Boat sales: Do boats go on sale? And when? (With actual values)

Everyone loves discounts (sales); it can be an inexpensive product or an expensive product. But if it is an expensive purchase like boats, buying one at the correct time may save you a ton of money, and the wrong time may result in paying more. So, do boats go on sale? When can you expect one on sale? Let’s see in a detailed way.

Boats mostly go on sale during the offseason times (winter and fall ending) and even at the boat shows. However, you can see sales during other days, but the chances are less, and sometimes you may see a small decrease in the price compared to in winter & fall ending or at boat shows.

In winter, you can expect anywhere between a 5% to 13% decrease in price (discount) than on other days. At boat shows, you can expect a 3% to 8% decrease in price. Those are average and approximate values; sometimes, you may get more, and sometimes you may get less.

We will now see the discounts you may get for a boat in winter (both used and new boat) and at a boat show. NOTE – Those values are average and approximate values; sometimes, you may get more, and sometimes you may get less.

Boat type	The discount you may get for a new boat in winter	The discount you may get for a used boat in winter	The discount you may get on a boat at boat show
Pontoon boat	around 6 – 8 (9)% (approximately 1,500 – 5,000 dollars)	around 9 – 13% (approximately 2,500 – 6,000 dollars)	around 3% (approximately 1,000 – 2,500 dollars)
Jet boat	around 6 – 9% (approximately 3,000 – 7,000 dollars)	around 10 – 14% (approximately 4,000 – 9,000 dollars)	around 3 – 5% (approximately 1,500 – 3,000 dollars)
Jon boat	around 5 – 10% (approximately 100 – 300 dollars)	around 7 – 11% (approximately 200 – 450 dollars)	around 3 – 7% (approximately 100 – 250 dollars)
Bowrider	around 7 – 10% (approximately 2,000 – 5,000 dollars)	around 9 – 13% (approximately 2,500 – 6,500 dollars)	around 4 – 5% (approximately 1,000 – 2,000 dollars)
Deck boats	around 10% (approximately 2,500 – 6,000 dollars)	around 10 – 12% (approximately 3,000 – 6,500 dollars)	around 5% (approximately 1,000 – 2,000 dollars)
Bass boats	around 7 – 13% (approximately 2,000 – 6,500 dollars)	around 9 – 14% (approximately 2,500 – 7,500 dollars)	around 4 – 7% (approximately 1,000 – 2,000 dollars)
Skiff boats	around 6 – 9% (approximately 1,000 – 3,000 dollars)	around 8 – 12% (approximately 2,500 – 4,500 dollars)	around 6% (approximately 1,500 – 2,000 dollars)
Bay boats	around 8 – 9% (approximately 4,000 – 8,000 dollars)	around 9 – 13% (approximately 6,000 – 10,000 dollars)	around 4 – 7% (approximately 2,000 – 4,000 dollars)
Sailboat	around 5% (approximately 5,000 – 8,000 dollars)	around 8 – 10% (approximately 7,000 – 9,000 dollars)	around 5 – 8% (approximately 3,000 – 5,000 dollars)
Personal watercraft	around 5% (approximately 1,000 dollars)	around 6 – 9% (approximately 1,000 – 2,000 dollars)	around 3% (approximately 500 – 1,000 dollars)

By looking at those values, you may get some idea about the discount you may get if you purchase a boat during any sale. That being said, we will now see all benefits of buying a boat in the winter and at boat shows.

Are boats cheaper in the winter?

Boats are 5% to 13% cheaper in winter compared to other seasons such as summer, spring, and fall. But, it still depends on the place where you live, but often prices will go down a bit by the end of the fall & winter and bounces back to normal (higher) prices in the summer and by the end of spring.

The price drop depends on so many factors, such as seasonality (mainly), a brand, the place where you live, etc. We will now see some of the popular boat (both new and used boats) discounts you may get in winter or at the end of fall. These values are approximate and average values.

