Boats have been called a hole in the water into which one pours countless
dollars. True. But there is a way to save money when dealing with boats.
Boats have been called a hole in the water into which one pours countless
dollars. True. But there is a way to save money when dealing with boats.
Someone with a warped sense of humor and anonymity sends me the monthly publication,
Yachting. The irony of that slick publication coming to my home becomes obvious
when one sees my bass boat. My bass boat would not make a good dingy for a decent
yacht.
Still, thumbing through the pages of this substantial publication proves interesting.
For instance, there is an advertisement that presents a particular brand of
yacht that seems reasonably priced, for a yacht. One can buy a 68-foot yacht
for only $2.1 million, or a 94-foot yacht for $4.2 million, or a 97-foot raised
pilothouse edition for only $4.1 million.
Or, if you want to get nowhere faster, there is an “express cruiser”
equipped with triple 440-horsepower diesel engines and to her credit, on a recent
voyage “she manhandles 6-to-8-foot seas, thundering across 405 miles of
open ocean at an average speed of 46.8 mph reaching speeds of more than 60 mph
. . . ” The price was not listed but one can imagine it is slightly more
than a fully loaded Ford Fiesta costs.
A careful search of the magazine did reveal a rather inexpensive “day
boat” with capacities for an occasional overnight stay. The 559″
boat costs only $989,000. I have no idea how long they would finance for, but
$989,000 sure beats $4.2 million for the budget-minded and I hardly ever spend
the night on a boat anyway, unless my motor goes out in the middle of the lake,
which it has been known to do.
One of the magazines articles recounts how the author was introduced
to his subject: “Aboard the nearly completed 180-foot Amnesia, with another
Amnesia (a 164-foot Benetti Golden Bay model) floating nearby, the question
was just too obvious. No, I was told, the owner hadnt forgotten he already
had a yacht, he just wanted more room.” Im sure he did. A 164-foot
yacht does get extremely crowded. I know my 19-foot boat does. How much did
this custom-built beauty cost? The article quotes no price for the first or
second Amnesia, but an off-the-showroom-floor 742″ beauty goes for
$3,669,259, so Amnesias price could be at least $8,000,000, depending
upon the bathroom fixtures and floor-covering allowances.
If you are interested in any of these deals, you can call the manufacturer
and arrange to be flown to a fitting locale and test-drive the yacht yourself.
Or, the factories stand-by crew will take you for a test spin and the owner
of the yacht manufacturing company will be by your side just to make sure you
enjoy all the amenities.
How does one count savings on buying a yacht? Does one add all the prices of
the yachts one does not buy, or does one count only the least expensive yacht
or the most expensive yacht? By not buying a yacht, did I save $8,000,000 or
$989,000? If I trade in my bass boat, does that add to or take away the savings?
And, what about previously-owned yachts? By not buying one of those, have I
saved more or less money?
Actually, imagining having enough money to spend just $989,000 is impossible
for me. Depending upon how they made the money, Im happy for those who
can write a check for $8,000,000 for a boat. But for me, I gotta save my money.
Actually, those of us who can barely make the payments on our third-hand boats,
we are not responsible for the money we do not have, but we are responsible
for the money we do have. Tithing is the great equalizer. I cannot afford the
tithe on the income that is necessary to buy an $8,000,000 yacht, but I am responsible
for the tithe on the income that can buy a bass boat.
If you will excuse me now, Im trying to figure out how to take all the
money I save by not buying a yacht to the bank. I think I have an overdraft.