A special warning to lurkers and non-boat owners...

[LN-RTP]

Then after leaving that job...there are days where I crave the high octane job and the sense of great accomplishment...fortunately with age, wisdom corrals what the body would be challenged to grant.

Chopper pilot for the USCG?
Hat off to you Sir..
I was also a flyer, 37 years and retired early @ age 58. Now 65 and growing lazier by the day.
Had plenty adrenaline rush flying bush Alaska as a young air taxi pilot, then flying twins in the Caribbean, then non-sced cargo all over the planet with Evergreen and Tradewinds.
Lots of hard work with 30-40 hour duty days. (Approved by the graveyard agency called FAA.)
Happy to be on the ground, at sea-level and enjoying boating in Florida and the Bahamas

Found out early, after watching Pan-Am, Eastern and Braniff bite the dust that you can never count on a pay check in the flying business, made sure house and car, then boat was paid off before dreaming about retirement.
Good health is even more important. Quit smoking and cut back on booze and meat years ago,

As for boats:
Go small, go early. You never know when the music stops..

 

[Delta Riverat]

Hehe, yup that's me!

#1 - 11 foot inflatable that I stored raised to the rafters in the garage. Drive car under, lower boat on roof of car, strap down, put outboard motor and tank of gas in trunk, fishing gear in duffel and hand launch at marina ramp.

#2 - 19 foot cabin boat with porta potty and v berth that just barely fit. Slip at marina. Found that wife did not like boats and sold for #3

#3 -17 foot open bow with 90 HP Johnson V4 that got 2 miles per gallon. Boat stolen and stripped and tossed all wrecked back on the river. Sheriff called and advised I need to dispose of it.

#4 - 15 foot open bow with 70 HP Evinrude. Nice boat, right size for 3-4 fishers, good economy and fun, easy to handle. Sold because I was taking care of Pops and providing a floating home for spiders at the marina.

#5 - 21 foot ChrisCraft with 150 HP Johnson. Nice boat, lots of power, lots of room. Still own and parked at Marina. Wifey likes it. When my plastic toilet seat that fits on a 5 gallon bucket arrived she asked "what's that for"?

I said you put a 13 gallon plastic bag in the bucket, clamp the seat on top, throw in a handful of cat litter and go when you got to go.

She said no. Which leads to;

#6 - Forty four foot Island Gypsy with 2 toilets and a Queen size bed. Wimmen.

 

[2savage]

Lots of rhetoric here about fuel expenses, mortgage rates, the next big shift etc etc.

Many things are always changing, including your age and health.

After the crash of '29 JP Morgan was asked by a reporter "what will the market do next?". His response? "It will fluctuate".

All of your concerns are affected but 'fluctuation' but your age and health both have a trend that is not open to interpretation. They don't fluctuate, they progress steadily to 'termination'.

When all said and done, will you regret the things you didn't buy in life, or the places you didn't go?

 

[romeojk27]

It's been a year. Now I'm 58, still working and a boat club member (freedom), so my wife and I do lots of weekend boating.

I've saved some more and expect to retire in 5yrs. We've been doing a lot along the way so no worries there.

I did get a couple of stents put in in January and doing well.

How's everyone else doing?