On 08/06/2010 6:53 PM, Frogwatch wrote:
On Jun 8, 5:45 pm, wrote:
On 08/06/2010 2:03 PM, jps wrote:



On Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:12:28 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Tue, 8 Jun 2010 10:45:46 -0700,
wrote:

I'd be interested to hear what those who've made major purchases, such as
for a boat, have done (or not done) along these lines. Did you pretty much
go all in or did you do something similar?

The strategy of buying less than you can afford works well because
everyone always under estimates the cost of essential upgrades and
maintenance. It is important to try and estimate the upgrades and
maintenance as closely as possible and then double that number.

It is also important to try and nail down your ongoing expenses for
storage, both in and out of the water, and insurance. Insurance costs
vary by location, length of season, cruising range, and quality of
policy. There are big differences in policies, not always readily
apparent until you scrutinize the fine print.

The most expensive thing of all is buying the wrong boat, or buying it
with the wrong people. That may sound obvious but it happens all the
time. Have all of you spent a lot of time together on a boat before?
If not, I'd highly recommend chartering a boat similar to what you
want for two weeks and sail it somewhere. You'll learn a lot about
the boat, the people, and whether or not you really like the life
style.

Good advice. I'd think about exactly how you're going to use the boat
and how many are likely to on board rather than deciding on a boat
based on the collective budget and affordability.

Which also gets down to why I rent. Until I know where I will park my
butt for a long time, I rent. Some real small lakes, 16 aluminium, but
others like Michigan a twin diesel 30' is nice.

If you end up spending as much as you can afford but the boat only
sees two to four passengers on most trips, it's a big waste of $ to
purchase a 45+ ft boat. Although it may offer space, it's more to
keep up and more work to sail.

Agreed, plus you would have to be Bill Gates to own something like
below, awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddDjD...eature=related

But I am not crooked enough... Would make more room for the staff, they
would all be chicks.
--
Liberalism - a disease of envy, greed, entitlement and KAOS.

NOW, about boats. It is well known among sailors that the bigger the
boat, the less it is sailed. Big boats tend to be marina queens.
My preference is for a Yanmar diesel because parts will not cost an
arm and leg.

Ya, but would it not be nice to have a huge one, live on it year in and
out. Say 3000 sq ft of living space? Go to Scotland for Scotch in the
summer, down to Agentina in the winter for wine. Stay clear of Africa
unless you want to man the guns and do some target practice.

--
Liberalism - a disease of envy, greed, entitlement and KAOS.