You’re Never Too Old to Buy a Boat

MARMORA – Jim Robinson is proof that you’re never too old to buy a boat. At 64, the Vietnam vet and former Marine is making his first water purchase, a 19-foot, center console cruiser with a T-top. In layman’s terms, a really nice fishing boat for a vessel virgin.
The Cape May County retiree plans to navigate the back bays of Ocean City in his new craft. Hopefully, in calmer waters than when he took his initial sea trial with veteran boater Bill Belz earlier this year.
“We did launch in rather rough seas,” Belz recalled with a laugh.
The duo hit the water at Ocean City’s Tennessee Avenue. Belz remembers it as “rough,” Robinson as “choppy and cold,” but undaunted he still brought a boat.
And that, said Belz, is what he hopes a day out on the ocean with him will do to potential buyers.
The Upper Township resident is managing director at PBS Yacht Brokers. The company, with locations in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Florida, is planning an official opening locally this weekend at its new site, All Seasons Marina in Marmora.
Belz, who has lived in the area since the 1980s, said it’s the perfect spot to sell because despite the economic climate, there are still buyers for boats.
“Without a doubt,” he said, “there’s still a market. People are buying boats because they’re a worthwhile investment.”
Belz said veteran owners will keep a boat for years, most investing their time in meticulous caretaking of the craft.
When they’re ready for something new, he said, it’s usually an upgrade, not a downgrade.
“Rarely do they get rid of the boat entirely,” he said.
When it’s time to step up, PBS works both sides of the coin. Belz said the company specializes in sales as well as purchases.
“It’s difficult to sell a boat on your own,” said Belz. “It’s not like a car. You can’t put it out on the street with a ‘For Sale’ sign.”
Instead, he said, the company acts as a broker.
“We help sell the boat for you,” he said.
And because of the level of care most boat owners put into their investments, Belz said selling a used boat isn’t nearly as difficult as selling a used car.
“It’s really hard to tell new from used in the boat world,” he said. “People take pride in their boats.”
Belz likened them to luxury cars, rather than the functional automobiles that get you to and from work every day.
“Boats get used,” he said. “But they don’t typically get abused.”
Maintenance, he said, is all part of the joy of boating.
For Robinson, it will be one more thing he has to get used to as he tests the waters, so to speak, as a new boat owner.
“It won’t be too bad for him though,” said Belz. “Today’s boats don’t require as much maintenance as they did in the Seventies and Eighties.”
In fact, he said, advancements in the industry have relegated owners, veteran and new alike, to simple “preventative maintenance.”
“That’s helped lower the cost of ownership,” Belz added. “So, it’s a win-win situation for the boat business.”
Robinson said he’s looking forward to learning the ropes as a boat owner and filling the boat slip in back of the retirement home he purchased at the Jersey Shore.
“I have a house on the water. I have to have a boat in the back of it, right?” he joked.
With the sale complete, Robinson’s moved on what Belz said is often the most important rite of passage for new boat enthusiasts.
“Naming her,” he said.
Robinson said he’s chosen “RECON,” to honor his time spent in the Marines.
Next, he said, could be a sail in Ocean City’s annual Night in Venice boat parade.
“Who knows,” he laughed. “Maybe you’ll see me and my new boat out there too.”