[Alberg30] cost of ownership

[George Dinwiddie]

A friend of mine who managed a bike shop used to say, "You can buy a 
cheap bike, thinking you might not ride it very much, and you'll be 
right.  Or you can buy a good bike, thinking you'll ride it a lot, and 
you'll be right."

Before we bought Calypso, we did the charter/buy analysis and came to 
the conclusion that it would be cheaper to charter.  But we looked at 
one more boat, fell in love, and bought it.  And we've never regretted 
it.  We've used the boat far more than we'd ever charter.  We've also 
got a boat that's in better condition than one we *have* chartered, and 
we know the condition and what equipment's onboard.

What we did was buy a boat in decent sailing condition, though it wasn't 
pristine.  It's still that way, though it's different aspects that 
aren't pristine.  You can easily find such a boat for under $20k.  The 
upgrades can all come later.

When we bought ours, we got a 10-year loan.  The payments were less than 
a car payment.  Since the boat was the collateral for the loan, the 
interest was even tax-deductible as a second home (though that deduction 
doesn't amount to much).  While it'll cost more in the long run, that's 
another way of making the boat more affordable.

  - George

James Williamson wrote:
> <snip>  I 
> feel up to the restoration task technically but much over 20k total and 
> I'm simply out of luck.  Factor in the reality that I couldn't spend 
> every weekend sailing, Maine summers don't last forever, and I just 
> can't justify spending more.  Would it be better to charter once or 
> twice a year or could I stay within a budget like that and have a boat 
> that is honestly seaworthy?  Thoughts please.
> 
> thank you,
> jim williamson

-- 
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
   When I remember bygone days                         George Dinwiddie
   I think how evening follows morn;            gdinwiddie at alberg30.org
   So many I loved were not yet dead,           http://www.Alberg30.org
   So many I love were not yet born.
                                             'The Middle' by Ogden Nash
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------




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