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| BUYING TIPS |
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STEP ONE: Face Reality
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The decision to buy a power catamaran over a V hull is an
easy one. The tough part can be deciding which power catamaran is the right one
for you. There is a lot to consider – price, design, local dealer support,
engine options, construction, etc. I struggled with this very decision when I
made my most recent purchase. The most important thing you need to do at this
point is "Face Reality"
This is the first step in the buying decision process as I try to use with most
other purchases I make. The first thing I force myself to do is to clear my
mind of all the dreams and fantasies associated with the new item. In this
case, those dreams are about spending long trips in beautiful weather
surrounded by adoring friends. I forced myself to face the reality that I will
be mostly making short day trips when I can justify and beg my way to a day on
the boat and that in many cases, those days will have less than perfect
weather.
I suggest you write down the things that will make your experience the most
productive and enjoyable on those reality trips. Hey, if your reality is my
dream life, then great, but for most of us we spend far too few days on the
water and need to make the most of the time we get. For me, things like
trailer-ability, shallow draft, solid construction, and lots of fishing space
were of utmost importance. Low on the list was seating, galley, and other such
creature comforts. I would like to have that stuff, but realize that I just
would not use them very often.
Next, use a simple three point scale for rating quality of the criteria on your
list. Use three as the best and one as worst. Rate each of the boats you are
interested in using this method, and the one with the highest score is the
winner at this stage of the process. Truth is, you will actually narrow it to a
short list of two or three. If you know how to use a spreadsheet program, you
can assign weights to the more important criterion, but you will find it is
probably not necessary. The best power catamaran for you will likely be within
the short list of two or three rather quickly using this method. Once you have
defined the boat that makes sense for you in the real world, all the typical
decision criteria related to engines, dealers, manufacturers, etc should be
applied to the power catamarans that fit best into your boat criteria. There is
more information within PowerCating.com on these typical decision criteria as
well as a lot on the Internet and within boating magazines. Do your research on
the technical stuff and on the dealer.
Starting with this “face reality” approach is critical to a long term enjoyable
relationship with any boat. You may find that the boat that makes the most
sense is not the boat you have been dreaming of – I did! However, you will find
that it is the boat that gives you the best experience on a regular basis. If
you don't "face reality" you may end up with a technically sound boat from a
reputable dealer that would be great for that fantasy trip, but doesn't make a
lot of sense for the reality of most days on the water.
Also, don’t forget to ask the experts on the powercating.com forums about their
opinions of the vessels you are considering.
Author: Greg Sieber,
PowerCating.com
Greg can be contacted at gsieber@powercating.com
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STEP TWO: Select Boat Design
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From step one, you will likely see that a certain boat
design leads the pack. It may be center console, sport deck, cabin cruiser,
etc., but one overall design or another will probably be the one you are
focusing upon.
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STEP THREE: Evaluate Power Catamaran Manufacturers and Dealers
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Currently, one of the realities of the Power Catamaran
industry is that few manufacturers build a full line of models. Hence, your
desired design will steer you toward a particular group of manufacturers that
make that style. If you are looking for something common like a center console,
you will find that most manufacturers have something for you, but there are
other nuances to the design like height, beam, etc. So a boat of the same basic
design type from one mannufacturer can be quite different than that from
another manufacturer. So don't simply assume that a 23' split window is the
same design wise for all manufacturers.
Of course, there are other very significant things to consider when choosing
the manufacturer and dealer. For starters, you need to consider how long the
company has been making power catamarans. Do they have a track record? What is
that track record? For goodness sake don't solely go by the opinion of current
owners of the type of boat your are considering. Needless to say, many current
owners tend to have a slightly biased opinion.
Does the manufacturer provide good support to the dealers and is the local
dealer committed to the manufacturer? If you can, get information on the
financial strength of the manufacturer. Does the manufacturer employ any
quality methods such as statistical quality control, Lean, or Six Sigma? Do
they measure customer satisfaction? These things will give you insight into how
well the company is managed.
Ask to talk with the owner of the dealership. You are making a
significant commitment and have the right to know who is running the place and
how interested they are in keeping customers happy. With power catamaran
dealers, your choices of dealerships are usually rather limited within each
geographic region and manufacturers really do not like it when people travel
from one region to another to shop dealers against each other. Keep this
in mind and remember that even if you can save a little money by traveling to
another region to buy your boat, you are not establishing a relationship with
the dealer you will probably need to help you maintain the
boat.
