And like their automotive counterparts, they can fetch high prices, as much as $50,000 for a show-quality boat with original hardware and motor.
Selling a used boat that is in working condition is much easier than selling a poor-quality boat.
"Very high-quality boats hold their values and don't depreciate much," says Northrop and Johnson's Bob Leslie.
Though most vacationers renting a yacht for the summer planned their getaways at least six months in advance, many top-quality boats are still available.
While smaller medium- and lower-quality boats do depreciate, the drop in value is not as dramatic as with a car, taking place mostly over the first two or three years.
"They won't sacrifice quality, but boats are getting racier and to get one that's going to race well you have to go talk to them about it to get exactly what you want".
There is a make-believe quality to a boat, a sense of playing house.
And that is because of the quality of the boat, of the preparation and most of all to the incredible crew on board.
Nothing in Haiti has a set price, and the fee for a crossing is especially variable, often depending on the quality of the boat.
Rigging will show the general quality of the boat's maintenance.
The quality of smaller boats already on the market from Chinese manufacturers "is still very poor," said Jeffrey Seah, general manager for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan at Mercury Marine, one of the world's largest boat-engine makers and a division of the Brunswick Corporation of Lake Forest, Ill.
