nitsuj
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2003
- Messages
- 483
Re: Boat Reliability Vs Auto Reliability
You're comparing things that really shouldn't be compared. It comes up a lot on motorcycle forums too. As a motorcycle (and PWC) technician, I was asked this question countless times. Here's my opinion:
There is a heck of a lot more cars on the road than there is boats on the water. Almost everyone owns a car. Only boaters own boats. Boats are toys. Over the years, cars have evolved so that any Joe can own one and use it. To put it bluntly, they've been made idiot proof. Most toys haven't went through the evolution as fast, since not as many are made and not as much is made of their production.
Boats (and motorcycles, and ATV's and Snowmobiles) require more owner participation than cars and trucks. The owners of said toys are expected to know a little more about the workings of their machine than a car owner is. You never have to winterize a car. But in a cold climate, you do have to winterize a boat. And failure to do so, even once, can turn even a nice new boat into an expensive lawn ornament. And it happens often. Check craigslist for proof. Lots of boats with cracked blocks come up for sale.
Boats are also wide open to the elements. Leave your car out for a winter and the worst you may get is some paint damage. But on a boat, the sun is beating on the seats. The snow is building up on the floor. Leaves and animals can get in. Leaves trap moisture and animals chew stuff. Leaving a boat uncovered one winter, can ruin seats and rot floors. Boats are far less forgiving than cars.
A closer way to compare the 2 would be a convertible. Imagine leaving a convertible out all winter with the top down. All of the sudden, the car is open to just as much damage as the boat. And an owner of aconvertible would never consider storing it out doors with the top down.
Now, take that same convertible, and leave the top down all winter. AND, drain the antifreeze and replace it with straight water. When you go to start it in the spring, what are your chances of getting it running? What are the chances the interior will be nice and clean?
People do real silly things to boats. They run them in dirty water when they shouldn't. They leave them weeks at a time in water bouncing off a dock. Marine service is expensive, so those who lack the skills (or motivation) to do it themselves and don't want to pay for it, continue to use their boat, unserviced, season after season.
Also, cars tend to be used daily. Boats spend the majority of their time sitting. They're seasonal and for lots of owners, fair weather only. Sitting and not being used takes a toll on a machine. Car or boat. And will lead to problems.
A boat is a machine. There is no magic or evil spirits. When something breaks, there is usually a reason. Boats aren't inherently unreliable. They just don't suffer fools as well as cars do. If they're well maintained and used properly, I have no qualms about trusting a boat as much as I'd trust a car.
I disagree with you about $5000 boats vs. $5000 cars as well. How much you pay for a used boat depends largely on what part of the country you live in. In western PA where I live, $5000 can get you a nice boat if you look around. In other parts of the country, $5000 doesn't buy you as much. I think what you're referring to isn't $5000 boats. You're talking about $2000 boats that people want $5000 for. To put it more into perspective, don't compare all cars to all boats. Compare a model of car that sort of matches the profile of boats, toys. Look at Corvettes, a car that's a toy, for the most part. What do you get for $5000 vs. $30,000? For $5k you probably get some mid-80's Vette that's been sitting neglected in someones barn for a few years. You'll get it running, but you'll also always have little bugs to work out. Just like a boat that was shown similar care.
Just my opinion, YMMV.
You're comparing things that really shouldn't be compared. It comes up a lot on motorcycle forums too. As a motorcycle (and PWC) technician, I was asked this question countless times. Here's my opinion:
There is a heck of a lot more cars on the road than there is boats on the water. Almost everyone owns a car. Only boaters own boats. Boats are toys. Over the years, cars have evolved so that any Joe can own one and use it. To put it bluntly, they've been made idiot proof. Most toys haven't went through the evolution as fast, since not as many are made and not as much is made of their production.
Boats (and motorcycles, and ATV's and Snowmobiles) require more owner participation than cars and trucks. The owners of said toys are expected to know a little more about the workings of their machine than a car owner is. You never have to winterize a car. But in a cold climate, you do have to winterize a boat. And failure to do so, even once, can turn even a nice new boat into an expensive lawn ornament. And it happens often. Check craigslist for proof. Lots of boats with cracked blocks come up for sale.
Boats are also wide open to the elements. Leave your car out for a winter and the worst you may get is some paint damage. But on a boat, the sun is beating on the seats. The snow is building up on the floor. Leaves and animals can get in. Leaves trap moisture and animals chew stuff. Leaving a boat uncovered one winter, can ruin seats and rot floors. Boats are far less forgiving than cars.
A closer way to compare the 2 would be a convertible. Imagine leaving a convertible out all winter with the top down. All of the sudden, the car is open to just as much damage as the boat. And an owner of aconvertible would never consider storing it out doors with the top down.
Now, take that same convertible, and leave the top down all winter. AND, drain the antifreeze and replace it with straight water. When you go to start it in the spring, what are your chances of getting it running? What are the chances the interior will be nice and clean?
People do real silly things to boats. They run them in dirty water when they shouldn't. They leave them weeks at a time in water bouncing off a dock. Marine service is expensive, so those who lack the skills (or motivation) to do it themselves and don't want to pay for it, continue to use their boat, unserviced, season after season.
Also, cars tend to be used daily. Boats spend the majority of their time sitting. They're seasonal and for lots of owners, fair weather only. Sitting and not being used takes a toll on a machine. Car or boat. And will lead to problems.
A boat is a machine. There is no magic or evil spirits. When something breaks, there is usually a reason. Boats aren't inherently unreliable. They just don't suffer fools as well as cars do. If they're well maintained and used properly, I have no qualms about trusting a boat as much as I'd trust a car.
I disagree with you about $5000 boats vs. $5000 cars as well. How much you pay for a used boat depends largely on what part of the country you live in. In western PA where I live, $5000 can get you a nice boat if you look around. In other parts of the country, $5000 doesn't buy you as much. I think what you're referring to isn't $5000 boats. You're talking about $2000 boats that people want $5000 for. To put it more into perspective, don't compare all cars to all boats. Compare a model of car that sort of matches the profile of boats, toys. Look at Corvettes, a car that's a toy, for the most part. What do you get for $5000 vs. $30,000? For $5k you probably get some mid-80's Vette that's been sitting neglected in someones barn for a few years. You'll get it running, but you'll also always have little bugs to work out. Just like a boat that was shown similar care.
Just my opinion, YMMV.
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