It's been a while since my last post. At that time, we had severe problems docking and leaving the slip due to currents. For 2012, we moved to a different marina, and have had relatively few problems docking or leaving and have come and gone as time permits. Yay. That's the good news. The bad is that I'm looking at how much I spent on repairs in 2012. New nonskid, reweld broken bow rail, repair A/C, reverse blisters on both sides of the hull with the mandatory repaint of the blue hull, mixing elbow replace, tach drive, new throttle cable, fuel line re-run with new vents, new batteries and charger, new bilge pump, and more that I conveniently would like to forget, as well as the normal bottom paint and zincs. All told, close to $20K.
I realize the cheapest part of owning a boat is the purchase price. But $20K for a 28' 2000 TE? My bank balance is looking pretty sick these days (maybe I should be like the feds and just print more money?
If this is an aberration, then I'll work at keeping the boat. If this is more the norm, she's gone, being replaced with a small center console. If I keep her, we'll be at a cheaper (and more sedate and more difficult to dock/leave) marina for 2013 et seq to help with the bank balance.
Advice from you long-time boat owners?
