Financing Your Boat in 2026

Buying a boat for the Great Loop in 2026? Marine insurance can be one of the most confusing — and critical — pieces of the puzzle. This week, we continue our 2026 boat buying update with a deep dive into today’s marine insurance market. Is coverage still hard to find? Are premiums stabilizing? And can first-time or newer boaters qualify for insurance on a Great Loop–ready yacht? Jon Horton of Jack Martin & Associates joins us to answer these questions and share expert insight on what buyers can expect this year. If a Great Loop boat is in your future, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

How do you know how much boat you can afford? How can you be sure you'll have enough money left after the Loop for the rest of your retirement? And how can you make sure the money you've saved for the Loop goes as far as possible? Join us for this episode of the Great Loop Radio podcast as Cathy Aull, Certified Financial Planner with Edward Jones, discusses how to plan for the financial aspects of Looping.

For several years, obtaining insurance has been one of the bigger challenges in buying a Great Loop boat. This week, Jon Horton of Jack Martin & Associates returns to our podcast to update us on what to expect in 2025. Is it becoming easier to get insurance your Great Loop boat? Listen to find out!

This week we kick off our "2025 Update" series where we'll report on different parts of the process for buying a Great Loop boat. In the coming weeks we'll talk about the current state of the Great Loop boat market, marine insurance, and surveys. This week, Cindy Lewis of Sterling Associates is our guest. Cindy shares her expertise and covers what to expect from interest rates, lender terms and conditions when financing a boat, and the benefits of financing, even if you have cash available.

This week we wrap up our 2024 update series by talking about marine insurance. Jon Horton with Jack Martin and Associates joins us to discuss what to expect when seeking insurance for your Great Loop boat in the coming year.