Note – These prices are just average discounts you may get. In some places, you may get more, and in some places, you may get less. These are just average (approximate) values.

Boat type	New boat average price	The discount you may get for a new boat in winter	Used boat average price	The discount you may get for a used boat in winter
Pontoon boat	$ 40,000.00	around 6 – 8 (9)% (approximately 1,500 – 5,000 dollars)	$ 25,000.00	around 9 – 13% (approximately 2,500 – 6,000 dollars)
Jet boat	$ 52,000.00	around 6 – 9% (approximately 3,000 – 7,000 dollars)	$ 30,000.00	around 10 – 14% (approximately 4,000 – 9,000 dollars)
Jon boat	$ 2,000.00	around 5 – 10% (approximately 100 – 300 dollars)	$ 1,000.00	around 7 – 11% (approximately 200 – 450 dollars)
Bowrider	$ 35,000.00	around 7 – 10% (approximately 2,000 – 5,000 dollars)	$ 25,000.00	around 9 – 13% (approximately 2,500 – 6,500 dollars)
Deck boats	$ 30,000.00	around 10% (approximately 2,500 – 6,000 dollars)	$ 20,000.00	around 10 – 12% (approximately 3,000 – 6,500 dollars)
Bass boats	$ 25,000.00	around 7 – 13% (approximately 2,000 – 6,500 dollars)	$ 15,000.00	around 9 – 14% (approximately 2,500 – 7,500 dollars)
Skiff boats	$ 25,000.00	around 6 – 9% (approximately 1,000 – 3,000 dollars)	$ 15,000.00	around 8 – 12% (approximately 2,500 – 4,500 dollars)
Bay boats	$ 45,000.00	around 8 – 9% (approximately 4,000 – 8,000 dollars)	$ 30,000.00	around 9 – 13% (approximately 6,000 – 10,000 dollars)
Sailboat	$ 50,000.00	around 5% (approximately 5,000 – 8,000 dollars)	$ 30,000.00	around 8 – 10% (approximately 7,000 – 9,000 dollars)
Personal watercraft	$ 15,000.00	around 5% (approximately 1,000 dollars)	$ 7,000.00	around 6 – 9% (approximately 1,000 – 2,000 dollars)

By looking at those values, you may get some idea about the discount you may get if you purchase a boat (new or used boat) in the winter. We will now see the benefits and drawbacks of buying a boat during the winter.

Related post – Check my article on Are boats cheaper in the winter to know the reasons why they are cheaper (for both used boats and new boats) along with benefits and drawbacks in a detailed way.

Benefits of buying a boat in winter

We will now see some of the benefits of buying a boat in winter compared to other seasons.

The primary and essential benefit of buying a boat in winter is you will get some discount on price around 5 – 12% (average), and you will have sufficient time to choose a boat. You can do more research on that boat, unlike in summer, where you may do that in a hurry.

1. You will get the boat on time (start of boating season or before)

If you place an order for a new boat in winter, chances are you may get the boat on time before the start of the boating season or spring end. It’s because generally, ordering a new boat can take time, and if you want a customized boat, it will take some extra time than usual time.
Asking for a new color than a regular one, modifications for the boat, extra configurations, etc. will take some extra time to manufacture that boat. If you placed an order in December or January, you might get it in April or May, which is the starting season for boating (generally).
Then you may not worry about the boat storage issues even though if you ordered a boat in winter. But for a non-customized boat, it might not take much time (generally). Sometimes, you may get in a couple of weeks or a month.

2. You can research more, and you can choose a good one

The offseason for boating means fewer customers in the boat shops; you can take advantage of that by going to the shops and asking the dealers about the boat, knowing about the boats, etc. By doing all those things, you will get some idea about them.
If you are new to boating or buying the boat for the first time, you can learn a lot by going to the dealers, and even they will show more interest because there will be fewer customers compared to other seasons (summer or spring seasons).
In that way, if you walk in around some boat dealers, you can become more aware of the boats, and it is like doing research about the boats, and you can choose the good (suitable) boat for you without any hurry.

