Boat or Cottage? Advice please ;o)

Wow, what a great response. Thanks to you all for your advice.

So, to summarise the responses so far;
I won’t make any money, I’ll probably lose money but the enjoyment and pleasure you get are priceless. (like the credit card ad)
When talking about appreciation and depreciation I’m only really talking about the capital cost. I’d write the running costs off as simply ‘the cost of having a hobby’.
It sounds like if I buy sensibly and maintain appropriately I should be OK on this score.

I’m looking at Brighton initially as there is so much to do there in such close proximity. Cinema, bowling, shopping, restaurants, fast food etc. So we’d be very likely to pop down for a short weekend and never leave the marina complex.
However, Barry raised some interesting points that I’d not considered before about a river marina vs. a sea marina. We were in Brighton town at the w/e and noticed a cruiser battling very hard to get back to the Marina (and bobbing around like a cork !!).
I’ll look at Port Solent etc. and see if I can find anywhere that has the amount of ‘stuff going on’ as Brighton marina.

Also many, many thanks to tcm for such a comprehensive response.

Someone said bigger boat equates to less use (or smaller boat more use) and I’m not sure I’d agree with the logic. I can see us not using a smaller boat as frequently because we got bored of it too soon but using a bigger boat because it is a boat, caravan and B&B all-in-one – especially at a marina with lots to offer.

Chartering/Hiring a boat sounds like a great idea – just to see if any of the kids get sea-sick for a start !!
Does anyone have any recommendations?

I’m definitely going to book myself on a course. This should give me the skills needed and the chance to chat with other boaties (including at least one very experienced one) to answer more questions.

Once again, thanks for all the friendly advice.
I’ll be back /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Further thoughts to add to the excellent advice already posted:

1. Now is not actually a good time to be buying property. IMHO prices are unlikely to rise in the near future.

2. Boats can hold their value. It's a bit like cars. Buy a Ford and it will be worth half in a few years. Buy something well built and it will hold. I sold my last boat for more than I paid for it after 5 years - not much more, but more.

3. If you haven't had a lot of boating experience consider chartering first. And take those courses.

4. You talked about using it in the winter. If you want to do that make sure you have good diesel heating. But will you really? Can't see a family of four huddling in a 36 footer having much fun. Only hardy souls really use their boats in the winter.

5. Buy something that will sell easily i.e. not too quirky or with problems. Partly because you may change your mind and partly because if you do become a regular boater you'll certainly want to change your boat once you have had some experience and developed your own views on what makes a great boat.

Good luck.
 
Property Prices

My local Estate Agent says that he's not been so busy for months in the £295k to £495k bracket. He doesn't know why but thinks the 15% reduction in ambitious prices + the likelihood of interest rates falling is seeing bargain hunters moving into the market before the announcement. OK OK bargains maybe not, but there is no good reason to suppose a collapse a la 1992 so it makes sense. At some point someone has to shout chicken, there's pent up demand for moving so the stagnation won't last if the market gets a hint of encouragement.
 
Hi Yeti you could combine a charter with your course, ................................... with certain school / charter companies. No names mentioned of course, oh and get a sun tan on the coast...... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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yes power boat only I believe

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Yes Clive up to Advanced Powerboat, plus VHF and shore based - oh and PWC!! Of course Powerskipper could do the big stuff - so the man has a choice /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Oh, and he'd get real experience of tides as well /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif if he did it in the UK - LOL
 
"Oh, and he'd get real experience of tides as well if he did it in the UK - LOL "


Oh you bitch /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif (and he could get real experience of rain as well)

Yes PS could do it but she ain't got a school boat and Yeti has'nt got one yet so she would have to do it through a school anyway. Might as well do it in the sun. Thats that settled then /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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