The market has plenty of boats of the same length at similar prices, and at first they all look alike. What separates them is how you will use the boat. Once that is clear, the long list shortens by itself.
How will you use the boat?
Day trips to the bays and several nights aboard call for different boats. For day use, a wide deck, shade and easy handling matter most. If you will sleep aboard, roomy cabins, the bathrooms, a generator and air conditioning move up the list.
Will you run the boat yourself or with a captain? If you plan on permanent crew, you need a crew cabin. Where the boat will spend the summer, where it will sit out the winter and which waters it will cruise also affect its length and equipment. In Turkey the summer base and the winter base are often different places, and both have to suit your boat. If the boat will winter ashore on hardstanding, ask whether the travel lift there can take it. If you expect to make longer passages within a few years, allow for that now.
Length and layout
Living space grows with length. So does the difficulty of finding a berth, handling the boat and maintaining it. Berthing and hardstanding fees are worked out on the length stated on the boat's registration document, so even a small difference shows up in the costs every year. That is why we look for the most sensible length that covers what you need. Chartering a boat of similar length for a few days first also helps you decide.
Two boats of the same length can be laid out very differently. Where is the master cabin? Does the galley open onto the saloon? How big is the flybridge, and is there seating on the foredeck? These decide what daily life aboard is like. Layout and equipment can also change between production years of the same model, so we ask separately which generation a particular boat belongs to.
The budget for buying and for keeping
The budget doesn't end with the asking price. The purchase itself adds the survey, the haul-out, registration and insurance. Keeping the boat has an annual cost as well: berthing, maintenance, insurance, fuel and, if you need one, a crew. These costs grow with length and equipment.
A boat whose price fits your budget but whose annual cost exceeds your plan will wear you down over time. We talk through that cost for every boat on the shortlist.
Age and maintenance history
Age alone says little. A well-kept older boat is often in better condition than a neglected younger one. Engine hours are read together with the boat's age, and if annual use has been very low or very high we ask why. The hours in the listing, the figure on the display and the service records should agree. A tidy set of maintenance invoices is the clearest account of how a boat has been used.
Your must-haves
A boat with everything you want is rare. It helps to split your list in two before the search begins: what you can't do without, and what would be nice to have. If the number of cabins, a gyro stabiliser or a flybridge is essential for you, it goes on the first list. Colour, upholstery and small items of equipment usually go on the second, and some can be changed later.
The shortlist
Once the criteria are clear, we go through the market and confirm the boats that fit by asking their brokers. We put the few that are left side by side, with extra photographs and video. Where a boat lies is part of the comparison. A boat a long way off may look cheaper in the listing, but add transport and registration and the picture changes. So we compare on total cost up to the point where the boat is ready to use. Then we choose together which ones are worth the trip.
The clearer your needs, the shorter the shortlist.
