sailing as a buisiness-of sorts

[sailormanbigd]

hello cyber friends. Was driving back from Ft meyers after looking at a derelect 39 horizon (from ebay) and my mind started to wander. The admiral and I drove over to the gulf coast and tried to find a drinking/eating establishment in Sarasota to stop and munch and swish. Had a dificult time finding one on the water, all the coastline is either being builtup with condo's or is for sale, or so it seams. Finally found one after much driving. So, how nice would it be to have a guide map (think travel guide) to all the coastal establishments. The ones that are accesible by boat?! I know it has probably been done before, but I don't have one. Now for the question...could I write off all the expense of boating, ie. beer, ice, food, gas, new sails, etc, etc.At first i thought I would do this incognito, just sail in and enjoy what they have to offer. But after a long ride home I thought maybe it would be nice to let the establishments in on my intentions?! Could be al kinds of freebees and stuff!(I think I got this idea from "bubba schwartz". So, after licking my lips-and burping, I am serious, can I somehow have a buisiness that uses my sailboat and get a break on my taxes? I have heard that you can show a loss for several years? Help-Patrick

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Ask an Accountant

This is a question for an accountant or a tax attorney, not a sailor. Tony B

 

[sailormanbigd]

I'll bet there are some sailing tx/attorneys here

yes, I would like expert opinions. But, I was after whether or not this would be a usefull item? A boaters establishment travel guide. Could even start a club and ask the establishments if they would give a discount to members? I am serious, could take a video camera and post on the web? Sell tee shirts, hats.... Just looking for a way out of my real job. Patrick

 

[Ross]

TheIRS is really very touchy about

"profitable hobbies". You would have to show income from the venture even if you didn't show a profit. There are cruising guides for almost every where I have thought that including places for reprovisioning would be useful. I am not sure you could convince the IRS to let you write off as expense an entire tip because you wrote six paragraphs.

 

[Brad]

We've got 'em here...

I just saw two books like this for the Pac NW at a local chandlery. I almost bought the one for Seattle, which had good restaurant suggestions (that a boater can tie up to) mostly on Lake Washington. The one that covered Puget Sound was mostly for the south sound near Tacoma. So you should check out some of the chandleries etc to see if there is something for your area. If not...great idea.BTW - whos' Bubba Schwartz?

 

[David10790]

Most good cruising guides

have details and notes on every bar and restaurant within an easy walk of each marina/yacht club/public dock in the area that is covered. For example the Ports guide to Lake Ontario and 1000 Islands does this.As far as tax deductions go, at least in this country, anything having to do with a boat is a big red flag for the tax authority. Legal or not, you are in instant and continuing audit country.

 

[tom]

Up to Date Travel Guide Useful

You would need some sort of web based updates...maybe publish on a disk. I recently went up the Tenn-Tom and my travel guide was over 10 years old. Many of the places he recommended had changed..dramatically. Just a week or so ago on the Tennessee river Pickwick lake the travel guide recommended a cove for the night.. Well now it is full of houses and has a big dock floating right where the author recommended anchoring. Soon there will be no place to anchor along the coast and most lakes...unless you like to and are able to anchor in someone's front yard. It is sad to see all waterfront property turned into suburbia. Even those fortunate ones that own waterfront property will realise that a lake or ocean isn't much fun if it is all developed with no anchoring signs everywhere. It's like the Great Smokey Mountains National park. It is completely surrounded by trashy developments so much so that I stopped going there years ago. If I want heavy developement and bumper to bumper traffic I can find that in any big city. We are probably the last generation to know the pleasure of anchoring in an isolated cove alone with only animals.

 

[Honeyman]

Sorry...

there is a guy by the name of Claiborne S. Young who pretty much has this part of the Gulf Coast sewed up! His latest edition would have saved you a LOT of driving. You need to show some sort of profit pretty quickly for your "hobby" to be considered a "business". Ask all the scuba divers who want to go into the calendar business!!!

 

[BrianW]

Young's Next Edition Northern Gulf?

Does anyone know when Claiborne S. Young will publish a new edition of Guide to the Northern Gulf? The last edition was 2003 (pre-Ivan, Katrina, etc., etc.etc.) BrianW