Check your addiction, income vs boat cost.

id. painter · 12-16-2002, 08:01 AM

Every now and again i have someone accuse me of being crazy. Rescently it was a non-boat owner . I and my wife combined bring in around 90,000 dollars a year , i make payments of 214 per month, for my boat.Am i nuts? Where do you all fall, in this . Do some of you rent your parents garage and have a 30,000 $ boat? What do you make and what is your boat worth. Or what ever you feel confortable posting on this board.Give me a feel of how CRAZY, i am . Fishing and boating are a major part of my (and my families)life, for me it is a priority..I dont feel that paying 214$ a month is overboard.In fact,, my boat payment is the only payment , i enjoy making. Give me some feed back!!! What do you make and what is your boat worth (what is your payment)....id. painter

Miss B Haven · 12-16-2002, 08:06 AM

Yes - You are crazy. Your income to boat payment ratio is way to low, you need a bigger boat!

Don't stop until your boat is worth more than your house. [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img] You could name it "College Tuition" or 401K or mama's diamond but that would not be original, they've all been used. :grin:

Tacklebuster · 12-16-2002, 08:45 AM

Your boat payment is not crazy. It's all about justification. If you can justify paying on a boat for that long regardless of what your family pulls down a year for income, it's worth it. My payment is $234 a month and it's the only check I write out with a smile on my face. I have 210 hours on my inboard and my boat is a 2001 :shocked: We use the boat every week and it has never sat in my garage for more than two weeks.

The people who should be questioning themselves are the ones that are paying that much or more for a boat that only comes out to play once every couple of months. I know a guy that owned a boat like that for two years. In two years he put about 11 hours on his motor. When he finally realized that he couldn't justify the payment, he sold it. He took a good loss in the end.

Just my two cents........

SureSet · 12-16-2002, 09:03 AM

AS TB said, it's all about personal justification. Unless your payment is $214 for the rest of your life, it would meet my reasonability factor. I don't use mine quite as much as TB, but I'm out quite a bit in it. Just remember to add in anotehr $50 (for some maybe $150) a month for the boat owners toy/maintenance/licensing/stuff that has to go with it.

SureSet

Silver Hilton · 12-16-2002, 09:14 AM

Not quite the same topic, but some years ago, I got Quicken, and set down to do the family budget. For several months, I rigorously tracked family expenditures, including my fishing expenses. Now, my wife and I have always both worked, and kept hers, mine, and ours checking accounts. As a side note, this has been a HUGE aid to marital stability, I highly recommend it.

Over the years, I had never paid much attention to her shopping bags, nor she to mine. I also have what I believe is a fairly normal husband's obtuseness to changes in the hair style and color.

After doing this for a while, I ran the report that showed our various expenses. There were two categories that jumped out. My fishing related expenses, and her hair and clothes related expenses. Both of these were running in the multiple hundreds of dollars a month! Needless to say, this is before the kids came along to consume all of our excess cash.

We struck a truce, agreed to forget what we had learned, threw Quicken away, and haven't done a detailed budget since. :smile:

So the lesson here, boys and girls, is, start a home business, and your fishing gear is really office supplies.

5-Cents · 12-16-2002, 09:14 AM

You are not crazy at all... after all what kind of response did you expect off of this board???? [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

I am with Mel, your payment is not enough, you could afford way more boat :shocked:

If you get $200 + a month in enjoymet out of your boat then it is worth it for sure. If you and your wife each buy a latte every day of the month you almost pay $200. Hopefully you would get way more use out of a boat than a cup of joe!

When I figure in my boat payment, insurance, storage space, gas, food etc... it adds up to about 10 hours a month I would have to work to pay for it. I have the boat on the water at least once a week and most of the time more than that. 10-25 hours a week on the boat average all year. In my opinion WAY worth it and probably less expesive than getting therapy :shocked: [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img] :shocked:

GoFish · 12-16-2002, 09:18 AM

Boats with a head and sleeping accomodations qualify as "second homes" for tax purposes.

What this means to me is that there is no upper limit on what you should spend on your floating real estate.

:grin:

fishchaser · 12-16-2002, 09:25 AM

I wanted to call my boat "Government Funds" (Gov.fnds) Since I worked for the government at the time I bought the boat. :smile:

Think about it, I pay federal taxes, and I worked for the federal gov. Was I self Employed, or what? :whazzup:

I received a pay check three times a month for my work that I did, and I payed taxes. Is that or is that not a government funded boat?