At the end of this stage, you will have selected a few manufacturer / dealer
combinations that sell the boat style you want. You have narrowed it to a very
few potential boats and it is time to do some serious analysis on the boats -
sea trials, yippeee! |
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STEP FOUR: Evaluate the Boats and Make a Decision
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Evaluating potential boats from the short list can be both tedious and fun. You
need to consider power options, MPG, feul types, boat specs, performance specs,
propellers, layouts, and more. See the Power Catamaran Buying Checklist. One
thing we recommend at Powercating.com is that you definitely sea trial the
"exact" boat you want, with the "exact" power plant. On your sea trial, take a
handheld GPS so you can verify speed. You should also verify the draft is what
they claim, press all the buttons to make sure everything works, stand or sit
in the captains position and check for visibility and comfort, make note of
engine noise at various speeds, and do anything you can to simulate your actual
usage situations. If you will be trailering the boat, see how easy it is to get
on and off the trailer as well as how well it trailers on the highway.
Make sure to take the boat into some decent sized waves and boat wakes to see
how it handles them and rides in rough seas. Of course, it is the dealers
responsibility to keep you safe during the sea trial, so we recommend you
follow the dealers judgement when it comes to wave heights and other
condictions, but you need to know how the boat takes the rough stuff.
After sea trials, you will be enamoured of power catamarans and most likely with
one or two models in particular
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STEP FIVE: Negotiate the Deal
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First of all, you need to realize that the deal you negotiate needs to be a
win-win for yourself and the dealer. If you are a super negotiator and
somehow convince the dealer to sell you the boat at a loss, you need to
question whether you really want to be establishing a relationship with that
dealer. Negotiating is a very personal thing and different
personality types do it differently. However, there are a few tips to
keep in mind no matter what your negotiating approach.
1. Be informed - know about lending options, technical options, inventory,
competitor prices, etc.
2. Know something about the dealer's inventory - A boat that has
been on the lot for a while and can start to cost the dealer money in the form
of interest payments, and possibly tied up capital. This is a great
opportunity for negotiation.
3. Be willing to walk away so you can "think it over" - Let the
dealer know you are patient and focused on getting a good deal.
4. Make the initial offer - Make sure your initial offer is
slightly below what you think is the dealer's minimum price. There is a
lot of psychology in negotiating and the salesman needs to feel he
negotiated you up as much as you need to feel you negotiated him down.
5. Never get personal - The salesman is probably a good
guy just trying to make a living.
6. Get creative - There are a lot of things you can negotiate into the
deal that are not on the dealer's price list. This can be a great way to get
the "value" you want in a deal without affecting the purchase price of the
boat. Keep in mind that a dealer is going to evaluate the value of a
deal based upon the monetary value of the deal in the terms they
are accustomed. In other words, what you are paying for the boat and
accessories minus what they have to pay for the boat and accessories as well as
any standard fees.
Hence, if you negotiate non-standard items into the deal they are less
likely to consider them in the calculation and probably let them slide on
through. For example, I negotiated a free full day off-shore fishing
trip with an expert from the dealership so I could see how an expert with my
boat uses it. That trip saved me hours of trial and error as well as
got me up to speed on how to best pilot my Cat without having to figure it out
on my own. That trip was probably worth several thousand dollars and I
got it for free. You can do the same thing with service labor, boat
storage, etc. Anything you can dream up that may be of value to
you but would be perceived as adding little or no cost to the dealership and
often be included in the deal.
If you find that a dealer is totally unwilling to negotiate, ask to talk with
another sales person or to the dealerships owner. You can also contact
the manufacturer and tell them that the dealer is not offering you a fair
price. You can also walk away from the deal and come back in a few weeks
to see if the boat is still there. If it is, they may be more willing to
negotiate at that time. Don't let your passion for that new boat
lure you into a deal you will regret.
Lastly, make sure you have a straight face and big smile on the inside before
signing the contract and then let that smile show after signing on the
dotted line. If you are not happy about the deal, by all means do not do
it. A boat is a luxury item and you need to get joy from the thing, not
heart burn. After you negotiate the deal and sign the contract, be sure
to post your decision on powercating.com and ask everyone for advice on what
kind of toys you can buy.
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| Power Catamaran
Buying Checklist |
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