Anyone here have a boat?

[AUMM]

I wanted to look into getting a boat and am trying to calculate the maintenence and storage costs... anyone have and idea about these or where I could look it up?

I was looking for info on boat docking, insurance, etc...

 

[jadinolf]

You are going to hear that it is a hole in the water into which you dump money.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: jadinolf
You are going to hear that it is a hole in the water into which you dump money.

QFT x 10. If I ever get another boat, it will be one of those small 12' jet boats. Boats with outboards are like taking care of a 2 year old child as long as you own it- it ALWAYS NEEDS SOMETHING :|

 

[Neurorelay]

"We're gonna need a bigger boat!" Aww, come on, Jaws references were needed!

 

[Willoughbyva]

Owning a boat is very expensive, salt water rigs are even worse. You will lose a lot of money on a boat.

 

[SearchMaster]

I've had a pontoon for about 10 years and a runabout ('98 Regal 2100) for about 3. It's not been bad - the pontoon had a repair a few years ago that was about $250 and the runabout had to have a new impeller (~$50 part and my brother-in-law installed it). Otherwise just oil changes (do it myself) and gas, which now can of course be expensive. Overall they've been cheaper than my vehicles but of course we don't use them as much.

Storage should run you ~$100/month at a marina, depending on the size of the boat and where you are located. I have a dock so storage is nil. Insurance is cheap too - I think the pontoon is ~$75/year and the Regal is double that.

 

[spacelord]

OP, you need to specify what type of boating you plan on doing and where.

I have had a 27' cruiser for 5 years. Yes it costs some money, but it has been some great summers. I don't regret a dime, especially now that we know so many people out on the water. I figure it costs me around $5-6k per year for summer well, winter storage, outdrive maintenance, insurance, and gas for the summer. As a matter of fact I just returned from being on my boat for over 7 hours.

If I didn't have a boat I would spend my summer weekends working on the house.

 

[Rubycon]

Break Out Another Thousand. :laugh:

Smart people find friends that own boats - or

Live on ships.

Here's a good link for you:

Text

 

[Ronstang]

The ONLY reason I have a boat is because we have a lakehouse with a boathouse that it sits in and can be left for long periods without costing me a dime......more than the costs of the lakehouse itself. I also made sure to buy a modern boat with fuel injection and thus it is basically maintenance free except for battery upkeep and the periodic items like oil changes etc. In the nine years I have had this boat I have replaced a fuel pump and messed with some minor problems like the alternator loosing it's ground connection and thus overcharging. I do my own work so it has been rather cheap. The only major repair was the bent prop shaft when the boat was a year old (thanks mister submerged stump) to the tune of $1200, but I think that was covered by insurance except for the deductable.

Boats can be fun but I would never have one if I did not have the lakehouse. I would not want to pay to store it and then have to go get it and put it in the water everytime I wanted to use it. If I had a problem I would have to go get it and bring it home to work on it. That simply would not happen in my life. Too much trouble, but each person is different. IF you are a fisherman and like to travel to different lakes that is a whole different thing. I do not fish. I have a ski boat only. They do use a LARGE quantity of gasoline so be prepared for that. I have a 46 gallon tank. You do the math. I remember when it would take $37 to fill the tank.

 

[DeadByDawn]

If it floats, flies, or fscks... it's cheaper to rent.

 

[AUMM]

hmmmm... i was looking to get an 8 seater ski/wakeboard boat....the cost of the boat itself is relatively cheap.... but it seems like docking it at a marina is expensive....

 

[Thorny]

It takes a special person to be a boat owner, make sure that you are one. It turns out that I am not one of those people, and I hate having a boat. I will never sell it for what I have in it, I don't have time for it, when I have time for it I'm too tired, and it never seems to spend enough of my money.

To help you out with prices though,

Ins = Included in homeowners ins

Dock = 3200/yr for covered 30'

License = IL is $45 for 3 years

Trailer license = 18/yr

Repairs vary with the boat, but don't kid yourself about them being cheap.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: jadinolf
You are going to hear that it is a hole in the water into which you dump money.

QFT. /Thread

 

[spacelord]

Originally posted by: AUMM
hmmmm... i was looking to get an 8 seater ski/wakeboard boat....the cost of the boat itself is relatively cheap.... but it seems like docking it at a marina is expensive....