If I was to name my boat Gov. Fnds would you get offended? Because you paid YOUR taxes too, which paid my salary. :shocked: Is it your boat too? [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

5-Cents · 12-16-2002, 09:42 AM

fishchaser,

Big assumption that we pay taxes :shocked: :grin: :shocked:

Just kidding of course.

12-16-2002, 09:44 AM

My next boat has to be big enough to live on. My wife told me that she would give me the boot when I get it :shocked:

Let's see my income is $16,000 a year and the boat will be in the $8,000 to $12,000 range. Plus whatever it takes to get it running reliably.
I have most of the electronics from my Uniflight
as well as the new fuel tanks so I can get by cheep on these.

id. painter · 12-16-2002, 09:45 AM

Good responses , everyone. This thread is actually for a friend (Idaho,on this board). He loves to fish. Ive been trying to talk him into getting a boat for several years. He will use his boat,lots. He is also a school teacher and will have the next 20 summers off... But , i cant get him to do it. I think he is ready to get one, he just needs a little push. id. painter

12-16-2002, 09:50 AM

There are only a few things that I can't live without, several boats and the thing my wife is going to try to :shocked: BOB with her Bobbit Knife :shocked: when the new boat shows up.

The Fishing Geek · 12-16-2002, 10:12 AM

I heard somewhere that your boat payment should be three months salary, or something like that.

We together make under $40k a year, which means that my float tube is PAID FOR, baby!

fishisabonus · 12-16-2002, 10:32 AM

I like this fuzzy math you guys are doing. I am really set, I just need to go back to work so I can buy the boat that you can acutally ride in. The income I have now supports the tuperware boat.

Pilar · 12-16-2002, 10:46 AM

What a shame to make a boat payment and let the damn thing sit in your yard. If that is you hang your head in shame!

Seriously though, id painter, you make a good point. It is all about how much use you will get out of it. Some of my dear friends used to charter every summer on the Ocean and spent big bucks to buy a big boat for the day. That makes alot of sense for the fairweather fisher who only takes a few days a year. But they were not fairweather fishers and soon realized that they could have a ******* boat for what they were spending on charters.

I bought used ($1, thanks Dad!) and fixed it to death. This process took 4 years from purchase to actual use, a few thousand $$ worth of stuff, hundreds of hours of my unstructured time and about 6 months of hell during the actual resurrection. As a result, I make no monthly payment and have lots of priceless memories, mostly involving that special itch you get after grinding fiberglass.

Until the last year or so I averaged 50+ trips a year with about 1/2 to the Ocean and 1/2 local in freshwater.

It was worth it at twice the pain and money.

Life without a boat is pretty dry...............

rola76 · 12-16-2002, 10:50 AM

I think another factor is what you pull it with, because chances are that's a whole lot more $$!!

Together my wife and I make $100K+, but we also have more bills than just a $239/month boat payment...such as the pickup and car, insurance for everything we own!!, and plus the expenses of having a boat you use alot.

Gas, tackle, the so-called "need" to buy new fishing stuff, etc. all adds up quickly.

But in the end, it's all worth it I think!!

skein · 12-16-2002, 12:10 PM

When I bought my driftboat, I saved and saved so I could pay cash and not have to make payments. It took me two years. It was then that I realized all I had done was lose two years of fishing time.

During those two years I agonized over setting that money aside each month as much as I would have worried about making the payments. I also found out (I knew it already) that I was better at making my payments than I was at saving money - especially for recreation. There is always something coming up that needs those funds you've got tucked under the mattress.

My next boat I gladly made payments on, only I got the pleasure from it while I was paying it off. My wife and I laugh that we've never bought anything yet we could afford, and neither one of us would ever be without a boat.

Skein

fish assassin · 12-16-2002, 12:59 PM

I make zipperlip dollars a year and my boat cost me zipperlip bucks.
I will tell you that I paid half down and am now making monthly
payments of about $450 on the interest ONLY. I keep hoping the
stock market will turn around so I can sell some stock and pay her
off!!

The way I see it is that your boat shouldn't cost over 1.5 to 2 times
your yearly salary (before taxes) and that it shouldn't cost you any
more than about 4 times what your primary living residence cost you.

Of course, YMMV here! You still gotta make those monthly payments ...
but here's a good trick. Make a business out of it! Get a
charter liscense, or a Commercial fishing permit, or become a
guide. Your boat then becomes a capital expense and you can write
off the cost of it over the next 7 years and get up to a third
of the original purchase price back in tax refunds!

