Seeing the big yachts moored at marinas around Puget Sound, it’s easy to assume boating is only for those with deep pockets.

But boat dealers at the Seattle Boat Show are hoping to convey a different message to showgoers: that boating is more accessible than they might realize.

“I think that there are people who pass off boating without really understanding the access and affordability of it,” said Mark Helgen, vice president of sales for Lake Union Sea Ray.

“Sometimes you have to put them in front of it and say, ‘You can do this for less than going out for dinner once a month and take your family to all kinds of places.”

Lake Union Sea Ray’s display includes boats that can be financed starting at $149 a month, and other exhibitors have taken a similar approach—Sterling Boats, Day Island Boat Works, Boat Country and others are showing powerboats that can be financed for $250 a month or less. One offering in Boat Country’s display, a 14-foot Smoker Craft, is just $95 a month.

Lee Ann Kooley, an owner of Tacoma-based Day Island Boat Works, said an increasing number of banks are lowering the threshold for a 20-year boat loan from $75,000 down to boats selling for $50,000, which can substantially reduce the monthly payments.

“The opportunity is there and it’s more affordable, because the banks are becoming more lenient on the terms,” she said.

Read the rest of the story on our boat show blog here.