T&T: 1984 boats

[Joel Wilkins]

snip...
"Faure, Marin" <marin.faure@boeing.com> wrote:     >Buy the highest quality, best condition boat you can afford....You'll
find yourself buying new or near new boats that are smaller than you
might otherwise buy.

This is good advice but it leaves out a very important aspect.
Regardless of the quality and the price, you have to buy a boat that
will do what you want to do. If you want to live aboard, for example,
buying a 24-foot SeaSport in excellent condition for an amount of money
you can afford is a meaningless purchase because the boat will be
incapable of doing what you want to do with it. So it's a three-way
balance--- your budget, the condition of the boat, and what you want to
do with the boat.
   
  Reply
Marin again has hit it on the head. The boat MUST do what you need it to do...After you know what you want to do, then check your wallet to see how much you have to spend. Then....you can start bouncing price vs condition vs size. 
   
  In my price range, total cost of ownership increases much more with purchase price than it does with required repairs. Just to use numbers.
  Monthly bank note....500 (actual)
  Dollars towards repairs...guesstimate...300 
  Total cost per year (not including common constants like marina, bottom paint, etc.etc) 8400
   
  Boat newer than 84 but comparable... 
  1500 bank note ...based on yachtworld prices 
  100 in repairs per month ...guesstimate
  Total cost per year (same exclusions) 19200
   
  No brainer in my book.....
  Joel Wilkins
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