Reactions to your boat/yacht purchase

[DarkJester]

So I bought a boat. It's considered a Yacht by most standards. It's a 41 CMY. The word Yacht is in the name.
I guess by proxy, it's a yacht.
But that's not why I'm posting.
I'm curious to what you have experienced when you were buying your boat/yacht. It can be and has been a slow and sometimes stressful experience. Financing, down payments, insurance, coast guard registration, finding and paying for a slip, Survey, sea trial, learning where everything is, how to work everything, learning how to pilot the damn thing, etc. It sometimes can be a bit much. It's human nature to talk about things like that, put them out in the air, take some cleansing breaths, and share the experience with someone, even if it's just to vent a little.
How did your friends react? Your neighbors? Work Buddies?
Were their reactions positive?
Were they jealous?
Did you hear them grousing about you buying your boat? Did they make some remark about how much you must have spent on a boat and didn't paint your house, fix that old truck in your garage, or put that money where they think it should have been spent?
Did you lose friends, make new ones, or just become the island you have always wanted to be?
I get that boating isn't for everyone. If it was everyone would have a boat, and they don't.
I'm just curious. Is it just me? I know that people are people, and I can't change how they react. I'm okay with that.
Like I said I'm just curious how it went for you.

Jester

[Midnightsun]

My progression was so gradual nobody really said anything. Started piloting my father 12 ft aluminum with 6hp Johnson SeaHorse strapped to the back when I was 8 and gradually worked my way up for a total of 7 boats. Everyone who has ever known me has always seen me in a boat. Heck, even our grandson calls us grandpa boat and grandma boat. Transitioning from one to the next was a piece of cake mainly because of past experience. Only real challenging (for me) adjustment I had to make was when I first piloted twins, not easy to erase muscle memory from spinning the wheel to using throttles to manoeuvre. Needless to say it is now second nature to me with over 20 years on twins.

Sounds like this is your first boat and a rather big one to start off, in a couple of years you will be much more familiar with her and probably enjoying her to the max. There is a lot more to boating than a cooler, a few drinks and hopping into the water with friends and unfortunately some do not realize the dedication it takes to enjoy the water with their own boat. It's not all fun and games all the time, one must enjoy learning and working on the boat otherwise there is little hope in the long run.

Congrats on your purchase by the way and enjoy. Personally I have seen so many boats and configurations in my lifetime it is hard to imagine. That being said I have never seen a better layout in a boat this size yet. Enjoy.

[Cooler]

No offense, but you're over thinking this whole thing. Did you buy the boat for your pleasure/adventure, or for your friends? I will offer one opinion,...if you are struggling emotionally with the purchase, the actual ownership, maintenance, cost to run and everything else that is part of boat ownership is going to drive you bonkers! You're going to find out that any little snafu you have with the vessel is going to cost you 5X the amount you think. One scratch in the hull is going to be $1000.00. Fuel is going to be $600 to $1500 each time you top off. I think you may be setting yourself up for some stress. So, relax - don't worry...be happy! My advice is this, you're going to meet a bunch of new potential friends at the marina. Friends with a common interest,...boating. If someone is worried about you buying a boat instead of painting your house, they may not be a friend, but a judgmental person you don't need to be around. ( Unless it's your significant other ) Good luck & enjoy. er

[Alanna Mo Cree]

Congratulations on buying the boat! You will always find support and encouragement within the boating community.

We had a long break between our last boat and our Carver, but have pretty much always been around, on, or piloting boats. I generally don't bring it up outside boating circles unless someone asks or mentions their boat. We have met many new friends; our dock neighbors, marina staff, other boaters at parties. It's always been a positive experience.

One of the things you might notice is the difference in how a boater and a non-boater makes the same jokes. When a boater mentions B.O.A.T. meaning "break out another thousand" it has a certain wistfulness since that is just what we do. It means either a new boat toy to enjoy or one less thing to worry about on a maintenance list. A non-boater telling the same joke can seem pretty discouraging. That's okay. They probably never witnessed the sun rise over water so flat it looks like glass, or the strong family memories that come from a night at anchor with nothing to do but enjoy each other's company. My family treasures those memories way more than another thousand.

Your questions did remind me of a funny story when we first got the Carver. It was shortly after my birthday a few years ago so I texted my family group chat with my mom and sisters. They had all been out with me when we had a Regal 2665, so they generally knew the type of boating we did. We all have a family house on a lake in Wisconsin, so there were always pontoons or ski boats. The text exchange went like this...

Me: Got this for my birthday. Next time any of you are down we have to go out.

PXL_20220219_183851841.MP.jpg

Mom: Uh huh, sure you did!! LOL

Me: Spent half the day installing the XBox. Now the kids are happy.

IMG_20240623_105321.jpg

Mom: Nice and roomy on the inside. Whose boat is it?

Me: Coast Guard says it's mine.
<<Pic of pending USCG Documentation>>

Mom: Is really yours??? Wow!

So enjoy getting to know your new boat and, assuming this is your first boat, the boating lifestyle. You get to be "the friend with a boat" who can make it your own and do whatever you want, whenever you want, with your boat.

"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing… about in boats — or with boats. In or out of ’em, it doesn’t matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that’s the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don’t; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you’re always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you’ve done it there’s always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you’d much better not."
--The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

[DarkJester]

Thanks for the responses. You guys are awesome.

Best and warmest regards,
Jester