Uncle Dave

Don't remember the thickness of the arms,

- but the ball joint type mount I use is acon-

Ive had this bimini up at 85. Ive had to tighten the fabric up a bit over time, but its solid as a rock with three mount points on one side and 4 on the other.''

...and yes sadly, this sport is in a freefall plunge.




UD

tommymonza

I think it was more along the line of Enslaved Labor.

pstorti

iTrader: (2)

I already have the bimini top, Sunbrella but with aluminum frame and plastic hardware, except for the main mounts which are the quick release stainless ones I added on. So if I change the whole frame out for stainless and replace the straps with stainless poles and replace the plastic with stainless hardware I should be good to go. My bimini mounts behind my T-top right up against it and it is 8' x 8'. I got it from http://www.biminitopusa.com/home/index and it was cheap like less than $400. To buy all the stainless hardware and frame is another $350 or so. My boat tops out at 58 so max cruise for me is 50 and I usually run 35-45.

Fman

i would say i fall under todays generation. I am 26 married with 2 kids. own my own house, have 2 reliable cars, and just got a 88 formula 242 as my first boat. its the cost of owning a boat combined with todays living expenses which make it hard. We both work our butts off to get what we have. We make ok money for our age but far from great or well off. after paying our house payment, 1 car payment, health insurance through my work but it still cost me, contributing to our 401k, insurance for everything, daycare, putting money in savings, cost of raising 2 kids, then just every day living expenses someone my age can only dream of owning a boat let alone something 100k+. I had to settle for something 28 years old and even that was top of the budget. I do not know how some of you do it but I do not ever see owning a boat even over 30k in my life time.

pstorti

iTrader: (2)

Here it is on the boat

rak rua

I am early 50's, no kids or wives/ex wives.

If I had got married and had kids at a 'normal' age I would never have had enough money to enjoy the different boats over the years. I do admire younger people who work hard and manage to balance a home and family on a sensible income and still have enough left over for a boat.

I retired young and have had a few toys over the years, lost money on every single one of them. Some of my friends say they envy me for my lifestyle and can't believe how well I've done. The answer is simple, no kids. I simply point out, if they had never had kids and invested sensibly, they would be in my position or probably better. Cost of raising a family nowadays is horrendous. Comparing it to boat ownership, I think they've both gone up at about the same ridiculous rate. Take the money for baby gear, education, clothing, entertainment, holidays etc and put it in a boat fund, you'd have your dream boat!

That said, I've spoken to friends with kids and asked would you want to trade all your family experiences and raising kids for my boating adventures and early retirement? The answer comes back immediately, NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!

I take my hat off to anyone raising a family in the 21st century and if you can include ANY kind of boat as well then you're doing extremely well.

BTW, If there were more selfish people like me, there wouldn't be a younger generation so our hobby would be in ever deeper sh!t than it already is.

Make decisions in life, prioritize sensibly and run with it as best you can. Follow your heart and if you love boats, there will always be something out there in a budget that suits your priorities.

RR

Wasted Income

Good post Rak. Makes me slightly jealous, but at the same time, my time my own boating adventures wouldn't be as fun without my first mate, navigator, and boatswain.

My little girl's excitement for boating has almost eclipsed mine on most days...which makes me laugh, because I didn't think that was possible.

I feel fortunate that I am in a good financial position so that I can share my love for fast cars and cool boats with them, and I really enjoy watching the passion develop within them. Hopefully I can position them well enough to be successful on their own so that they can explore the sickness....er...I mean hobby on their own when they grow up.

Pokher Ace

This is depressing to read while I have 100k in drivetrain sitting here to put in a 20yr old boat.... 33yo now married with a 2.5yo and a 4month old.... I just cant imagine being broke for any other reasons lol

Knot 4 Me

If you want another hobby to break you buy a Jeep. I thought boat parts were expensive...

rvtransport

I am also lucky to have family that loves go fast boats. The other morning my wife was bringing my two kids to school and said maybe we should sell are big boat and buy a boat we could ski and fish from. My 12 year old daughter who is pretty quit and not out spoken told mom that she was a disgrace to the family! Me and my wife laughed about that one. I am raising some more kidds that can join our sickness. But is a great family sport. My 14 year old boy (going on 18) and his buddys are always excited to go boating.