I spent the better part of today putting "a little summer in my winter" at the Boat Show in Toronto. I was down there to meet with some people and hopefully build a relationship, and I think I did that, but there was something else that happened. I arrived a little early for my first meeting, so I decided to walk around the Direct Energy Centre and take a look around. I walked through the set of doors and set in front of me where these GIGANTIC yachts! (These things were the size of a small house.) I walked up the stairs to their display and took a look at the price tag on these suckers. A million dollars!?!? Who would actually spend that much on one of these? With the yachts clearly out of my price range, I moved along to the SeaDoo display. After a look at the price tag on the new SeaDoo model I was again shocked at the number. I had no idea personal watercrafts were that expensive. As I continued to walk around the show I realised I would probably never be in the market for a boat, and yet I felt like I was missing out on something amazing. Could it be that a boat would make my life more fulfilling? The sales people will make you believe that. I asked one of the sales people at the MasterCraft booth how "normal" everyday people can afford a boat. He proceeded to throw a buncha numbers my way, eventually ending with just over $300 per month to own one of these beautiful wakeboard boats. Wow! Maybe one day I could afford a boat. Wait a second, yeah I might eventually be able to buy the boat, but I'd be paying for it for the next 20 years.
It was an interesting feeling. I went to the boat show on business, no desire to pick up a boat nor had I given it any thought. And yet I ended up leaving the show with the feeling that unless I had a boat, I wasn't getting out of life what I could be getting. Amazing how marketing works huh?
They're smiling here... just wait until they are making payments on this thing in the middle of February, -20 outside and the boat is holed up in storage.