-assAssin-

disclaimer: I am not a tax accountant, nor do I play one on TV.
Consult your tax accountant before you try to start one or more
of the aformentioned businesses.

id. painter · 12-16-2002, 01:04 PM

Skein,,, thats a good way of looking at it . IF your too conservative you will end up spending your life wishing you were fishing.A guy cant be stupid and over-extend himself buying a boat. My wife thought she hated boats until i bought a nice one. She is now a boater and loves it.Getting my wife into boats has paved the way for my most rescent. A 2003 Hewes , 200 sea runner. I think she is as proud to have it, as i am. My wife dosnt fish. She loves to swim, read books and ride around in the boat. id. painter

Anadramous Junkie · 12-16-2002, 01:05 PM

$214 a month sounds plumb rational! I myself have also been called crazy for my boat/income ratio. I make about half of what Id painter said, live in a chicken coupe, and have two boats for a monthly total of $559 a month (this might be why my friends call me White Trash?).

All a matter of priority

AJ

id. painter · 12-16-2002, 01:17 PM

A.J. They may call you "white trash " when looking at your house, but i bet they call you something else (*who*****knows******) when they see you on the river.. id. painter

First Light Bite · 12-16-2002, 01:18 PM

id.painter :grin: Take your wife fishing and let her tie into a big salmon or metalhead. Thats what I did 10 years ago. I now have a 20ft.
Willie Predator and of oh ya we needed a new Dodge Diesel to pull it with. And ya she does usually out fish me when she is there, I see to that. They are both paid off, so no payments, did I mention she makes real good $$. No cost is too high to keep the wifey happy.

Don't laugh it worked :tongue:

id. painter · 12-16-2002, 01:23 PM

Good idea . I have let her catch big(5lbs) trout. But im guessing you are right. If i let her battle a nice bright "nook" she would become a hook-setter herself.. id. painter

snowball · 12-16-2002, 01:26 PM

well, if i could get the financing, i would be happy to shell out 214, matter of fact, with what i make, I would be happy to pay about 500 a month. Too bad my divorce left me in such credit hole-- budget wise-- it would encompass a few areas
entertainment
transportatioin
charitable giving
grocery

RSERVAT · 12-16-2002, 01:34 PM

All I can say is that I work to live and fish not live to work . Merry Christmas and tight lines

skein · 12-16-2002, 01:49 PM

Geez, AJ, you mean you have a house too? This is one thread I won't be letting my wife read - she'll be wanting one too. :grin:

Skein

timinthegorge · 12-16-2002, 02:29 PM

I work for county gummint and only make 42K. I sold my 14' alumacraft to my brother in law last summer for what I bought it for....

I also got many brownie points from Sis..... she likes to read her novels while he trolls around..... :smile:

It all started last summer when I made the mistake of asking my banker about a $25K loan to buy a boat. I figured she'd check it out, and say NO WAY! To my total astonishment, she said, "Sure, no problem." My 19' Stryker, with many bells and whistles showed up a couple of months later...... and I love it!

All you ifishers are correct.... it's about priorities, not payments! FBC (fishin'/boatin'/campin') is my favorite activity, so why not spend my money on what makes me happy?

IDPainter..... tell your friend to find the one that works best for him..... and GO FOR IT! He won't be disappointed! :grin: :grin: :grin:

Tim

Hogmaster · 12-16-2002, 02:51 PM

Geez,

You guys have it all wrong.

I make enough, but it really doesn't matter. See, the boat is free. It is just that first fish that is really expensive!

For those of you who have forgotten or may not have seen this, click on the following:

$13,503.14 Salmon caught on the Willamette!

If you have payments, then it is just a matter of catching a $234 fish each month. Well maybe a couple to cover the gas and insurance. :grin: :grin: :grin:

fishchaser · 12-16-2002, 03:08 PM

Keta, I think the phrase goes " My wife says if I go fishing one more time, she's gonna leave me. Boy I'm gonna miss her"

BigWaterBigFish · 12-16-2002, 03:15 PM

I reckon I'm in the same "boat" as most. I have a montly payment around $250 or so and feel damn shameful for letting it get wet more from rain falling on it in the driveway than from water splashing from the river. I dumped the speedboat when I dumped the ex-wife, now I have the boat I really wanted AND the time to spend on it. As far as if it is worth it, you know it! I spend the best days of my year thinking about being on the boat, preparing to be on the boat, being on the boat, cleaning up the boat and then thinking about the fine time I had on the boat and hoping to be on the boat again soon.
Speaking of which, Boat Show is just around the corner ... :smile:

