I know. I like Cape Coral too and for some reason I like punishment and search Realtor in that area. If I could I would but Tampa/clearwater is my home and we are hopefully starting a biz in 2015 so I am here to for a good bit.

You would not believe how many people I got into high performance boating with a ride in my 32 Skater. I always tried to give as many rides in my Skater and Nortech, your doing a good thing on giving up rides. BTW I know of your 36, your going to have a fun with that boat

IMO, one of the most interesting threads I've red on OSO. I started at 18, bought a 18 Miller jet boat with a 455 olds. Blew up the motor and jet, replaced it Chevy-Berkley. My passion for boating and always wanting something bigger and better from the Miller I started with is a factor why I'm financially comfortable today. It push me to make more money by expanding my company and figuring out how to accumulate more income to be comfortable and step up for bigger and better. I remember at the age of 18 heading to Lake Nacimento with $200 In my pocket, Girlfriend now wife, and friends and whatever it took to boat we would make it work. Now I'm on my 13th boat and don't plan on stopping. Boating's not the same today but its still fun and rewarding.

[QUOTE=chris21hope;4229769]You nailed it. There's no doubt that the cost of gas, insurance, etc, has played a huge role in fewer young people getting into the go fast world, but the lack of affordable boats is an issue that hasn't been mentioned in this thread enough.

I can think of a bunch of high-end builders and several that I would consider to be 'good,' but I can't think of a single one building entry level boats anymore. Is there anything new(ish) for less than 75k?

This problem in combination with an aging (and thus harder to finance) fleet of 'entry level' boats makes it pretty tough for anyone to enter the sport without some serious cash.[/QUOTE

There are deals out and cash is king. A person has to be ready to buy when the time is right and don't be scared to make a offer, It is still a buyer's market due to the fact that the banks are still not loaning money on boats. I had my 288 sold 3 times until they got word from the bank and either could not get a loan or the terms were not right. Most of the guys were trying to borrow the full amount on a 2001 boat. The pic below is the 288 I sold.

A lot of what younger people do in life is influenced by the way they are brought up. Have a 85 Mistress that I was going to sell and my 14 year old said "Dad if I do good in school can I have the Mistress for my first boat and finish it"? Beats the hell out of video games. I'm sure he will be dumping money into fiberglass pushing his ass across the Great Lakes just like dad.

Reason there are good deals and cash is king is because so few have it these days..

Banana Boat Co. lists their 24' starting around $50k on the website, I'm guessing there are other companies that are under $75k for new entry level boats (Superboat, Progression, maybe?). Now couple the fact that the average 20-something doesn't know these companies exist, and same have no idea regarding the commissioning of a custom build, and it's a niche market. Regardless of age, most people who see a go-fast automatically assume it's either a Cigarette or Baja, and the same people have no interest in waiting a year for a boat when they can go buy a Rinker, Scarab, or Bayliner off the showroom floor. Can't blame the custom builders, the margin on the entry level boats has to be rather smallish. Can't blame a buyer, because coughing up cash to start a build is certainly harder than signing on a dotted line.

The reason I sold my boat-Right now I'm building a top of the line first gen camaro with all new aftermarket suspension and a LS2 for less than a used 26-28 ft boat. And the best part I can insure it for less than $200/year and it will actually go up in value! We def. miss boating and will probably get another in the future, but more along the line of a sporty CC.

I don't think anything is wrong with this generation, just different priorities.

Nice swinger fasthawk6. We have a 68 GTS.
Back on topic.

That is the key, I did it with both boats I have purchased and my new streetglide. The problem nowadays is no one saves, it's more about what is it going to cost a month.

Depends...I save plenty, just don't like to part with cash, especially with low interest rate's....I can make more money off the money I have while paying interest on a loan, vs paying cash to flat out own. As long a interest is cheap, it is the only way to do it....

I had zero problems getting the bank to hand me out a loan to cover a used boat purchase....