Practical motorboating

Powerboating has rarely been more affordable or more popular. Jake Kavanagh has some top tips for beginners and old hands

- Jake Kavanagh

The coronavirus pandemic has focussed attention on the joys of motorboating, and the freedom it offers for family ‘bubbles’. And there is huge downward pressure on boat prices – fully specified packages in particular – meaning some options are cheaper and therefore more popular than they have ever been.

But there are so many sailing areas – coastal and inland – and so many types of boat on offer from trailable RIBs and hard-shells to inland models, it can be hard to choose, especially for the first-time buyer. So what is behind all this buzz and what should potential buyers look out for?

“Boat sales are off the charts,” says Kip Wasilewski of the US marine electronics specialist Carling Technologies. “In the States, going out on a boat is seen as the acceptable way to escape lockdown while still keeping everyone safe.”

In the UK, Honda Marine’s European sales manager Andy Partington agrees. He has also seen an explosion in new boat sales from the Mediterranean to the Baltic as the mass market for overseas holidays by air has all but evaporated.

“The sale of small motorboats is booming,” he says. “This has been largely driven by the ‘staycation’ with people having time on their hands, but with a need to stay isolated.”

As with a similar trend in camper vans, the boom in boat sales reflects the fact that a boat is a self-contained unit. It can carry a small kitchen (galley) and a toilet (heads) so you don’t need to use any public facilities and risk contamination. With the right equipment and some benign weather, you can even go boating right through the winter.

Which boat is best?