5-Cents · 12-16-2002, 03:46 PM

Hogmaster graduated from OSU with honors.... his major accounting :shocked:

:shocked:

Miss B Haven · 12-16-2002, 03:49 PM

fishchaser - It's acutally "boy am I going to miss her when I get home".

husker · 12-16-2002, 03:53 PM

so am i in the wierd class? i bought a boat i could pay for. i dont have the luxuary some of u have but i can fish with all of ya...... :grin: :grin: :grin:

some day i will go into fishing debt....but for today i will just be happy with my paid for boat.

now if i can just get the 2nd boat i/d have most all rivers covered. :depressed:

rags · 12-16-2002, 04:06 PM

I finally realized after all these years rowing a driftboat you really need two boats. So one boat payment? No you need two boat payments. One for the driftboat and one for the jetsled. Now you have the best of both worlds. Uh oh, now you need something bigger to pull that jetsled. Three new payments. Oh, you also need an understanding spouse that will let you go play with all these new toys.

metalhead madness · 12-16-2002, 05:01 PM

Assassin is right. I have my main bread and butter business as well as several other small endeavers. We wanted four wheelers but hate to absorb all the costs so we opened a t shirt co. Wide open racing. Any trips we take to the coast, Idaho, Glamis are tax deductable. we do have accounts that we service when we are there so we are compliant. But this has definitly been a benefit. Anyway back to the cost vs income. We bring in 90k+ and a 295.00 boat payment is about the same as 1 guided trip for 2 per month. Now I have 2 boys, daughter and wife that want to fish. so it makes sense to us. The boat is a 30k boat and has a maturity date of 2014. We are making double payments so we should own it in about 6 yrs.

timinthegorge · 12-16-2002, 05:23 PM

Good Luck MM.......

Great White Sturgeon Hunter · 12-16-2002, 05:36 PM

After 18 1/2 years working for the State of Washington, I moved to Oregon. This is the order of events leading to moving into my house in Oregon. Found a house, Bought the boat, moved into the house. I pulled my investments to pay cash for the boat. My boat was a dream of mine, although I payed cash for it in full. Itmade me the happiest man in town.
We are a special breed of people, the average joe wouldn't understand what it means or feels like to be on the water ever chance we get. I'd pay 500 a month and smile for the memeries my boat has provided my family.

Good to the Last Cast · 12-16-2002, 05:47 PM

I make about 49k a year, I have a 2000 jetsled open bow, I bought the boat when I was getting about 10 hrs OT a week so the $189.00 a month payment was no problem. Then the OT went away and monthly bills increased, the only thing that made financial sense was to sell the boat, thank God I have no sense!!! My favorite(only) passtime is fishing so I figured the boat is really a nessesity I use it year-round and feel it's well worth the expense. My pickup sits in the driveway unwashed for months but the boats goes in the garage and is lovingly washed down after every use, now if I could just afford to have a top made Imight stay dry once in awhile........

1pump · 12-16-2002, 07:31 PM

I spent 6 months of '92 "in between" boats. It was the longest 6 months of my life. :depressed: Then to make matters worse, my wife got pregnant in the middle of it, putting my boat-owning career in serious jeopardy. :shocked: :shocked: 3 months before my son was born I decided I couldn't take it any more and bought a new boat. I finally felt like a whole person again. I will never, ever be without a boat again.
Money spent is immaterial. It's what gives you a serious case of perma-grin that matters.

Joe · 12-16-2002, 07:44 PM

The way I look at it, if the bank agrees to loan you the money then the boat must not be to expensive.

HOGGEMIN · 12-16-2002, 08:03 PM

Howdy all, I make between $40,000 & $50,000 a year if working all year. my boat pmt. is $370 a month bought a new 20' Motion Marine with way too many options. than spent $5,000 on rods, reels, plugs, etc, etc, have no girl friend or wife but would not trade it for anything. only other things I need are a new truck and a female fishing partner. Or better yet a female fishing partner with a new truck what a pair we would be.

wiser · 12-16-2002, 08:03 PM

All I can say is

ain't so bad...

