Boat ownership.....pro or con?

[hondacuraplanet]

Figured that Prime would be the best place to ask this question......

For the last 4 or 5 years, I've had this 23' Chris Craft Scorpion 230 Limited in dry storage at a friend's. The motor's brand new and ready to drop in, all of the parts are ready to go together. It'll cost probably another grand to get it in the water and under its own power (after the couple grand I've invested thus far), with resealing the outdrive, new carpets, and miscellany.

My question is, to those of you that own/have owned boats, do you feel that the pleasure of ownership is worth the expense in your opinion? Figure on the boating season in this area to be at best 4-5 months long.....and I don't fish much.

Honestly, I bought this never having owned a boat before....it needed an engine, and I thought, hell, it's got a small block Chevy in it, it can't cost too much to plunk a motor in and get it underway. Oh, how wrong I was......

 

[steveny]

There is only one difference between owning a boat and standing in the shower cutting up 100 dollar bills. Do you know what the difference is?


BTW, the boating season here is no where near 4 month, more like 2 months long as good as it would be in Florida and 2 months of marginal use where you are cold when your out. Then 8 months of storage.

 

[Dtrigg]

It's smarter to charter.

 

[hondacuraplanet]

My decision here is part and parcel of trying to clean up and give a bit more focus to my life, in the area of large things for recreational use.

My boat and my camper are two major points of decision this spring. The camper, I've used the heck out of. The boat, I haven't even laid eyes on in over two years......

 

[Q]

As a boat owner one way or the other for the last 20 years, I've owned fishing boats, cruisers, and go-fasts.

Your question involves a lot of variables. How much do you love being on the water and how much are you willing to spend to get that feeling? If it's your way of decompressing, then there's nothing like being on the water. The problem arises when you get hooked and start buying bigger and bigger boats thinking they are the only way to keep you satisfied. Hell, Joe's got himself a 32-footer, I got to get me one of those! But bigger boats equal exponentially greater costs concerning maintenance, storage, fuel, slip fees, etc. It's a snowball rolling downhill. This is a trap that I fell in and it ended up where I was constantly spending money just to say I own a boat and not really enjoying it. I sold it and got a small 18 foot Donzi Classic and had just as much fun. Heck, next time I think I'm simply buying a PWC.

The story is this: I think the price is worth being on the water, as long as you are honest about what you want to spend and live within those means. Who cares if Joe just bought a new 50 foot Carver aft-cabin! My advice is to stay small, buy used, and keep your costs down as much as possible, especially where the boating season is short like where I live.

 

[gleibig]

Find a friend who is a boat owner.

I owned a 25ft'r for about 5 years. 99.9% fishing from it. I sold it last year and haven't looked back. I have two other friends that I fish with who own 6 boats between them. From a 16ft jon boat to a 44ft sportfisher. My only expenses are gas, food, and beer. :biggrin:

 

[jlsnyderNSX]

I've had many boats and loved them all but as already stated, there are a lot of factors involved. I used my boat about 8 months out of the year here in Kentucky where it's typically warm from late March til October, at approx. $3000 grand a month to run/maintain.

Is it worth it to me? HELL YES, and I don't fish... :biggrin:

 

[steveny]

I am going to be getting something like this as soon as I get settled in my lake house next month. With something like this I can take the air card and cell phone then go out on the water at 8 am for the day float around and do business, swimm at lunch time. It's going to be great! I might even get a little fishing in during the day.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2001...ryZ80652QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[12AMNSX]

When our kids were young, we used to go camping which we all really enjoyed. Then as they got older, they started losing interest in camping. When we went to a lake they usually made friends with other campers who had a boat. So we decided to get a boat ourselves. Best thing we ever did for fun. Everyone enjoyed it and it helped keep the family together for weekends and vacations. Wish we had bought it sooner.

 

[Big_D]

The two happiest days in a boat owners life are the day you buy it and the day you sell it.

I have had a couple of different boats. I bought them a couple of years old with low hours and kept them for a few years and pretty much sold them for what I paid. I really enjoyed having one, except keeping it clean all the time was a pain. I all depends on how much you use it. If it sits most of the time, then its time to unload it.

