The happiest day is when a man sells his boat? Can someone explain this lunacy to me?

[Reginald Bknham]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

GUILTY!

My favorite triangle that's for sure.
The Brazilian Triangle :P

[scarlet]

Originally Posted by hamburking

Preventative maintenance...gone!

How do I sleep?...dry as a bone, finally.

The new owner paid a fair price with all due consideration to the boat's features and defects. If you buy a 45 year old boat, for very little money, this is what you get. I fully disclosed the true condition of the boat. I doubt the surveyor found half the details I openly discussed. I helped the new owner after the sale, and spent hours with him going over the engine, electrical, plumbing, etc. He was no nube, he was experienced and competent...he knew what he was doing...and he was really really happy the day he bought the boat. Isn't there like a saying about that, about how the buyer and seller are both happy on that day, how does it go again?

So, the big question is... will you buy another boat?

[boatman61]

Yup.. The happiest day has been when I've sold my boat on a few occasions and for a variety of reasons.. I am currently on my 15th since 1985..😉
Started with a 7m wooden restoration.. changed to plastic.. then Wharram cats.. then back to mono's to live aboard.. cold UK winters and age.. and gf.
Others I bought just to have between boats like my Hurley22 and Corribee21 I sailed down from the UK.. the H22 was for the adventure and to see if I still had it.. Nov-Dec 08..
I deliver boats these days and much of my time is spent holding others folks boats together while mine rot at a berth gathering black mould shut up months at a time.. then I get on a guilt trip and move it to someone who'll use it.. the Corribee I gave to one of the guys in the marina.. I had been away a year and it showed.. sad for a boat to die like that.. neglect.
He's happily restoring her in his garden bit by bit.. so YES.. The day I Sell a Boat is a happy one...
However.. thats not to say I've never regretted selling one further down the line..
Whats that quote.. 'Seemed like a good idea at the time..' 😃😃😃

[Steamer]

Originally Posted by Reginald Bknham

The happiest day is when a man buys his boat and when he sells his boat.

Regret this saying is TRUE for a great deal of buyers, who purchase their boats with further re-sale in mind.

This sort Buyers buys their boats not actually for themselves, but for the NEXT owners, thinking in terms of "good investment value" only.

[54hollywood]

HD in Harley Davidson stands for Hundred Dollars! Any hobby pass time will cost some money. And will cost a fortune if you need someone else to do your work on then. I restore old cars and if I watch how you spend money one them and do the work I can usually come out with some fun and not loose much money. If a person thinks that a hobby should be profitable they need to be in as a profession. That make it just work.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Reginald Bknham

The happiest day is when a man buys his boat and when he sells his boat.


... live in cookie cutter breeder homes, drive androgynous cloned cars and have never owned a boat and have had some sort of psycho counseling from being locked in a cubicle/squirrel cage most of their adult life.
.

There are some great comments here but I particularly liked the "not happy but relieved" comment as well as your description of the huge cultural void otherwise known as the suburbs.

Too many get into boating with no understanding of what it takes to own a boat. This however is usually true of the other things they buy also.

[boatman61]

ROFLMTO.... Whoa..!! Judgemental bunch of warriors here... and some don't even have a boat

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

GUILTY!

LOL! I am so glad you did that! It was the first image that popped into my little brain at the mention of "white triangle"!!

See, I'm not crazy!

[tommyh]

People who make that comment know nothing about real boat ownership in the sense of how much a good boat means to us.
After I sold my first sailboat I was sick about it and it took a good 2 years to find the right one to replace it.
A lesson I often tell my sailboat owning friends.

[Don C L]

Another thought, another side of it: My boat, right now anyway, is not pretty. Paint is chipping off, wood needs to be replaced, supports built, etc. etc. Now the time has come to find the time and cash to do long needed maintenance. And I will. And she'll be real purty again. But in general my boat has done more caring for me than I have for it. There is nothing wrong with having a beautiful boat, but I'd, strangely, rather not have a bristol boat. Close to it maybe! Right now my kids can bang all over the boat and I don't mind too much. If I scratch it here or there, it's ok. I am very fond of my boat, though it may not sound like it! Perhaps, for a few, the overwhelming compulsion to keep a boat in bristol condition, or near it, is a disappointing or a nervous preoccupation, or overwhelming financial burden, and hence a big relief when released. I knew a guy who had a big beautiful yacht years ago. He was very wealthy, but he still fussed over his boat constantly. When he took his friends out for the weekend he fretted over having to touch up all the varnish. I only bring this up to say that if I had to sell, I'd miss my old boat, but I am not sure if my friend missed his when he sold. Don't confuse what I am describing with folks who love their boats and do lots of work on them out of a sense of joy and anticipation and satisfaction. I'll be doing that work soon too, but it will still be ok if my kids chip the rail or spill the hot cocoa all over the interior...

[coolboat30]

Hummm, I am surprised by the responses here. I have owned, used, loved, and sold several sailboats. I was always very happy when the boat sold. Whether I was moving out of the area, had already bought my next boat or whatever reason I was selling, I was always happy to stop paying, storage, or mooring, up keep, insurance etc. on a boat I wasn't using. Since boats usually take some time to sell, all those expenses can add up to enough to really decrease the net $ I actually realize from the sale. So yes, I am always happy when the boat sells. The longer it takes to sell the happier I am when it finally happens.

[Liam Wald]

I know that this is an old saying. But for me, while the happiest day buying may be true the happiest day selling is not.
I have owned 5 boats over the past 35 years and have grown to love them all to the point of feeling sadness when they sold. It was always like saying goodbye forever to a dear old friend.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by coolboat30

The longer it takes to sell the happier I am when it finally happens.

So, by extension, if it never sold you'd be infinitely happy?

[Grateful]

Wow, have I got it backward.

The last time I sold a boat I was heartbroken. Moving from Seattle to Chicago for work meant we'd be boat-less for a while.

The day we bought our current boat I was terrified, "Oh my god; is this the right boat? Are we paying the right amount? Was the survey accurate? This is a lot of money, please don't let me make a mistake here..."

I don't imagine I'll be too happy the day we sell this one either.

[FollowingCs]

Originally Posted by Reginald Bknham

The happiest day is when a man buys his boat and when he sells his boat.
I hear this all the time. <grrrr!!!!!>
They get this sort of look on their face and tell me this like they wrote it themselves and are very proud of this saying, and I have NEVER! heard this before.

This is more true of inland smaller boats. This was somewhat true when I sold my fish/ski boat in Ohio with 90 hp outboard. While the boat provided many good times, that last year of not using enough to justify owning it and all the work on it - not so good times.... and hence the saying.

~ Following Cs~