Huntar · 12-16-2002, 08:33 PM

When I bought my jetboat my wife thought I was crazy, but agreed since I'd wanted one since I was a kid. When the payment came in over $500 each month, she really thought I had lost it. Now we've owned it (OK been paying on it) for two years. It gets used 80% for family, 20% for fishing (originally thought it would be the other way around). It is THE BEST family thing going. These are the things kids memories are made of.... AND THAT MAKES IT WORTH EVERY PENNY.

And thats my 2-cents.

Jettin' Fool · 12-16-2002, 08:47 PM

My boat runs me $387mo. And It will be all mine in another 160 payments :shocked:

Oh well....I would do it again in a heart beat. I love my boat :grin:

Fool

skein · 12-16-2002, 09:05 PM

I think Hogmaster and Fishisabonus are right - ya gotta use fuzzy math on these things. Take a guy who buys a piece of land in the country. First thing he's gotta do is drill a well. Okay, so he punches down a couple hunnerd feet at about 60 bucks a foot, casing, pump and all. First glass of water is $12,000. But here's where the creative math kicks in. The second glass is only $6,000, then 3,000, 1,500, 750, 375, and finally 187.50 and that's only 7 glasses! By the 10th glass they're practically payin' you to drink it!

So apply the same axiom to boats. $45,000 first trip. $22,500 second trip. Only, as Hogmaster says, you catch some fish. The Oregonian says those are probably worth $500 apiece. Catch a couple and you knock a grand right off the top.

It works! Just ask Hogmaster....

Oops. My wife just read this over my shoulder and said, "Don't try it, buddy." I think I'm going to have to send her back to school.

Skein

brshooter · 12-16-2002, 11:04 PM

I have no income. OK, the wife works, but I have been laid off since the end of March. Still enjoy making the $260.00 boat payment. I have had lots of time to enjoy it this year.

id. painter · 12-16-2002, 11:30 PM

I am a little guilty of not using my boat as much as i could. The winters here in Idaho are long and frozen. My boat sits in the garage for the winter except for a trip to the Clearwater Riv. in Dec. or Jan.. Then the lakes start to thaw(Feb. March). I live 25 miles from the boat ramp at American Falls Res. My father lives (with his own boat ramp) in Brittish Columbia , i come over to catch springers in April ,fish buoy 10 and the ocean in Augest, fish Canada(my dads house),ect...ect.... I will have no trouble using my boat enough to make it pay... In fact ill probably wear it out and need a new one some day. id. painter

Cool Texan · 12-16-2002, 11:54 PM

My wife and I combined are around $135k. My boat payment is $0. I want a boat...but the problem is that right now I wouldnt use it enough for it to make sense. Maybe after grad-school...unless we start knocking kids out. Then who knows. :depressed:

Tilla · 12-16-2002, 11:59 PM

Life was getting weird after the truck payment ended so I got the boat to fill the emptyness in my life.
It was also about the time I quit smoking and the doctor told me that alcohol was not my friend. Let's see, my guess is about $300/mo saved there.
Can't wait to pay off the boat so I can get a new truck.

Fishplay · 12-17-2002, 12:50 AM

IRS wages... $45,000 a year. I'm single with no dependants.
1998 20ft Maxweld Ranger. I fish at least 100 times a year. Boat payment is $182.00 a month and the last payment is May 03.
AND YES!!!! I'm shopping.
The new boat will meet the second home tax requirements and a tax deductable home equity loan will pay for the added bay to the pole barn.

Addictions can be dangerous and yes I'm a fishing addict. However; I know people who's yearly gambling losses exceed my annual earnings. For a junky I think I manage my habit well. :grin:

Jennie@ifish · 12-17-2002, 04:56 AM

Ms B, I miss your avatar!
Jen

finclipped · 12-17-2002, 05:16 AM

This post is very timely for me. I signed a sales agreement last week for a new North River that won't be here for 6 months. The monthly payment will be around $300. The hardest part was preparing a budget and accepting a $300 a month new payment. Reading the other posts, maybe its worth it.

Troller · 12-17-2002, 05:20 AM

Yep it really all depends on the rest of your debt. The only payment I had before my boat was my house payment everything else paid off. I also rent the top half of my house out it is setup as a duplex. Renter pays 3/4 of my mortgage. Thats why i decided to by a boat that cost more than half of what I paid for my house. Payments $394.00 a month I could have afforded more but Now I am saving for a boat that will be twice what I paid for the house.

fish assassin · 12-17-2002, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Fishplay:

1998 20ft Maxweld Ranger. I fish at least 100 times a year. Boat payment is $182.00 a month and the last payment is May 03.
AND YES!!!! I'm shopping.
The new boat will meet the second home tax requirements and a tax deductable home equity loan will pay for the added bay to the pole barn.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Fishplay... I'm not familiar with the Maxweld Ranger ... is this
a sled type boat? Is your next boat going to be a Maxweld as well?
You gonna buy you one of them MaxCats?

