Little Tug Boat

At the other end of the spectrum of boat ownership: the "trawler." These 20-something-foot tugboats are comfortable and used for cruising mostly in the Northwest. They are sailboats, but without the mast. They come with a cabin, air conditioning and heating, but not much deck space, and they travel just about 8 knots per hour. The cost to buy one new: $160,000 at Ranger Tugs in Kent, Washington. They are also very fuel-efficient. According to Jeff Messmer at Ranger Tugs, they use only about 50 to 100 gallons of fuel a year.