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Is roughing it a bit really so bad?
Every time the economy hits a rough patch the boating
market slows down. That makes sense. Boating is, after all, something
people want but don’t really need. That makes it a prime target for the
“maybe someday list”. If the truth be told I got interested in boating
when I realized that boating wasn’t just for the wealthy. Now I’m often
not as sure. In the early 70’s I bought a 3-year old 27-foot auxiliary
sailboat for less than half my annual income (and that was under 12K a
year). The reason few of us are able to do so today has little to do
with inflation. It has more to do with what we expect our boat to be.
The boat I bought then had about 10 lights, a porta-potty, a ten-circuit
fuse-panel, a hand operated bilge pump and a lever-pump sink. I later
added an inboard motor, a foot-pump sink and a head with holding tank. I
enjoyed the heck out of that boat for many years. Today, however, such a
new boat could not exist. Today most boats, even motorboats 27-foot in
length need all the comforts of home. Actually I live in an 1890’s
vintage house and most of the boats I see provide MORE amenities than my
home. Still folks ask “why boats cost so much”?
Clearly we cannot go back 30-years in time. Still I believe there is an
argument for going back to more of a “camper-boat” mentality. Going out
on your boat may demand a tiny bit of sacrifice. It may get hotter than
you’d like but that’s why we have shorts and bathing suits. If it gets
colder bring blankets, or go home at the end of the day. The solution is
not buying three times the boat. You can keep the cost of boating under
control if you realize even with a little bit of discomfort… boating can
still be fun.
But then that’s just my opinion.
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