3. Make your new boat. Your way

Since winter is an offseason for boating, orders will be less compared to other seasons. Most probably, there won’t be many orders in the winter. So, you can make your new boat your way. Meaning you can configure the boat way you need.
Due to fewer orders in the winter, you can customize the boat, and they will do it quickly compared to other seasons (summer or spring). So, you can add all the specifications or features you want, and they will make it quickly.
As I mentioned before, even if it takes time, you can get it before the start of the boating season. If you order it in summer with extra specifications or features, it can take a long time, and sometimes, they may give you at the end of the boating season like that.

4. Prices will be low

The main benefit of buying a boat in winter would be you will get it for a low price compared to other seasons (you can expect around 8%). Since boating is an offseason in winter, there will be low demand, and you can take advantage of that by getting good deals.
But in all the places, the price drop may not be the same. It decreases furthermore (sometimes) in the northern part of the USA than in other regions. Places like Florida and California, etc. generally, won’t decrease much in the price than in the northern areas.
So, it depends on the place where you live as well. However, there will be some drop in price in winter compared to other seasons. It is a great opportunity to buy a boat (either a new or a used boat) if you are a bit concerned about spending more money in peak times (summer).

5. You can become more aware with boat shows

Another thing to do to become more aware or knowledgeable about the boats is by participating (going) in boat shows. Boat shows will bring in a variety of boats from small-sized inexpensive boats to big-sized expensive boats at a time in one place.
You don’t have to buy a boat at a boat show, you can simply go and look at different models available out there, and you can talk to some experts (real experts who design and manufactures the boats); by doing that, you become more knowledgable, and you will get to know more.
It is also like a part of the research you are doing in order to buy a new boat. And sometimes, you may find a perfect boat in the boat show, and you may get some discounts as well along with it. So, go for boat shows, if they happen anywhere near you live.

Related post – Check my article on Are boats cheaper at boat shows to know some of the popular boat discounts you may get at boat shows and all the benefits and drawbacks of attending a boat show in a detailed way.

6. You have enough time

If you rather buy a boat in summer or in the middle of the spring, then there is a chance that you can hurry up the whole process of buying a boat due to external factors. Because many people may like a boat that you are interested in, and many can order it.
So, to avoid that, you need to make a move quickly, and in that movement of time, you can miss any details to look or research about the boat, and those details can sometimes be crucial because a boat is an expensive purchase and not an inexpensive pick.
If you do that whole process in winter, you will get enough time, and there won’t be much competition for the same boat that you have liked. So, by doing it in winter, you will have enough time to make a good decision, and that can save some money and time.

Drawbacks of buying a boat in winter

However, besides the benefits you will get by buying a boat in winter, there are few drawbacks of buying a boat in winter. And most times, you will not be affected by that.

The only drawback of buying a boat in winter would be if you get that boat quite early in December or January, you need to store the boat before use. If you get your boat quickly or before the boating season starts, then you need to provide shelter for the boat.

And it would be like buying a swimsuit in winter and wearing it in the summer. However, if you customize the boat, it can take some time, and if you are buying a non-customized boat, it can probably take a couple of weeks or a month for a boat to arrive.

That would be a bit hectic for you to store a new boat without using it outside. You will get this issue while you are buying a used boat mostly because used boats will be on sale mainly at the end of the boating season (August or September), and they don’t want to keep the boat for a whole winter, and it takes time and money.

The boat needs to be winterized and properly stored, as well. So, most boaters keep their used boats for sale in the fall. If you are buying a used boat, then you need to do winterization and the storing process of that boat for the winter, which consumes money and time.

And you need to wait the whole season (from end to start) to go for a ride on a new or used boat. The money you have saved while buying a boat in winter or fall might need to be spent on the boat for storing and winterization.

However, storing a boat in winter won’t take a ton of money. So, buying a boat in winter will benefit you in many ways than in summer or spring.

