Why your post-COVID-19 recovery plan needs a boat in it

The number of people searching for boats has risen steadily since mid-March when the Federal Government announced that the nation would go into lockdown in an effort to control the spread of coronavirus through the community.

The biggest COVID-19 related jumps in searches for new boats, according to Google, have been in the Northern Territory and Queensland, particularly cities such as Mackay and Hervey Bay, on the NSW central coast and, surprisingly, Tasmania.

It’s also not a short-term trend, with the number of searches across boating topics resign steadily as the weeks go by.

Why are people suddenly interested in owning a boat? We look into the reasons why we believe that if you’ve ever dreamed of owning a boat, now is the time to do it.

We’re hearing of some great discounts on new boats as dealers attempt to stimulate sales by dropping prices.

What sort of savings? We’re hearing whispers of up to $15,000 on boats worth around $80,000 as dealers discount deeply to close a sale. That’s a saving of almost 20 per cent over the advertised retail price. If that’s not enough to encourage you to pull the trigger, what will?

Not only that, but finance rates are really low, especially if you’re looking to repower a boat with something modern. Brands such as Yamaha are offering finance rates at less than 5.0 per cent on engines rated between 115hp and 300hp with a one-off application fee.

International travel restrictions aimed at slowing the global spread of coronavirus look likely to extend into next year.

Even when international travel returns, it is highly likely to be carefully stage-managed to limit the spread of coronavirus through vulnerable populations – the so-called trans-Tasman travel bubble that will allow flights to start up between New Zealand and Australia is an example of this.

With family holidays costing anywhere up to $80,000 for a memorable one at the height of international tourist season, that’s a lot of money to focus somewhere else.

In the wake of COVID-19, domestic travel is likely to be restricted and – come on, let’s face it – hideously expensive as airlines attempt to recover money lost during the lockdown. The era of cheap flights along the east coast may well and truly be behind us.

That leaves us with everything within a day’s driving distance as a family holiday option this year.

A trailer boat opens up a world of opportunity and lasting family memories. Small and light enough to be towed behind a family car, they’re easy to get on or off the water and roomy enough to take the entire family out on an adventure.

Australia has a long history of building cheap, practical trailer boats that are well suited to our waters. It makes narrowing down a decision easy because there isn’t really a dud one between them.

Yep, many of us have spent the last few months navel-gazing deeply as we reflect on our life so far, and what changes we’d make once coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

For some of us, those thoughts have gone to whether a boat fits in our future. Hopefully, the coronavirus pandemic is the kick-starter you need to live the dream rather than just dream.

One of the big barriers to boat ownership is not knowing what to do with it. That’s where websites such as MyBoatingLife.com.au and Lifesbetterwithaboat.com.au come into the picture.

Both offer handy tips and tricks on topics ranging from boat ownership to things to see and do with your new ride; everything from speedboats to the floating palaces otherwise known as houseboats.

There’s nothing like communing with nature, too. Dolphins, seals, whales and more abound in our waterways, and boating is one way of getting close.

There’s nothing like arriving on a beach and knowing you’re the only ones in sight on it.

Boats are great multitaskers. Most will allow you to tow a biscuit with the kids on it, get someone up on a ski or act like a safe, portable swim platform for snorkelling. A day out fishing where the catch feeds the family for the night is pretty rewarding.

In the scheme of things, boats aren’t quite the money pit that some people believe they are. At the most, it’s just one extra vehicle to fuel, service and insure.

Boats use more fuel than a car because they push through water rather than air, so there’s a lot more drag to overcome. Because there’s no odometer on boats, fuel use is calculated as litres per hour rather than litres per 100 kilometres.

Depending on how much you use your boat, you only need to service it once a year – but you will need to take good care of it, including flushing out the outboard engine with tapwater after each saltwater use.

You will also only need to insure it once a year.