Now that you are a made man, with that brand new European roadster parked beside your SUV, perhaps you might be ready to buy your first boat now. Here are some tips to consider.

How far away from the ocean are you? A boat makes more sense if you have more opportunities to take it out in a year than you have birthdays.

A powerboat or a sailboat? Powerboats conjure up images of raw energy. They also consume about a thousand dollars worth of gas in a day. Sailboats on the other hand, are sleek and graceful and a lot cheaper to maintain too.