The “boat basin”—a harbor for yachts downtown—symbolizes socioeconomic disparity and the dream of upward mobility. It is a place where Jamal and Tito always want to be, especially when they feel down. Myers suggests their visits here are a type of ritual with this line: “[S]oon they were going along the walk picking out boats, the way they always did” (61). The people who own these boats represent a different way of living to Jamal and Tito, a less violent life without poverty and the daily struggles that they face. After Jamal pulls a gun on Dwayne and believes that his life as he knows it is over, he heads to the boat basin without knowing why. He sees two women there on a boat and thinks that “If he knew them, everything in his life would be different” (110).

Their visits to the harbor also serve to highlight a difference between Tito and Jamal. When they’re gazing at the boats, Tito picks out a small one as his “first boat” whereas Jamal says that he’s “going to get a big boat first” (62). Tito’s fantasy is more practical, whereas Jamal wants the most expensive and will only let movie stars ride on it with him.