Your Guide to Buying a Sterndrive Boat

If you’re in the market to buy or replace your boat with a sterndrive model, we encourage you to read our article below! We’ve written a ton of great tips to help you select the best sterndrive for your needs. When you’re ready you can stop by our location in Green Lake, Wisconsin to grab your perfect model off the lot.

Engine 

These boats are well known for their impressive horsepower and it’s one of their most popular features! While every sterndrive model will have some great engine specs, you’ll still want to ask your salesperson for specifics. If you don’t have a lot of experience driving a boat, a sterndrive with a serious amount of power may be a bit overwhelming. While this doesn’t mean you need to switch categories completely, it does mean you’ll want to keep a close eye on the power of the engine. 

Maintenance

Boats in general are pretty high maintenance. However, because a sterndrive engine is constantly in contact with the water, it often requires a bit of extra care. Before selecting a model you may want to consider your own experience with boating maintenance, or even do a little research on common sterndrive upkeep tasks. If they sound a bit out of your area of expertise, or you don’t have a reliable boat mechanic nearby, you may want to reconsider if this is the ship for you. 

Features 

Because the engine is located below deck, sterndrive boats have a lot of different features that aren’t available on other ships. One of this boat's most popular amenities is its high-capacity seating, which can vary depending on the size of your vessel. Before you head over to your local boat dealership you’ll want a general idea of how you're going to be using your boat in your day-to-day life. This should help you select a ship with helpful amenities and features as you shop. For example, if you’re aware that you’ll regularly be boating with a large number of passengers you’ll want to look for a larger sterndrive that can accommodate them. 

Budget

While sterndrive boats are not considered a budget option, they are reasonably priced for the market. In short, while they’re not luxury models, they have a good price point for their reliability, power, and service length. However, once you’ve browsed a few sterndrive models and have a good idea of their price range, we encourage you to go home and calculate a budget. If you plan to finance your boat, as many buyers do, this should keep you from going into debt on your purchase.

It’s not always easy picking the right boat for your needs, but we’re sure the tips we’ve included will help you find the best model available. If you’re located nearby in Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, or Ripon, Wisconsin, we hope you’ll visit Shoreline Boat Center for all of your boating needs!