Jim Cate wrote:
It may be a stupid question in your opinion, but in my opinion, it's a
very logical, sensible, and relevant question.

Well, in that case, you should NOT buy a boat. It is an inherently
illogical thing to do, and will lead to irrecoverable expenditures of money.

The ONLY reason to buy a boat is that one enjoys sailing (or some other
on-water pastime) so much that the expense is worth it. Once you get
over this hurdle, that is the time to start thinking about which
particular boat to buy. However you are still fiddling around in the
starting gate, not sure if you want to run or not...


... Also, I will probably need my wife's participation, so
the boat has to be appealing to her as well.

In that case, the odds against you are astronomical. Very very few women
enjoy sailing... and a big reason for that is the way most men act on
boats. If your wife has not liked sailing up to now, expecting her to
change is downright stupid.

I married a woman who not only loved to sail, but owned a boat herself.
However, I'm a very lucky man.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King