If you ask people in the boat retail business when is the best time to buy a boat, they will tell you today. If you ask more questions however, you find out that there are more things to consider such as whether you are purchasing a new or second-hand boat, where you reside and the month as well as the season to purchase. 

Conventional wisdom makes us believe that boat sellers have monthly quotas like car dealers and negotiating a deal towards the end of the month would get you a better price. This is not necessarily the case in the boat retail business. 

Every season has its benefits but you need to understand the various boat buying seasons to help you score a better deal. It does not matter if you are purchasing in the middle of summer or at the height of winter, if you have knowledge on how these different seasons affect boats sales you can make your shopping and purchasing experience much easier. 

Dealers are in a hurry to sell old models 

The boating industry, a long time ago switched to the system of introducing new models for the year in September or August like the automobile industry had been doing. What this means by autumn boat dealers will be selling new models as well as models from the year before. And you know what? Models from the year before are no longer current once the clock strikes 12 on December 31! 

Dealers across the country are motivated to sell off last year’s models because the boats start losing their perceived value on December 31! Some dealers may even have models from the year before still in their stock. Imagine the amount of motivation they have to get rid of them? 

Boats hardly get significant upgrades 

The reality of the boating industry is, there isn’t much difference between new and old models. There are boat builders who simply reprint brochures from the previous year changing only the dates and adding new pictures. 

The boats you purchase a year before will be almost the exact same thing as the newly released one, minus a few exceptions. The major difference you will notice is when selling your boat, all things being equal newer models will go for a higher price. These days however, buyers are becoming increasingly aware and are more interested in the overall condition of the boat as well as engine hours than the year it was produced. 

The perfect time to purchase a small boat 

Purchasing larger boats requires a lot of consideration and they are more likely to be used during the colder months. There are no peak periods for selling larger boats during the year, sales are spread out evenly throughout. Small boats however, are used as summer approaches, when the weather is warm. As a matter of fact, the largest amount of sales for small boats occur in July. 

All dealers know this. When buyers tender reasonable offers for small boats in months like December, dealers are forced to consider losing out on a larger profit in June or July. If you up your price a little the dealer can make more money and you could get a great deal. 

Spring or Summer 

If you ask boat owners to take a survey, you are most likely going to find that spring and summer are considered the worst seasons to purchase a boat. The reason for this is that the boating season is in full swing and more people are on the market to purchase boats increasing the demand and prices in some cases. Due to the increase in competition for boat acquisition and a larger number of people shopping for boats, the savviest customers avoid shopping for boats in the spring or summer. 

Nonetheless, many people want to buy a boat during these months for specific reasons. Boating season coincides with summer so purchasing a boat in the spring will allow you time to prepare for your new adventures. If you purchase in the summer, you get to enjoy your boat in the water right away. 

Autumn/Fall 

Most buyers will tell you that fall is the best time to purchase a boat. The reason for this is boat manufacturers begin to offer discounts around September and October. As boating season draws to an end demand begins to decline and dealers want to give buyers incentives such as price cuts and discounts. This happens for both new and second-hand boats. Shopping for boats during fall could lead to very great deals. 

Winter boat show season 

Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association says the best time to get a good price on a new boat is during the winter boat show season. The peak period of the winter show season is usually around January, February and March. At these boat shows, boaters who reside in colder regions can sometimes get the best deals. In areas like the Gulf Coast and California 

there is no off-season for boaters but dealers trying to make room for the next year’s models will try to sell off their old models. 

The perfect time to buy a boat is whenever you are ready! 

Truthfully, there is no bad time to buy a boat, and a good place to buy is www.marineservices.co.nz/boat-sales. The best time to purchase is whenever you are ready to have fun and adventure on the water!