Asking the unmentionable

thejonesey

thejonesey

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We love our boat and it is an escape from the day to day. We get to use the boat in chunks, with a 3/4week trip in the summer and some long weekends elsewhere. This year we have only been down to the boat once and are unlikely to use it much until July. I am beginning to wonder whether we should rethink as, like most here, we give up a lot to have a boat. With a new job in the offing (in Gloucs,) kids increasingly doing weekend activities and school fees looming, I can see useage dropping... However the boat keeps me sane!

I can't ask you to tell me what to do or whether I can justify the cost (we can never do that!) but I am interested to know how much time people spend on board.

I think I have these thoughts at this time every year but economy is winning at the moment.. :( Downsizing is a possibility but we would still want something to spend time on.
 
I use mine for approx 25 days per year (which equates to about 75 engine hours per year), which is not much time at all really,but just about worth the cost for me. Its an expensive luxury thats for sure.

My boat is in mallorca, but it sounds like I use it similarly to you, I do a 4/5 long weekends from May to October, plus a 2 week holiday in july, and another week in august.
 
One measure of a boat's cost is how many cruises per year you could pay for (I mean large ship P&O / Cunard style cruises).

Presently mine equals 1.5 2 week cruises, and for the 30 or so days mine gets used that's 21 days cruising.

Oh, yes and that ignores the 60 odd days spend maintaining the bloody thing.

No one who seriously invests money in any thing at all would ever own a boat, especially a motor boat (or a yacht, or a ...). I suppose the triple F rule comes in to play - likely better off rented !
 
Hi Jonesy.
Tough call and not one I envy you at all.
We are down at the boat almost every weekend throughout the year and when Chris can't make it, I will often come down on my own. It's our very own piece of tranquility away from it all and whether we take her out or just stay in the marina...the boat gives us that quality time out which, for us, is priceless. That said, our kids are 22 and 19 now so we are well past the 'activities' stage so our weekend time is very much our own.
We've always said that if the unthinkable happens and we have to re-think our finances we would downsize rather than be without a boat but we would still have the time to use it. Your time however, is dictated by the kids weekend commitments so would that be money wisely spent? Would you not still be in the same predicament time wise?
An impossible dilemma.
L
:)
 
I think you may have hit the nail on the head Lisa. I work weekends and then get long holidays so I am lucky in many senses. The boat has always been an escape for Mrs J and I too but I cannot see us driving down on the odd Sat night as we do at the moment to return on Sunday afternoon. I am considering moving the boat to Portishead and have been given great info from Rafiki but I sense that the Bristol Channel is not quite as child friendly for cruises.

I know I want my cake and...!!!
 
thejonesey said:
Wish I was there Paul!!
Click to expand...
Takes me less than an hour to Reading outside rush hour, so Henley another 25 minutes ! Good chip shops nearby - we regularly do fish & chips on the boat.

Sod it - keep the boat and move to Hamble.

PS Yarmouth is peaceful, but fairly full. And Michael Macintyre is on the TV. Will be logged off for Poldark though !
 
How much time do you also spend thinking about the boat? If you sold it you might have to find something else to fill the "keeps me sane" box. :D
 
I really don't know what we'd do in your situation tbh. My head would say...'This is stupid. We're forking out what?...£10,000 + a year (don't know where you are now) on a boat we love but can't use more than 4 weeks a year plus a couple of weekends, kids allowing.' But my heart would say...'Yes it's a lot of money and yes it would probably cover 1 entire school fee for the year BUT sod it....it's so worth it!
Bottom line?...if you can afford boating (even if it means downsizing for the time being) AND school fees and both you and your wife agree then stick with it and find a workable solution. Think of the fun you'll have choosing the upgrade when the kids fees are all done and dusted.
L
:)
 
Interesting question but the bottom line is if you love boating don't do it!

Owning a boat is a lifestyle choice for us. It has always represented a significant financial investment and as a consequence we have always felt that we could only justify it if we maximised our use of the boat. We have, for years, spent virtually every weekend aboard during the season and had most holidays on the boat. The kids grew up in the boaty world and they have loved it. Kept us very close as a family and set our son in his career path. It also kept me sane during a very demanding career and the maintenance schedule has been as much a part of it as the cruising and leisure elements.

We sold our last boat, a Fairline Targa 35, in 2011 with a view to moving over to the dark side (we sail as well). Ended up with no boat for a season before we saw sense and bought another power boat. That year without a boat was not pleasant! Sure I caught up on some DIY projects but overall it was miserable! We really missed it and couldn't wait to get back on the water.

