Close to pulling the trigger on my "custom" Privateer 24, and I'm scared silly

[Jim in CT]

A couple of months ago, I posted a question about buying an older hull that was professionally rebuilt. Well, I've been working with the guy who is rebuilding a Privateer 24 center console, and I told him exactly how I wanted the boat laid out...exactly what kind of console, exactly what kind of leaning post, exactly what kind of livewell, massive sunpad/casting area in the bow, my choice of Awlgrip color, my choice of non-skid for the interior, my choice of bracket for the engine, plenty of built-in storage, everything. Everything that would make the boat feel, well, like it was "mine".

I have to say, part of me was hoping that he would not be able to do something that I wanted, so that I could walk away. But it's all do-able. Next, I was hoping that the price would be so outrageously high that I couldn't afford it, and therefore i could walk away...but no, the price was just at the max of what I thought I could afford (16k for the hull...no electronics, no power...everything re-built from the hull up, all composite, no wood, done by a team of pros).

I have a 4 year old, a 1 year old, and #3 is due on June 1. On top of that, we live about 70 miles from where I like to boat. So it's not like we'll be using this thing a lot, for now at least. And the kids' 529 plans could sure use that money. So my brain is saying "let's think about this"...Plus, my wife just stopped working, to be a full-time Mom. So we'll have one more mouth to feed, with a bit less income than we are used to (she was working 15 hours a week).

My heart is screaming "are you NUTS, just buy it!!" If I wait until the kids are all older, #1 I may not have the money, and #2 I might not have the opportunity to get a boat I love (Privateer 24) customized to my exact desires.

I wanted to thank all who responded to my original post. If we pull the trigger, I will be posting pics of the rebuild...