At what limit do you put cost?

[Alex]

Bimini vs Bikini

If you have problem forking over $300 bucks for a bimini, try a bikini.The price they charge per square foot is outrageous.

 

[abe]

Alex, that depends how big the melons are.

...financial disaster for little melons.

 

[Waffle]

Brian D ... I don't have a power sailor

you do! I do have a 35 HP diesel.

 

[Roger (Ninette Manitoba)]

left field economy

If you are strictly talking economics, you should not put more money into your boat than what you expect to get for her when you sell her. If that limits your spending, there is another way to 'overspend' yet not give away your upgrades. Ensure that as much as possible, the upgrades you purchase are portable for boat to boat. I have a roller furler that I have move with me from four boats ago; a portable VHF from two boats ago, a PFD from three boats ago, a multiband radio from who know when, a DRS from two boats ago... get the picture... I stripped previous boats down to sellable minimums prior to selling. Many buyers want a low price anyhow, so you can strip down, keep your portable gear, move it to the next boat, and get a value added bonus to build on.In an economic sense, if you bought a boat for $7500, added $4000 worth of gear to her, but suspect that at sale time you will only get $10,000 for her, you need to strip off (7.5k+4k-10k=)$1500 worth of gear to recoup your potential loss.Put a value of pleasure into the formula however, and the boat becomes priceless. Similarily, if you add the value of your labor to the boat, you quickly outprice yourself, as others have stated.

 

[Rob Hessenius]

Money

Brian- I think that you will find that you most likely will never recover the expences that you have and will continue to put into your boat. I dont beleive this theory should stop you from putting on things on your boat whether they are comfort items. Safety items should be a no-brainer. Is the furler trully a safety item? I think it safer, but not really a safety item. Spend the amount that makes you happy and safe, whether it allows you to stay off the foredeck or out of the sun. Remember, you can always make more money. Rob Hessenius

 

[Bob7291]

It's the classic question

Some guys make money on every boat they buy, sail, and sell. Others are willing to figure the cost of improvements is just part of the ticket price for playing the game. The used sailboat scene is usually a buyer's market, partly because there are many boats out there that were well-equipped by their owners, only to have the owner later lose interest or fall in love with a newer (usually bigger) boat. As others have said, the more $$ you put into your boat, the less probablility you will recoup at the other end, but the more you will enjoy her in the meantime. It just depends on whether you are counting bucks or smiles.

 

[larry w]

costs

If you truly loved it, the costs wouldn't matter

 

[Ross]

Here is another way to look at the equation

If the expenditure is for something that you NEED then you just shop for the best price and buy it or build it. If it is simply something that you want because it would please you then it is descretionary and you check your budget for available money. If it is dental care for the kids or a new roller furler then it is no contest, you get the furler.

 

[higgs]

Bottom line

Owning a boat, from an investment perspective, make absolutely no sense. Pour what you can afford into the boat you have and kiss it goodbye.

 

[TT23844]

Boat economics ??

It's sort of an oxymoron. I agree with higgs: by any reasonable definition, for most people & most boats, they don't qualify as "investments".Too much depends on your individual circumstances & abilities etc to come up with hard & fast 'rules' to apply to the economics of boat ownership.I suggest that as long as you're happy, buy the stuff you want or need for the boat. When you reach a point where you aren't happy ...........stop.