I sold my boat today…
A bloody big decision I can tell you, but one that had been festering for quite a while.
One of the things about boats is – if you don’t use them often enough they stuff up – so that when you do use them they cost you big $$$ to fix each time you go out.
Now this wasn’t an issue for me as a regular boatie, but in the last year my usage has dropped and my interest level has also waned. I still love the ocean, but have little desire to launch a boat. I have been hanging onto it because my friends keep urging me not to sell it – they enjoy going on it. But they don’t pay the bills…
I was recovering from the $500.00 service bill at the start of the year when the steering went (again). I had this fixed last year, but infrequent usage meant it had stiffened up. I bought a helm to replace the old unit and pulled it all apart but it wasn’t quite the right fit. I messed around, but in the end decided to give it to the local boat mechanic.
I guessed it would cost $80.00 or so given that I had done all the dismantling.
However it turned out he needed to order a different helm – an extra $220.00 and then it took him two hours rather than one… So the bill was $450.00 and I was not happy. I don’t think I was ripped off – it just ended up costing more than I expected, so after a long conversation with mechanic I walked out of the boat shop and straight away advertised it on ebay.
I actually have no drama paying for maintenance and repairs on items I use regularly, but this baby was sitting in the front yard getting used once a month and costing big $$ for the privilege. Without sounding holier than thou I was quite motivated by my beliefs on how money should be used. It just seemed all wrong to shell out money in an ongoing way for something I didn’t use – in case one day I might want to use it…
So… today was the sea test…
Given the recent spate of breakdowns I wasn’t at all convinced we would get thru unscathed, but the old beast performed admirably and the new owner was very much impressed.
I’m a crappy salesman – I tell people everything – even the stuff they wouldn’t ‘discover till later’, but we haggled a little over price and I finished up walking away pretty happy.
After 5 years of boating and $5000.00 of capital invested I walked away with $5500.00.
But let’s not talk about those maintenance expenses 🙂
As I said to Danelle, now we don’t have a boat… until I buy another one…free silent hill
Not really as big a sacrifice, but I recently cancelled a premium subscription for a website related to an activity (geocaching) that I was obsessed with just over a year ago.
I just could not allow myself to pay the US$30 for the convenience of a few services I was now using 2 times a year instead of every week.
The only trouble with trimming the fat is I end up seeing more stuff I suspect I should give up only this time “I don’t want to”.
I’m told that the two best days in a boat owner’s life are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. So far I’ve always had friends with boats so I’ve never had to experience either. I would, however, like to buy one to live on someday even if only for a short while. I looked at this when I was young and single and to this day kick myself for not doing it. So far the wife’s not too fond of the idea especially now with grandkids around all the time.
My husband has a boat and I call it our expensive garage ornament. He keeps it for that rare occasion when one or all of his sons want to go out on the lake with him. The boat’s value is connected to his heart.
Hey, Hamo – now you got no boat how about a swim at Mids next time you’re down? You and me, you first though, cause they reckon there is something about 5m lurking under the waves.
Oh, put the $5,500 towards a JETSKI!!!!