Atop all his self-earned assets, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is blessed with a family fortune, thanks to Dale Earnhardt. Junior understands the value of money, and that’s why he has always tried to avoid unreasonable purchases. Yet he couldn’t resist buying a yacht on sale. This is the same man who questioned his wedding expenses and his honeymoon suite!

Amy Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s wife, has had to stand up to her husband to get a honeymoon suite, despite it being a costly affair in 2016. The way you judge an expense is not the same across categories. Some expenses are worth the cost for the simple reason that they are not recurrent and signify a life event. And marriage is one such affair. But then, some expenses are just discretionary, and a boat/yacht can easily find its way into the latter category.

So, when Junior had to sell the idea of buying a new ‘homeboat,’ as he prefers to call it, to his wife, he had to get it in her name just so she could like it. On the July 31 episode of the Dale Jr. Download episode, Amy revealed her thoughts about the boat. “I walk in and I am constantly trying to talk myself into loving it, like this damn boat still stinks.”

Well, she clearly wasn’t on the same page as her husband. However, what did they name the houseboat? Dale Earnhardt Jr. stated, “Any came up with a great name for the boat. She said No.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s decision seems to have been influenced by his childhood. He has had his family boat, the Sunday Money, ever since his childhood. Junior and his siblings used to go on vacation in it through their years growing up. And yet another boat was being built by Dale Earnhardt himself before his demise. Apart from these boats, did you know Dale Jr. does have a boat of his own?

One does tend to ponder the real reason behind the purchase of a new houseboat in light of one already in possession. Junior purchased a boat in Chattanooga, Tennessee, not for its great aesthetics or the irresistible offer price, but because it had a microwave! And so, it ‘felt’ like more of a homeboat to him than the houseboat they already owned, which was being used as a party pad.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. definitely shares his dad’s passion for boats, but the same was not the case earlier. He used to question his dad’s choices for buying yachts, as he didn’t think it was a wise decision. And this used to conflict with his perception of the Intimidator’s business acumen.

Evidently, Dale Jr. figured out why his dad would do it. What was the sense of it all? He didn’t find an answer to it back then. Not until he started working with Jeff Burton. So, what is it about boats and the Earnhardt men’s pursuit of owning them?

Dale Earnhardt Sr. kept the yacht business out of the purview of a financially wise decision

Jeff Burton told Dale Earnhardt Jr. a story about his dad that finally put things into perspective. The story was about Jeff finding a boat that he was considering purchasing, and he shared the idea with Earnhardt. And the things that followed are a testimony to Dale Sr.’s passion for boats. The Intimidator, as Burton revealed, completely took charge of the process for him, with a great deal of insight on what all needed to be done with the boat.

So, the obvious question that prompted Dale Jr. was, ‘What exactly is the deal with boats and the 90s people?‘ He noticed a pattern with all the people from that era, where they were crazy about going down to Key West and having mock fishing tournaments. He could think of names like Big Bill, Helton, and Richard Childress to support his theory.

Now that Dale Jr. is in a similar position as his dad, who loved the Sunday Money, he understands that owning boats is just one of those things you do for fun. You don’t want to put a price tag on your idea of leisure. Dale Jr. says it’s similar to Denny Hamlin‘s basketball tournaments; it’s a Hobby Club that the drivers and team owners find solace in being a part of. It’s just recreational.

Junior is tight with his investments and does not want to end up in a situation where he doesn’t have money for his kids. But he has a special demarcation in his funds for boats. What do you think of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Amy’s new homeboat? Let us know in the comments.