Welcome to boat-buying season as boat shows have been taking place all over the country lately. The excitement has been building and the weather is only going to get better. In December our lake was so low that the floating docks needed to be moved or they would be on the bottom. I wondered why we should worry about buying a boat if we won’t be able to use it. But then we have had snow and more snow and then rain north of us so hopefully lake levels should get back to normal and all the “bomb cyclones” should be gone by now.

Back to pontoons. It doesn’t matter if you are buying your first boat or your fifth, there are still a few things you should review before you make the purchase.

When you think about it, a pontoon is a big purchase. Some pontoons cost more than my house, but that really doesn’t matter. I always tell my wife, “You can sleep on your pontoon, but you can’t float your house across the lake.” You can probably imagine what she thinks of that comment.

So let’s go over the basics. To start, establish how the boat will be used, how many people will be using it on average and what kind of boating skills you have. Insurance tip: size of the boat can affect the insurance coverage. Many underwriters will not provide coverage for a new owner if the boat is too big; often 26 feet is a cutoff line, especially if you have no boating experience or training.

One nice thing is that pontoons seem to be more acceptable for new owners by insurers. And if you think about it, it’s no surprise. They are not always exceptionally fast, they are very durable, and they rarely sink. Good beginner boats.

Anyway, it is also important to establish early on if you are going to trailer the boat, keep it in a slip or at a mooring. In my area slips are at a premium and even if you can get one, winter requires removing the boat for storage.

This also means that if you are trailering the boat (or keeping it at home in the winter) you will need to consider the type of tow vehicle you have and the storage area for the boat. I always shop my vehicles based on what tow package and towing capacity they have. And just because your vehicle can tow the weight, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily big enough to tow the pontoon cross country…but that’s another story.

Establishing the use, the number of people and the storage parameters, you can then decide on how big a boat you’re going to need. You do not need the biggest boat you can get, yet surprisingly the next step up in size is often not a very big step in cost. I would rather have a little bigger boat than I planned instead of a smaller boat that I’ll be unhappy with. Larger engines do not have to be operated at higher power settings and larger boats can provide more comfort for the family and crew.

Buy what you can afford and are comfortable with, but do not forget to include in the ownership costs, insurance, slip or mooring fees, fuel and maintenance.

Most people buy their first boat because of what a friend said or because they like the looks or the sales person. I have done the same. In reality personal preference should probably be the last reason for our decision. There are lots of boats I want to own but they are too big for my lake, too expensive to operate, cannot do what I want or are just out of my budget.

Okay, so the moral of the story? If you can, take your “emotion” out of the search. Look for a pontoon that you can use and afford. I am not saying that you should not pick a boat that you like. It is just important to not let your ego or emotions dictate the complete selection process. Look for something that best suits your needs, use, costs and then throw in the personal preference. I think in every pontoon (or every boat, car, plane or motorcycle) I have bought there is compromise. Just buy the best compromise for you.