Boat Purchase - Is my reasoning flawed?

Trust me, the boat is packed as it is!

This past summer we had another couple on board with us for 3 days at the Atlantic City get together. Boy was that fun! lol

Doug
 
Hey Doug,
Here’s another thought. Even though it’s best to be able to pick the next 40+ footer and buy it, but a lot of times a very big jump is not feasible due to the budget constraints. So, this shouldn’t mean that you have to be stuck with the current boat when you want to have something bigger. For example you can find very good deals on mid 30s range boat, which is smaller than ideal 40+ footer, but it’s much more affordable and you can get it newer having more modern look to satisfy admiral, but I’m sure you’ll be satisfied as well. You can keep the 30er boat for several years.

I don’t recall if you guys have kids yet, but if you don’t and plan on having them things will change big time. A lot can change within several years (e.g. your family gets bigger, your salary increases, your boating needs and choice of boat might change), but in the meantime you can enjoy ownership of 30+ footer. In the way this how we approach it as well. It’s not cheapest approach, but we upgrade to what we feel is comfortable in all respects and it worked so far just fine.

I see nothing wrong with doing smaller steps up as long as it makes sense for you. There lots of people that do it and you can clearly see in their signatures.

Something what I’ve learned in my field, which can pretty much apply anywhere; In order to constantly make progress you have to set your goals. If you can’t achieve these goals, chances are they’re set too high and it’s necessary to set smaller and more realistic goals so you can achieve them.

Just something to consider………

P.S. by all means, I'm not trying to sell you my boat.
 
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I would try to take her and see a boat that is similar but either very upgraded or completely refurbished below that may be a bit more expensive and try to sell her on the fact that you can make the boat you were looking at look like that for less money.

Might open her eyes to something she hasn't thought about.
 
Doug,
I've sat on the sidelines so far on this thread but now I will offer my 2 cents worth. First I agree with your wife on the dated issue which is one reason I have a 2006 vs. the 1999 vintage boat I traded in. Second, Alex's point about considering something smaller set off a light bulb in my mind. What are you driving now - Larsen Cabrio - what Larson Cabrio? Length, beam, and I am assuming single engine but that is only a guess. Too offer you better advise I would like to know exactly what you are looking to ugrade from and perhaps others might also. Also how do you and your wife use the boat currently and how would you like to use it in the future? Finally, you got a very good piece of marital adivse earlier in this thread...lose the Excel Spreadsheet approach! If you had been married more years you would truly see the wisdom of those words!:smt043
 
Wow, how spoiled are we in this country? It's a BOAT! A complete luxury. It should be fun and relaxing. I think your trying to gather opinions of others to try and make a decision. That's good, that's part of what these forums are for but, in the end you 2 have to live together. It sounds as though you've done well up until this point so I would advise you to continue on your currently financial philosophies. There's nothing wrong with old and dated looking in a boat as long as it's well maintained. We tend to call these "classics" Good luck with your decision.
 
jcoll said:
.....It's a BOAT! A complete luxury. It should be fun and relaxing. .......
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It's true ONLY AFTER one deals with all the hassle of the upgrade or just a purchasing process, which IMO kind of stressfull. Also, the larger and more expensive the next boat is the more stressfull the process is, just b/c there's more involved. At least this was my experience. Hope others have it a lot easier.
 
Yea, you got to stop the spreadsheet approach. Women are a bit more emotional and use their senses when trying to decide something like this.

Choose (1)Condition (2)Size and (3)Age in that order.

Oh, and don't ever use "Boat Purchase" and "Reasoning" in the same sentence again. You will lose credibility immediately.

Don
 
:thumbsup:
Alex F said:
It's true ONLY AFTER one deals with all the hassle of the upgrade or just a purchasing process, which IMO kind of stressfull.

Can be!

Also, the larger and more expensive the next boat is the more stressfull the process is, just b/c there's more involved.

Yeah alot more dollars no doubt.

At least this was my experience. Hope others have it a lot easier.
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It's never easy but with the track record he has on finances, if he sticks to those principals, he'll do fine.:thumbsup:
 
:thumbsup:
Alex F said:
It's true ONLY AFTER one deals with all the hassle of the upgrade or just a purchasing process, which IMO kind of stressfull.