Are boats cheaper at boat shows?

Boats are 3% to 8% cheaper at boat shows compared to buying at a dealer. That’s an average discount, and it can vary, and sometimes, you may get extended warranties on a boat and outboard motor instead of discounts. You can expect about 4% or 5% on a boat at a boat show than at the dealer.

Definitely, there will be a drop in price at boat shows than at dealers. How much you will get may depend on so many factors such as type of boat, the brand you are getting from, location, etc. So, the right (correct) answer is, “IT DEPENDS.”

But don’t worry; there will be some form of discounts on a boat either as a discount or extended warranties on a boat or outboard. We will now see some of the popular boat discounts you may get at boat shows. These values are approximate and average values.

Note – These are just average prices of the boats and average discounts you may get on that boat. In some places, you may get more, and in some places, you may get less. These are just average (approximate) values.

Boat type	Average price	The discount you may get on the boat at a boat show
Pontoon boat	$ 40,000.00	around 3% (approximately 1,000 – 2,500 dollars)
Jet boat	$ 52,000.00	around 3 – 5% (approximately 1,500 – 3,000 dollars)
Bowrider	$ 35,000.00	around 4 – 5% (approximately 1,000 – 2,000 dollars)
Deck boats	$ 30,000.00	around 5% (approximately 1,000 – 2,000 dollars)
Bass boats	$ 25,000.00	around 4 – 7% (approximately 1,000 – 2,000 dollars)
Skiff boats	$ 25,000.00	around 6% (approximately 1,500 – 2,000 dollars)
Bay boats	$ 45,000.00	around 4 – 7% (approximately 2,000 – 4,000 dollars)
Sailboat	$ 50,000.00	around 5 – 8% (approximately 3,000 – 5,000 dollars)
Personal watercraft	$ 15,000.00	around 3% (approximately 500 – 1,000 dollars)

By looking at those values, you may get some idea about the discount you may get if you purchase a boat at a boat show. We will now see the benefits and drawbacks of buying a boat at a boat show.

Related post – Check my article on Are boats cheaper at boat shows to know the reasons why boats are cheaper at boat shows and the benefits and drawbacks in a detailed way.

Benefits of boat shows (attending and for buying a boat)

We will now see some of the benefits you may get while buying a boat at a boat show and the benefits of just visiting one.

1.You can research more, and you can choose a good one

If you are new to boating or buying the boat for the first time, you can learn a lot by just attending the boat shows, and even they will show more interest because they want to sell their boats. You can take advantage of that, and you can learn many new things about boats.
In that way, if you walk in around some boat shows (local or international), you can become more aware of the boats, and it is like researching about the boats, and you can choose one if you found any boat that suits your requirements well. So, you can become more aware of boats, and you can choose a good one by attending boat shows.

2. You will get the boat on time (start of boating season or before)

Generally, at some boat shows, the boats that are showcased there won’t be for sale; they are for display purposes. So, if you like that boat, you need to place an order, and the chances are you may get the boat on time before the start of the boating season (spring end). It’s because generally, ordering a boat can take time.
Asking for a customized boat with additional or new features will surely take some extra time to manufacture it. If you placed an order in winter (boat show time), you might get it in April or May or before, which is the starting season for boating (generally). So, sometimes, purchasing a boat at boat shows result in perfect time shipment.

3. Prices will be low

20% to 30% of that year’s boat sales happen at boat shows. That 20% to 30% of sales in less time period will result in a lot of money and benefits the boat manufacturers most in that year. So, the boat shows open doors to sell many boats quickly in a small period of time than in a year.
Since many people attend the boat shows and many people will buy the boat at boat shows, they will drop the price a bit compared to the rest of the time to attract more people to increase sales. Many people like discounts, I bet you will find very few people, “Who don’t like discounts.” So, you will see the price drop, which benefits the buyer and the dealer.

