This is HUGE, and I FINALLY figured this out on boat #17! How many people will you have on the boat most of the time? For many of us, it's one or two, and THAT should be your sizing parameter, not the 20% of the time you'd like to have a couple more. Same with the water--if you want to fish the salt once or twice a year and the rest is going to be fresh water, then rent a larger boat for a day when you need it. I'd like to have a pontoon boat sometimes, but not enough to invest $30K into one, so I rent several times a year in different parts of the country. Doesn't matter the cost--it's WAY cheaper than owning and so much easier to walk away when you're done.
Another way to look at it is the actual cost which is the purchase price plus maintenance and repair and insurance, less cash out if you want to sell. It's not that hard to find a boat that might need a little cosmetic work where you can come out a little ahead, allowing a rental factor of say $300 a day for each day you use it. I might not use my Whaler for a couple of months, then have it out twice a week for a few weeks, then it sits again. It's totally worth it to me to have it there when I need to get something between me and the water other than a float tube, or when I just feel like taking a ride for a few hours. If I can come out with a 1% a year gain on my net invested cost, it's like having the money in a savings account. It's personal, but I cannot not own at least one boat. Bill Kiene, you are the same and you know it!!I would bet that 90% of the boats and RVs sit most of the time.
If you have a schedule where you really can't go much I would not buy a boat.
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