Annual Cost

[ianwelsh]

I know this is one of those length of string questions, but excluding major renovations I'm interested in what is the average annual cost of owning a classic

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[Mirelle]

AS Vanderbilt remarked...

...if you have to ask...

And I am sure this applies to expensive professional restorations.

But I think you will find that most owners of old boats are like me - as poor as church mice!

(Now, sorting out which is cause and which is effect may take a little time!)

OK, let's be serious.

Costs are very erratic, year on year. This is because maintenance is peanuts, but new toys and repairs and renewals cost a fortune!


The cost of slipping, winter cover depreciation, antifouling and launching are of course the same for any boat of similar size. Topsides paint is not a big item - seventy pounds gives my 37 footer two undercoats, two topcoats, a tube of filler and enough wet and dry sandpaper and white spirit to do the job and clean the brushes.

A "classic" will have a lot more brightwork, so allow another seventy quid for varnish, and twenty five quid for deck paint.

Insurance - not very different but you will need a survey every four years.

Galvanised standing rigging should outlast stainless if properly dressed, so there is a saving.

The big money actually goes in two ways:

(a) New toys for the boat. Probably the same for all boats of similar size.

(b) Repairs and renewals. If the boat is in good nick and kept that way, the repair bill should be reasonable, but there is also the matter of renewals, eg new engine, stern gear, etc.



<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[Peterduck]

I'll go along with Mirelle's observations. I've found that it depends heavily upon how much you can do yourself. Labour rates in Melbourne are about $50.00 per hour, so it doesn't take much contracted work to go through a power of cash. Like Mirelle, my dough does not come easily, but flies like a bird! I learned how to splice wire rigging so that I could replace my standing rigging. I learned how to make a water-jacketed manifold so that I could marinise an industrial diesel at 1/3 of the cost of a "marine" diesel. One of the great beauties of Gaff Rig is its simplicity, so that the average bloke can make a lot of the components himself. I made about 30 wooden blocks stropped with served wire rope at a cost of about $2.50 each.

Peter.

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[chippie]

Peterduck, were there any websites that you used when making that manifold? Iwill be needing to do the same thing. Any Tips?

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[Kristal]

Re: AS Vanderbilt remarked...

Of course, if you're really stupid, it can cost a lot more - I have neglected Crystal so badly in the last few months that I've booked her in at Robertsons to have her hull faired and her brightwork professionally started by the excellent Archie, a veritable authority on varnishing. I will then add the other nine coats myself, whilst remodelling the Chart Table (in Mahogany, ouch), fitting new toys (am surrendering to DSC this year) and totally blitzing the bilges.

There are three reasons for this - one, I don't think I'll have time to do it all myself; two, they'll do it a lot better than me; and three, I'm using the funds from having massively cut down my cigarette and alcohol intake.

And she deserves it. She's also getting a tailor-made winter cover and will finally carry her name on the cockpit coaming at long last.

At what cost? About 4 or 5 grand. I really do smoke and drink that much!!

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.crystaltwo.co.uk/>Crystal II in Pictures</A>

 

[Peterduck]

No websites that I am aware of, I'm afraid, chippie. I do have access to my very skilled toolmaker brother, who also did a course in Patternmaking. He advised me and did a generous portion of the patterns. as there is essentially one casting inside another, the whole things being a single casting. It involves making two patterns, to form the outer and inner "outside", and two coreboxes to form the two "insides".
Peter.

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