There they are. Spread across the pages of a magazine, calling to you to buy, buy buy! It is a sail boat sale. Daily, boats are clumped together and offered up for your salivating perusal. As you scroll down a page of an internet site or turn the pages over in a boating magazine, you drool, at the thought of owning any one of them.



What to choose? Where to go for the best buy? New or used? These are a few of the questions to consider when thinking of buying a boat. A sail boat sale should be broached with cautious optimism. It should also not be attended, even in magazine or net form, until you know what exactly you want in a sail boat and how much you can afford.

A sail boat sale can be found among the pages of several respected periodicals. Cruising World, Sail, Multi-hulls, Ocean Voyager, Blue Water Sailing, Pacific Yachtings, Ocean Navigator, Soundings and Sailing World have amongst their news, views and reviews, advertisements for sail boat sales.

There are periodicals for yachts, newspaper listings, club newsletters, buy-and-sell newspapers, boat traders for different areas (on and off the net) and e-mail webpages, magazines, and postings where sail boats are listed for sale. It is up to you to go over them all and decide which is the right boat for you, whether the price quoted is a correct reflection of both the condition and the blue book value of the sail boat and what the real cost will be after shipping, handling and receiving.

Some people go through a broker when buying a sail boat. This is frequently considered best when looking for a boat over 20 feet. In part, this has to do with commission. A broker receives commission for every boat he or she undertakes to sell. Generally speaking, a larger boat commands a higher asking price and, therefore, a higher commission.

The broker will do the showing and the haggling. Under this system, the whole process of negotiation is made simpler and less stressful since the owner is out of the picture until after the deal is done, the price set and the commission exacted.

In some instances, dealing with a broker can help you avoid the emotional hassle of haggling with someone who is insulted if you offer a lower price or places on your emotions to obtain a higher and unsubstantiated price leaving, after sanity has returned, a bad taste.

If you do want the personal touch, try the small ads locally, in newspapers and on the net as well as in the aforementioned magazines. This will be a private individual sail boat sale.

The advantage is direct bargaining with some one who knows the pros and cons of their boat from actual experience. Such an approach will have the personal touch but don't forget, the same leg work is required to obtain the best boat to fulfill your desire.