Cottage vs. Boat. Do you deal with both?

[Tim R.]

The maint on the cottage is not too bad. My dad had it built in '68 and my brothers, friends and father spend a long weekend there every spring to open it up and do major maint. tasks. A rather motley crew of degenerates!

BTW, this is where I learned to sail and spent summers exploring the woods and lake. No such thing as TV and I frequently stayed out past dark with my buddies looking for trouble in boats.

 

[Hermit Scott]

The view of the cottage

One pic is a view into my front door the other is the view out of the front door.
If you have a wife, try to get her to move into a warehouse with you. Right now I live like no one else so later I can live like no one else, well actually so I can live like these guys!

 

[larryw]

I feel your pain; motorcycle or boat, which toy to play with this weekend?

 

[Scott NIelsen]

Hmmm,

This is a good one. I have owened a few boats in my time and still do and intend to always do. Fortunately for me, I have offspring, siblings, and freinds who have either owned, own, or have a freind who has a cottage in the mountains (Colorado), inland (Virginia, I helpedd build this "A" frame), or in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I (helped flip this one). So I get the best of both worlds and introduce freinds and family to both. Mypersonnel preference is the boat. I also charter regularly with the "Moorings". I enjoy them all. Of course my dream would be be to have a four bedroom cottage on Mobjack Bay (or one of the many rivers feeding the bay), in Virginia with a boat dock and my sailboat and powerboat (Trawler) tied up to my own dock in the back. Then I wouldn't mind a place in St. Croix. Been there, love it. I guess you could say I enjoy it all with only the real expense of the boat. I currently own a 2001 Hunter 320 that I just do not get to use enough. Darn, gotta fix that situation:dance:. Oh, did I mention I also have a time share in North Myrtle Beach that I have actually been to once. I usually exchange this and have been to many great places (mostly beach places) though.

 

[Scott NIelsen]

Re: The view of the cottage

Hermit Scott,

Just had to reply, I am originally from Kingsville. TX. Glad to see someone from close to where I am from. Hook Um Horns, and How Bout them Cowboys.

 

[Tim R.]

Scott, you have a much better security system than I ever had

When I first got out of college I lived in NJ at a place called Fox Meadow. My friends and family called it Fox Ghetto. I had a prostitute next to me, a drug dealer above me and about 100 illegal russian immigrants living in a 1 bedroom unit across from me. I don't know what they were up to but I never saw the same person twice. Seems like 20 years ago...wait, it was 20 years ago!

 

[shoestringsailor]

blessed

In 1925 my grandpa built a house on the shore near Stonington, Ct. The house and property are now in a family trust, and is used by the family as a cottage, although it stays heated year-round. My brother and I keep our sailboats moored off the house, and do mostly daysailing around Fishers Island sound, Mystic etc. Fortunately, the cove we are on is pretty shallow, so I can only keep a small shoal draft boat there. So, therefore, I have less boat maintenance to do and spend most of my time working on the house. The house is always in need of repairs, and of course the grass never stops growing!
If I could live there, it would be great, but we are over an hour away. Still, I feel blessed to have this piece of paradise available, and gladly do the work it takes to keep it up.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Scott Neilsen-I am bitter toward the horns, they wouldn't accept me to their school!
That is a serious bimini you have on Pax. It looks more like a south Texas boat than a Virginian.

 

[Jimmy P]

Cottage vs. Sailboat

We have a condo/timeshare in Key West as well as a sailboat at home (St. Augustine). We alternate sailing to the Keys every other year. The kids love the quick drive down and hanging for a few weeks. I enjoy taking off a month on alternating years and sailing down on the outside marina hopping along the way. I split the time, a week in the condo and three in the marinas living aboard and sailing. I didn't say it was an even split on my alternating year but we make concessions for the land lovers and the sailor's in my family.
It's not the expense and upkeep of a cottage but we trade-off each year and it seems to work. Unfortunately this summer is the driving trip so look out for next year (Gonna throw in Bimini on the return sail)!

 

[flanza4]

O'day

you think you got it bad,??
I live in a 2 bedroom with an addition,hurricane ike tore the side of my garage off,tore my front porch up took a lot of my roof with it,
afraid to call the insurance because they might fix it and dump me,or not fix it with the old saying it was not very good any way.
my patch job is shabby,i put metal siding on the garage and on the front porch patched the roof,
and on talking to a friend I told him even my bird house is a dump,the metal pole its on is bent,leaving it leaning to the side,with bird feathers and trash hanging out the side.
I am gonna name my O'Day Slum district glider.
(U wanna trade houses?)

Hmmm? That's funny, Ike took my o'day 322 away.

