Jeff, any boat which is neglected will soon start to show it.

There are many very beautiful wooden boats still afloat.

I think the issue here is the HULL. Since that is the part that sits in the
water and takes the most abuse.

If was a very rich person, I would get one of the cold molded yachts built
for me. And I would have wood decks, lots of teack, etc.

But .............. poor as a church mouse so ...... plastic.. lots of
plastic.


"Jeff" wrote in message
. ..
* Bob wrote, On 3/7/2007 1:44 AM:
On Mar 6, 6:11 pm, Jeff wrote:
* Paul Cassel wrote, On 3/6/2007 8:36 PM:

Jeff wrote:
Their current boat is a 41 foot glass boat, which they bought pretty
cheap but has probably gone up in value with all the work that's gone
into it.

That'll be the day.

Agreed!

There are lots of cases of boats given a lot of TLC going up in value. Its
not likely to happen with me, but it does with a few. What's not clear is
whether you actually "earn" at a reasonable rate while working on your own
boat.


Any hidden, I mean not considered, costs?

Sure plenty, but that wasn't really the point.


My last boat I sold for about 2% less than I paid for it 8 years
earlier. Had I been willing to hold out, I probably could have made a
profit,

Lets see, just looking at inflation at 3% per year...... x 8 years =
24%

Again, not the point. The point is that with virtually no hull work, and
a little bit of engine work I was able to continue using the boat, and
then sell it for good money.

Looks like you lost 22% of your original "investment" just in
inflation. Now add ANY yard bill and that Christmas gift for the boat.
And your time is billed at $65/hour? Oh, I forgot, youre time is
worthless cause working on a boat is a labor of love........... Trust
me I would much rather be drinking a beer, sailing, or boning the guys
girlfriend two sllips down than adding more toxic chemicals to my
body.

Unfortunately, I can't afford to own a cruising boat unless I do the bulk
of the work. It was a bit different before I retired, but its been six
years since anyone else has done any work on her. This Spring I'll have
someone do the SailDrive seals because my yard won't let me do that, and
in the Fall I'll have a rigger pull the mast, but that should do it for a
few more years.

However, doing the bottom on my boat is a few hours of prep and a few
hours of nasty work. And I can skip a year every now and then. Even If I
had to pay, it wouldn't be that much money. Dealing with the bottom of a
wooden boat would be a lot more expensive, and woe be to the poor soul
that tries to skimp.


Love is blind.......... and so are boat owners. espeically the ones
with a dream.

There's no doubt that there are a lot of hidden costs that make a boat a
bad investment, compared to real estate. The point, however, is that with
a glass boat a minimal amount of care will keep the boat viable and it
becomes reasonable to spend money on improvements, etc. With a wooden
boat, a year or two of neglect, even unintentional, could mean the total
loss of the investment. Live on a glass boat for ten years and you could
probably stay on it for another ten or you can get some money out of it.
Live on a wooden boat and you might find yourself with nothing.