What I don't miss is all the launch ramp congestion and peoples antics. Half drunk people trying to back up a trailer.

 

[clarkm]

Have had several boats. Have had same sailboat for over 20 years. Have had drag boat, and runabouts. Now have sailboat and pontoon boat. Relatively low cost to run the pontoon boat, compared to other power boats.Very rugged, with lots of room, and comfortable. Lucky for me I don't have to trailer. As to the money issue, it is worth it to me, and I will boat for as long as I can. I have had many, many, memorable days on the water.

 

[NSXDreamer2]

It really depends on the weather you have. I grew up on Speed boat, later on fishing boats and bigger Convertibles (Bertrams). I don't have the correct name as I don't know what you guys call it in English terms. (i was in HK)

When we moved to Seattle, my dad and his buddy really wants to get a boat here as it's cheaper to own. but then we went out fishing one day and really not enjoying the cold water in NW. Maybe it'll be different in Florida or Hawaii.

I guessed the most important thing is that how much you will get if you sell the boat? Obviously you haven't even care about it for 2 years, you can't be too attached to the boat.

I'll treat the boat as if a set of nsx rims... I could sell it, but if I sell it at a big loss, well, I just leave them in my garage. I might want to use it someday.

 

[92 white 0650]

Re: The 3 'F' Rule

Oh, how wrong I was......

Rule #1 for Real Men: If it Floats, Flies or PHuques, lease it. :wink:

 

[SGMongoose]

i bought this boat with a friend 2 summers ago. i've put as much money into it, or towards the enjoyment of it, than i spent on the boat itself...i havent caught a fish larger then a sunfish while on it... got a fine for not haveing a throwable float... dropped my cell phone into the water twice while on it... lost all the life jackets and the main rear hatch while trailering it on the highway... toasted the manual transmission on the wrangler... and now there is a crack developing in the transom... but i've loved every moment of owning it!

 

[Dtrigg]

i bought this boat with a friend 2 summers ago. i've put as much money into it, or towards the enjoyment of it, than i spent on the boat itself...i havent caught a fish larger then a sunfish while on it... got a fine for not haveing a throwable float... dropped my cell phone into the water twice while on it... lost all the life jackets and the main rear hatch while trailering it on the highway... toasted the manual transmission on the wrangler... and now there is a crack developing in the transom... but i've loved every moment of owning it!

We really need to have a discussion about what you consider a good time.

 

[swbatte]

I have been a boater for the better part of 20 years, and about 9 years ago I was going to buy a new boat. After deciding the boat I wanted was bigger than I could tow, and wondering out of the 16 weekends in a summer how many would I actually spend at the boat (maybe 6-8) I decided that if something that is supposed to remove stress is creating stress, then don't do it. So I bought an NSX instead.

Now I have more free time on weekends, a great sportscar in the garage and would be willing to look at buying a boat again.

There's nothing like boating, I especially like the marina life. So if it were me, that would be my question again. How much would I actually use it? 2 weekends a month at $1000-$3000 per month? I wouldn't do it. 16 weekends a year at $4000 a year. Ya I would.

 

[NormRD]

We have owned a boat for nearly the entire 10 years we have lived here in Austin. This is because we have 2 lakes within 15 miles and 3 more another hour drive. We typically use it between March - Nov (some go year round here) and have avg putting on about 100 hours per year. By my calculations, we are out 2x the hours so safe to say we are on the lake about 200 hours per year. So if we are out an avg of 5 hours that is 40 trips per year....not bad.

I agree with the above folks, if you are going to use it then it is worth having. Typically the folks who use their boat have less problems. I know many locals who use theirs 3 times a year (memorial day/4th of July/labor day) and complain that they always have to fix stuff.

I would suggest do the min to get it running and take it out and see how you like it. Then either fix up the remaining cosmetic stuff or sell it.

 

[H-carWizKid]

I love boats, but don't plan to own one. I prefer to chip in for gas, and supplies on boating days.

P