If you had to pick between a Boat or a Pool

[PSLDanny21]

Which one would you pick?

I'm a father to 4 boys (11, 6, 2 and 1), sole provider, blessed to have a great job that pays well and I'm able to support the family without my wife having to work. Moving into a new house in January and would probably end up making a decision on one of the two (Definitely can't afford both) shortly thereafter.

Maybe some of you guys have both, so I figured I'd ask if you could have one which one would it be? Here's where my head is at.

Pool - Pros: Very entertaining for the kids, they could have some of their friends over, playdates for the wife, etc etc. Cons: Would technically not be getting the kids out of the house, and then they would always have the excuse to go back inside and get on a game or an ipad. I'm sure owning a pool is a little bit less of a "money pit" than having a boat, but there are still maintenance issues and requirements that go into having a pool and keeping it clean.

Boat- Pros: Can get the kids out of the house for an extended period of time and get them super tired, easier bed time, closer family bonding time. Would get kids interested into water sports, keep them active and fit, and away from the screen. Cons: We all know, boats cost money. Gas, toys, more gas, repairs, storage, insurance, etc.

I think I'd be happy with either one, but my wife definitely likes the least stressful option, which is the pool. I should add, the community that we're moving into has a brand new pool too which we're obviously paying for so I have that going for me! LOL! Thanks in advance for reading and replying.

 

[mark_m]

Boat all the way. Especially since you have a pool to use that’s with your community. Lake(s) or rover(s) nearby where you live too?

 

[PSLDanny21]

Lake Okechoobee but Im 15 mins from Fort Pierce so Im struggling between Jet vs Center Console

 

[mark_m]

I don’t like salt water so I’d prefer the lake and go jet. If you’re gonna do the Atlantic center console with outboard might be a better choice. Still get a boat! Maybe you could try renting one to see if it’s for you before you invest? I have a college pal that had a boat but sold it and did inground pool in his backyard and he’s not looked back.

 

[dnicholas47]

We also have 4 kids (12-6) and I would take the community pool in a heartbeat, regardless of having a boat. Just knowing that they likely have friends there and I don’t have to entertain them constantly, not to mention I have friends there too, it’s a no brainer. No work, cleanup, chemicals and all I have to do is pack a cooler.

 

[HangOutdoors]

We were going to get a pool and put a deposit down this last February. Not an in ground but an above ground. With deck heater 28' round great quality, add-ons, installation, remove some trees, etc. etc. It was going to approach between 16-20k give or take depending. Once everything hit we cancelled it and I got the idea for us to buy a boat which we did. We have since discussed our choice.

A pool gives us something to do every day in the evening without much work and is very convenient. Plus the kids can have friends over and everyone is at the house and hopefully staying out of trouble.

A boat gives us watersports, fishing and the ability to see places and go places we couldn't otherwise do on the water. Plus it also keeps the teenagers with their mom in close quarters so there is discussion and interaction. Quality family time.

What we have decided is that either way it would have been worth it, just different experiences. We will most likely get a pool next year or the year after and keep the our boat, maybe upgrade to do bigger water. That way we get the best of both worlds.

Also the boat has residual value. The pool really doesn't. We would of been happy with either choice. Like chicken or steak, depends what you are in the mood for. One isn't better than the other.

 

[sikm3]

Well with young boys 6, 2 and 1, both choices are dangerous ones. I'm a risk assessment consultant in my day job so I look at risks for a living (don't judge me) I am kinda fun or so I'm told ;-)

I'd be more apt to go with the boat if I had to choose but know the boat is the more stressful option if your wife can't help. And with 4 boys, that's a handful when trying to launch or recover a boat mainly by yourself.

Then again, it only takes a second to take your eyes off one of your boys and in the pool they go. I supposedly did that when I was 2yrs old and by the grace of god someone saw me at the bottom and saved me.

So I'd buy a Porsche and be done with it lol!

 

[Floridaman79]

So I've had both! In my experience, the pool will get a ton of use the first season, a moderate amount of use the second season. After that I think my kids were in the pool maybe three times in a summer. The advantage a boat has is that you can get rid of it if you no longer use it. To get rid of the pool the easiest thing to do is move. In the beginning, I didnt mind cleaning the pool and it was actually kind of therapeutic. After a while though (2 or 3 years) it just started feeling like a chore. You could rent a pool service though, i just always did it myself.

