Hobie Cat Forums

I just looking at my log book and realized that I've had my boat for six months and I've put about 220 miles on her and spent about 51 hours on her. That means, to date, I've spent $24.69 per mile or $106.50 a hour to use her. I have been averaging 4.31 mph though and my personal top speed is 13.3 mph.

The best thing about these numbers is: more use equals lower cost, higher ROI!

I consider $50/hr to be the break even point, roughly what a TI will rent for. 100 hours to go...

J

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2011 Golden Papaya TI with a 250 square foot spinnaker!
also a more manageable 100 square foot spinny...
&
the TI3 rear ama mod

this is my second TI and i've only put about 3 hours in 2 short trips so far but i'd be happy to get down to say 40$ /hour. i'm cheap mind you but i figure its worth at least $25-40 /hr to use it. like if you were on an excursion or island resort i figure it would be about $100 for say 2.5 hours. this is just my opinion though.

I 've had my AI for 18months and calculate $12.25 per hour at present with 351 hrs use. Interesting excercise. Best boat I've owned out of 7.

kayakman, your calculations evidently derive from the kayak eventually having zero residual value. I have never heard of a TI/AI being sold for less than half retail, which would drastically alter your figures if taken into account.

But more importantly, the whole concept of doing the calculation seems pointless to me, as the very reason you got it in the first place was surely to leave such financial crap behind? I never attempted to work out a dollar figure for the enjoyment I have obtained from my boating - if it is that important, you can usually scrounge rides on other people's dime, and have a truly stunning "ROI"

OK, I bought my AI Sept of 2007 and had a hull warranty issue so I spent an extra $100 to upgrade to a 2009. Add tramps and a few hundred dollars in accessories I figure it cost a total of $4100.00 for 4 years of sailing bliss. Last December I bought a new 2012 so it's easy to calculate what kind of use I got out of my original AI.

This week I just sold my 2009 for 2100.00 (I had 3 people on a waiting list to get it). So my total ownership cost was $2,000.00.

I averaged approximately 6 hours of use per week (often more sometimes less)=1320 hours on the water. 1320 hours divided by $2000.00 = .66 per hour and I still have my tramps.


Don't forget the dolphins jumping out of the water around my boat .... priceless

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Jim

I've had endless hours of fun, lots of getting wet, many smiles, huge amounts of fiddling, loads of planning, hours of thinking, nights of dreaming AND I enjoyed it all, priceless!

Springtime? Must be about the right time to creep into the garage and see if she's still there! Another four weeks and it'll be sooooo warm that I might just brave the elements once more.

If I had to quantify sailing I wouldn't do it....... or anything else probably? Like the vid.

I have a friend who drives 400 miles to go fishing near me. After a successful weekend, we calculated that it cost him about $120/pound for his fish.
How much do you think your photos cost you the last time you took your family to Disneyworld?
My time on my TI is priceless, otherwise I could stay home and watch the clouds go by a lot cheaper.

For what I do, I don't think you could rent an AI. That is how I compare rental vs ownership. If you own it, you can take it any where at any time, no questions asked. That is the real value of ownership, to me at least.

The price of fisherperson's fish caught sucks. It just gets worse, the larger your boat.

Keith

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I sail: S FL, Key Largo, Everglades to Cape Romano, Ft Desoto, Cedar Key

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

The real reason to calculate the cost is to get you out there more!
Hmmm I wonder what the weather is looking like tomorrow.

I actually enjoyed this equation. While I agree with Chekika, that there is more to the story. I look at a friend who just bought a $70,000 V8 powered powerboat. By the time that depreciates in the first summer, he's lost more than the total purchase of my boat, and then some. He has to factor in gas for every use and the vehicle needed to tow that boat. Hobie's are a GREAT way to get out and enjoy the water for very minimal cost per use! Especially when you factor in the resale value! Not to mention, any idiot can press the throttle lever forward, it's WAY more engaging and fun to harness the wind! (then.. for some of us, there's the ability to fly a hull!)

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