Dave, I understand the motorhome attachment example.Stu, it really depends on how much of your heart and soul you put into the boat. Did you sell it with mixed feelings or was it good riddance, I've moved on? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I could see that happening with a boat, especially if one makes a lot of customizations of their own design. Sure if it is a bone stock factory boat, no one cares, but when you customize, then it is part of you that is still in the boat.
For all of our boats, I have done what I considered important things, none of which would be considered "customizing." On our C22 I ran the halyards aft and installed a downhaul. On our C25, I did the same. Neither boat had jib furling. On our C34, which we've now owned for twenty years, I redid the electrical system, upgraded the blocks, installed an adjustable backstay, and a bunch of other things included, IIRC, in my profile page. I "bonded" with each boat I had, and made them better than when I originally bought them. I don't subscribe to the "it's only fiberglass and metal" school of thought. Each boat was unique and we used them for their intended purpose: The C22 was trailerable, and we did take it from SF Bay to Clear Lake for the summers; the C25 was fixed keel and allowed us to sail the SF Bay, the ocean and The Delta on our own bottom; the C34 has more amenities, and in addition to the travels on the C25, has taken us around The Farralones and all the way up here to Canada. Each boat was great for the time. I'm extremely pleased with our current boat and don't wish to have the first two back in our lives, because they did what we bought them to do, and bought the next ones to do "more." I put a lot of learning, heart, soul, sweat equity, skinned knuckles and better things into each of our boats. Each of them had names, knicknames and were part of the family.
I'm just questioning why anyone would jump to the conclusion that the previous owners were "heartbroken." That's all I asked. I wouldn't be, it was someone else's boat by then. Either they got a new boat or got out of boating.