 

[InmyElement]

We have both, the pool got a lot of attention when the kids were young( 2 to 14yo), now the pool gets ignored and all the teens and friends love the boat, tubing, surfing, and wakeskating. Nothing like seeing your 16yo get up on a surfboard for the first time.
Pool certainly less maintenance and money to keep up. I open it and maintain it, but I have someone close and winterize it.$199 a year.
Good Luck with your decision.

 

[OCMD]

Boat, hands down. You have a community pool. I've had 2 Yamahas as my kids grew up, 7 until now and youngest is 21 and graduated to hauling ass in a boat to flying planes. But those years growing up? With cousins and friends on the boat. They can't be duplicated or repeated. Now, with the kids grown and away, I want to sell the boat because is never gets used. twice this year, once last year, zero times the year before. I have no use for it and it just isn't my cup of tea anymore. As for maintenance on a Yamaha? Don't even think about more than just the basics. Change oil and plugs once a year is all I do, and winterize. 8 years with my current Yamaha and all I do is turn the key and go. Come home and flush the engines. Truly not an expense. Outboards and props are a different story, of course which is why I went jet. Nary an issue. When I bought my first boat "they" told me the best 2 days owning a boat is the day you buy it and the day you sell it. "They" could not have been more wrong.
I miss the good old days, but I have no use for a boat now! With kids? Get the Yamaha.

 

[zipper]

You can have both, a small boat in a small pool.

.

 

[Yamahaul]

the pool will always be the center of attention at your house and a place to hang out (birthday parties) if you do it right. summer kitchen bar, fire pit etc. still have many years left to do both. ive had a pool for 15 years and now waiting on our first boat. my kids are teenagers now and they are self sustained if we go out on a boat. Both have pros and cons, the pool is the easy option but you cant go wrong either way. Its a good problem to have this day and age. It sounds like a production to do anything with 4 kids, pool is instant entertainment. good luck.

 

[ZGhost]

You can have both if you really want both. Boat with endless possibilities and great choice for social distancing yet still great for outdoor fun activities and if you pick Yamaha, your maintenance is very very minimal. You can also purchase a fairly large above ground Intex pool for around $700 to a grand if you can find one now a days. Pools are a lot of work though, keep that in mind. You‘d be excited and ready to take on the work but after a month or two, it would fizzle and you’d be dreading having to do the maintinane and upkeep work.

Intex Pools:https://intexcorp.com/products/above-ground-pools/

But wait? You said you have a community pool so with that, didn’t you just answer your own Q?

 

[captainhook]

I have both. We started with an above ground pool at our old house and put an inground pool in at this house and kept the boat. Part of my justification in keeping my old 232 Limited and not upgrading is because we got the pool. This is season 3 with the pool and my kids and wife use it every single day and me most days. We have been so grateful that we had it this year it is indescribable. The pool guy who built ours is the father of my daughter’s friend and he is working 14 hour days right now trying to keep up with demand.

I would not say that a pool is more or less maintenance than a boat, it’s different. With a boat I can break something and just let it sit there, with a pool I have to constantly keep up with water chemistry, pumps, water levels, cleanliness, etc. when it is open because if you let it go, it’s ten times harder to get back in line.

Most weeks we boat one weekend day and pool the other (but we swim pretty much every day including boat days). I usually get in the pool after getting the boat ready in the morning and when we pull back in the driveway in the evening, the kids are right back in it and I follow not long after cleaning up and putting the boat cover on.

Our house was already the hang out but now I have every single family party, get together, birthday parties, reunions, grad parties, and on and on.

Ultimately I say get both but if I absolutely had to choose only one it would be the pool because it gets far more use. The pool was much more expensive, does not have much residual value, and constantly needs to be dealt with. The boat is a lot of work when we use it, or I have to fix something, but it has residual value, I can leave it there for a month or a year or whatever and it doesn’t cost me anything. But I still would choose the pool over the boat if I had to. Fortunately I am able to have both.

 

[captainhook]

If I had a community pool this decision would be harder.

