this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2025
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My dad used to own a sailboat, which was a high point for someone squarely middle class. We're talking a 44 ft sailboat.
These things are holes in the water who the fuck wants a boat
How do you make a small fortune?
Start with a large fortune and buy a boat.
I used to work at a fish market, and one of the fishermen we dealt with once won a large sum of money from a big fishing tournament. When they asked him what he was gonna do with the money, his response was, "Keep fishing until it's all gone."
Bust
Out
Another
Thousand
Meh, a boat is a hole in the water to dump money into, a car is a hole in the road, and a house is a hole in the ground. At least the boat combines the advantages of the other two.
As the saying goes:
At the height of being poor in like '83 or so (mortgage rates to 17%; just ponder that) we panick-moved to a smaller town with a union job but found a fixer house with an attached shop.
Dad, ever the salesman and skilled labourer, would do work for people in exchange for wood-working tools: Old window Jenkins would part with Lester's Table Saw if Dad re-tiled the shower.
So we got tools. And he traded for plywood and plans. And suddenly we had a dory he could fit on top of this '75 econoline150 van. And fishing was great. But it was a lot of rowing this pig of a boat.
So he modded it with a dagger-board and a mast port. Took him 5 min to rig it and he was set for fishing.
Those summers camping because we couldn't afford to do anything else but at least gas was cheap, they were awesome.
I think these people just have shiny boats, which are too expensive. If you want to find them, they're finishing the Penske file so they can still afford exorbitant Slip fees and dream of Taking the Boat Out with the estranged family members who will then love Dad again and make up for all this toil. Dude needs a cheap ugly van and a wallowing pig of a dory to 'sail' around a lake in the woods; aim smaller and actually go make memories.
FWIW A mortgage payment at 17% interest on the $20,000 my parents paid for my childhood three bedder in 1980 was cheaper than a single mortgage payment i make today.
Bring Out Another Thousand
the upkeep alone - painting scraping replacing the anode every fuckin year.... it's a fuckton of work for a 'fun hobby'
The costs involved with boats is why I have a kayak instead.
I have two boat friends. One has a 20' sailboat, it's just under yacht size. The other has a dingy he built in his garage. The dingy gets far more use.
I do wish I had storage nearer the sea for it though. It's about 20-30 min walk from where we live now and need to get it moved to our new house at some point. Don't really have a suitable spot for it to go yet. Or it would be a pain to get in/out.
time to make a friend on the beach you can stash it with :D
I have wondered if there are any garages nearby. Not usually the cheapest of options though, and massively oversized for what you need to store a single kayak. Low 5 figures and may not even be in a good location.
I used to dream of living on a sailboat. Then a friend of mine who owned one took me out for a ride and I was so seasick I had to jump into the water and be towed back to the dock. So much for that shit.
And even afloat she's a hole in the water where his money goes
Every dollar goes and it's driving him crazy