Affordable yacht for the weekends in San Diego

Hi,

I was trying to say that if you only allow $7/8 Grand for your overall budget you will be a bit light as most of it will be spent on dockage alone but it shouldn't go all the way to $32 Grand unless there is a major rework that requires immediate attention like a major engine/tranny failure whereas large expenses can usually be budgeted for over a few years.

Long time occasional lurker here, first post. Some members will know me from other forums. As a live aboard and cruiser, let me say the 10% rule is a myth. There are so many variables. Is the boat going to be a total dock queen, or is he going to take it down to Mexico and out to the Channel Islands on a regular basis? Is he buying a fixer upper with aged systems? What standard does he want to maintain the boat to? Is he paying cash (thus his "payment cost" is calculated vs his own personal cost of capital or "opportunity cost"? Cruising range will also determine insurance coverage, as will his experience.

A good buyer's broker (hard to find, get many references) and a good surveyor (ditto) will be able to give a good estimate of those things after asking these and other questions and relative to the specific boat at hand. From there he can develop a reasonable budget (always round your estimates way up, then add 10-20%) and make a somewhat informed decision. So, for a used 40 ft power boat, the answer could be $10,000 all in or it could be $50,000 and climbing fast, or somewhere in between.

Yes, I know it has it's flaws, but the most dispassionate discussion of these issues for a newbie buyer is David Pascoe's "Mid Sized Power Boats", available at his web site, especially if one ignores or discounts the sections with generalities about specific brands (and I happen to own a boat brand he is very fond of).

George
Hatteras 56MY
Boston Whaler 130 Sport