boats are expensive!

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Oct 16, 2009
65
oday 25 long island sound
I like the idea of having a big, capable boat..but I also like the idea of having a cheap simple little boat..with a little boat if my trailer goes I could easily replace for under 500..same thing with the outboard...everything is much cheaper..I could also tow behind my truck to anywhere I like..we go over to the gulf coast of florida pretty often..that would be an awesome place to trailer a smaller boat..with the bigger boat I would need a new truck to do the same...but on the flipside it probably feels much more stable in a 5000+ boat compared to 2000...decisions..decisions
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
My difinition of the smallest boat to have is one on which you can walk all the way around on the rail and not get your feet wet.
 

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
wish i could trailer my formosa to gulf coast..lol......
 
Dec 9, 2006
694
Oday 22 Hickory, NC
Am reminded of the couple out sailing...the boat started taking on water...she said, "Quick, do something nautical"...he whips out a credit card!
Jack
 
Sep 25, 2008
2,288
C30 Event Horizon Port Aransas
Aren't people in New York ALL rich?

Owning a sailboat isn't for everyone. I made up my mind to sell my boat 3 or 4 times but it was always because my wife hated it so much. Really what she was hating was my inexperience sailing. She always thinks the boat is going to capsize.
My best friend, her, me and my dog just stayed all week on the boat. We had a fine box of wine and some board games. We fished every day for dinner, Redfish and Trout.
The one pic is dinner one night. The other is Jeannette celebrating her victory over us at a card game called phase 10. It was the most fun I have had on the boat yet.
I didn't think about what it cost me at all while I was there.
Really it is quite economical now that I have fixed most of the systems on the boat. My slip is $165 a month. I don't even know what it would cost me to stay a week in Port Aransas if I didn't own a boat we could stay on. Now we try to spend half out time there and half out time at our apartment.
 

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Apr 4, 2010
19
Ranger 28 Tall Rig Maurepaus
Yeah, boats are expensive. It helps to get one at 0 cost. I am about to have my second one at zero cost. But... the first one was a 1990 Catalina Capri 16, had to buy a truck to tow it. 20k, new sails almost 1k. rebuild trailer, 200 bucks, still paying on the truck but the fun we have had on the boat is priceless.

Next one is a Ranger 28 tall rig, friend is giving to me. Shipping, (my truck is not powerful enough, meh... LOL! ) 1750 average, slip dues, new parts to get it back in shape, roughly 1500. But I just know the fun we will have on that boat will be nothing short of priceless!!!
 
Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Two things Scott. First your oxymoron, "a fine box of wine". Secondly, "Phase 10 cards is the most fun that I have had on the boat yet". But we all know that you have had that boat for awhile. If cards are the most fun you have had then maybe we know why your wife doesn't like the boat. :)
 
Oct 6, 2007
103
Catalina 387 Panama City, FL
Have never minded spend on my sailboat, wife does not sail, it is my time away.
Cheaper than a divorce!

Bill
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
Everything is expensive, that is what separates the haves from the have nots. You can walk in the park for free but the park is 10 miles away so you need transportation(not free). Nice costs more than plain but plain isn't free either. You can cook at home or eat out. Eating out two nights a week will cost more than keeping a boat. It all comes down to choices.
 

cbig

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Mar 7, 2010
27
macgregor 26d SOCAL
I have a partner. We're Trailor sailors but it works out. If we are going to be usin the boat extensively one of us will set it up and leave it at the transient dock. We may sail together or separate with respective family or friends. Later next guy or both use it and pull it out. Gets cleaned, etc. Half the work for each and more enjoyment.

When it comes to boats..
Mind over matter...
If u don't mind paying. .it don't matter!
 

cbig

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Mar 7, 2010
27
macgregor 26d SOCAL
Besides-
If you think this is pricey try dirt bike riding or road biking. You're riding some beautiful area and you decide it would be great to stay and camp there..do more trails. So you buy an RV..maybe a tow vehicle.

Pretty soon you're like the US Navy. You spent 3 billion dollars for a carrier to put a 15 million dollar plane in the air or 100k to keep a 4k dirt bike in the field! Mind over matter...
 
Oct 16, 2009
65
oday 25 long island sound
I was out sailing today and everything was like clockwork. The winds were really howling..probably about 15-20mph winds steady..We had like 4 great tacks (beam reach into a close reach into a beam again and then just when the wind started dying down to almost nothing-probably about 5mph-we sailed all the way back to our mooring wing to wing...it was awesome..by far the best sailing I have had on the boat yet..I feel like something just clicked today and I was working everything smoothly and without getting frustrated..I feel like I finally figured out how to sail today..So to sum up..Im keeping the oday 25 for a little while..just gotta figure out a trailer setup...
 
Jun 6, 2004
173
Catalina 38 San Francisco Bay
Interesting Thread

I have enjoyed reading the responses in this thread. From the cynical to the mundane and practical. I bought my first boat with my brother for $10. A 14ft wooden skiff. I was 12 yrs and he was 10. We repaired and re-glassed it and wore it out over the next 6+ years. It is nearly 50 yrs later and I am now on my 5th boat. There was only one 4 yr hiatus after that first skiff. I learned to sail at 17yrs and have been hooked ever since. I have owned both power and sail boats. I prefer to sail but boating is boating!

As for the expense:

It costs what it costs and if it is for you, It is worth every penny and you find the pennies you need!!!

