At Hallberg Marine, we know the clock starts ticking the moment you picture yourself behind the wheel, wind in your face, sun overhead, and miles of water in front of you. Minnesota’s boating season is short—but it’s packed with unforgettable moments if you’re ready.
So let’s answer one of the most important questions we get around this time of year:
“If I buy now, when can I actually be on the water?”
Whether you’re looking at a shiny new boat or a budget-savvy pre-owned beauty, here’s exactly what to expect once you put down your deposit.
Your Boat Buying Timeline (Spoiler Alert: It’s Time to Get in Gear!)
New STOCK Boat Timeline: Approx. 2-3 Weeks
- Place Your Deposit: You’ll reserve a boat from our in-stock inventory.
- Scheduled for Rigging (Lead Time: Approx. 1-2 Weeks to Get in the Shop): Once your boat is selected, it enters our rigging queue—where it’s customized and prepped by our expert team.
- Boat Rigging + Prep (Approx. 1 Week)
- We install electronics, motors, accessories
- Conduct full quality inspections
- Clean and detail the boat for delivery
- Pickup or Delivery Call: Once it’s ready, we’ll contact you to schedule a pickup or help you arrange for delivery at your convenience.
Total Time: 2-3 weeks (subject to seasonal demand and order complexity)
New ORDER Boat Timeline: Approx. 7-12 Weeks
- Design a Boat: Work with one of our expert sales people looking at in stock inventory, brochures and webpages to help make decisions on colors, layouts and options.
- Place Your Deposit: We place the order for the boat after we receive your deposit.
- Hold tight—your adventure is on its way!: This is the hardest part. Our manufacturers only give us an estimate of when the boat will arrive. We will let you know as soon as the boat arrives.
- Boat Rigging + Prep (Approx. 1 Week)
- Order boats have priority, when the boat arrives it moves to the front of the line
- We install electronics, motors, accessories
- Conduct full quality inspections
- Clean and detail the boat for delivery
- Pickup or Delivery Call: Once it’s ready, we’ll contact you to schedule a pickup or help you arrange for delivery at your convenience.:
Total Time: 7-12 weeks (subject to seasonal demand and order complexity)
Used Boat Timeline: As Little as a Few Days to 2 Weeks
- Choose Your Boat + Place Deposit: These are ready to go faster—but still go through prep to ensure performance and reliability.
- Inspection + Final Prep (Approx. 1 Week): Our service team checks every system, handles any necessary fixes, and ensures your boat looks and runs great.
- Pickup or Delivery Call: You’ll hear from us to schedule the hand-off—complete with guidance and lake-day tips if you need them.
Total Time: As little as a few days to 2 weeks (varies based on current reconditioning workload)
Why This Timing Matters in Minnesota
Minnesota’s boating season typically runs mid-May through mid-September. That’s four precious months of boating, tubing, sunset cruising, and dockside hangouts. If you want to be ready to launch when the lakes are, now’s the time to act.
Delaying your purchase by even a few weeks could mean:
- Backlogs in rigging queues
- Limited inventory
- Missed opportunities for Memorial Day or early summer weekends
Hallberg Marine Makes It Easy
We don’t just sell you a boat—we deliver the Whole Hallberg Experience:
- ✅ A seamless sales, service, and storage process
- ✅ Experts who know how to fit the boat to your lifestyle
- ✅ Friendly support before and after the sale
- ✅ Pickup or delivery options that make lake life effortless
- ✅ A seamless sales, service, and storage process
Let’s get your lake life rolling. Whether you’re shopping new or used, the earlier you start, the more of summer you’ll own.