[jyl]

Tell me about boating - and assume I know nothing.

I have always loved boats, gone to boat shows, wooden boat centers, etc - generally favoring powerboats, sorry sailors - but never realistically thought I could/should own one. Seems like an endless money pit worse than any house, and also like something you needed to grow up with to be capable.

Then I started talking to friends who have boats.

One has a 35-ish foot powerboat - a SeaRay, maybe - that he keeps at a local marina on the Columbia River. He said the boat cost him $30K to buy, $5K/year for slip, insurance, maintenance, etc, and fuel varies but actually he mostly uses it as a waterside condo, maybe takes it out several times a year, just to putter on the river. He told me he wouldn't take it in the ocean, feels neither boat nor he are capable.

Another friend lived in Berkeley but worked in Modesto two days/week for a decade, and ended up buying a boat just to live on. Similar deal, rarely took it out, it was basically a floating bedroom, cheaper than renting an apartment or hotel rooms, when he was done with the job he simply sold the boat and broke even-ish.

My neighbor has one of the smaller Grand Banks trawlers, keeps it in a boathouse on the Columbia River, takes 1-3 weeks trips during the summer. He occasionally goes into the Pacific and up to Puget Sound, but other times only goes as far as Astoria.

So, here are my questions.

1. Realistically what does it cost to buy, moor, maintain and operate a 35-45' used power boat that is of a quality that you might hope to not lose a ton of money over ten years? Or is there no such thing?

2. Also realistically, how do you become competent and safe at operating said boat? Assume you're starting from zero.

I've done a fair bit of sea kayaking up and down the West Coast and Baja, but that's the only sort of "boat" I've even operated.