On Tue, 20 Jan 2004, "nova" wrote:

How much does one needs to earn in a year
to own such a beautiful boat [a Beneteau 473]?

I'm not referring to having a million bucks in
bank but say if my job pays me US$70,000 a
year, will I be able to afford to buy and maintain
this boat?

For many present and would-be boat owners, these are questions
(regardless, obviously, which particular brand or size of boat one
wants), although it appears that, as is so in other contexts, the last
taboo in the U.S. is being open and honest about money. However,
herewith some "guesstimates":

A new Beneteau 473 costs +/- $245K/$280K (and up) depending on
configuration/options (sail inventory, electronics, etc.) and,
depending whether one buys at a show or during other special sale
conditions, even a base-price +/- $240K boat might be available and
also quite suitable for many costal cruising situations.

For them whut have the cash, presently prevailing economic conditions
increasingly make all-cash puchases attractive. Conversely, your
hypothetical $70K/year salaried person can compute the financing
charges for the above. In addition, to take the northeast U.S. as an
example:

A yearly marina slip for that size boat, including a once or twice a
year haul-out, can be in the +/- $6k/7K yearly range (and up), _if_
one can find such a slip, plus perhaps another +/- $1.5K/2k for
winterizing and related services for a new/new-ish boat, plus +/-
$1.7K/$2K for full-coverage insurance (depending on one's area of
use).

Mooring fees instead of a marina slip can of course be much lower.

Some labor/service fees can of course be mitigated by self-help,
although many marinas discourage (and increasing numbers completely
prohibit) an owner doing anything more than cosmetic Stuff (washing,
cleaning, minimal maintenance).

Membership (or not) in a yacht/sailing club is of course entirely
optional, although (at least for cruisers) it can be helpful; and the
costs therefor can varify from the just nominal, e.g., for "virtual"
or low-service associations, of which there are a fair number, to the
astronomical.

And it is of course very easy to find (or anyway to fail to refrain
from avoiding) any number of ways to spend lots more. Possibly, there
are some ways to spend a bit less.

In our home-base area (not far from where R.Brody/"Bobsprit"
repeatedly says he sails), last season there were five B473s of which
I am aware and one B423 (which, in my opinion, is a much nicer yet
quite comparable boat), and there will be more of each next year.
With one partial exception some of the time (the owner is something of
a workaholic at his profession) none of them remain at the dock for
very long.

It (obviously) is (very) far from Revealed Truth that anyone need (or,
for many, should) purchase a new boat; and older and lower-priced
boats are not difficult to find.

Still, sales of new boats, not least including Beneteaus and
(increasingly to a comparatively lesser extent) of Catalinas, which
(apart from "decor"/cosmetics) are comparable (if somewhat more
expensive), have been at once solid and increasing in recent years.