Boat or Airplane

I have an airplane but I sold my boat. My wife still has her boat.
 
Boat cost goes up exponentially with size. Many people buy more boat than they need. Starting small and succumbing to 2-foot-itis every few years is the tried and true strategy for finding the right boat size for your lifestyle. If you just want to get out on the water with family and a few friends for an afternoon, a 20-22 foot outboard will do just fine.
 
I can work on the boat and do just about any repair with basic mechanic/shop skills. I'm limited by what I could repair/maintain on an aircraft with on A&P/IA or repairman cert. Boat stays in free storage in my shop, or on a lift at my dock, so no cost. Only practical way to get "free" storage for an aircraft is to live in a airpark or have your own airstrip. I could replace both engines in the boat for half the cost of a single engine GA overhaul. The aircraft is just going to be more expensive per hour than most any boat.
 
Airplanes can have a practical purpose, an alternate means of transportation for business or pleasure. For most, boats are just hobby with no other practical purpose beyond recreation.

The interesting part I always find, airplane owners usually try to justify their investment. They spend large sums of time calculating the cost per hour, cost per mile, etc., and often know how many hours per year they need to fly to justify ownership.

I've never met a boat owner that did that. Probably because they already know the answer.
 
Just imagine what boats would cost if they were designed and built to FAR 23 standards...
 
I've owned several boats over the years. Currently a 21' bass boat with 225 outboard. Total pain in the butt, would not recommend.
 
HornedFrogGrant said:
I've owned several boats over the years. Currently a 21' bass boat with 225 outboard. Total pain in the butt, would not recommend.
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How in the world is a bass boat a pain in the butt? Lol. It's a popular gas engine, a livewell, and an electric trolling motor.
 
I’ve owned a boat every year I’ve been alive, currently with a 32’ Cobalt. There’s nothing cheap about boat ownership. The only way to feel better about that is to own an aircraft. Then it makes boating seem cheap. Especially with twins in both.
 
SoonerAviator said:
How in the world is a bass boat a pain in the butt? Lol. It's a popular gas engine, a livewell, and an electric trolling motor.
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Maybe it's more my frustration with the knuckleheads at BPS' service department.

Every time I take it in, I request them to give it a good looking-over bow to stern (and state that I'm happy to pay the hourly labor rate) in hopes of heading off any emerging issues or catch any undetected problems... basically a boating equivalent to an airplane's annual. On top of whatever service I brought it in for.

Every time I pick it up, there is no mention on the invoice of any sort of inspection, and a new problem always pops up in short order.
 
HornedFrogGrant said:
Maybe it's more my frustration with the knuckleheads at BPS' service department.

Every time I take it in, I request them to give it a good looking-over bow to stern (and state that I'm happy to pay the hourly labor rate) in hopes of heading off any emerging issues or catch any undetected problems... basically a boating equivalent to an airplane's annual. On top of whatever service I brought it in for.

Every time I pick it up, there is no mention on the invoice of any sort of inspection, and a new problem always pops up in short order.
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That's certainly understandable. Our bass boats weren't treated nearly so nicely, lol. Never did anything but fuel and oil (2 strokes) and they always fired up. They didn't have power poles or exotic electronics but they were reliable rigs. I've got an old 20' ski boat that has been annoying me lately that I just put a new impeller in the outdrive water pump and when I started it up last weekend it has a lifter/valve train tapping lol. Now I have to pull a valve cover to see what that's all about. But on the bright side, I could add up all of the repairs we've done on this boat for the past 30 years and not amount to much more than the cost of hangar rent for about a year in most cities.
 
When I first got a boat, I took it to a boat shop for maintenance. Once I started doing it myself and realized how easy it was, I was embarrassed that I had paid so much.
 
One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the time issue; boats tend to use more time, at least in my experience. With a plane, unless you're traveling somewhere, you might be out for an hour or two. With a boat it's usually a half day or more commitment, unless it's a very small boat.
 
kep5niner said:
I’ve owned a boat every year I’ve been alive, currently with a 32’ Cobalt. There’s nothing cheap about boat ownership. The only way to feel better about that is to own an aircraft. Then it makes boating seem cheap. Especially with twins in both.
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Really?

How does a two-year-old own a boat? :lol:
 
Ed Haywood said:
When I first got a boat, I took it to a boat shop for maintenance. Once I started doing it myself and realized how easy it was, I was embarrassed that I had paid so much.
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It truly is amazing how easy the maintenance is for most vessels. Winterizing is one of the items that most shops charge $500+ for and involves very few tools or mechanical knowledge. People often forget that the run-of-the-mill VolvoPenta or Mercruiser engine is typically just a GM-v6 or v8 with some water-cooled manifolds bolted to it.
 
brien23 said:
Boat ownership 32' or larger cost over Cessna or piper cost more or less and use more of less.
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Boat doesn't have the cost of annual inspection does it? If the boat is on a trailer, I'm from The South we have bass boats, it seems the cost to store and maintain it will be much less than an aircraft. But some owners won't tolerate their vehicle looking less than brand new/magazine quality so they spend considerably more than other owners.
 
If small enough to trailer home, no storage cost. But if larger you pay for marina space. A slip is the boat equivalent of a hangar.

No annual. But things still break. But anyone can do the work, no special certifications. Electronics do get upgraded.