Nice boats!!

-assAssin-

Cast Away · 12-17-2002, 06:58 AM

It's all a matter of priorities. If you are not risking your long term financial future then it is not crazy to make payments on a boat. I just bought a new 15' smoker craft lodge six weeks ago. I choose to save up and pay cash for the boat. I realize there is a big difference between $9000.00 and $30,000.00 though. My point is the first payment you should make every month is to your self, by contributing the maximum amount to fund your IRA/Roth IRA($3000 annually). Then you base lifestyle purchases on what is left.

id. painter · 12-17-2002, 07:09 AM

Great conversation everyone!!! I cant agree more. The time spent and memories made are what its all about. My father is worth over a million $.It wasnt until he became"well off" that he felt like he could buy a nice fishing boat. I think the realization has hit him,the only thing he will get to take with him, to the GREAT FISHING HOLE IN THE SKY, will be his memories. He cant get all the years back.Last year i came very , very close to being dead,or a quad-wheelchair bound for ever. This is for everyone out there,,, DO IT NOW.Each day of your life is non-refundable.You are only given so many days here, make the best of them. Spend them with your kids....id. painter

skein · 12-17-2002, 07:34 AM

Cast Away, I can't disagree with you, but I can say that my wife's father died the same year he retired - 62. My dad died at 55. My brother-in-law keeps talking about the camping and hiking he's going to do when he retires, but he won't. He won't go because he won't know how. He isn't practicing so that when he has the time he'll also have the camp-savy and equipment to make it fun! The weather or the bugs or the distance or the people will conspire against him and though he'll try it a few times, he'll end up puttering around the house and just talking about it.

Nope, give me the guy - and gal - who is out there now, rain or shine, making the most of it, watching those incredible sunrises, learning the ropes, catching fish or wishing, but most of all being a part of it. My boat is probably the most important possession I own - and it pays me back in spades!

Who was it said, "I really, really need to catch a fish." I know what you mean.

Skein

AuntyM · 12-17-2002, 07:46 AM

I look at it like this.

We don't take fancy trips and vacations. We don't go "out" to dinner much. We don't go to the movies or theater. (yes, I have no life)

That money is what we call "entertainment" money. We prefer to spend our "entertainment" money on a boat. Our payment is $302 per month. $3624 per year. Add insurance and tabs for boat and trailer is another $300. We are averaging about $500 a this year for oil and gas. So the boat expenses are less than $5000 a year. About the cost of a 7 day vacation to Europe for 2. Yet we get "entertained" more than ten times that (70 days minimum.)

A boat is a much better investment. You can sell a boat if you have to. Try selling back a vacation, dinner out or a movie. And it's not like I am obsessed with fishing. My boat gets used for crabbing and shrimping too! :grin:

We get all the entertainment we could ever want out of that boat.

cannonball · 12-17-2002, 07:52 AM

We are with hogmaster! $31,000. salmon and the rest are free- unless you lose lures.
Had our first ThunderJet for less than a year, then traded to the Custom built NorthWest Jet with a cash discount. It doesnt fit in the garage like the old boat and still havent fixed the hole cut out so the trailer fit.

[ 12-18-2002, 07:11 PM: Message edited by: cannonball ]

Cast Away · 12-17-2002, 08:59 AM

Skein
I understand completely what you are saying, and there is no right or wrong answer. My wife and I do fish every weekend together. In fact the only weekend this year we did not fish was the the weekend before last due to the fact we had to be in St. Louis, MO for my companys christmas meeting. My wife had been actively lobbying for the new boat for a couple of years and I was the one putting it off to continue to save$$. It is a balancing act I suppose. If I were to spend as though there were no tomorrow and then lived to be 85 years old I may end becoming a Wal-Mart greeter in my golden years(no disrepect meant to a Wal-Mart greeter, I just don't want to do it when I should be retired) On the other hand life is meant to be lived and for all of us who have a passion for fishing a boat can make it a much more enjoyable expierence. I still think the prudent thing to do is budget for the boat after you have allocated the proper amount of money to your future(401K,IRA,etc). That equation will be different for everybody depending on their personal situation.