I’ve often heard it said that the price of a boat is not in buying it, but in keeping it. I see people all the time that buy a boat with a payment they are reaching to make. They may take into account insurance, but they rarely see all of the other expenses that accompany a boat purchase. Last year one of the big things that hit people was the price to fuel up and fish. Many boat owners found their boats sitting more than fishing and after doing some quick math, they realized that their boats were too expensive to be sitting, so they sold. There are many things to think about when you try and determine how much boat you can afford. Some things to think about are taxes, storage, tackle, safety gear, fuel consumption, and the wide open category of maintenance. Some maintenance items are regularly scheduled and predictable, like motor maintenance, trailer maintenance or bottom cleaning if you are keeping the boat in the water. Other items are not scheduled and can catch you by surprise like electronics failing, motor problems and things that break over time. The sun and elements are hard on boat items like cushions and canvas tops, over time all of these things begin to add up and this is where the phrase,” a boat is a hole in the water that you throw money into” or the acronym BOAT, which stands for “break out another thousand”. With all of this said I cannot imagine myself without a boat and have been very careful not to overextend myself when purchasing a boat. It is easy to go to the shows and want to buy the top of the line boat for the type of fishing you like to do, but the last thing you want is for your boat to become a source of stress instead of an item you use to relax.
Andy Pickett,
CharlestonFishing.Com</font id=“blue”>