Is anyone here into boats?
Carver dream boat






Silverton dream boat

After working for years in Florida, at a major marina, I would recommend: Sea Ray.

However,.....for anyone interested in ANY, of these type of Yachts,.......you'd better have DEEP pockets.

I looked at the Searays but i didn't care for their layout.
Bayliners were similar, though much cheaper, but from what i hear, they are the real generics of the yacht world.

Brand new these boats are ridiculously priced, but much like used cars, they come way down after 5-10 years. Unlike used cars, many don't get used that much at all.
Was looking at one for 200h on the motor only 90k.
Compared to a cottage in this area for 200k+, that is a bargain.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but the yacht is appealing to us.

Sails all the way. Have an old (1984) Catalina 30. Always wanted a Swan 65 (now Nautor-Swan 66) but even 20 years old and much used they are way out of my price range. Heck, even a berth for the Catalina is at the edge of extravagance for me.

Chess, the old saying goes: "A boat is a hole into which you throw money."

Having said that, sometimes it's a very worthwhile hole. The feeling of freedom and stress relief is amazing - I love being away from everything. What water will you be located on?

Your biggest expense will be fuel. In that size of boat, most fuel tanks will be between 1100 litres and 1500 litres, and with fuel hovering around $0.80 to $1.00 per litre......... yikes!! I couldn't find fuel consumption figures for either, but my recommendation for that size of boat would be the diesel powerplant over gas. I tried typing my thoughts why, but it is far better explained here.

The other biggie is the cost of the slip, and what the marina charges for winterization, storage, and re-opening/re-launch in the spring. And of course, insurance.

If you only get out a couple of times a year, each "jaunt" would be quite expensive. On the other hand, if you're already dropping big dough on a yearly vacation, this would be a very cool alternative.

Quote:

---

the old saying goes: "A boat is a hole into which you throw money."

---

Yes and we are hoping to get into a hole which someone else dug and is nearing its bottom.


All these are good points, some which we need more information for and most we have considered. However, given the cost of owning a cottage, buying it , property taxes, upkeep and then using that for every other weekend out of the year, i foresee the concept of a small yacht being cheaper even in the long run and yet providing a similar level of peaceful enjoyment. We figure with savings in a few years we could pay down half and borrow the other half and simply add the cost to our monthly expenses which really, at $300-$400 extra a month, that is manageable. A cottage would cost us a second full mortgage although both ideas are long term. We would likely buy the boat and keep it for 10-20 years depending.

Fuel can be expensive but we don't plan on driving many long distances. I think the range on most of these boats varied on the engine rpm during cruising (and hence how fast you want to get there) with range numbers like 200-800 nautical miles being typical often with values of less than 5 miles per gallon though (big tanks as you say). We would use it for travel to more secluded areas on occasion or possibly out to an aunt and uncle's cottage (Lake of the Woods to answer your other question so yes, a big body of water).

Seasonal insurance is available for many recreational vehicles in Manitoba so we are not too concerned about huge insurance bills. Cottages have to be insured year round.

Slip/berth fees depend on where you dock. A colleague at work bought a 27' yacht style (1979 but i don't recall the name) and is berthing it for 3k a year on Lake of the Woods which includes the winterization, pull out and storage and bottom cleaning. These are things we would need to ask about for a larger boat though and of course, we would have to find out how many marinas could handle a near 40' yacht. On Lake of the Woods, i'm not too concerned about finding a place. With million dollar cottages for sale, it is somewhat like the Muskokas and i am sure there are boats just as big.