Discussion
So.
The missues and I wandered on a boat 'autotrader' at the weekend after a discussion about how nice it would be to have a RV of the sea, where we could cruise around Ireland and the Med at our lesiure, avoiding the crowds and tourists...
Surprisingly, we found you could get a reasonable boat (30ft) for the price of a sports car (I was thinking Sunseeker XPS type), which would be an ideal place to start, and if we liked it, we could always upgrade to something a touch larger and more luxurious...
A quick look around suggested moorings really werent badly priced, and insurance was perfectly acceptable (it mentioned doing some course or other..)
So, my question is to anyone who has, or does, or knows someone who has - about the finer points of boat ownership, what needs to be considered, hidden costs (servicing?) and generally living with (and indeed, on) one...
The missues and I wandered on a boat 'autotrader' at the weekend after a discussion about how nice it would be to have a RV of the sea, where we could cruise around Ireland and the Med at our lesiure, avoiding the crowds and tourists...
Surprisingly, we found you could get a reasonable boat (30ft) for the price of a sports car (I was thinking Sunseeker XPS type), which would be an ideal place to start, and if we liked it, we could always upgrade to something a touch larger and more luxurious...
A quick look around suggested moorings really werent badly priced, and insurance was perfectly acceptable (it mentioned doing some course or other..)
So, my question is to anyone who has, or does, or knows someone who has - about the finer points of boat ownership, what needs to be considered, hidden costs (servicing?) and generally living with (and indeed, on) one...
I've had 3 boats - 1 on the Thames and two for sea use (1 cruiser and one sports).
Apart from the obvious cost - FUEL - if you work on around 10% of the value of the boat as your annual costs you are not far wrong!
Moorings differ where you are... a 30ft boat near me would run around £5000-£7000 pa!!
Apart from the obvious cost - FUEL - if you work on around 10% of the value of the boat as your annual costs you are not far wrong!
Moorings differ where you are... a 30ft boat near me would run around £5000-£7000 pa!!
Fuel will be really really expensive and the older you go the less reliable they become, even running a brand new 19ft sports boat cost a lot like the old saying it really is cheaper to rent. But it is awesome and i'll hopefully do similar to what you suggest one day. Oh and don't forget boat envy.
Balmoral Green said:
I hadnt even for a second considered there would be a boat forum on here... that'll teach me to stick to the favoriates!
Fidgits said:
Balmoral Green said:
I hadnt even for a second considered there would be a boat forum on here... that'll teach me to stick to the favoriates!
There are even food, music and watch forums
Balmoral Green said:
Fidgits said:
Balmoral Green said:
I hadnt even for a second considered there would be a boat forum on here... that'll teach me to stick to the favoriates!There are even food, music and watch forums
Costs of moorings depend on what type of mooring you go for. Marina ones tend to be the most expensive whereas a swinging mooring is the cheapest. Depends also where in the country you wish to base yourself. Can recommmend the Chichester area as there are so many places you can just 'pop' too for the day or overnight.
Blib said:
Isn't there a saying that goes something like:
"Owning a boat is like standing in a shower, tearing up fifty pound notes".
EFA."Owning a boat is like standing in a shower, tearing up fifty pound notes".
we had a 30ft Sealine with a 250bhp turbo volvo penta motor.
they.cost.a.fortune.
but deliver some very nice memories.
sunseekers are overpriced in the 30ft, seek out a Sealine S28 bolero for value.
M
_Batty_ said:
Blib said:
Isn't there a saying that goes something like:
"Owning a boat is like standing in a shower, tearing up fifty pound notes".
EFA."Owning a boat is like standing in a shower, tearing up fifty pound notes".
we had a 30ft Sealine with a 250bhp turbo volvo penta motor.
they.cost.a.fortune.
but deliver some very nice memories.
sunseekers are overpriced in the 30ft, seek out a Sealine S28 bolero for value.
M
Fidgits said:
_Batty_ said:
Blib said:
Isn't there a saying that goes something like:
"Owning a boat is like standing in a shower, tearing up fifty pound notes".
EFA."Owning a boat is like standing in a shower, tearing up fifty pound notes".
we had a 30ft Sealine with a 250bhp turbo volvo penta motor.
they.cost.a.fortune.
but deliver some very nice memories.
sunseekers are overpriced in the 30ft, seek out a Sealine S28 bolero for value.
M
You dont want get osmosis either!
That said, my parents always had a boat and delivered some top holidays on it, so relaxing, until a hire boat decides to moor next to you and think they are driving a car so assume they can steer in reverese and have a brake pedal!
I guess it all comes down to what you think a fortune is.....
Edited by satans worm on Wednesday 27th August 21:24
A good friend of mine always reckons there are 2 stand out exceptional days when you own a boat. The day you buy it and the day you sell it.
As has been mentioned above, he found the costs associated with the upkeep and maintenance just became ridiculous, especially mooring fees as marinas and yards became trendy places to live/be seen.
As has been mentioned above, he found the costs associated with the upkeep and maintenance just became ridiculous, especially mooring fees as marinas and yards became trendy places to live/be seen.
