A boat community is a safe haven for boat lovers to engage in with each other. Being an extremely physical and outdoorsy activity, the recent couple of years of social restrictions made a serious dent to the movement of recreational boaters and sailors the world over. While they were unable to visit the marina physically or take their precious vessel out for a spin, fortunately, they had online forums to stay connected and beat the gloominess and pandemic related anxiety. If you’re yet to join an online boat community, then here are 6 facts that you should know, before doing so.
List your boat
When you join a digital boating forum, you get the opportunity to list your boat as part of its online directory. This is a great way to showcase your beautiful craft without any costs associated with it. This feature can also serve you well when you wish to sell your boat, as you get access to a plethora of potential buyers from the convenience of your own home. Moreover, there is no need for a middleman in these negotiations.
Browse through others boats
Just like you have the option of listing your own boat, others can as well. The more, the merrier, as it helps build an extensive database to browse through. An especially handy feature when you are contemplating buying a new/used boat. Using the handy filters you can narrow down your search by opting to see boats based on your choice of model, make, length, and type. Any boat that catches your interest, you can easily connect with the owner/captain, to gain more insights and have your specific questions answered.
Exchange ideas and experiences
Not just others boats, you can seek their counsel and expertise as well. A boat community is usually made up of a wide variety of people ranging from amateurs to professional sailors and craftsmen. This allows you to post queries and get new ideas when it comes to upgrading your boat, enhancing its features, adding useful technology, etc.
Build your boating network
These community members are not just there to offer ideas on an adhoc basis. A boat community also offers you the chance to make connections for life and expand your professional as well as social network. Hang out with friends in real life in the harbor or at the marina, go out on trips together, live it up.
Cost of joining a boat community
A good boat community is created by and for boat lovers. It is not here to simply make, but to facilitate healthy conversations and shared experiences. Hence, the membership often comes free of cost. In fact, the entire signing up process is convenient, requiring bare minimum information to begin with. It is entirely at your discretion how much personal information you wish to share online. If a forum is asking for a joining fee, then take the time to understand what it offers in return. Try and browse the non-premium areas of the website to gauge if it is worth paying for.
Know and follow the terms and conditions
This works both ways. Firstly, you should properly understand the rules of the forum and adhere to them. After all, the boat community is a social platform with diverse people in it. Refrain from causing any disturbance or offending people. On the other hand, you should also read up on the terms of the website, especially with regards to online information security. People tend to share a lot of information on social media sites. An effective community provides proper assurances that your personal information will not be misused in any way and your data will always be protected.