 

[Neal]

cottages vs sailboats

Hello Sailm8,
I will take a boat over a cottage because I do not have to mow the grass or shingle the roof.
To another subject sailm8, You are living in the same area that I have thought about moving. Although I have never been to Punt Gorda, I do have acquaintances who live in the area. Can you tell me what the housing market is like? Are there good deals to be had?
Thanks, nlindeman@hotmail.com

Where to begin. We began serious sailing on Carlyle Lake Il. We have made great lifelong friends in that sailing community. In 2001 my wife and I downsized from a 5 bedroom home with lawn and all that stuff to a 3 bedroom condo in Punta Gorda FL on a canal. The best part is that 14 of our friends from Carlyle, moved here in the last 5 years. We sail at least once a week and the influx of fresh blood into our sail club has raised the level of racing to among the best on the west coast.
I retire again in 26 days after 8 years of teaching high school. This is truly the best of both worlds. We can push off when ever we want and sail to the Keys, Bahama’s, or the coast of Florida. Life is good.
So we really don't deal with both we just get to live both.

 

[James Dugan]

Boat Versis Cottage, A problem with us for several years!

We have had a nice little family waterfront cottage on rented property in Delaware for over 38 years. I got into sailing about 25 years ago and moved my 26' Lugar from the Delaware to the Bohemia River on the beautiful Chesapeake about 20 years ago. Over the past 20 years we have managed to do both the cottage in Delaware and sail the bay. My boat has moved up to a 31 Hunter and now a 336 Hunter with an ongoing search for a 42. The lot rent in Delaware (10K per year plus water and sewer bills)is also growing like my boat sizes so I have been pushing selling the cottege although we have a lot of family memories there. The boating life is really what I like and although the cottage is right on the water, we just have more fun relaxing on the boat at the marina. When you toss in sailing trips to Baltimore, St. Michaels or having a big dark Starbuck coffee while you are backed up at the town dock in Annapolis, there is really nothing to that can come close for me. All due respects to people with condos or ocean fronts, there is really nothing like messing around in a boat!

 

[wavechaser]

We have all three. House in town, vacation house (twice as large as the house in town), and a Hunter 356. I travel a lot for work. It has become too much hassle to own all three. We decided to sell the boat this year. We may get a smaller boat in the future. Frankly, it is a challenge to find time to use all three in a manner that makes any economic sense. If you are intersted in a like new 2002 Hunter 356, check out my listing in the classifieds. Cheers.

 

[Taylor]

A good problem to have

Sounds pretty swanky until you figure out how much work it is... even if you hire some of it out.

We have a beach house and a boat, there is a buoy at the beach house to accommodate the boat, but more recently the boat has come to live in town in a slip where I get to use it more - then I get up to the beach house and miss the sailboat. But then there's a Whaler in the boathouse, a couple of dinghy's and a whole fleet of kayaks and I start to wonder if I have a problem, or if I'm just trying to store my money somewhere where I get some interest in the result.

But (recent experience aside) houses appreciate while boats depreciate. Actually, in my limited experience, you sell boats for exactly the dollar figure you paid for it, regardless of how long you own it or what inflation does - and after inflation, you take a real loss. But that assumes you purchase boats wisely and keep them for a long time. So the beach house is a much smarter thing to have. So don't tell my spousal unit, but I want *another* boat. Not a different one, another one. You see my spouse tolerates the boat(s) but she loves the beach house, and the argument is we will sell the city house one day and retire to the island and it will all work out. With my boat on the buoy of course.

To more clearly answer the question - we spend the fourth of July week at the beach house, we take two weeks each summer for a cruise, and we go to the beach house any weekend when there is not a reason to be in town. This spring sail races have been a reason to stay in town. Next two weeks, no races - we go to the beach house. What do I do there - I work on the beach house, which, luckily, is part of the fun. If you don't like working on houses and boats, don't get a cottage *or* a boat.

 

[searl]

I'm with you!

I live in the cottage and sail the boat when there is wind. If you have the financial resourses there is no better way to go. My neighbors are great but I make them jelous when I sail past their house on my way to the islands that they can only look at from their dock.

I'm right there with you...same situation, even with the sailing by and waving to our land-based neighbors. It IS considerable work and expense to have 'both', but then again...how many times do we go through life?? Stephen

 

[searl]

Both - its a challenge at times, but well worth it!

For five years now I must say it seems like there are never-ending work tasks looming and/or expenses coming in from our cottage and our H26, but we would really be hard pressed to choose between the two. Each provides its own individual life-enjoyment benefits, circle of friends and methods to appreciate the great Michigan outdoors in different ways. And besides that, between the two of them they definitely keep us 'off the streets and out of the bars'... Stephen

 

[letterman]

Way cool Ted.

 

[dvideohd]

I have friends out there already past this decision. They would mention an RV as a choice as well.... Lots of folks out there traveling and doing pickup job work - many having lost houses, jobs, savings and more.

They had planned on traveling - and doing pickup work along the way.. That doesn't seem to be possible currently - too much competition for such work.

So living aboard or the small cottage - may be an "up and coming solution" for many.