Wealth ! . . . How Yacht Owners Are Perceived

[sailorchic34]

Is boating, oops I mean yachting a luxury? Sometimes if you have enough money. For me however, my sailboat is not a luxury, its my home and pretty much all I own. Oh I never ever run with the big dogs either.....

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Is boating, oops I mean yachting a luxury? Sometimes if you have enough money.

That's a good quote. Sums it up rather nicely.

[SaucySailoress]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

The demands on them are great, so the solutions are even greater…

The custom yachts they bankroll are the leading edge in craftsmanship and technology, funding modern day artisans to their maximum potential.

It is the best example of capitalism, by spreading the wealth in support of talented innovators and builders

Why do some fellow yachtsmen resent that?

I don't think anyone has said they resent wealthy yachties and their yachts. I think what folks are saying, on the whole, is that:

1. It's unfair that ALL yachties are perceived as wealthy due to their having a yacht.
2. It's unfair the revenue services perceive us as wealthy, even if our yacht is our primary residence.

[smurphny]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Smurphny, in Australia they call it the “tall poppy syndrome”

That's an interesting saying. Can you tell a little more about its meaning? Being a retired English teacher, I think sayings/idioms from other cultures are fascinating.

[GordMay]

The “tall poppy syndrome” is slang for the tendency to criticize highly successful people or those who have a high ego (ie, tall poppies), and 'cut them down'.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by smurphny

That's an interesting saying. Can you tell a little more about its meaning? Being a retired English teacher, I think sayings/idioms from other cultures are fascinating.

If the English are involved I believe it's called " tall Pommy syndrome ".

[capn_billl]

Owning a boat, (unless you are a commercial fisherman), does take some financial planning.

Example there are several nice areas in the US that are beautiful, and cheap to live in, but I can't live there... Because there are no jobs I can do , (in that area), that will allow me to live even in a house that is free.

I suppose I could try growing my own food, but a diet of dried pea's, and radishes would get old after a while. So I would need to get some animals for food like cows, chickens, and goats. But I still would need to pay taxes, and buy seeds. I could sell the excess at a local market, (more taxes), and at the low prices I would get, I would need to grow a lot. I could use a tractor to grow much more than by hand, but since I don't own one I need to buy, (woops tractors are expensive), get a loan to buy one, now I need two tractors to grow enough to pay the tractor loan...Now I am a struggling farmer.

Nah it's cheaper and easier to just stay where I am, and keep saving for that boat...(yacht???)

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

Owning a boat, (unless you are a commercial fisherman), does take some financial planning.

Example there are several nice areas in the US that are beautiful, and cheap to live in, but I can't live there... Because there are no jobs I can do , (in that area), that will allow me to live even in a house that is free.

I suppose I could try growing my own food, but a diet of dried pea's, and radishes would get old after a while. So I would need to get some animals for food like cows, chickens, and goats. But I still would need to pay taxes, and buy seeds. I could sell the excess at a local market, (more taxes), and at the low prices I would get, I would need to grow a lot. I could use a tractor to grow much more than by hand, but since I don't own one I need to buy, (woops tractors are expensive), get a loan to buy one, now I need two tractors to grow enough to pay the tractor loan...Now I am a struggling farmer.

Nah it's cheaper and easier to just stay where I am, and keep saving for that boat...(yacht???)

No such thing as a "poor" farmer!

[dave777]

Originally Posted by sww914

I don't say I have a yacht, it's a sailboat. Yachts are shiny and have crew with matching undies. I'm almost out of undies. I'm not buying a stitch of clothing until this boat is ready to cruise.

Undies? What new regulation is this? Surely the Captain and favorite crew need not start wearing undies.

But seriously, as the real estate market continues its crash, where will the State and local governments look to support their own staffing and benefits bubbles? While maintenance and storage costs for boats has always seemed high, at least it's our decision and we can pick and choose the most competent and respectful for our hard earned dollars. I can't help but feeling like boat owners have targets painted on them for hungry beaurocrats.

Last time they tried to soak boaters, they had a 10% tax on new boats over $100K. It destroyed the boat builders, and a study showed it cost governments many times the supposed revenue in unemployment costs. Boaters could use a lobby like truckers have.

[Sam Plan B]

It is not what your country can do for you. Neither is it, what can you do for your country. The question is just this, what can you do for yourself.

[senormechanico]

These days, it's "Watch out for what your country wants to do TO you."

[Dick Pluta]

Originally Posted by smurphny

That's an interesting saying. Can you tell a little more about its meaning? Being a retired English teacher, I think sayings/idioms from other cultures are fascinating.

Aussie variation on "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down". Unfortunately, we boaters tend to stick up a bit. We are self reliant and take pride is our individuality. For that individuality we pay a price. Unlike the owners of those huge RVs, we probably don't belong to the UAW or AFSCME, so we don't have influential lobbyists courting our "representatives" to get us favors. We're mostly not doctors, so the AMA doesn't lobby for us to get extra Medicare payments because our practices aren't making enough money. We do get the benefit of the tax deduction for a second home, but only because the tax guys slipped up on that one and didn't exclude us. Not that they didn't try. Those of us who are older remember how hard they tried to prove a boat wans't a vacation residence.

Everybody gets taken care of except those of us who are proud of our ability to take care of ourselves. The only consolation is that when the whole mess blows up, when the RV dealer lots are full of repossessed RVs and the For Sale signs on the front lawns are even more numerous than they are now, you'll be able to look out at the water and see, anchored in a sheltered cove, a boater who is taking care of himself because, unlike many others, he can.

Dick Pluta
AEGEA

[Randal Johnson]

I would never go into a hardware store anywhere in the world and say "I need to buy a bolt for my yacht".

[IdoraKeeper]

The boat yard thinks I am wealthy, but I am not.
My friends think I am wealthy and neither I nor they are.
I just have a decent union job and a family that has always been on the water. It's so middle class it's not funny.

I love my boat and generally don't care what anyone thinks...power boaters with 60' frp boats think I am trash cause Idora is wood.. the coastguard likes me cause I move so slow..can't please em all.

Todd

[IdoraKeeper]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

These days, it's "Watch out for what your country wants to do TO you."

Now Steve, how is that government mandated sex change working out for you? They are even forcing Dell to paint his dream boat yellow... what next? Copper free bottom paint?

Todd