Boat EconomicsCompare
What Does Switching to This Specific Boat Actually Cost?
The canonical side-by-side comparison: your current boat against one specific candidate, category-by-category cost delta, first-year cash, and cost per use day.
A specific candidate deserves a specific comparison, not a generic ranking
Once you have a real boat in mind, the useful question stops being "what's the best boat" and becomes "what does switching to this one actually cost me, category by category." This engine is built for exactly that: your current boat's forward cost against this one candidate, with storage, insurance, maintenance reserve, and fuel broken out separately so you can see precisely what changes.
How this is calculated
The keep path totals your current boat's annual recurring cost across the horizon, minus its resale value. The switch path adds the candidate's acquisition cost (minus your current boat's net sale proceeds) to its own recurring cost across the horizon, minus its resale value. The category waterfall shows each cost line's change separately, and cost per use day spreads the total delta across your planned use.
Worked example
A current boat with $20,000 in sale value and $3,800 in annual recurring cost, against a $30,000 candidate with $4,400 in annual recurring cost, both with different resale values at a five-year horizon, produces a specific dollar delta and a category breakdown showing exactly which line, storage, insurance, maintenance, or fuel, moved the most.
Common mistakes
Comparing only purchase prices, or only recurring costs, without netting your current boat's sale proceeds against the candidate's price, misses the real first-year cash picture. The other mistake is treating a comparable listing as an appraisal of your own boat's actual sale value.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a "best boat" ranking?
No. This is a side-by-side comparison of your current boat against one specific candidate you have in mind, not a ranking across every possible boat. Run it again with a different candidate if you're weighing more than one option.
Why does the category waterfall matter?
A single bottom-line delta can hide which specific cost, storage, insurance, maintenance reserve, or fuel, is actually driving the difference. Seeing each category separately tells you exactly what changes if you switch, not just by how much overall.
Does this appraise either boat?
No. Market values, condition work, and future resale are scenarios you provide, not an appraisal, inspection, or safety finding. Use your own research or a professional survey for those.
How is this different from Keep vs Upgrade Boat?
That engine gates its recommendation on whether you've stated a real use gap, and lumps recurring costs into one figure. This one is the fuller canonical version: it shows the full category breakdown and never withholds a result, useful when you want to see exactly where the cost difference comes from.