On the whole, we're just to broke. Engineers like myself have to compete with floods of Indians and Chinese, but we're mostly getting by ok. We can buy modest houses and jet skis at this point, or small run abouts. That what my friends have, but our incomes are about double the national average household income. So that's def not the average gen Y or millennial.

Lawyers are graduated at twice the rate that they are needed and their incomes have absolutely plummeted. Not that you're going to catch me shedding a tear for ambulance chasers. But in the boom times they made more than enough to buy nice boats.

The AMA has severely limited the number of students accepted to medical programs. Not that they'd even be making any money yet at my age, but getting close.

If your parents weren't rich or generous, lots of these folks will be servicing 100k+ in student loan debt. That's your slip fee and boat payment right there.

I'm a 1985er. If you would have told me 10 years ago in high school how much I'd be making now, yet still not own a boat, I'd have called you crazy. Inflation is a *****. And I have terribly expensive taste.

In summary, I make 1/3 or my parents peak household income during the dot com boom of the late 90s-2000. Adjusted for real inflation that's probably more like 1/5. And I'm not holding out hope for any sort of miraculous recovery in the near term.

Kurt, you have it all wrong, they were giving you a compliment (kind of).

From urban dictionary:
To enhance a word positively. As in "Playaz Circle - Stupid".
"I got a bankroll, stupid bankroll". Means so big it's outrageous.

Keith - I hope you didn't go into engineering for the money!!! If so, some guidance counselor steered you wrong!!!

I come from an entire family of engineers and they all did it because they enjoyed it - not because they ever believed it would make them rich. In my mind the great thing about engineering is you make a solid living from day one and you might have to save and buy that nice boat a little later in life than some other profession. These days - that's probably a best case scenario......

Don't get too discouraged man - you'll get what you want eventually. Timing sucks for buying boats (from a lending standpoint)................

My brother is a born in 85 engineer - every time he jumps off my boat and heads home with no cares in the world I think to myself that he's the smart one and I'm the dumb ass.

Times are hard anywhere and personally I have skimped my toys to minimum and stashed them. And Yes I feel good this way too. I'm born -67.
Seems the younger guys like it this way also, so much easier.

Regarding powerboats newer used boats will hold in value and straigthbottoms are coming sadly obsolete. Nobody want's to have the ownerships costs of a wave crusher nowadays, and those that can swing one can't maintain it. Thenagain the newer boats are for people who usually can so there goes the divider. Straightbottoms will always be at rockbottom prises in the future and step bottoms not just because of the fact that at cruise speed they zip less fuel. At WOT no boat is running on the steps but the rear pad/bottom

Yep, seeing so many indebted people get in trouble once they lost their lost their income has made some of us quite conservative. Thankfully my roommate has a boat, so the itch hasn't been to bad.

I'm a Mechanical engineer and I figured out 25 years ago that the diploma alone wasn't enough. I used my education to learn as much as I could about all that I could and became a licensed contractor in several disciplines.

My advice to you younger guys: take the test and get a State Certification in one or more related fields to your degree. I doubled my income by qualifying contractors in different trades.
Get your licence and maintain the CEU's required to keep it. Trust me...it will make a difference. Additionally...get a PE certification in your state...it makes a difference.

There is a lot of truth in this post for the majority of 80's and younger generations.

I agree with Nate and Machloosey also. I was born in '80, was into cars with my buddies, and now we are in our late 20's/early 30's. My family had a SeaRay 290 in the early 2000's and I grew up on a family friend's Bajas. About 5 years ago as my buddies and I started buying homes, getting married, and having kids, it started to get harder to hang out and do the "car thing". Slowly, we sold off our hot-rods and 4 years ago I bought a 2006 Baja 20 Outlaw for cash as a more family friendly hobby. Turns out the wives were all about boating and had no problem getting 'sitters lined up for a day boating. I traded up to a 292 Islander last year because the wives wanted more interior space and be more versatile. We take our friends on poker/fun runs also. For a lot of people my age group, the money just isn't there for a luxury like boating due to a bad job market with low paying jobs out there (even for college grads). All my friends love boating and wish it was more affordable to own one but are more than happy just going with us. As for my boat plans, I'm either keeping the Baja openbow and getting a used small cat with twin inboards for doing poker runs or selling the Baja and ordering a new 33AT the way I want it. I may be younger but I'm smart enough to know that cash is king in this new economy. If I spend it, it has to give the most "bang for the buck".

As far as boat values, they are only worth what someone is willing to pay and like I said earlier the job market sucks since there is a huge supply and little demand. Falling wages are happening for the jobs available also.

Plowtownmissile is a smart dude for being 32 years old. He's gonna do just fine.

See, there is hope for the younger generation :D

Plowtownmissile, I assume you're in peoria?

I PM'd you.