This one still makes me smile.
A guy rings me and says: “I’m thinking of selling my boat.”
So I ask why.
He says: “It’s due a major service.”
Now again — sounds normal.
So I say: “Okay, how much are we talking?”
He says: “About €12,000.”
So I ask: “What’s the boat worth?”
He says: “About €35,000.”
Now at this point, we both just sort of… pause because we’re both doing the same maths.
He’s about to spend: A third of the boat’s value… Just to keep it going.
And he says: “That’s the problem.”
This is where it gets interesting because technically because spending €12,000 might be the right thing to do. You maintain the boat. Keep it running. Protect its value.
But emotionally? It feels completely different. It feels like: Throwing money into something you’re not even enjoying anymore
And that’s the key. It wasn’t just the cost. It was the combination of: Cost, low usage and loss of enthusiasm
So instead of servicing it… He sold it.
And again — same pattern.
The next owner paid for the service. Used the boat. Enjoyed it. No issue.
Because for them, it was still exciting and that’s when you realise something quite profound about this industry.
There are thousands of boats out there that are perfectly fine. They’re just:
At the wrong point in someone’s life