On Tue, 8 Jun 2010 10:45:46 -0700, "nom=de=plume"
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.