boat or $20,000 (whichever is lower) with eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection. To qualify for this safety program, complete your transaction on eBay with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer.

• Put down a deposit with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay up to $2,000 without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. Also, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. While $2,000 may not be a high enough limit for the full purchase price of most boats, it's great for deposits (many sellers require a deposit on a boat within several days of the close of a listing).

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.

Introduction and "Pick the Right Family Boat" were provided by Boating World. © 2006 Trans World Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.