Sailboat as 'investment"???

Nov 24, 2015
84
Hunter 27 Middle River
Caution: this is a stream of consciousness/random thought- I've been reading various forums and seeing the words invest and investment used as a verb and noun relating to buying and owning (respectively) various sailboats. They were all regarding production boats to boot. You know, the Hunters, Bennys, and Catalinas. Please!
Now, if you're some kind of broker bottom feeding on the desperate to flip for quick cash then maybe I can abide. If you are people I don't share beers with that own the Hylas tier of boats then maybe I can see inflation causing your vessel to appear to appreciate over time.
 
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Likes: Parsons
Sep 25, 2008
7,077
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Not sure what your question is but boats are generally a depreciating asset. I think people conflate invest and investment loosely to mean 'spend on a boat'.

If there is/was any viable business focused on buying/selling boats irrespective of commission earnings, it must be invisible.

Parenthetically, it depends on the beer, not the person's boat.
 
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Likes: jssailem
Jul 12, 2011
1,165
Leopard 40 Jupiter, Florida
Fully agree - things that appreciate in value are things that generate cash (stocks, bonds, cows, education) or are not replaced as rapidly as demand increases (land or art). Boats and cars are neither - they suck down cash and they are building new every day. The guy who tells you that a boat is an investment has his hand on your wallet and is half-way to his vacation home!;)
 
Nov 24, 2015
84
Hunter 27 Middle River
Huzzah. Yes my petty rant was to illuminate that folks use "invest" inapproproately. As for beer, when I drank it I always sought out the best craft varieties but no wealthy blue water types would hang out with me. Maybe it's my breath.....?
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I look at boat ownership as a hobby. The expenditure of time and money is rewarded by the joy of experiences received. This is an investment in me.

The return is in the pleasure of the experience. Just like rental properties or stocks and bonds, when the return sours, you sell it and move on.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
There was a time in the good old days high sky high inflation, stagnant wages, and long lines at the gas pump when boats "appreciated in value." This somewhat of an illusion, as the price of used boats rose slower than the price of new boats. It was possible to buy a new boat for say $12K and a few years later sell it for maybe $14K. Of course a new version of the $12K boat was now about $16K.

Investing in a boat is really about slowing the depreciation and speeding the reselling of the boat when the time came.
 
Sep 25, 2008
7,077
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Huzzah. Yes my petty rant was to illuminate that folks use "invest" inapproproately. As for beer, when I drank it I always sought out the best craft varieties but no wealthy blue water types would hang out with me. Maybe it's my breath.....?
We once found ourselves in Newport on our 27 ft Ericson docked and under the Home Depot blue tarp draped over the cockpit under which we sat hiding from the rain next to the Sony Corporation's 3 decker from which David Bowe emerged and asked us if we wanted to come aboard for a drink. Probably couldn't smell us from 'on high'.
 
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Likes: Bob S
Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
Even buying into a charter boat, where the charter company pays the mortgage for a few years and maintains the boat, while letting you use it for free for a few weeks a year... Isn't really an investment. Just a way to decrease your losses.

I am not aware of a single boat that would be an investment.

IMO it is marketing BS like "Investment Clothing Pieces".

Oh well... Time to invest in some beer.
 
Jan 7, 2011
4,727
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
No way is a boat (any pleasure boat anyway), an investment…. A good hobby, sure.

But one of things I like to say to my friends with much newer, much more expensive Hunter 33’s is that my knot speed per $1,000 of boat cost is WAY BETTER than theirs ;-).

They always beat me in a race, but my boat costs $20k vs their $70k boats and folding props…so I say that my cost per knot is a winner!

Greg
 
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Likes: Leeward Rail
Mar 30, 2013
700
Allied Seawind MK II 32' Oologah Lake, Oklahoma
I know of a surefire way to make a small fortune investing in sailboats.





Start with a large fortune.
:biggrin:
 
Jul 27, 2011
4,989
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
From the contrarian side, our boats have been “investments” in our recreational activities including social activities. As opposed to typical vacations and shoreside outings where money is spent with no recoup possibility, the boat offers more than memories and pictures when it’s all done and over. In a sense, one does get a “return” of something tangible, as well as something that might be left behind for another to enjoy for many years. Yes, a depreciating asset it is, but far less so than equivalent cash expended for brief episodes of entertainment, etc.
 
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Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
Ditto Kings Gambit.......well said!! That is exactly how I view my boat investments.