Can be!

Also, the larger and more expensive the next boat is the more stressfull the process is, just b/c there's more involved.

Yeah alot more dollars no doubt.

At least this was my experience. Hope others have it a lot easier.
Click to expand...

It's never easy but with the track record he has on finances, if he sticks to those principals, he'll do fine.:thumbsup:
 
Upgrading from a smaller boat to a ±40' cruiser is about a lot more than money.

Even if one is conservative with his finances, he is still exposed to whole lot more risk in an upgrade like this.....and that risk can be pervasive and several levels beyond the surface when you consider dealing with sellers, brokers or dealers, 2 or more surveyors, insurance underwriters, boat yards, and vessel systems many times more complex than even a mechanically inclined buyer has previously seen.

I also think Don has it pretty much figured out.............condition, size, age, and I would include cost in that list as #4.
 
#5 the amount of work=time

I'm still in shock how much more work the 450 is compared to the 280... I'm guessing somethings take at least twice as long, other things 3 times as long like waxing.
 
fwebster said:
Upgrading from a smaller boat to a ±40' cruiser is about a lot more than money.

Even if one is conservative with his finances, he is still exposed to whole lot more risk in an upgrade like this.....and that risk can be pervasive and several levels beyond the surface when you consider dealing with sellers, brokers or dealers, 2 or more surveyors, insurance underwriters, boat yards, and vessel systems many times more complex than even a mechanically inclined buyer has previously seen.

I also think Don has it pretty much figured out.............condition, size, age, and I would include cost in that list as #4.
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Very well said .:smt038With this economy and a 40 ish ft boat is a big upgrade.A lot of extra cost if you are not careful.
 
Turtlesboat said:
I would just tell her that a woman's place is in the kitchen and to keep her trap shut and enjoy what I give her.
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Exactly! Nuff said there...

Best of luck on your search your boat is out there anything in the 40' range is great.

I have it easy the wife likes the 450DA, 460DA, and the 480DB so we are on the same page for the next one...
 
Sorry for the late response.

Thanks everyone for the words of wisdom. Like I said earlier, we are going to put this purchase off until the 'right' boat coming around. I originally liked the 370 DA prior to looking in the 40' range. I guess the 400 EC is eliminated, so that leaves either the 370/400/410 DA if we go express style boat. She does like the bridge style boats, but we haven't been on any ones to specifically look at buying.

Keep your eyes out for us if you see anything.

Doug
 
Doug,

We have a 400EC and love it. Upgraded from a 27ft. I have boating friends that have 2008 Sundancers and love the look and enormity of the EC. I also went your route of getting advice or info if you will. Bottom line if it is "What you and your wife like" then so be it.
When we looked at the 400 EC we also looked at 50 plus other boats. However, my wife kept coming back to the one we bought.

So buy the one you like - All the other stuff will fall into place.

Good Luck - :thumbsup:
 
I guess I'm lucky that both my wife and I are engineers, so spreadsheets are not foreign to her. Still I tend to think more analytically and practically. But she recognizes a good value for the money as well as social areas (cockpit and dining room) and design functionality. We have been very good at pointing out our personal pros and cons, and arriving at a concensus. Often completely different than what we were looking for.

When we bought our first SRay, we were actually looking for a 3 person jet ski! But we stumbled across an '89 21' midcabin Sevile. A great starter boat for a family of 3 or 4. After about 5 years, we decided to look for a 30 foot boat. At the time we definitely wanted a windlass, holding tank, and air conditioning. We ended up with the '95 400 EC. (I thought they said 20 foot-itis :grin: ) We gave a slight edge to the bunks vs rear cabin, and to the straight screws. But really it was the condition and price that finally sold us.

I guess my point is, keep an open mind, listen and value each other's comments, and look at plenty of boat sizes/configurations/years. I truly believe women see things differently, but value that input as things I wouldn't have even noticed until after the purchase and was forced to live with.

Good luck and happy searching.
 
Thanks John. We're continuing to look to see what's on the market right now.

While comparing pricing, I'm still in favor of buying something on the more conservative side that provides good functionality. We will see what the future brings!

Doug
 
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