All change - trailer boat!

[Keith B]

More great stuff - Paul, your reply made my laugh out loud in the quiet carriage of the 1406 from Paddington to Plymouth Am now definitely steeering away from the swinging mooring ... carrying tape measure to the boat show for mid cabin measurement ... researching marina options ... booking counseling sessions for wife ...

 

[ricky_s]

Don't leave the marina. Bloody horrid outside!

Had my first boat on a trailer, second on a "floating" pontoon and current one in a marina. No going back!

 

[PaulGooch]

More great stuff - Paul, your reply made my laugh out loud in the quiet carriage of the 1406 from Paddington to Plymouth Am now definitely steeering away from the swinging mooring ... carrying tape measure to the boat show for mid cabin measurement ... researching marina options ... booking counseling sessions for wife ...

Glad it amused you. Apart from some minor exaggerations the first bit was true. We were on a mooring at Pin Mill on the Orwell.

 

[Scubadoo]

As an aside, is the mid cabin genuinely tenable for 2 adults to get a good night's kip, or is the default to make up the v berth in a 25 footer?

On our S24 we always make up the V berth and use the mid cabin for storage. When staying onboard we just leave it with that set-up, and for eating we use the cockpit table.

For me, sleeping on the V berth is more "luxury" than in the confines of a mid cabin, especially on the Sealines S23/24/25/240 etc. For example you can watch the TV, see out the windows etc.

A lot of boats of that size from what I have seen do the same.

 

[adey]

Have a look at Yacht Haven Quay. It's a lot easier than trailer launching.

 

[enterprise]

I read with interest the plan to have six months marina berthing, be aware that the cost probably isn't going to be half of the annual berthing price, you will find six months to include summer, say April until September will be a lot more than October to March.

Six months would probably be calculated at visitors rate (enhanced during summer), so do some research, it might not be much cheaper than an annual berth.

 

[PCUK]

Probably nearer two thirds the price for six summer months, but coupled with the lower overall length charges, lower fuel and insurance costs, the overall saving is substantial.

 

[alt]

I'll swap my S23 for your P32 no problem http://www.corribcharts.com/s23/

 

[enterprise]

Probably nearer two thirds the price for six summer months, but coupled with the lower overall length charges, lower fuel and insurance costs, the overall saving is substantial.

Lower overall length charges, yes ok but to quote MDL Torquay's monthly tariff, up to 10m, £58 per meter, 24ft boat = £464 pcm

£464 x 6 = £2784, not sure of the annual cost but probably only around an extra £1k
Ok, so if you only had three months then it would be cheaper again, but then where do you stop, if you don't own a boat it's free!!!, no hassle at all.

Insurance, definitely more expensive on a trailer, and a swinging mooring, insurance while berthed on a marina is always less.(for the same boat)

It's going to be cheaper to keep a 24ft boat as opposed to a 32ft boat whichever way you decide to keep it, but to keep it in a marina for six months at almost the annual cost just to save £1k, well it just isn't worth the hassle of buying or maintaining a trailer for the difference, added to that the hassle of storage, launch and recovery, parking, buying, insuring and running a suitable tow car etc etc.

At the moment, berthing should be ok on a monthly basis but when we were trailering it wasn't the case, if your chosen Marina was full or there was a waiting list for annual berths then these took priority over monthly berthing, so we were always moved around to berths that were unoccupied for short durations.

It's best to weigh up the value of paying slightly more, like in the example of charges for the 24ft boat, for an extra £1k, an extra six months afloat, priority parking, no trailer or tow car to maintain (4x4's are real expensive, fuel, tax + insurance and maintenance) etc.

We have had both, 24ft trailer cruiser and 24ft cruiser in a marina, trailered one gave us 3 holidays per year, marina berthed one gives us at least five holidays and 12 weekends, the extra is definitely worth it.
Just being able to sit onboard in the marina when it's a howling gale is special, days lost if trailered as you most probably wouldn't bother launching, Iv'e lost count how many weekends we have just sat without going out, but we're still using the boat which makes the annual costs acceptable.