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Community Corner

Be Realistic About What Boat You Can Afford

The second in our trilogy about buying your own boat.

Recognize that buying is simply your first expense in boat owning. Boats are described as holes in the water into which you pour money. My mother lives on a lake in New England where she keeps an aluminum canoe. After buying it, she’s has to do no maintenance on it for the past 34 years.

For more serious boaters, the costs never seem to stop. Just to keep a small sailboat in the water in Marina del Rey will cost you a minimum of $4,000 a year. Expect slip fees to zoom when the gets implemented.

Bills for an in-the-water boat here start with slip rental. Then add taxes and insurance, and a diver to scrape the hull periodically. Don’t forget the costs of regularly scheduled maintenance like hauling and repainting the hull every couple of years. The rigging should be examined and tuned periodically as well.  If you buy a used boat, parts will wear out. I had to replace the motor  and bilge pump twice on mine.

Find out what's happening in Marina Del Reywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

One advantage sailboats have over power is that with gas pushing $4 a gallon and rising, sailboats sip fuel. I’ve spent an entire day of sailing Santa Monica Bay for less than $2 in gas.

At a yacht club recently I heard a tale of one power boater who invited his friends onto his boat for a quick run to Redondo Beach for lunch and spent more than $300 in gas to do so.

Find out what's happening in Marina Del Reywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Your budget will determine the size of your boat as well as whether you're buying new or used. Jonathan Grell of Marina del Rey's Commodore Yachts said that the market for boats picked up last year after a horrible 2009.

"I'm selling used boats these days. The market for new boats is still not good, " he said.

That's great news if you're shopping, because it's still a buyers' market.

It's very important that you don't buy any boat new or used without taking it out for a test. Would you do anything less with a car?

Until next time be smart while you shop, and don't rush into anything until you're sure.

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