Lots of people run into problems with credit. Life doesn’t always go to plan, and when that happens, your finances are usually one of the first things to suffer. A less-than-perfect credit score doesn’t mean your chances of a loan are dead in the water, though. Bad credit boat loans are a convenient way to access a boat and rebuild your credit reputation while you repay.
Who can a bad credit boat loan help?
Many Australian borrowers experience issues connected with credit at some stage in their life, and it can narrow down your finance options, but it’s by no means the end of the world. Specialist financiers offer a range of products that can help you buy the things you need or want, and they’ll consider applicants with a broad selection of past credit problems:
- If you’ve been declared bankrupt but have now been discharged
- If you have defaults on your credit file, like missed or late credit card payments or unpaid utility bills
- If you’ve been released from a Part IX Debt Agreement
- If you’re new to borrowing and have no credit history
How to qualify for a bad credit loan and improve your score
Why compare leisure loans with Savvy?
Once you tell us about yourself and the loan you're after, we'll compare offers for you and prepare your formal application.
We're partnered with some Australia's leading lenders to bring you a range of competitive offers to compare in one place.
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WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY ABOUT THEIR FINANCE EXPERIENCE
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY ABOUT THEIR FINANCE EXPERIENCE


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How to apply for your boat loan with Savvy
Start by telling us about what boat you’re after and some information about yourself, like your employment, income, credit score and more.
In some cases, if we need more information to verify parts of your application (such as your income), we may ask for a few more documents. You can submit these through our portal.
From there, your consultant will compare the best offers available for your profile. We’ll give you a call and, if you’re happy with the top choice, we can take the next step.
Your consultant will put together your application to meet your lender’s specifications and submit it to them. Approval can come as soon as one business day after.
After approval, we’ll send you all the forms to sign, which you can do electronically via our portal. We’ll handle the settlement of the boat and, once that’s done, it’s all yours!
All your bad credit boat loan questions answered
Boat loans are secured finance. That means the lender uses the vessel as collateral, which means the fixed interest rate doesn’t get too high because the loan provider’s risk is lower. You pick a term between one and five years and then make regular payments of equal value until the agreement ends and you own the boat.
Having a deposit will be advantageous for bad credit borrowers because it demonstrates to lenders that you’ve planned ahead and are more likely to pay off the loan on time; however, it’s not always necessary. Some lenders will ask if you’ve got equity in a property, although the loan gets secured against your boat, not your house.
Yes – self-employed workers with bad credit are still able to be approved for boat loans. While it may be slightly more difficult to prove your income, our team of brokers can help find the right loan for you.
With bad credit boat loans, you can buy anything you can afford. Whether that’s a prestige cruiser, a speed boat, or a fishing boat, bad credit boat loans are a viable way to get back on the water. You can even use one to buy a jet ski.
Yes – you aren't limited by the seller of the boat, provided the boat is in good enough condition to be able to be used as security for your loan.
Depending on your lender, yes – some lenders will allow you to make extra repayments free of charge to contribute to your boat loan, which can save you on interest in the long term.
Types of leisure loan
Helpful guides on leisure loans
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