Another Angle on the Boat Question

[UP Hunter]

Guys thanks for all the great input on my "what boat to buy question". Things are getting serious around the ole household now and I really need serious help. Here is the current problem.

My lovely wife has become aware of all this new boat talk of course and the related possible costs. She poses this question for me. "Why would someone who lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, ever consider spending upwards of $10 grand on a boat when you consider the length of season it can be used ?

I sure my friend Yooper can help with this little issue. See we have this slight problem of very long winters up here. For example, everthing is still quite frozen and we have received about 270" of the white stuff this season. Looks to be a all-time record winter.

I've tried a couple different answers for her question and would be interested in some others.

 

[Reggae]

Cause' you can afford it and you want it!!

Well, maybe I better work on that a little.....

 

[Reggae]

Sorry about that, you asked for serious help...

If you have kids, how about the quality time and recreation with them.
You could be doing worse things, like those guys who hang out in the bars.
It isn't as short a season as it would seem, you can fish salmon in the fall.
You've worked hard for years and haven't asked for much.....
One more serious note. We only live once and life can be uncertain. We need to plan for tomorrow, retirement, etc. But at the same time we have to enjoy life now and always. No one should save everthing waiting for later, nor spend like there's no tomorrow.
We need to find the middle ground.....

Well there's a few thoughts. GOOD LUCK!

 

[yooper]

It is alot of money so I do see where she's coming from. Folks certainly do have to live within their means, too. Having said that, here's my take:

Like Raggae mentioned, life needs to be lived now. While it is good and also necessary to plan for the future, we need to take advantage of our health while we have it.

Olefish mentioned a few days ago while talking about motors that he wished he could afford a big 4 stroke like I bought. Wanna know a little secret? I borrowed against my 401K to pay for that motor; and any financial planner would tell you that was not only a frivilous reason but also very stupid one. But I reasoned that I have a very diversified portfolio (which I do) and that the price on the motor was worth it. This was 2 years ago and the stock market was going sky-high and folks told me I was nuts; that I was losing alot of potential capital on the money I was withdrawing.

Know what? My total investments have lost thousands since last summer.... but thats life. The money is all on paper, so far as I'm concerned.

But I honestly couldn't put a price tag on the enjoyment me and my family has derived from that boat. As I told you before, I took a whole year completely rebuilding it which in itself has made me really appreciate it. I can't describe the intense pride I felt the first day I launched the boat in April of 1999.

Since then that boat has been in Bay De Noc; Saginaw Bay; Hamlin Lake; The Straits of Mackinac; Les Chenaux Islands; Manistique Lakes; and up and down the St. Mary's river. My son and I have spent countless hours fishing and cruising. Friends have waterskied and tubed behind it and my wife honestly enjoys being out fishing/cruising also.

So I guess that why I was telling you to spend a little extra and buy something new. It is very important to get exactly what you want, because if you sell yourself short you will probably end-up being disappointed. From our e-mail correspondance I would think an 18' deep-v with a big 4-stroke would be you ticket. You'll be going to Bay De Noc for 'eyes and fishing in marquette for cohos and kings, so you'll want the stability and room AND horsepower of a bigger rig like this. Just because you have 100 hp doesn't mean you need to run full-throttle all the time, either.

So thats the jist of it. Of course I rambled on and on and probably said more than I should. My boating season goes like this:

Mid-April - May 15: Splake and whitefish

May 15-July 1: Walleye around the state

July 1 - August 1: Herring and Salmon

August 1 - Oct ?: Walleye and Salmon

You should get an honest 6 months use out of your rig..... alot more use than the snowmobiles that people around us buy.

I know its quite the decision to come to; hope I was able to help.

 

[olefish_99]

MONEY $$$$$$$$$ what a pain but can I take it with me when I die??? I have a 16' boat and 40 horse motor with lots of rigging but there is just me and my wife. It cost me $1600 4 years ago. So I am not deep in hole, thats laugh, well I have over $10,000 in equipment, fly fishing, troling, jigging, river, bank, and mountain stream one room in my house. I have a very dependable boat and equipment to fish anything WY has to offer. Again it comes down to persoanl choices thats my personal choice. Do you need a bigger boat because of haveing kids, saftey first, do you need power to get off the water fast do to weather, and do you like to play with with the boat and not just fish? All these question add into why one kind of boat meets each persons need. I have fished as many as 146 days in 1 year, my house was less than 50 yards from a stream it is my passion. 24h,7d, 12m, 365y olefish

 

[elmo]

Hey UP WARNING WARNING !!!Check out my post on "What its worth"