Owning a boat is not a cheap proposition. My wife & I used to have a Fairline Targa 27. It had twin Mercruiser 4.2 V8's & went like a rocket ship (c.46kts flat out), but had good accommodation for 4 people. As well as being able to blast around the Solent, my wife & I also took it to the Channel Islands / Weymouth / France etc many times & it handled lumpy seas with ease.
The marina cost me £7,500 p.a (Lymington Yacht Haven)
Fuel was £250 to fill up (marine unleaded was £1 / litre in 2000 / 2001). This lasted c. 90 miles
Engine services were c.£400 iirc
Winterising the engines was c.£200
Lift out for antifouling was £100
Antifouling paint was c. £100
Insurance was £150 p.a
A good rough annual running budget is somewhere in the region of 10 - 30% of its purchase price (depending on whether you want marina berthing / river berthing etc).
Yachts aren't that much cheaper - the boat that I currently race on costs the owner somewhere in the region of £50k p.a to keep in top racing condition (racing sails don't perform all that well after too many working hours, so tend to get replaced 2 or 3 times a season). This is on top of the marina fees, crew beers etc, etc
The marina cost me £7,500 p.a (Lymington Yacht Haven)
Fuel was £250 to fill up (marine unleaded was £1 / litre in 2000 / 2001). This lasted c. 90 miles
Engine services were c.£400 iirc
Winterising the engines was c.£200
Lift out for antifouling was £100
Antifouling paint was c. £100
Insurance was £150 p.a
A good rough annual running budget is somewhere in the region of 10 - 30% of its purchase price (depending on whether you want marina berthing / river berthing etc).
Yachts aren't that much cheaper - the boat that I currently race on costs the owner somewhere in the region of £50k p.a to keep in top racing condition (racing sails don't perform all that well after too many working hours, so tend to get replaced 2 or 3 times a season). This is on top of the marina fees, crew beers etc, etc
Edited by schmalex on Wednesday 27th August 21:43
"So, my question is to anyone who has, or does, or knows someone who has - about the finer points of boat ownership, what needs to be considered, hidden costs (servicing?) and generally living with (and indeed, on) one..."
Servicing - like cars, the more you can do yourself the cheaper it is. But this question is the same as asking "what's it cost to service a car"? Answer ? Of course that depends on the car. Same with boats. You've got inboards, outboards, 2 strokes, 4 strokes, diesel, petrol, stern drives, shaft drive. You might even have more than one engine. You might even have a generator too. Servicing also can mean a lot of work keeping bright-work bright. Washing. Painting & waxing. Cleaning water tanks. Cleaning and more cleaning.
You're going to need to learn to navigate. Maybe not so important for an Ireland trip - but the Med definitely. I'm not so clued up on the rules for UK/European boating - I've only done mine in the Stockholm archipelago (believe me, there you need to be able to navigate). You can't always rely on a GPS/Plotter. Here in Sweden, any boat over 10m requires a skippers license.
Basic boat handling is nothing hard to master (but watching the newbies moor up in the harbour is a favourite pastime - it needs some practise. Different boats handle differently (rudder or stern driven ?, easier to handle with bowthrusters, etc).
Try a boating holiday (skippered) and make sure you can stand a few days on a boat.
Think about where/how the toilet gets emptied.
How much fresh water can you carry.
How much fuel can you carry.
What do all the signs, buoys and signals mean ?
And on top of it all, as already said, it's going to be expensive. My last boat, only a 24ft weekender, powered by a Mercruiser V8, 5.7l - at cruising speed used about a liter per nautical mile.
Servicing - like cars, the more you can do yourself the cheaper it is. But this question is the same as asking "what's it cost to service a car"? Answer ? Of course that depends on the car. Same with boats. You've got inboards, outboards, 2 strokes, 4 strokes, diesel, petrol, stern drives, shaft drive. You might even have more than one engine. You might even have a generator too. Servicing also can mean a lot of work keeping bright-work bright. Washing. Painting & waxing. Cleaning water tanks. Cleaning and more cleaning.
You're going to need to learn to navigate. Maybe not so important for an Ireland trip - but the Med definitely. I'm not so clued up on the rules for UK/European boating - I've only done mine in the Stockholm archipelago (believe me, there you need to be able to navigate). You can't always rely on a GPS/Plotter. Here in Sweden, any boat over 10m requires a skippers license.
Basic boat handling is nothing hard to master (but watching the newbies moor up in the harbour is a favourite pastime
- it needs some practise. Different boats handle differently (rudder or stern driven ?, easier to handle with bowthrusters, etc).Try a boating holiday (skippered) and make sure you can stand a few days on a boat.
Think about where/how the toilet gets emptied.
How much fresh water can you carry.
How much fuel can you carry.
What do all the signs, buoys and signals mean ?
And on top of it all, as already said, it's going to be expensive. My last boat, only a 24ft weekender, powered by a Mercruiser V8, 5.7l - at cruising speed used about a liter per nautical mile.
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