Sunshine! Warm Temps! Boats!

Looking at boats in Ft. Lauderdale is not a bad way to spend a day; particularly when it is snowing in St. Louis. (Sorry Pretty Lady!) If you look at catamarans in Ft. Lauderdale keep in mind that The Catamaran Company owns 2-Hulls. I didn't really know that so I called 2-Hulls, got hooked up with Michael, and we agreed to meet at their company dock to look around.

Michael, as it turns out, is a busy man these days. It also turns out that he works for the Catamaran Company and not 2-Hulls. Or maybe he works for both? Anyway, talking to a "fish," (that would be me) who has been talking to a different broker from the same company for a couple of years, (that would be Brent) was not high up on Michail's list of things he needed to be doing this day. He took it well though, and showed me around a 2005 Lagoon 380 they have for sale. I learned a lot from Michael in a short time...

One 2005 Lagoon 380 = around $330,000. I think a stack of $100s just a bit over a foot high (about $297,000 worth) would be enough for them to let you take it home. (Or move aboard as the case may be.) Figure one borrowed about $150,000 of that stack at 6.5% interest and wanted to pay it off in 10 years, one would owe de-bank just a tick over $20,000 per year. (According to Michael don't even think of asking unless your credit score is 730 or better.)

So let's see. A job on the East Coast where I bring home maybe 66K / year. Less de-banks 20K leaves 46K to live on. Food and stuff, (rum) slip fee, odds and ends...35K a year? That's still 11K worth of fudge factor not including any "outside" (as in outside Uncle Sam's knowledge) income.

Other odds and ends. According to Michael (who has sailed them all) the older Leopard 38s are tanks, slow, heavy in the water and no match for the Lagoon 380. (I know, I know!) But the New Leopard 38? Apparently that is a cat of a different color. Lighter, fast on its feet and as good as any other 2 hulled boat of a similar LWL. And here's what I find interesting, the 2005 Lagoon selling price is withing a dock line's throw of that for a new Leopard 38. Things that make you go, "Mmmm."

All of this, of course, is just musing in the sunshine. It isn't like we are in any position to write such a check. (Even assuming my "back of the napkin" math isn't wildly optimistic.) Unless things change a bit (A big bit!) it seems unlikely we will ever be able to write such a check. But just imagine how much fun it would be to do just that.

Broker in tow, thinking he is wasting his time with this scruffy looking, middle aged wanna-be, but being professional about it anyway.

"That's a nice boat. I'll take it."

Now that would be a good day.