[Vasco]

A large part of the cost of owning a boat is wet and dry storage. Look into what marinas charge in your area. This is a cost you cannot get out of unless you own a house with a deep water slip. The cost varies from region to region and marina to marina from over $1000 to a few hundred per month. So before you buy check this out. Also check out your insurance costs. Your fixed costs will be storage and insurance. I would say that these fixed costs might be in the area of 3 to 5 thousand dollars in the Chesapeake. This is just a ballpark guess but others in your area might have a better number. After this you've got maintenance which,depending on your skills, can be mitigated by your own labour.

I have a 21 year old 36 foot boat and normally spend much less than $1000 a year on maintenance. But over the twenty one years I've had this boat my maintenance bill has averaged more than $1000 per year. I try and do everything myself but over the years new sails, new canvas and a new engine have upped the annual cost. These are major cost items so if you get a boat with good sails, good canvas and a good engine your maintenance costs over the next few years might only entail haul-outs and bottom painting. So what I'm saying is it all depends on the condition of the boat you buy but I'm trying to give you some idea.