[dmcummins]

Originally Posted by Dantilla

I bought my first boat when I was 20 years old. A flat bottom that would do 60 mph.

As soon as I bought it, I was told by some long time boaters: "You'll be amazed at how many friends you have".
Yeah, whatever....

I was amazed at how many friends I had!
Quite a few casual acquaintances all of a sudden acted as if we had been best friends for years. How shallow.

People that were mechanically inclined seemed to treat the boat well, and offer to help in various ways.
Others with no mechanical skill were clueless, and seemed to be just along for the fun. "Woo-Hoo! Dan is so lucky!"
....then off they trot, to go find ice cream or something.
Those were the people, that if they did offer to help, I would encourage them to go find ice cream or something, and leave me alone.

I've never had a boat that consumes huge amounts of fuel, so I generally make sure the tank is full before going out with friends so there is no need to stop at the gas dock. It avoids the debate over who pays for gas.

Boat ownership has been relatively inexpensive for me.
Only small, fairly fast & sporty boats that can sit on the trailer in the back of the airplane hangar all winter and not cost a dime.
Nothing with twin big-block V8s that suck several gallons per hour.

I was amazed at how many friends I had after I moved to SW Florida. Especially in January and February.