 

[AZMark]

We have both and the pool obviously gets a lot more use since it’s right here.

The community pool isn’t exactly the same as your own in the yard but it’s a pretty good substitute. Buy the boat and you get both.

If you’re really not sure, buy the right used boat and you can sell it for not much less than you paid if you change your mind. Then you can get a pool.

An inground pool with pebble finish and good pump & filter isn’t all that hard or expensive to maintain. Don’t plant any messy trees near it.

 

[AZMark]

I have both. We started with an above ground pool at our old house and put an inground pool in at this house and kept the boat. Part of my justification in keeping my old 232 Limited and not upgrading is because we got the pool. This is season 3 with the pool and my kids and wife use it every single day and me most days. We have been so grateful that we had it this year it is indescribable. The pool guy who built ours is the father of my daughter’s friend and he is working 14 hour days right now trying to keep up with demand.

I would not say that a pool is more or less maintenance than a boat, it’s different. With a boat I can break something and just let it sit there, with a pool I have to constantly keep up with water chemistry, pumps, water levels, cleanliness, etc. when it is open because if you let it go, it’s ten times harder to get back in line.

Most weeks we boat one weekend day and pool the other (but we swim pretty much every day including boat days). I usually get in the pool after getting the boat ready in the morning and when we pull back in the driveway in the evening, the kids are right back in it and I follow not long after cleaning up and putting the boat cover on.

Our house was already the hang out but now I have every single family party, get together, birthday parties, reunions, grad parties, and on and on.

Ultimately I say get both but if I absolutely had to choose only one it would be the pool because it gets far more use. The pool was much more expensive, does not have much residual value, and constantly needs to be dealt with. The boat is a lot of work when we use it, or I have to fix something, but it has residual value, I can leave it there for a month or a year or whatever and it doesn’t cost me anything. But I still would choose the pool over the boat if I had to. Fortunately I am able to have both.

I’m exact same. Every boat day involves several dips in the pool throughout the process!

 

[JetMania]

We have both and the pool obviously gets a lot more use since it’s right here.

The community pool isn’t exactly the same as your own in the yard but it’s a pretty good substitute. Buy the boat and you get both.

If you’re really not sure, buy the right used boat and you can sell it for not much less than you paid if you change your mind. Then you can get a pool.

An inground pool with pebble finish and good pump & filter isn’t all that hard or expensive to maintain. Don’t plant any messy trees near it.

I had a pebbletech pool when I lived in AZ. There the decision was easy. Why? There’s so few friggin lakes! Now I live in the Midwest, so it’s a much harder question. I do miss that pool at times; I was able to design the shape and features like a waterfall and underwater built in benches. It was a beautiful pool, but it only added 40%-50% of the price to the value of the house. With a community pool in the neighborhood, that number could be lower.

Like @HangOutdoors said, it gets you out to places you’d never go without a boat. I like to see new places and I love this about a boat. A pool is mostly soaking when it comes down to it. When it’s really hot, that is always a good option. A boat offers so much more for kids as they grow with travel and tow sports.

It is truly a tough decision, one I have grappled with numerous times. I owned a pool, now I own a boat. If you do go pool, only go unground or it seriously is just a soak tank.

My wife was pro-pool, now she loves having a boat and after surfing on my brother-in-law’s wakesurf boat she is now talking a big upgrade . She would still love a pool and our neighborhood pool never materialized due to piss poor HOA developer management. However, she loves to travel too and she has really bought in with helping in most ways with the boat.

If we had a neighborhood pool, it would make no sense to me to build my own right down the street. I get skinny dipping, but late night at the lake makes that easy .

Good luck with your choice!

 

[drewkaree]

If you sold the kids, would that be enough to get both? I kid, I kid!

 

[Babin Farms]

This is how we ended up with a boat years ago. After our house fire the wife decided we needed to spend more time together as a family so she gave me 2 options, a boat or a pool. I decided to get a boat because a pool in our area wouldn't work very well. Always windy, dust storms and I would be the one cleaning it all of the time. I've got a fishing boat so I'm comfortable being on the water and enjoyed it before the pleasure boating even started. With the boat, I take care of the outside and the mechanical parts and she takes care of the interior, we go to different, new places with it and we are truly together when boating.