From: Jonathan Haas <panc_jefe@yahoo.com> Marin: I do not at all question the 10 percent estimate and this isn't the first time I've seen it cited. What I can't quite figure out is why a $500,000 boat would cost twice as much to maintain as a $250,000 boat. It would seem that a newer boat, of a similar make/model, would cost less to maintain than an older boat. We are looking at buying a boat and trying to decided whether to buy a new boat (with less upkeep and maintenance) for more money or an older cheaper boat (with more upkeep and maintenance). As the owner of an 1860s house, I can attest that the maintenance costs (even doing much of it myself) are significantly higher than the costs of a brand new, well-built home. Can anyone help me out here, or give me some references I can look at? Jonathan Haas "Faure, Marin" <marin.faure@boeing.com> wrote: The general rule of thumb is that the overall annual ownership costs of a boat averages ten percent of the purchase price of the boat. So a $100,000 boat, $10,000 per year ownership cost. This includes moorage, insurance, fuel, haulouts, maintenance, repairs, upgrades and all the other 1,001 things that have to be done to keep a boat on top of the water. Some years will be less, some more, and ownership costs will be mitigated somewhat if you are willing or able to perform some of the maintenance and repair jobs yourself. But over time that ten percent per year figure seems pretty accurate. ______________________________ C. Marin Faure GB36-403 "La Perouse" Bellingham, Washington