Krugman pointing out the important facts, some timely needful advice from Wendig, and Moldy Chum making a good point...
Wow, did I get a lot of mail regarding yesterday's post. Here's something you hear all the time and it was oft repeated in yesterday's mailbag.
"A cheap used boat will cost you more in the long run..."
Sort of an old wives' tale that. Of course, most wisdom of this sort has a basis in reality and a lot of people confronted with a boat develop an irresistible urge to start spending money like a drunken sailor. So, while I don't believe it's true as a rule, I do believe one should admit it is a possibility and take steps to avoid the humiliation of a boat project gone clusterfuck.
So, here are a few good reasons you may not want to rehab an old boat to go cruising on...
- You don't like working on boats.
Seems obvious as hell but I've lost track of the number of people on boats who absolutely hate working on their boats.
- You don't feel confident that you can learn the needful skills required to rebuild and maintain a boat.
None of the needful skills are rocket science but if you feel you need to hire a rigger, painter, fiberglass guy, or mechanic, an affordable rehab project is going to be nearly impossible.
- You don't have a sensible plan.
Folks rehabbing boats without a good plan are in for a world of hurt. A lot of people think having a list or lists is a good substitute... It's not.
- You don't have a sensible budget and the ability to stick to it.
Budgets work. If you limit yourself to a given amount and stick to it, you'll not only wind up with an affordable boat, it will be a better boat for it.
- You need to keep up with what's "hip" and think your boat needs to reflect this.
If you rehab a 1969 CAL 34 or a Columbia 34 they will always be a CAL34/Columbia34 no matter what you do... You can't turn either boat into a Swan or whatever you think is "hip". Which is not to say you cannot make vast improvements to the boats but simply that you cannot make it into something it's not so don't even try...
- You don't want people to think you can't afford a better boat.
Trust me on this... NOBODY REALLY CARES out cruising. Most cruisers just don't want you to anchor too close to them. That said, if you're only interested in appearances a fixer upper sailboat is just not going to work for you.
- You think things that cost more are always better than things that cost less.
Just get a Gunboat.
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Listening to The Maldives
So it goes...
