We were in the market for a new to us, pontoon, and look for four years until we found a nice 24 foot loaded up, late model one for sale. We were hoping for a 150 HP but it came with a 115 HP and we jumped right on it, just pre-Covid, and was blessed with being able to purchase it. It has doubled in value since we purchased it.
Boats have always been high cost for what they are, usually because it's a want instead of a need. We live on the lake and use ours a lot, but if we didn't have the ones we have now, we cannot justify the cost or afford one now, no matter how much we enjoy it.
It's crazy some of the stuff we see on the water now. 100k plus wakeboard boats, duel 200 or 300 hp Tritoons and high dollar tournament boats. On the little local tournaments seeing more and more Aluminum boats replacing the fiberglass bass boats, probably because of costs. I'm afraid we're seeing an unfortunate shift in America where only the rich can afford the enjoyment of a boat.
