I don't know anything about boat but I want one

[JimS123]

Its impossible to put a percentage on boat ownership because of all the variables involved. 40' or 14'? Dockage or garage storage? Do own maintenance or have a dealer do it? Road gas or marina gas? Etc.

We bought a 19' I/O bowrider in 1984. Brand new and paid cash. Always trailered and garage kept. All my own maintenance except every 5 years had a mobile mechanic come to the house and go over the engine and outdrive. Other than oil, bellows, plug wires and impellers I never had to put a dime into it. When I sold it it was pristine and the first buyer bought it without haggling the price that was more than double blue book. My cost was $600 a year, which included gas and insurance.

It was replaced with a 2019 model that was an OB instead of an I/O. Same storage and usage conditions. So far my only expense has been oil and filters and I did it all myself. $300 for insurance and 8 gal of gas every time out.

Dockage where I live would be in the $2K/year range, and the boat wouldn't stay as nice.

In contrast to these examples, my little 14' tinny cost me $600 when I bought it used and I've had it since 1986. Two bucks worth of gear oil each year and spark plugs every 3 years has been my total expense.

 

[04fxdwgi25]

I always found the major expense of a used / older boat is getting it back up to snuff, as other's ideas of maintenance swing wildly.

After that, annual routine GOOD maintenance is about $500 - $700 (if you do it yourself and not including initial outlay for specific tools) on a Mercruiser powered boat with a Bravo out drive. Big expenses would be exhaust manifold / risers and drive unit repairs, if needed.

Maintenance of boat used in salt water will be higher than fresh water, obviously.

 

[dingbat]

My annual maintenance expenses on a 225 HP, outboard powered boat run in saltwater consists of two tubes of grease ($9) to flush the wheel bearings on the trailer, a fuel filter ($25), quart of lower unit oil ($20), quart of Sta-Bil ($18) and a water pump kit ($125/2) every other year.

 

[tpenfield]

I have spent about the same amount on maintenance and operation each year over the past 15+ years . . . $3-5K, depending on my desired improvements or repair needs. This spans the 3 powerboats that I have owned.

On some of the boats it was 10-15% of the purchase price/value . . . on the more expensive boats, it was more in the 2-3% range.

Of course the person that I bought my latest boat from was spending about $20K per year, because he was at a marina and was totally hands-off in terms of maintenance. YMMV.

A good approach would be to compile a budget of anticipated cost based on your particular situation and depth of your toolbox and related skill set.

 

[garbageguy]

Hello, I live about 2 hrs from Galveston Beach. I'm interested in owning a boat that I can use for fishing and "relaxing". So I want one with a small cabin. My budget is $100k to $200k (i plan on applying a loan).
I really don't know much about boats. Is there a course online that teach basics about owning a boat?

not sure what your boating experience is - owning and maintaining/operating are kinda separate things - even if you have many years of operating, maintaining, etc boats owned by others (your family and closest friends), finally owning your own boat(s) is different

if you, and your closest family/friends, have little-boat knowledge, your desire to learn on-line and jump to your stated idea seems far-reaching, from here. As the good people here have noted, go out a lot on others boats first