There are pros to renting a boat, like you don’t have to pay a bunch of money up front to buy it, you don’t have to take care of it and you don’t have to worry about storing it in the off season; but here’s a thought…Florida’s weather is so temperate, there really is no off season!  OK, that being said, here are some boat notes on buying vs. renting a boat. See what YOU think.

Let’s talk money. If you are an avid boater who will make good and often use of your boat (and we already established that you can boat all darn year here in Florida), it makes good economic sense to buy a boat. With renting, in the long-run, you will most likely end up spending more than if you buy a boat – with nothing to show for it when everything is all said and done.

Rental boats don’t tend to be fancy. They usually aren’t set up for fishing; they won’t feed your need for speed; and the maintenance on them can be substandard, so you could have a better chance of breaking down. If you own your own boat, you can make sure it is in tip-top shape and set up exactly the way you like.

With rentals, you also have to take what you can get, and availability can be limited. So, you might not be able to rent the boat when you want to go fishing or boating…and that just stinks!

Also, when you rent, you have to haul all your gear on and off the boat. If you own your own boat, you can leave most of that stuff stowed right where it is for next weekend!