I have friends who, annually, spend much more on greens fees alone than I do on my 38' sailboat. Others who spend huge amounts on newer and better motorcycles or nice cars or extravagant travel.
I get the thrill of it all with the beautiful sound of the wind and the exquisite sound of the water bubbling in the wake when the trim is perfect and the excitement and fear when the weather is less than perfect....

I afford the boating life because it is the life I choose to live and afford.

Fair Winds!
 

OldCat

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Jul 26, 2005
728
Catalina , Nacra 5.8, Laser, Hobie Hawk Wonmop, CO
Yep - Mine just cost me a few B.O.A.T.s

Break Out Another... How do I get a new 10' foot leather sectional sofa on a Catalina 22? The Admiral seemed to find it a necessary accessory :eek:.

OC
 
Jun 25, 2009
542
Hunter 33 Seabrooke, Houston
I bought my 33 ft.H33 for $1000.00; it was damaged from Ike, and the previous owner just wanted to get rid of it
My intention was to sell the Yanmar diesel, and I could have sold it for $2000.00...then I went down below, and saw all the teak, the head, the stove, the shower, and I thought: I can do this!
I found this forum, and got lots of help; I found a similar boat in a salvage yard, and took what I needed, repaired the fiberglass on one side, and did most of the work myself.
I had no idea what to/where to start, but exactly 11 months later, here is what I have done:
Redyored all the teak work, and fabricated wood panels using the old one as templets
Rempved all the carpets along both sides, quarter berth, and V berth using cedar panels, total cost :$ 50.00
Insured the boat: $ 235.00 a year
Slip fees are $ 135.00 per month (this is Houston, not NY)
Shopped around, and bought sails for $100.00 each
Bedded all my stanchions, winches, and restopred the wood hand rails
Found a rudder for $ 60.00
I don't eat out; I owned a restaurant for years (was once voted best Ethnic restaurant in Houston'''there are 12,000 in total)' so I save there
In 2 weeks time, exactly one year after purchase, I look forward to take friends sailing and eat' using the grill I found for $ 30.00
Amazes me how much one spends eating out/junk food, etc...ever added it up?
And 24 hours later, there is nothing to remind you you even had a nice meal
I know it is not free having a boat, but you can control the expenses, and do a lot of work yourself
A lot of people think " Manual Labor" is a mexican, and that is the problem: we pay to have things done
If you see some of the stupidest postings ever seen on this forum, they were mine. But I learned a lot, and managed to do the work myself
There is no enjoyment to pay someone else: there are boats in my marina that have not been sailed for 10 years! Where is the fun
In conclusion, if you need parts, there are a couple of boats your size, including 2 Odays, in the above mentioned yard
Enjoy it! And feel guilty everytime you go out and pay through your nose for dinner!
 
May 29, 2009
2
S2 7.3 Muskegon, MI
Bought our S2 at an auction for $2800 without knowing the condition of the engine. We got lucky, and the original saildrive ran like a top. A few minor repairs. $975 a year for our slip. $500 for haul-out/storage/launch. $150 for insurance. Pretty inexpensive, all things considered ... especially if you can do your own setup and repairs.

In Michigan, where the trend is to own a $200K cottage on a lake ... my wife and I decided that our boat would be our cottage. We spend our summer weekends on the boat with our kids, and we don't miss the cottage life at all. The kids still get to enjoy the water at a fraction of the cost, and it's a much bigger adventure than a cottage ever could be.
 
Sep 20, 2006
367
Oday 20 Seneca Lake
winter storage sounds like a rip down there. where i am live it would cost around $325. i'd be looking for a trailer if you don't have one and store to it someplace else, like in my driveway.
 
May 31, 2009
1
2 26 Lake Pleasant Arizona
wisdom does not come cheap

So I am getting a little overwhelmed at boat ownership and I have come to a realization....bought oday 25 in fall- 3500
taxes & register-350
diy winter cover/pvc and tarp-150
winter storage-875
geico seasafe insurance for winter-235
bottom paint,wax,through hull
repair and new ball valve -900
(paid yard..should have done it myself)
summer mooring-1625
boat us insurance and tow-550
(switched from sea tow)
miscellaneous gadgets and little repairs-300-500
add that up $$$$$ 8500
that is alot of coin in a short period of time..I love sailing but am starting to get overwhelmed at all the expense..I love going to the mooring and being set up but I am starting to think that I should trade up for a smaller boat with a trailer that I could rig to sail..granted I will have more work needed to sail and probably wont sail as much but the money saved will be huge. I might consider keeping the oday 25 if I had a trailer but trailers for boats that size are hard to come by and modifying is def a job I dont think I could handle..I wouldnt even know where to start..So I am trying to just enjoy my sails but my pocket is hurting and winter storage will be here before you know it..anybody else ever second guess ????


There is an old saying, The two happiest days in a boat owners life are the day he buys it and the day he sells it. The rest of the days are work and money. I bought a Hunter 26 on a trailer in anticipation of the non use days/months/years. In Arizona, it works.
 
Sep 30, 2009
4
Hunter Deck Salon Seabrook TX
I have sailed for thirty + years and I do not want to know how much it cost! It took years for me to figure out it is not the cost, but the enyjoyment of the experience. It is an investment in your lifestyle, if you enjoy it enough to offset the cost. After three used boats, it took me two years to "justify" buying a new Hunter 44DS. I hate the idea of throwing away $ on a depriciatable item; but the trade off is priceless! Rambunctious
 
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