For real expense, race sailboats. Sails can be a HUGE cost.
 
Pinecone said:
For real expense, race sailboats. Sails can be a HUGE cost.
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If I remember right, Buckley said offshore sailboat racing was like standing in a cold shower tearing up 100-dollar bills.
 
Don't forget, if you slip a boat in salt water, you'll be scraping the hull or paying someone to do it every few months.

Salt water is unbelievably corrosive.
 
SoonerAviator said:
It truly is amazing how easy the maintenance is for most vessels. Winterizing is one of the items that most shops charge $500+ for and involves very few tools or mechanical knowledge. People often forget that the run-of-the-mill VolvoPenta or Mercruiser engine is typically just a GM-v6 or v8 with some water-cooled manifolds bolted to it.
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Outboards are absurdly easy to work on. Everything is right there in front of you. I changed spark plugs every year, just because I could.
 
Ed Haywood said:
Outboards are absurdly easy to work on. Everything is right there in front of you. I changed spark plugs every year, just because I could.
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Even better that they're self-draining so there's very little "winterizing" to do. The only downside to the modern stuff is the increased use of technology that can sometimes cause more problems than it solves. Lots of sensors and throttle-by-wire stuff that can go sideways.
 
Plano Pilot said:
If I remember right, Buckley said offshore sailboat racing was like standing in a cold shower tearing up 100-dollar bills.
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While fully clothed.

Owning an airplane is similar, but without the cold water. :D
 
Plano Pilot said:
If I remember right, Buckley said offshore sailboat racing was like standing in a cold shower tearing up 100-dollar bills.
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This is hilarious.

We race J105s (35'), and I'd say airplane is still more expensive. I think our owner budgets 10-15k in sails every year (which is usually just 1), slip is 8k, winterization is a few k, running rigging every few years is a couple k, and of course stuff breaks all the time because we run it hard a few k.
 
Plano Pilot said:
If I remember right, Buckley said offshore sailboat racing was like standing in a cold shower tearing up 100-dollar bills.
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I'd believe that. Racing sailboats and offshore powerboat racing are a quick way to eat you out of house and home. Between sails, lines, and running gear it becomes a constant stream of cash in order to be competitive. The fuel bill alone for offshore powerboats will make your head spin!
 
Pro tip. Order new sails on Dec. 30. Then when your wife asks if that is another new sail you can honestly say "No, I haven't bought any sails this year. "
 
SoonerAviator said:
I'd believe that. Racing sailboats and offshore powerboat racing are a quick way to eat you out of house and home. Between sails, lines, and running gear it becomes a constant stream of cash in order to be competitive. The fuel bill alone for offshore powerboats will make your head spin!
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Car racing, depending on the class, can run a huge amount of money. I race a Spec Class that keeps the costs almost reasonable.

Was talking to a guy running one of the higher end classes (still SCCA Amateur racing) that spend $2500 on tires EACH RACE WEEKEND. Two engine rebuilds per year (or more) at $25,000 each.
 
Pinecone said:
Car racing, depending on the class, can run a huge amount of money. I race a Spec Class that keeps the costs almost reasonable.

Was talking to a guy running one of the higher end classes (still SCCA Amateur racing) that spend $2500 on tires EACH RACE WEEKEND. Two engine rebuilds per year (or more) at $25,000 each.
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Absolutely agree. My FIL had a drag race team with Man'O'War for 2 seasons and the cost for that was astounding. My father and I have been around sprint car racing for a while, too. Racing of any sort is a quick way to hemorrhage cash! That's why I don't think it's the best comparison for boat vs airplane discussions. A Reno air race bird is on a different level than a Mooney, same with racing sailboats vs your standard 20' open bow runabout.

I will say that the cost of new boats has gotten INSANE, and is rivaling new aircraft pricing for its absurdity. They sell upscale tritoons for $300K! The only thing crazier is that they apparently have people that pay for them.
 
Pinecone said:
Car racing, depending on the class, can run a huge amount of money. I race a Spec Class that keeps the costs almost reasonable.

Was talking to a guy running one of the higher end classes (still SCCA Amateur racing) that spend $2500 on tires EACH RACE WEEKEND. Two engine rebuilds per year (or more) at $25,000 each.
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Racing Formula Mazda would go through 2 sets of tires on a two race SCCS weekend not counting the 'take offs' run on the Friday practice day (if there was one). At one point I was running two cars, one for myself and one for my son. The cost including mounting at the Goodyear trailer was $1100-1200/set for $4400-4800 for the weekend. Add a drum of Sunoco fuel, travel, registration fees, 2nd, 3rd, 4th gear sets for every other weekend and we were getting into 'go buy and fly a nice plane territory'. Sure was fun though... Once my son moved to the pro circuit it ran a minimum of $26,000 per event plus tires and the inevitable crash damage. That is getting into OPM territory....run on Other People's Money. Sorely I was the '90%' sponsor.
 
I raced Spec Racer Ford in the 00s. A set of tires, mounted was $600 and would run a couple of weekends. Engine rebuild was $4500 all in (removal, shipping, rebuild, install). But all in, transport, CSR service, tires, entry fees, hotel, food, replacing gear, it was running a bit over $2000 per race weekend.

In sailboats we had a Laser 28. Class sails that came with the boat. They were made to be bullet proof, so no sail costs.

LOVE Spec classes
 
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