4. You can see newer models

Boat shows bring in a lot of variety of boats, especially newer models, you can explore the new models, and you will get a chance to see new technology. The best thing is you can compare the new models with a similar (existing) boat in the market, and you can go for an existing model if the prices are less.
The one downside of that is, according to herculite, the moment a boat is purchased, it immediately loses anywhere from 25% to 33% of its value. New models (boats) with unproven technology could potentially prove to be a bust, while time-proven systems leave less uncertainty for the buyer. So, sometimes, you need to be careful as well.

5. Extra benefits along with the boat

If you are lucky enough, you may get additional benefits or extra resources such as an extended warranty on a boat or extended warranty on an outboard motor, which will be valuable if you are thinking of using the boat for a longer period of time down the line (for five years or more).
Some brands may give discounts on boats; others may only give extended warranties on the outboard motor (generally), and sometimes on the boats. If you are lucky enough, you may get both a discount and extended warranty, but you will generally get either one of them, not both. So, boat shows can benefit you the most.

Those are some of the benefits you may get if you visit the boat show, even if you don’t plan on buying a boat at the boat show. If you are new to boating, you can still learn many new things at a boat show by exploring different boats and talking to the dealers.

Drawbacks of boat shows (attending and for buying a boat)

We will now see some of the downsides of buying a boat at a boat show.

1. Confusion – a lot of boats

If you are new to boating or thinking of buying a boat for the first time, a boat show would be a great opportunity to look at all the models available and to do some research on the boats you like. The one downside of that as a beginner may be confusion.
Shows such as the world-famous Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show held every year in late fall see as many as 1,500 boats with a net value of $4 billion on display. It’d be impossible for any buyer (especially beginner) to see, experience, and investigate the number and range of boats on display at boat shows.
If you are going to such a big boat shows, there are multiple options, and you can confuse easily, and the dealers will be like, “Purchase this boat,” “Purchase this boat,” which will create a lot of confusion. So, better be prepared by doing enough research about the boat you are interested in prior to attending the boat show.

2. Late delivery

Mostly this won’t be an issue for many people. At some boat shows (mostly local boat shows), the situation will be like if you like that boat, you can take it right away. And in some boat shows will be like, they will only showcase the boat, and if you like it, you may not be able to take that boat right away.
Meaning if you like the boat, you may need to go to the dealer at a shop to purchase one. If the boats are ready for delivery at the dealer, it’s absolutely fine; otherwise, you may need to wait some time. That time could vary, and sometimes it can take months to deliver that boat to you.
What is the use of buying a boat if it gets delivered in July or August, so if you are ordering a boat, make sure to ask the delivery date when it will be ready for delivery? And asking for a fully custom boat may take more time than a regular boat delivery time. So, you need to be aware of the delivery time if you are ordering a boat.

3. Can’t test the boat

You probably won’t be able to take the boat on a sea trial. That means you’ll be making a purchase without having the chance to test drive your new boat. If you are a person who test drives the boat before purchase, then you may not be able to do that at a boat show (source).
Meaning you are just buying the boat by seeing the color, specifications, and design, not the boat’s performance in the water. Purchasing a boat without a test drive (sea trail) won’t give you a chance to look at the boat’s performance.
Generally, it won’t be an issue for many people. But if you want to test drive it, you can’t do it, so keep this in mind. However, some boat shows (local boat shows) may allow you to test drive it, but in most cases, you can’t.

Key takeaways

Offseason for any product is the time when they go on sale. And for boating, the offseason is winter (majorly), and you will see a 5% to 13% discount during that time. If you are looking for a new boat (newer model), you should look at boat shows because boat show shows bring in a lot of variety of new boats and you will get discounts on that as well.

But if you are looking for a used boat, then fall (mainly), and winter would be a great season to buy the boat. Generally used boats go on sale before the winter season starts to avoid the winterizations and storage problems. So, they may reduce the price more to sell the boats. So, if you are looking for used boats, better be prepared to store them if you are buying one in the fall.