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I have been an avid boater for most of my life, but it is not for everyone. Here is a link to a boat club on Lake Wylie that will allow you to experience boating without purchasing one.
Find some friends who own a boat..Your life will be easier and cheaper....
There's already a community pool..Maybe a hot tub and a camper..Take the kids to visit some great national parks our country has to offer..I guarantee they'll remember that over a day at the pool..
I think I would buy something esle as well. A boat will be something you will have to continue to poor money into for various reasons. A pool in not a one time deal either though. Someone once told me it cost around $500 a month to keep a pool up. I think it will make your home owners go up as well.
There has to be something else you could spend your money on unless you are dead set to get one or the other. If you make me choose, then I would say a boat since you have a community pool.
I like the idea of a few nice vactions.
Nice pun with "poor". It was a pun, wasn't it?
I agree with many of the posters here. I haven't owned a boat but I have friends that do. Without exception they didn't realize how much of an event going boating is unless you can just walk down the dock and hop in. Except for the one who bought his last year, there does seem to always be some expense beyond what you see with a used car.
Haven't owned a pool either, but the idea that having a community pool greatly lessens the appeal of owning your own pool seems to make sense. And I too have heard that it may well lower your property value, and will certainly narrow the buyer pool (pun intended) when it comes time to sell. Safety is a concern as well, too many tragic stories.
I'd buy a sports car. OK, not family oriented, but they could ride along, albeit one at a time, right?
I grew up with a boat and a pool. Now I have my own home and won't purchase either! The boat is a lot of work, maintenance, up keep, more costs, etc. Yes it is nice when you get on the water, but for me it's not worth the headache or the costs. The pool is the same: cleaning it, taking care of it, more costs every year. I'd rather join a pool or use the community one for free without all the hassle. I agree with everyone else- use the money for something else! :-) Although, I'd love a hot tub!
We have a pool. When our 3 kids were very young, it was GREAT. It was the full summer entertainment for them and friends. We rarely if ever heard 'I'm bored'. The boys especially would swim for hours. I also love water, so I enjoyed it too. My husband, who does most of the upkeep, is not as found of it!
Having said that, after having one for 9 years and with kids now old enough to bike and hang out at a nearby pool, it is a bit of a hassle and cost.
Never have owned a boat. Some friends did and sold it within 2 years. They bought a canoe and said that was MUCH better (cheap, no maintenance and good exercise!).
I agree with the pool in the yard if you have a community pool. With small kids any houses with pools were automatically discarded by us.
Why waste time on the upkeep of a pool if you have a "free" one nearby?
Also my father-in-law had several boats during his life. He always said the two happiest times in a boater's life is when you get your boat and when you sell your boat.
The biggest question you should ask is which would you realistically use. I had a cabin cruiser and as much as I wanted to take it out during the week, I had to have someone else to help when docking if it was windy (single engine). It just sat there in the slip not getting used. Just getting the wife and/or friends together to get out got to be too much of a pain. I got lucky and got it out of the water before the drought and sold it before the economy tanked (I've actually profited on boats. Rare, I know).
I've now got jetskis. One for me, one for the wife. Hers is a 3-seater and mine is a 2-seater. I can ride solo, don't have to worry about needing help on windy days, etc. The only downside is its just as expensive to run as a boat. That and you'll get beat to death if the water is rough.
Chose wisely. Refunds are hard to get on pools or boats.
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