Boaters: Beware of Repair Bills

About the Book

You’re probably familiar with the difficulty of dealing with service departments when getting a vehicle repaired—but what happens when that vehicle is a boat?

Those encounters are harrowing—and even if you’re only boating on a seasonal basis, they occur frequently. From general boat repairs, annual winterizing service, dry docking, and springtime tune-ups, it may seem like the bills never end.

Michael Bivona, a certified public accountant, helps you navigate being a boat owner in this guide to saving money. He’s saved more than $150,000 in repairs and maintenance over his forty-plus years of boating and has avoided many unhappy breakdowns.

Whether you do maintenance and repairs yourself or go to a professional, he shares money-saving tips, including:

• Unless there is extensive damage to your boat, always insist on a written estimate.
• Never tell a service department to do whatever is necessary to fix your boat.
• Always carefully inspect your boat if someone else has made repairs.

With a bit of training and hands-on experience, you can also enjoy boating without draining your life savings.

About the Author

Michael Bivona, CPA, is retired from the accounting profession and the computer enhancement industry. He is an award-winning author and is the recipient of Long Island University’s prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award (2007). He has been interviewed and quoted by Jim Cramer’s The Street, U.S. News & World Report, Fox Business News, Forbes, and many other publications. His passion for boating has kept him afloat for over forty years. He lives with his wife in New York and Florida. Learn more at www.michaelbivonabooks.com.