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Definition of a Boat
The old classic definition of a pleasure boat is "a hole in the ocean into which you throw money until you sink". Apparently, there's a lot of sinking going on lately.
Unlike cars, wooden and fiberglass boats have virtually no scrap value. So rather than pay the high cost of hauling their boats to the dump, people ditch them or sell them for as little as $1 to anyone who will take them. The boats often break up and go under, or pass into the underground economy of nighttime scuttlers_ who, for a fee, remove traceable identification numbers, strip out salvageable items and sink the vessels. ed.z.: what with the projected upcoming mass global coastal flooding, one might think boats would retain value..but I guess having to wait for this to happen gets to be expensive. Either way, apparently there are some real bargains out there now if one is in the market. I am just wondering how feasible it might be as a cheap living arrangement to try and cram a $1 90 foot yacht in a 100 foot diameter small bass pond...just a thought...I also wonder how many universities are stocking up on research vessels this way, seems most any commercial fishing boat or large ocean going craft of some description might be a somewhat good candidate for retrofitting. The fishing boats roll a little (*snicker*), but sure have some room to them.