Time, Health, and Money…According to the white coat scientist and hipster marketing types, those are supposedly the only driving appeals that motivate we humans to come off our hard earned cash. Meaning every boat, candy bar, song download, or fishing lure ever bought is somehow related to one of those factors. So assuming the big brains and fancy reports have it right, let’s look at why science says you’ll buy a boat.
1) Time
There’s a definite stretch of even the most creative marketing minds to say that a boat will save you time. As any boat owner can attest, at the end of the fun everyone leaves and that’s when the captain becomes the first mate. Following the boat clean-up there’s a promise to scratch a few names of the next passenger manifest for not helping, but there’s an honest peace-of-mind that comes from a day on the water. Put another way, a boat is a great platform for quality time.
Unlike the office, out on the water, there’s personal conversation, smiles, laughter, and time well spent with a somewhat captive audience. (see: 10 Items You Need On Your Boat) The time clock is typically an afterthought and mobile phones are replaced with fishing poles and tow toys. With each trip, you’re in captain’s chair, and the CEO of your own floating social network.
In reality, a boat won’t save time, but it will deliver the opportunity for some of that much needed, “me” or “we” Q.T. with family and friends.
2) Health
One thing you’ll never hear an action hero say, “step away from the keyboard if you want to live”, but your doctor certainly will. With our lives engulfed with backlit screens, emails, text messages, and status updates, there’s considerable value to just going outside. Circling back to the Harvard white coats, they claim “50% of men and women over the age of 65 are vitamin D deficient.” Now if you’re thinking, “I’m not 65!” you will be and the hard truth is that as we age, we spend less and less time outside.
Vitamins aside, the state of California’s Resources Agency says, “an estimated 7 in 10 American adults are not regularly active during their leisure time.” That statistic is no surprise as
our social media obsessions and online interactions are on the uptick which there’s a root cause connection between screen time and our lack of good old sunshine.
So considering your health and your floating oasis, one of the greatest features of any boat is that they don’t work so well indoors. The point, a boat is a great investment towards stress relief (and some sunlight) for the entire clan.
Side note: The sun can be equally harmful so be sure to include sunscreen as part of these 10 essential items on your boat.
3) Money
If you haven’t heard the expression, “The best day in a man’s life is when he buys a boat, the next when he sells it” you’re probably a boat newbie. The cliché’ aside, the cost of family recreation and just about everything else is on the rise. If you’ve taken the family out for a movie and some ice cream, you’ve no doubt wondered where your $200.00 went? Understanding this and considering the value of a dollar isn’t what it once was, many are finding solace in investing in more fixed-cost recreation. The end state, a boat will be a predictable budget line for the family’s fun money.
Finally, considering that interest rates are still rather low, there’s truly never been a better time to purchase a boat as you’ll save considerably on loan costs. Mix those savings along with aggressive manufacturer and dealer incentives, and boat buying for less while saving on family recreation is no longer a fantasy, it’s reality.
Boat Shopping?
Before you buy, check out our recent post “The Best Boat for Your Needs” as a useful resource.
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