I actually just sold my boat. Did it at the perfect time right before the lake by my house flooded, and has been out of commission all Summer long and will be until the Fall at least. I personally loved owning a boat, but really the things you have to keep in mind are how much are you REALLY going to be able to use it? Do you have a group of friends that will always want to use it with you. Are you too busy? and lastly... Can you afford a boat slip? If you can afford a boat slip (they aren't cheap) then yes, you should absolutely own a boat. You can always find time to jump on the water when you don't have to worry about the hassle of tailoring, launching, and loading up your boat. I personally did not have a slip, and even though I live a mile from the lake, the hassle of taking the boat out really cuts into your time. You also need to have someone with you that can help with the workload, and you'd be surprised how many of your friends aren't really stoked about going out on the boat cause they don't like the process of taking it out, and loading it. ....... Reg cost of upkeep - Everyone uses the whole phrase "You know what BOAT stands for right..... Break out another Thousand"... but that's not entirely true. Every year I could get away with not doing ticky tack work on my boat, but you always have issues you COULD fix if you were inclined. My advice for buying a used boat is to not stress out about fixing every little thing. You're basically putting a car in water... what could go wrong right? Usually when I took the boat in, I'd spend about 300 bucks FYI. Not 1000. After owning your boat for about a year, you will learn to fix most of the mundane stuff (blower, prop, bilge, radio, lights, oil change, etc.) on your own, and save a ton of money. Your lower unit is where the high dollar money is typically spent on repairs. When buying a used boat, that is where you need to spend your time looking over. If you can get a lower unit in good shape that wont need repairs for 5 to 10 years, you'll LOVE your boat. Have any more boat questions, hit me up.