If I had a smaller boat like what you are considering.. I would most likely trailer it if there are convenient launches. Soooo many people have boats and hardly use them. I use it nearly every Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer.. plus some nice 4 day weekends scattered throughout.

I remember when $1.79 was expensive for boat gas. haha, oh well.

 

[Specop 007]

Theres a saying about boat owners.

The two happiest days of their lives are the day they buy the boat.....and the day they sell the boat.

That said, dont be turned off by the expense. The simple fact is this. Boating for 99% of the population is a recreation or hobby. ALL hobbies cost money. Some guys dump thousands into trains to play conductor all day, some dump thousands into guns to shoot all day (I dont know any of THOSE people though....) and some? Well, some dump thousands into a baot to blast across the water all day.

Go for it.

 

[MX2]

I used to own a boat.....












A 1967 Lincoln

 

[Carl Uman]

Since you are asking about costs you are obviously on a budget. You need to consider how many times a year you are going to use it and ask yourself if it is worth it. I didn't live close enough to water to use it every week and ended up selling it because it wasn't worth the cost or the hassle.

I don't recall the insurance but I'm sure it was under $500 year (I'm thinking around $300) for a 18' fish-n-ski.

I don't think I would buy another boat unless I had lake shore property.

 

[kranky]

The neighbor's kid bought a huge speedboat when he got a job right out of school. He was still living at home so I guess he needed to squander money. That was about five years ago and back THEN he could go through $50 of gas in an hour. I don't know what it costs now, but I notice he doesn't take it out very much any more.

 

[LordMorpheus]

Originally posted by: MX2times
I used to own a boat.....












A 1967 Lincoln

I want one of those - late '60's continental convertible is my dream car.

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: spacelord

Originally posted by: AUMM
hmmmm... i was looking to get an 8 seater ski/wakeboard boat....the cost of the boat itself is relatively cheap.... but it seems like docking it at a marina is expensive....

If I had a smaller boat like what you are considering.. I would most likely trailer it if there are convenient launches. Soooo many people have boats and hardly use them. I use it nearly every Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer.. plus some nice 4 day weekends scattered throughout.

I remember when $1.79 was expensive for boat gas. haha, oh well.

Jesus, I remember when $2.50 was cheap for boat gas. Now, 4 dollars is cheap for boat gas. I swear, it would be cheaper for me to get one of those SUV mounted gas tanks, and go fill it up at the local gas station with 87 vs the 93 they force on you in the water, and then drive my car up to my boat.

 

[Gravity]

The 2 happiest days of a boat owner's life; the day he buys the boat and the day he sells it!! I sold mine about 3 weeks ago.

Good luck,

Gravity

 

[GuitarDaddy]

I've had several boats over the years. I would definately not go the marina route unless you have a really big boat, or are made of money. If you have room at home to store it, it's much better to trailer it. Plus you can gas up at a regular station and don't have to pay the ridiculous prices at the marina.

It really doesn't make sense to own a boat unless you are
A) Avid fisherman
B) Live on or near the water
C) Really into watersports and committed to make many trips every summer

 

[IceBergSLiM]

if your concerned about the costs its probably outside your range.

 

[lightpants]

I have been a boat owner for about 7 years now. My first one was a seadoo speedster 14 foot jet boat. I sold it and went to a pontoon boat about 3 years ago (talk about slowing down!) I used the pontoon boat for 1 season, then at the start of the second season, for no apparent reason, the motor died one day. I ended up spending $4500 on a re-manufactured motor and the second half of June and the first few weeks of July without a boat.

Boating is expensive, I pay about $250 a year for insurance, and about $850 for summer storage and boat club dues. I keep it at my house for the winter, so there are not winter storage fees. Add to that figure, fuel, and maintenance cost.
If you are not mechanically inclined you had better have some money stashed for repairs. Most things are not that hard to do and a service manual for your boat/motor will pay itself off quickly if you can work on it it yourself.

It is an exercise in pleasure/pain. On a nice day, out on the water, with some friends, when everything is working correctly - you can't beat it.
When it is 95 degrees and you are hanging off the back of your boat at the dock, with a boat full of people, trying to figure out why the motor will not start. - You will curse the day you sank your money into the damn thing.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: lightpants
When it is 95 degrees and you are hanging off the back of your boat at the dock, with a boat full of people, trying to figure out why the motor will not start. - You will curse the day you sank your money into the damn thing.

Oars still work and they double as a paddle to beat things with too! :laugh: