A typical day out.

kashurst said:
we have 2 dogs -a westie and a cockapoo. The westie loves the boat, the cockapoo is a bit nervous if it gets a bit lumpy. So when looking for latest boat (a flybridge ) one of the criteria was a bench style helm seat so the dog(s) if they want can sit next to me (the westie likes to drive).
Typical day out - depending on destination; 10 - 15 mins fast cruise maybe up to 2 hours fast cruise with probably another hour in total getting in and out of harbours and or picking up buoys or just going slow to admire the view. My boat is @ 38' and burns about 85 litres an hour at 18 knots (not the most economical 38' flybridge). Overall my most expensive single annual cost is probably mooring.

Fuel costs vary year to year depending on use. We tend to do a 2 or 3 longish 100 - 200 miles journeys in the summer spread over 4 - 8 days. The rest 10 -30 mile day out trips. So I use man maths to calculate fuel cost per day per person on board and then it doesn't seem quite so crazy.

If you buy a new(ish) boat the most expensive cost by far will be depreciation. So beware of getting drawn into a super new shiny boat with outlandish fuel efficiency. It may well be more economical but when you sell it the fuel saving will be nothing compared to the depreciation.
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Thanks Kashurst.Im savvy with money, I wouldn't buy brand new, but neither do I want something that's been really used either.Love the idea of the dog sitting next to me, so that's another thing I will need then a double seat at the helm. !
 
Nosealegsyet said:
Ive got a life jacket for my dog. She didn't mind wearing it either!
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lifejacket good for dogs as they have handles to haul them out.
Keep the lifejacket in the car not on the boat!
Also when you dinghy ashore, they know that the lifejacket means "no swimming". When nearing the shore, off comes the jacket, in goes the dog.
 
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Elessar said:
lifejacket good for dogs as they have handles to haul them out.
Keep the lifejacket in the car not on the boat!
Also when you dinghy ashore, they know that the lifejacket means "no swimming". When nearing the shore, off comes the jacket, in goes the dog.
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Ive got her her life jackets, we tested it the other week, no issues at all, thankgod
 
Nosealegsyet said:
Would you mind sharing with me what would be your typical day out, or overnight stay would be in your motor cruiser? How much fuel would you of used, and any other costs incurred? Thanks
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Its a huge question but there is no typical weekend.

Weekends include:

Fixing the boat.
Cleaning the boat.
Whatsapping friends with the message "sun - boat!" and a random collection turn up with beer.
Sitting at anchor with the barbecue, swimming and fooling in the dinghy.
Using the boat as a taxi to the pub.
Fixing the boat.
Cleaning the boat.
Meeting up with a load of other people from this forum. Some are not as bad as they seem on here.
Going shopping in gunwharf quays.
Going to France (though not with pooch sadly)
Going to the channel islands.
The list goes on.

In some marinas you get reciprocal berthing in ones of the same chain. eg in MDL i can just go to the hamble for the weekend with no cost. Its typically £40-50 for the overnight for my 40 ft boat if i have to pay. Lunch stop typically a tenner or so. Anchoring (except in the Beauliau) is free though.

Dont worry about fuel. Just stick your fingers in your ears and give the man your card.

A big cost is maintenance. If you are handy and can do a lot yourself that is a paradigm shift in cost compared with getting everything done. Are you mechanically and practically minded?
 
Elessar said:
Its a huge question but there is no typical weekend.

Weekends include:

Fixing the boat.
Cleaning the boat.
Whatsapping friends with the message "sun - boat!" and a random collection turn up with beer.
Sitting at anchor with the barbecue, swimming and fooling in the dinghy.
Using the boat as a taxi to the pub.
Fixing the boat.
Cleaning the boat.
Meeting up with a load of other people from this forum. Some are not as bad as they seem on here.
Going shopping in gunwharf quays.
Going to France (though not with pooch sadly)
Going to the channel islands.
The list goes on.

In some marinas you get reciprocal berthing in ones of the same chain. eg in MDL i can just go to the hamble for the weekend with no cost. Its typically £40-50 for the overnight for my 40 ft boat if i have to pay. Lunch stop typically a tenner or so. Anchoring (except in the Beauliau) is free though.

Dont worry about fuel. Just stick your fingers in your ears and give the man your card.

A big cost is maintenance. If you are handy and can do a lot yourself that is a paradigm shift in cost compared with getting everything done. Are you mechanically and practically minded?
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Certainly not mechanically no, , I think I will have to pay for anything to be fixed on the boat, im prepared for that, I do want a boat that is as economical as I can find , if there is such a thing!.....lol...What is MDL?
 
I use both of these




The floating one (with mine the tubes are yellow, so its easier for the dog to see) is quite large, so think about on boat storage and pumping it up as well as remembering how to assemble it. I put non slip strips on the doggy dock platform to give better grip for wet paws.
The other is very small and storage is easy, it attaches (with straps) to most swim ladders and attaches to a rung that is below the surface
There are many other systems and if you are good at DIY it’s easy to make one (lots of plans online)
 
Nosealegsyet said:
Certainly not mechanically no, , I think I will have to pay for anything to be fixed on the boat, im prepared for that, I do want a boat that is as economical as I can find , if there is such a thing!.....lol...What is MDL?
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Single engine diesel boat with shaft drive will give you lowest maintenance costs and fuel economy, but really fuel and maintenance can be small proportion of running a boat.

My boat does sip fuel, I only did around 50 hours last year and average fuel consumption for entire year was 13.5 litres per hour, so around £500 cost.. servicing cost me £250, lift out and scrub off antifoul & polish (did all myself) £500, Insurance £300, Mooring just under £6000 for our home berth and we spend another circa £1000 for nights away. So total spend £8550 so fuel less than 6% of my annual boat spend..

MDL is Marina Developments Limited , they own 5 marinas in the Solent area. We moor at one of their marinas in Hamble.
 
I'm rather taken aback by the typical day out of fellow forumites. Maybe because we live just a couple of minutes from where we moor the minute we are on the boat we cast off and that is every weekend in the season.
We dont marina hop but will cruise to a favourable destination and throw out the hook and maybe anchor in a new spot each night.
The last two weekend out we clocked 165nm for 416 litre of fuel at a ratio of 1/3 displacement speeds, 2/3rds gentle cruising speeds for a rough average of a litre per mile per engine in a 34 foot 8 ton sports cruiser on KAD engines.
We have a 2 kids and a staffie dog that spend most of their time when not underfoot either playing on broadband or roaming the beaches. Staples are BBQ on boat or on beach and messing about on the water exploring. On it, not in it (it's still cold!!!)
Our staffie cant swim, he has a life jacket but he's not stupid, just dumb looking. He has yet to fall in or come close to. I cant say that for some of my boating companions one of whom has a Weimaraner (sp) that spends as much time falling in as it does succeeding to make the jump from tender to swimplatform. Doggy lifejackets are a must, just as they are for you.
 
Firefly625 said:
Single engine diesel boat with shaft drive will give you lowest maintenance costs and fuel economy, but really fuel and maintenance can be small proportion of running a boat.

My boat does sip fuel, I only did around 50 hours last year and average fuel consumption for entire year was 13.5 litres per hour, so around £500 cost.. servicing cost me £250, lift out and scrub off antifoul & polish (did all myself) £500, Insurance £300, Mooring just under £6000 for our home berth and we spend another circa £1000 for nights away. So total spend £8550 so fuel less than 6% of my annual boat spend..

MDL is Marina Developments Limited , they own 5 marinas in the Solent area. We moor at one of their marinas in Hamble.
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Thats really helpful Firefly, thankyou.I googled MDL and found them last night, i didnt realise that there were 3 marinas in Chicester, as Premier have one there too.For some reason i though that one town would have one marina doh!......Im in Worthing, and I think the nearest Marina to me, to give me access to The Solent would be Chicester, which is only a 30 minute drive really so not too bad.IN my mind i had put aside 10k for the running costs and upkeep a year which is fine. Would myself and my daughters be capable of antifouling it and polishing it? Im thinking we might be as it isnt mechanical. I cant see that we could do anything else expect keep it clean, and make it look nice, i would be able to reupholster, make all the bed linens etc myself, but apart from that, I will have to shell out for anything else maintenance wise.
 
I have one of those soft crates for our dogs which is useful when I'm single handed. I can put them in there safe and sound for 10 minutes whilst docking, folds flat when not in use.

That way I can keep all the doors etc open without worrying about them or tripping over them.
 
TQ1 said:
I have one of those soft crates for our dogs which is useful when I'm single handed. I can put them in there safe and sound for 10 minutes whilst docking, folds flat when not in use.

That way I can keep all the doors etc open without worrying about them or tripping over them.
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that sounds a great idea, i think i would use that , are you able to send me a link for the crate, thankyou
 
I didn't touch on a typical day out as we don't every use the boat just for a day, always an overnight stay minimum. but typical weekend would be get down Friday night, grab fish & chips in Hamble, a few beers and bed. Saturday morning after a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate made for the crew & breakfast cast off, up the river, turn left, then bear right and sharp left. Moor in Yarmouth, beer (or wine for SWMBO) in the cockpit, walk to deli to get lunch. Take dog for a wonder, get the paddleboard out and head up the Yar to Freshwater, back for shower, drinks at the club and a meal out and head back to the boat for a film an a rest after such a tiring and stressful day.. take dog out for last ablutions and head to bed. Awake in perfect blue sky sunshine, jump on the paddleboard for a bit of early morning exercise before everyone else awake. Back for coffee making duties and breakfast & take the dog for a walk, visit friends in town, more coffee, grab lunch for the journey home. Cast off and boat knows the way home. Moor up, get hose out and wash the boat, pack up and head home around 4pm, gives me an hour to cut the grass and tidy the garden before a sit down with a glass of wine. Bloody perfect.
 
Nosealegsyet said:
Thats really helpful Firefly, thankyou.I googled MDL and found them last night, i didnt realise that there were 3 marinas in Chicester, as Premier have one there too.For some reason i though that one town would have one marina doh!......Im in Worthing, and I think the nearest Marina to me, to give me access to The Solent would be Chicester, which is only a 30 minute drive really so not too bad.IN my mind i had put aside 10k for the running costs and upkeep a year which is fine. Would myself and my daughters be capable of antifouling it and polishing it? Im thinking we might be as it isnt mechanical. I cant see that we could do anything else expect keep it clean, and make it look nice, i would be able to reupholster, make all the bed linens etc myself, but apart from that, I will have to shell out for anything else maintenance wise.
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Depends how practical you are. Antifoul nasty stuff, must not breath in any dust from sanding it. Might not be a bad idea to have a wander around a boat yard and have a look what folk are doing, you will get an idea if you are happy to do the work yourself. If not there are lots of independent guys & girls that you can get to sand the old antifoul back a bit then reapply new.

would just add, Chichester maybe closest, but when you come out of Chichester harbour you are very exposed. Portsmouth would get you into the Solent.. a bit more protected and not such a long haul to visit the majority of other harbours around the Solent area.
 
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Firefly625 said:
I didn't touch on a typical day out as we don't every use the boat just for a day, always an overnight stay minimum. but typical weekend would be get down Friday night, grab fish & chips in Hamble, a few beers and bed. Saturday morning after a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate made for the crew & breakfast cast off, up the river, turn left, then bear right and sharp left. Moor in Yarmouth, beer (or wine for SWMBO) in the cockpit, walk to deli to get lunch. Take dog for a wonder, get the paddleboard out and head up the Yar to Freshwater, back for shower, drinks at the club and a meal out and head back to the boat for a film an a rest after such a tiring and stressful day.. take dog out for last ablutions and head to bed. Awake in perfect blue sky sunshine, jump on the paddleboard for a bit of early morning exercise before everyone else awake. Back for coffee making duties and breakfast & take the dog for a walk, visit friends in town, more coffee, grab lunch for the journey home. Cast off and boat knows the way home. Moor up, get hose out and wash the boat, pack up and head home around 4pm, gives me an hour to cut the grass and tidy the garden before a sit down with a glass of wine. Bloody perfect.
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Thats sounds exactly like the kind of weekend that i would want.Given I live in Worthing, where do you think i would be best mooing the boat, to give me access to lots of lovely places i could visit.?What is SWMBO ? Ive seen it a few times on here, im guessing its slang for your wife/partner/ crew? thanks .
 
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