Boat Prices: Has the world changed????

[stiggy]

Recently due to a change at work i've been paired with younger millennials (I'm at the older end of this generation), a good amount of them are exploring van life. Owning a house for our generation seems more like a prison than anything else. More of us aren't having kids and are more into exploring and experiences. Maybe it's just me but that sounds like a setup for a decent prospect for the trawler industry. When making a comparison of van life to trawler life, there are many parallels. Add in the ability to be a influencer/be influenced, it may transition from a retirement dream to a live now and experience life while still young and healthy.
As far as not having skills, many of our parents were stuck with 9-5s with a long commute and didn't have time to teach us manual labor to fix things as they usually just farmed it out. But we do have youtube and the internet. So maybe it isn't a parent or uncle showing us how to change an alternator but there are hours of videos that show us how. To say this generation is not interested in learning a skill i think is far from accurate. But that is to say every generation seems to look at the ones before and after them a bit differently than their own.

 

[Art]

Looking around at people I know, I don't see a whole lot that know just a little or dabble in DIY stuff. It seems like most are either clueless about it (some might want to learn but never had exposure to it, others couldn't care less) or they're pretty much all-in.

WOW!! rs - Regarding your post 297 and quote above... I would never have guessed your considerably young age!

Congrats on your advanced demeanor and prowess for deep thought. I project that you will have a greatly interesting, useful and successful future... - Art

 

[dannc]

Regarding people getting into cruising and young people....

We are certainly one of the few people we know who want to buy a boat and go, having said that, the school where we go for ASA classes has a full schedule, both for the classes, and boat rentals.

I know a couple that might be around 30, who a few years ago, bought a mooring ball on the other side of the country and they did not even have a boat. The eventually moved across country and are taking classes last I heard. At some point, they will get a boat and live on it.

They are different in wanting to go sailing, but the WHY they want to go sailing, I see in other people of their age. They have seen their parents work, and work, and work and end up with just some material things, if they are lucky. They have seen parents be loyal to a company and then get laid off and thrown away. Many of the young people I work with see this reality and they are not going down the path of their parents. Some of them have already experienced being laid off, not because they were bad employees, but simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Competence and work ethic did not prevent them from be laid off.

This is even happening China of all places. Young people are seeing that the 996 schedule, i.e., working from 9:00am to 9m, six days a week is NOT getting them ahead and making money. Instead they are getting laid off after sacrificing precious time. In other words, the limited reward for their hard work is not worth the cost to them personally.

I think there will be plenty of young people getting into cruising but it will ebb and flow with the demographics and economy.

Later,
Dan

 

[Jeff F]

As slowgoesit pointed out, the familiarity with the systems is a big benefit. Both when you need to fix something in an unfamiliar place and just for generally being able to pick out when an issue is developing.

Right. My lifetime experience with cars, boats and other machinery is that if you understand how they work and pay attention to them they will rarely leave you stranded.

Making systems bomb-proof for know-nothing users makes for more complicated and expensive systems, which themselves need expert setup.

If my kids want to take up boating they're not going to do it owning a 50' boat. If they do I'll be living in one of their spare homes

 

[Jeff F]

I think there will be plenty of young people getting into cruising but it will ebb and flow with the demographics and economy.

I agree. But specific to this thread, what kind of boat are they looking for?

I almost set out to see the world when I was in my twenties on my small sailing boat. I've got a somewhat larger sailing boat now, and would be gone in it if I were 20 years younger. Now I'm eyeing a bigger sailing boat in lieu of trawler, and it's a tough sell for me.

I kinda suspect young people are not enamored with trawlers. It took me a long time to get there.

 

[Hippocampus]

Speaking with my kids and their friends they are more open to electric and hybrid. Small sample but not unlikely generalizable.
One son-in-law is looking to get a small(~24’) electric boat to fish with his kids. Currently has gas and is done fighting with the outboard. Also looking for rack storage where he can charge while on the rack.

 

[psneeld]

Always hard to tell what people will do with their lives.

I started as a kid sitting on the beach, thinking of Columbus (didn't know any better back then), staring at the horizon....longing for the day I sailed over it.

So I went though the kid fishing stage where I got invited out a lot, the sailing phase with liveaboard for years hoping the first wife would sail around the world with me in retirement years, then back to center console fishing, upgraded to mid sized sportfish to fish and second liveaboard, graduating to a trawler liveaboard and snowbirding for 10 years...and now have the canoe for high mountain trout lakes as I have always said was the old timers retirement boat.

Yep all over the map...probably because few segments of boating don't appeal to me. Like the kayaking years I squeezed between big boat years where I built a Folboat skin on frame kayak.

Got 2 boys who fished and cruised and assistance towed with me.... one (36) will never get beyond PWCs and the other (33) is starting with family sized pontoon boats (lives near Dallas, TX). Who knows what their path will follow.

 

[Art]

My son loves the water and all type boats! Brought up in Camden/Rockport/Rockland towns on Maine's Penobscot Bay. Currently lives in Dana Point CA with ocean views. Unfortunately... his wonderful, loving wife is instantly sea sick from any boat movement...

 

[dannc]

I agree. But specific to this thread, what kind of boat are they looking for?

