Navigate the hazards of boat ownership with absolute confidenceNext to your house, your boat may well be the biggest investment you ever make. Buying and owning a boat involves one baffling decision after another. Yet informed, impartial guidance is almost impossible to find--until now, that is.This essential manual provides a method to the madness of boat buying and ownership, plotting a straight course through an ocean of confusion while it answers such questions as: Why fractional ownership often makes senseHow to avoid buying a boat you'll never useHow to identify the Goldilocks boat--not too big, not too smallHow to choose a powering optionHow to negotiate the best deal on any boat-new or usedHow to be your own surveyor, and why even a new boat may need a professional surveyWhy you should finance your boat even if you have the cash, and where to find the best loansHow to calculate the total cost of ownership before you buy!