You know the stereotype that says only rich people can afford and maintain a yacht? Is it true? A yacht is a bit too big for my taste, but I still love looking at them out on the shore. Of course, the only people I see on 'said yachts are the wealthy types. Aren't there any cheap hand-me-down yachts that the average consumer can afford?
Can an average person afford a yacht?
- Thread starter Starling
- Start date
There's an old saying about yachts: "If you have to ask, you can't afford it.". But that is true of all watercraft. There's a definition for it: Boat - a hole in the water that you pour money into.
Last, but definitely not least, is that saying about the two happiest days in a boatowners life - the day you buy it and the day you sell it.
Last, but definitely not least, is that saying about the two happiest days in a boatowners life - the day you buy it and the day you sell it.
ChadTower
Active Member
Yep. The average cost of maintenance, crew, mooring, fuel, and everything else for even a small yacht would stagger the average person's imagination.
steves
Member
I was hob knobing with the owners of some HUGE yachts in the Bahamas ( I was just a poor tourist they took a liking to) and was told just keeping them running and docked costs well over a million a year!!
ChadTower
Active Member
Keep in mind they usually aren't owned by individuals. They are owned by corporations or holding companies that have entirely different tax structures. They can be often written off as business assets/expenses. That's an entirely different economic structure than how an individual owner would manage owning a boat.
I sail a kayak
Hi. I could never buy a sail boat due to the expence and the time it takes for maintance. There is a second reason I do not own a sail boat. I get sea sick on anything larger than a kayak. I was lucky to come across a kit that I have added to my kayak to convert it into a trimirant. It works like a sail boat and I been doing this for 20 years and finally I wore out the sail. You can get the kit at wwwbaloghsaildesignscom. and see it for yourself. It the best way to go to being a sailer. No storage fees, bank note and maintaince. Maddave
Hi. I could never buy a sail boat due to the expence and the time it takes for maintance. There is a second reason I do not own a sail boat. I get sea sick on anything larger than a kayak. I was lucky to come across a kit that I have added to my kayak to convert it into a trimirant. It works like a sail boat and I been doing this for 20 years and finally I wore out the sail. You can get the kit at wwwbaloghsaildesignscom. and see it for yourself. It the best way to go to being a sailer. No storage fees, bank note and maintaince. Maddave
I lived on a sailboat for a decade: unless it's your lifestyle and you are very capable (read: Jack of all Trades), it's a major expense.
Moorage on a vessel of 40 feet is close to a thousand a month. That's not including hydro-electricity to the vessel, or water.
The bottom has to be repainted yearly if it's kept in salt water; finding a shipyard that can haul a big beast like that isn't easy, and it's certainly not cheap. Most yards charge by the haul : they charge a fee to get the boat out of the water and onto a waize or supports, and another one to lift it up and put it back in the water.
There's plumbing and electrical stuffs, dealing with a plugged toilet on a boat is a nightmare that is not only gross, but can sink the boat if you aren't careful.
If you want a yacht, and you can afford it, you can afford to hire someone to take care of it and pilot it for you. Otherwise, you'd better be awfully capable.
Moorage on a vessel of 40 feet is close to a thousand a month. That's not including hydro-electricity to the vessel, or water.
The bottom has to be repainted yearly if it's kept in salt water; finding a shipyard that can haul a big beast like that isn't easy, and it's certainly not cheap. Most yards charge by the haul : they charge a fee to get the boat out of the water and onto a waize or supports, and another one to lift it up and put it back in the water.
There's plumbing and electrical stuffs, dealing with a plugged toilet on a boat is a nightmare that is not only gross, but can sink the boat if you aren't careful.
If you want a yacht, and you can afford it, you can afford to hire someone to take care of it and pilot it for you. Otherwise, you'd better be awfully capable.
Well, a buddy of mine just locked up moorage and winter storage on a lake near my ranch. He says it will cost $59 a month for the slip plus winter storage and fees for putting the boat in and out.. The slip will accomodate a 22 foot wide boat. Hell, all I wanted was a fishing boat but now it appears we are going to get a pontoon craft at a 12 foot width and long enough for Noah.
Well, salt water boats have a tendency to be a tad bigger than freshwater boats. That's not totally accurate but on average an ocean going vehicle has to have some size. Yeah, I know Sir Francis Chichester sailed around the world in a short sloop. Yippee! My Dad new that guy personally and said he was always nuts (but a fun guy). I could tell you some stories my Dad related to me but that's not for now.
Saltwater moorage is expensive unless you own the land where it is being moored which is even more expensive.
Dinosaur, you KNOW it.
Anything waterfront, property-wise, is going to cost a really pretty penny, even up the BC Coast: boat-access only properties sell for well over a million bucks.
Understand that because I live in British Columbia, I live near one of the most expensive cities in the world (cost-of-living-wise): Vancouver. You can't buy a house for less than 1/2 million, and apartments sell for over 250K.
It's all relative.
Anything waterfront, property-wise, is going to cost a really pretty penny, even up the BC Coast: boat-access only properties sell for well over a million bucks.
Understand that because I live in British Columbia, I live near one of the most expensive cities in the world (cost-of-living-wise): Vancouver. You can't buy a house for less than 1/2 million, and apartments sell for over 250K.
It's all relative.
ChadTower
Active Member
That's normal in the Boston suburbs and low for many of them. In Boston? Forget it. If you ask you know the answer.