Okay, so we spend a lot of time aboard but if for some reason things changed and we didn't get to spend so much time boating I would still keep the boat on the basis that it is an intrinsic part of our lives and as such, in the longer term we will inevitably spend more time afloat. Things ebb and flow in life but having a boat is the constant for us :)
 
We have been like you you Greg2. The daughter loves to fish and will do so all day... she is known as the fish witch as Foulkes for her uncanny knack of catching edible sized bass! It is a great exercise in unplugging from the world and endures quality family time... Last summer was amazing.
These worries have forced me to do the unthinkable and work out all expenditure and income for this and next year... And suddenly it doesn't seem so bad. I suspect that I might end up doing more trips on my own in future to maintain that sanity(!) and we will have to book out time to use the boat in the winter. I will count the number of days on board from now and review in September.
 
You made the foolish decision of having children :D They're a waste of money... whereas boating is FUN!

Well, that's my story, and i'm sticking to it.
 
lisilou said:
Hi Jonesy.
Tough call and not one I envy you at all.
We are down at the boat almost every weekend throughout the year and when Chris can't make it, I will often come down on my own. It's our very own piece of tranquility away from it all and whether we take her out or just stay in the marina...the boat gives us that quality time out which, for us, is priceless. That said, our kids are 22 and 19 now so we are well past the 'activities' stage so our weekend time is very much our own.
We've always said that if the unthinkable happens and we have to re-think our finances we would downsize rather than be without a boat but we would still have the time to use it. Your time however, is dictated by the kids weekend commitments so would that be money wisely spent? Would you not still be in the same predicament time wise?
An impossible dilemma.
L
:)
Click to expand...

+1
Still loving Dizzy Too that you sold us. Never missed a beat or cost anything beyond service (and a few selected uprades :)). Not easy to make a business case on intangible assets, but I believe a lot is in the time spend aboard and therefore proximity is key. We keep her 10 minutes away from home, passing on the way to work and during the season we (or I, when wife can't make it) use her daily. If not out then just in the marina for a meal, coffee or drinks. Even for 'working from home' now an then.

Off season, when she is on the hard, I go there a couple of times a week just to check things.

We had a boatless period between the old boat and Dizzy Too. A hard time really, when boating has been a part of life since a kid in the sixties.
Downsizing would be the logical choice for us if things changed. Requirements would need adjustment but key points would be the same.
 
I lived on my previous boat for 18 years and although I thoroughly enjoyed it (although some winters were hard) I always said one reason for living on it was I would never be able to justify the cost of keeping it if I didn't.

2011 saw me selling an arm, a leg and my soul to the devil to buy my current boat. Again I said I could never justify the expense if it wasn't my home.

2013 and common sense prevailed and I bought a home on terra firma. Not only that but as the boat no longer needed to be convenient for commuting I moved it to the Solent.

So my 20+ year old argument about justifying the cost has gone completely out the window, even more so as the annual running costs are now way above what I was paying on the Thames. Do I care? In a word no. Am I able to use it as much as when I lived on it? No. Do I get to use it as much as I would like. No, but conversely my enjoyment when I am able to use it has gone up considerably. SWMBO is working Wednesday but I'm off so I'll be popping down the boat as there's always a few jobs on the to do list and I can just potter, chat to other people down there and just generally switch off work mode and switch on relax mode. To be honest if I didn't have the boat what the hell else would I do with my spare time? Gardening :disgust: Certainly my bank balance would be much healthier if I didn't have the boat but I get no enjoyment from looking at a bank statement.

If it gets to the point when you start to look at the costs and begin to wonder if it's all worth it then that will be the time to give it all up. In the meantime I plan to make the best use of it as when I can in the sure and certain knowledge that I'm getting huge enjoyment out of what is essentially a sizeable chunk of my retirement fund.
 
Spi D, good to hear that you are still enjoying Dizzy Too. She's a great boat and I am pleased to hear she is treating you well.

Greg2, thanks for your thoughts. I know that boating requires man maths :) to justify the cost and you are right that useage is key to being happy with the investment.

Given our lack of winter use this year (compared to previous) I might discuss the savings of lifting her for the winter. To be fair, Foulkes are very well priced but a bit of a saving there might help matters.

Thanks again to all. My spreadsheet is getting evermore complicated!
 
We use the boat at least 40 weekends each year as well as all of our annual leave from work.

I did a simple cost analysis based on 2 adult's.

10 days skiing in a decent European or North American resort =£5000
14 days summer holiday all inclusive @ a quality location =£5-6000

Annual boat cost in total £15000

Annual use of boat 80 to 100 days per year

Amount of pleasure and escape boat gives = priceless

Tbh we don't have children so our circumstances are different but would guess you could almost double my costs if you have a couple of kids.

We recently had the opportunity to buy another property as an investment, choose a new boat instead. £8000 a year (gross) from rent verses £0000000000? Pleasure from boat
 
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