I bought my plane for the control of maintenance and peace of mind. I
fly my family in my Dakota, and I like the comfort of knowing that no
item has been skimped on, and that the airplane hasn't been abused.
I received my certification for coastal cruising and navigation from
The Canadian Yaughting Association when I was 15, so I'm no stranger
to boating.
I now live in California. Los Angeles to be exact. The nearest fresh
water worth dropping a boat into is a six hour drive. Any of my
friends who own boats pay the same for their slip as I do for my
hangar at KVNY. My hangar is $625 a month, most slips go from $15-$20
a foot, getting an Ocean boat under 30' is not worth it. My boating
friends drop mucho coin into their boats for maintenance and
improvements, salt water boats take a lot of abuse.
So for California at least, the economics are pretty even between the
two. For my money, there is only so many times I can sail out to
Catalina and back, or sail down to Mexico to watch a Gray Whale float
by. Plus, after getting my certification when I was 15, I find local
sailing presents little challenge. Long distance sailing is another
story, but that requires a lot of time, not something you can
accomplish on a weekend. Whereas I am always facing new challenges
with aviation, it is holding my interest better than sailing did.