I almost set out to see the world when I was in my twenties on my small sailing boat. I've got a somewhat larger sailing boat now, and would be gone in it if I were 20 years younger. Now I'm eyeing a bigger sailing boat in lieu of trawler, and it's a tough sell for me.

I kinda suspect young people are not enamored with trawlers. It took me a long time to get there.

They were looking at catamarans since they want to go sailing AND the mooring they own is limited in the length it can support. A cat would provide more room and fit the swing limitation on the mooring.

The thread is about boat prices not the type of boat.

Later,
Dan

 

[Gary Brickell]

I'd hazard a guess that people who own boats in this class (or aspiring owners) have investment portfolios. YTD, DJIA is down 14%; S&P down 19%; NAS 29%; and R2K 24%. Further, I'd guess many (most?) of buyers are within line-of-site of retirement heightening the concern. If they seek financing, a home equity loan is likely the least expensive route yet still, on a $250k loan, payment would be about $300/mo higher this year than last year due to increased interest rates. And that's best case (Home Equity Loan). Finally, the Covid-induced flight to outdoor activities is in the rear-view mirror.

I don't have a dog here - I'm not a buyer, not a seller. Just a guy who has the same boat I've had for 23-years that burns 1gph because that's the speed I like to go. Whether that costs $3/hr or $6/hr just won't make a difference in my world.

Peter

Totally agree Peter. My fully refitted forty year old Trawler only sips 7 liters per hour, and even with the price of Canadian gas, that is a cheap ride. My slip neighbour with a 1200hp Donzi consumes $500./hour to have his fun.

 

[OldDan1943]

Just because you have a boat that can go 20 knots, WOT, doesnt mean you have to go WOT.

 

[Art]

Just because you have a boat that can go 20 knots, WOT, doesnt mean you have to go WOT.

Our 34' 17,000 lb. dry weight / 20,000 lb. fully loaded weight Tollycraft hits 23 +/- knots at WOT with twin 350 cid., 255 hp. Mercruisers. In 14 years I've had her go WOT three times. Once for 3 minutes during initial sea trial. A second time for about 2 minutes to get well away from the line up of several boats with stupid captains. A third time for about 3 minutes testing a super tune up and carburetor adjustments. = Fuel usage stats I'll never need to know!

85% of the time we cruise at 7 knots; which is just under our hull's 7.58 knot hull speed. She uses just under 3 gals per hr. at that speed = 2.33 nmpg. - Mellow cruise and fairly economical!

On full plane at 16 to 17 knots she averages 1 nmpg - Fun, but gets pretty costly!

Using only one engine at 4.5 to 5 knots = 3 +/- nmpg - Low cost, but too slow!

 

[FlyWright]

My boat is not just for recreation or transportation...it's a lifestyle. As much as I love my house of 32 years (and I REALLY love my house), I'd rather sell the house than sell my 45 yr old boat of 15 years. Many trips ranging from 2 weeks-106 days to every corner of the CA Delta and many areas of the SF Bay always with both Perkins diesels running. I get 2.25 NMpG at 7.5 Kts (3.3USG/hr). Even when fuel inevitably reaches $6/gal, it'll still be less than $20/hr in fuel.

For me, the process of getting there is more than half the fun. My only question is how long will I be able to find and afford diesel fuel on the water? My state seems to have its eyes set on eliminating fossil fuels from our diet. If I'm blessed, it'll collapse only after I depart this beautiful world we've been given.

 

[Art]

My boat is not just for recreation or transportation...it's a lifestyle. As much as I love my house of 32 years (and I REALLY love my house), I'd rather sell the house than sell my 45 yr old boat of 15 years. Many trips ranging from 2 weeks-106 days to every corner of the CA Delta and many areas of the SF Bay always with both Perkins diesels running. I get 2.25 NMpG at 7.5 Kts (3.3USG/hr). Even when fuel inevitably reaches $6/gal, it'll still be less than $20/hr in fuel.

For me, the process of getting there is more than half the fun. My only question is how long will I be able to find and afford diesel fuel on the water? My state seems to have its eyes set on eliminating fossil fuels from our diet. If I'm blessed, it'll collapse only after I depart this beautiful world we've been given.

AL - I appreciate your life style. Keep On... Keepen On!!

 

[dannc]

...
For me, the process of getting there is more than half the fun. My only question is how long will I be able to find and afford diesel fuel on the water? My state seems to have its eyes set on eliminating fossil fuels from our diet. If I'm blessed, it'll collapse only after I depart this beautiful world we've been given.

Exactly. I can see the need for speed in some cases but I would rather avoid those cases.

Once upon a time, we were in on a trawler in Scotland and Ireland doing 5-6 knots. It was too FAST! While we want to go back to Scotland and Ireland by boat, and spend years there, who knows if that will happen. I wanted to absorb as much as I could and 5-6 knots was just too danged fast!

Where we go sailing, part of the trip is on the ICW for a short distance. We have been up and down that stretch of water to get to the ocean many, many times doing 4-5 knots. Now, sometimes we want to got faster because we are trying to tie up before the storm hits or it gets dark, but most of the time we are ok with the put put speed. We STILL see things we have never seen before. Not sure how we missed seeing things, but we have, maybe we need to go slower. :lol:

Later,
Dan

 

[smitty477]

If a key metric of your boating life includes fuel use it is likely best to not move.