Buying a boat for personal and commercial activities

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paulbarneysolent

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Hi all,

I’ve just read the forum post re crossing channel in single engine boat and has given me some inspiration. I currently do not own a boat but very much looking into it.
I currently have 2 sources of passive income (mostly through Amazon) and have a fair bit of time on my hands. I was thinking of getting a boat somewhere in the region of a 28ft for trips around the solent, possibly to France and Spain. I have looked into some of the other things to get started, eg, I will do the powerboat courses in April sometime.

I assume most people only user their boat perhaps only 4-6 weeks of the year for personal use, so is it possible to recoup some of the ongoing financial outlays? I could setup a website (easy to do in minutes these days) to arrange charters, day trips, lunches and possibly let out on Airbnb. I have seen other websites where you can also list, where presumably commission is taken.

I’m pretty tech savvy, I use to fix computers before I started an Amazon business 5 years ago with only a few quid and was able to start another company with the profits. The downsides are due to the nature of the work, most of the business is outsourced so looking to get another project up and running to keep me a bit busier.

I would be interested on peoples thoughts on this, what size boat to go for and any other things to consider. I have been looking at Marinas around Southampton such as Town Quay.

Cheers, Paul.
 
Forget it. Boats are personal toys and doubt there is any commercial demand for the type of boat you have in mind. Chartering is closely regulated, requiring the boat to meet specific standards of design and equipment plus regular inspections and often the cost of this exceeds any income you will generate, particularly if you then have to market the boat yourself. The skipper will also have to be qualified for commercial work. Airbnb is a possibility, but again that size boat is not really suitable as you will be competing (for a limited market) with substantial luxury boats.
 
You just murdered a blokes dream with brutal truth. Nice!

To the OP, what you need is a lesson in Man Maths. Far greater success to be had realising boating ambition than dreams or pragmatism ever did. You want it? Just get it. Caveman style. Everyone else here did :encouragement:
 
BruceK said:
You just murdered a blokes dream with brutal truth. Nice!

To the OP, what you need is a lesson in Man Maths. Far greater success to be had realising boating ambition than dreams or pragmatism ever did. You want it? Just get it. Caveman style. Everyone else here did :encouragement:
Click to expand...

Where is the like button this is so so true
 
My Man Maths was something along the lines of ... "Errrm, I quite clearly can't afford that, so I will buy it anyway and see what happens".
 
Thanks for info!

I went to the Marina yesterday and spoke to chap who was selling his boat, mostly due the English weather and moving abroad! After telling me that it costs 2 miles per gallon to run, it put me off it somewhat.

Plan B, I've got a few trips planned to Spain and France this year so will look for a 2nd home (cheap as chips) and with a little speed boat on the med will do nicely, now that's a dream!
 
Aye, Med waters are nice and so is the sun. But bear in mind your speedboat will still consume fuel at close to ~2 mpg but being petrol will likely cost more.
 
Generalising most modern petrol outboards get around 4mpg at cruise assuming they have been rigged correctly for the boat - subject to conditions, load, blah blah.
 
mlines said:
Mercruiser 350MAG V8 - 4mpg across a reasonably wide cruise range (19knots to 29knots) dropping to 2.8 mpg at whooooppeee" speed (46knots). 2.2 ton 22ft sportsboat.
Click to expand...

At 46 knts the last thing on your mind is fuel consumption though. Be honest. At those speeds you're just in it for the thrill and ride. If I ever thought about fuel consumption I'd be too scared to engage gear.
 
I get a lot worse. Still if fuel consumption is what is putting the OP off at 2mpg, 4mpg is unlikely to get him chomping at the bit. It always seems to be fuel consumption that puts newcomers off when actually it's the lowest cost of ownership. I was so stuck on fuel consumption I was remiss on other more important considerations when buying
 
I think I was the same, but even 4mpg is half the cost of fuel compared to what’s quoted. When buying a smaller boat it can be a consideration. If you’re in for £10k a year berth and maintenance costs it’s less important!
 
BruceK said:
I get a lot worse. Still if fuel consumption is what is putting the OP off at 2mpg, 4mpg is unlikely to get him chomping at the bit. It always seems to be fuel consumption that puts newcomers off when actually it's the lowest cost of ownership. I was so stuck on fuel consumption I was remiss on other more important considerations when buying
Click to expand...

Fuel is far from the lowest cost of my boat ownership!
 
Portofino said:
Tend to agree with that .
Reminds me this quote —— with fast mobo,s

“out of fuel before you are out of daylight"

Even if you end up long way from where you started :)

Blowing 2000 L / day ( with 20% reserve ) isn,t funny.
Click to expand...

ah, yes, the downside to 24 plus plenty degrees deadrise and a maniacal desire to be the quickest on the water will do that for you. There are extremes in everything :p
 
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