Not really, not if his dad is a shipwright. You can get a 20 year old 36 footer for under 30K, and put some sweat equity into it, and have a very capable world cruiser. As a "book deal investment" it's a pretty good bet.
I know plenty of "non-wealthy" folks who have rehabbed older (but sound) fiberglass boat. The worse the initial condition, the cheaper they can be had, if your skills are up th the rehab project.
In fact, I know somebody who built a 48' steel world cruiser from scratch in a horse pasture in Virginia. No single materials "payout" between long boatbuilding stints was over $10K. That guy has crossed several oceans in that boat. That guy is me.
