Looking for the perfect boat?

We're a lucky bunch in Australia -- we have the world's best when it comes to readily accessible waterways and beautiful beaches. From North to South, East to West, it comes as no surprise that boating is one of our greater passions.

Finding that perfect boat to suit your needs and budget can be a challenging process but Tim Davies, General Manager of BoatPoint.com.au and Boatsales.com.au explains that it doesn't have to be that way.

With great weather and longer days upon us, no doubt many of us will be considering taking the plunge and buying a boat this summer. While there are key considerations that go into this sort of purchase, the important thing is to not let the task seem too daunting.

We've all been there -- whether for a boat or another significant purchase -- first doing the research; then short listing a few; contacting dealers or brokers; and finally finding the right one at the right price.

There are boats available for every occasion, made locally and overseas. So how do people go about picking the right boat?

"Historically, people would purchase boats by touch and feel," says Tim Davies. "Many Australians would wait for the annual boat shows to roll around to do most of their research, using the show to see first hand what the heavily abbreviated ads in traditional print classifieds were describing."

With most boat shows concentrated around the winter months such opportunities could seem few and far between for those keen to hit the water.

"At Boatsales and BoatPoint, we wanted to give everyone from old salts to first-time boaters the opportunity to access information that was, at the time, typically only available at shows," says Davies.

"We wanted to bring the boat show to them all year round… Our new online New Boat Showroom does just that."

New Boat Showroom is a state-of-the-art online brochure tool that is available 365-days per year, seven days a week, 24 hours a day at Boatsales.com.au and BoatPoint.com.au. Davies believes it is the first of its kind in the world, and was designed to make researching the perfect boat simpler.

The comprehensive new boat database that 'powers' New Boat Showroom is effectively an "Online Boat Show", showcasing everything from tinnies to motoryachts, trailerable and non-trailerable craft across 300 makes and over 3,000 models -- all in an easily searchable format that allows filtering by size, budget, and personal tastes.

Unlike the abbreviated classified newspaper ads of old, a single listing on these sites can provide a boat buyer with an enormous amount of useful information, including pictures (and plenty of them), as well as detailed inventories and specifications. Everything you need to make an informed decision on the craft to suit your lifestyle.

Davies adds: "Ultimately the convenience of New Boat Showroom is about encouraging Australian's to get out there on the water and take in the fresh air -- whether that be taking the kids out for a put around the bay or getting their mates together to chase some fish."

Check out the New Boat Showroom to explore the system for yourself.