Cheapest and most cost-efficient UK boat-ownership

Mavanier said:
Can you not get the Osprey bodged up sufficiently for a quick bank holiday spin?
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Probably I could...

...but I took all the ropes off ready for paint-stripping and repainting...and bolting on new toe-straps...and rebuilding the rear cockpit bulkhead...and filling a couple of holes...then there's the rudder that wants some filling & fixing...and the shroud end-cap needs replacing...and I'm not sure the trolley tyres will hold pressure...

...no, probably I couldn't. :( Not for another month. It really is true, after a point, it's cheaper to have a more expensive boat that doesn't need time spent on her.
 
dancrane said:
Probably I could...

...but I took all the ropes off ready for paint-stripping and repainting...and bolting on new toe-straps...and rebuilding the rear cockpit bulkhead...and filling a couple of holes...then there's the rudder that wants some filling & fixing...and the shroud end-cap needs replacing...and I'm not sure the trolley tyres will hold pressure...

...no, probably I couldn't. :( Not for another month. It really is true, after a point, it's cheaper to have a more expensive boat that doesn't need time spent on her.
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that only holds water(!) if you can afford the dearer boat in the first place. I bought cheap and drip feed cash into the project.I could never save enough to be able to buy an expensive boat. I have a wife. enough said!
 
ive learnt from my families experences in the past year - boat ownership in general in terms of getting a boat you like the way you like is not exactly cost effective.

all the shiny bits you see arent cheap. the basic stuff to ensure it is as it needs to be isnt cheap. general use - something seems to need looked at regularly

(this is motorboat no sailing im on about)

However a lot of this cost can be removed provided you are happy to ask questions, read, learn and poke and prod parts yourself rather than picking up the phone to a pira.... engineer at X amount per hour.

from what i gather - its either going to skin you in money or time. Just depends which you have more of :)
 
symondo said:
ive learnt from my families experences in the past year - boat ownership in general in terms of getting a boat you like the way you like is not exactly cost effective.

all the shiny bits you see arent cheap. the basic stuff to ensure it is as it needs to be isnt cheap. general use - something seems to need looked at regularly

(this is motorboat no sailing im on about)

However a lot of this cost can be removed provided you are happy to ask questions, read, learn and poke and prod parts yourself rather than picking up the phone to a pira.... engineer at X amount per hour.

from what i gather - its either going to skin you in money or time. Just depends which you have more of :)
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not interested in shiny,just clean comfortable,safe and cheap! not averse to doing any/all the work to bring the boat up to spec.also there's a lot of good second hand(albeit slightly out of date) gear about if you invest the time looking for it. I actually enjoy working on the boat. I repeat,I have a wife lol
 
born2sail61 said:
not interested in shiny,just clean comfortable,safe and cheap! not averse to doing any/all the work to bring the boat up to spec.also there's a lot of good second hand(albeit slightly out of date) gear about if you invest the time looking for it. I actually enjoy working on the boat. I repeat,I have a wife lol
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i coudlnt agree more - i too have enjoyed learning and working on the old mans boat, i too have a mrs who hasnt enjoyed the hours ive spent working away at 'that little connection at the back of the engine bay'
 
it's 10% per annum - that's it !

So whether a £100 rowing boat or a £20M Superyacht, it's still 10% per annum.

I have owned boats from £60 to £70k and this rule of thumb has always worked for me.

The value in terms of pleasure versus actual cost is more difficult to gauge. When we had a £1,500 triple keel sailing cruiser on which we spent our Honeymoon we dreamt of a flush toilet and hot water.

Now we have those things I certainly miss visiting the top of numerous creeks and the cheapest of cheap overnight moorings, and of course the manual flush toilet (bucket!). Not sure the man with said £20M Superyacht can actually measure in financial terms the pleasure difference we experienced on our £1,500 ditch crawler.
 
superheat6k said:
it's 10% per annum - that's it !

So whether a £100 rowing boat or a £20M Superyacht, it's still 10% per annum.

I have owned boats from £60 to £70k and this rule of thumb has always worked for me.

The value in terms of pleasure versus actual cost is more difficult to gauge. When we had a £1,500 triple keel sailing cruiser on which we spent our Honeymoon we dreamt of a flush toilet and hot water.

Now we have those things I certainly miss visiting the top of numerous creeks and the cheapest of cheap overnight moorings, and of course the manual flush toilet (bucket!). Not sure the man with said £20M Superyacht can actually measure in financial terms the pleasure difference we experienced on our £1,500 ditch crawler.
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That is a gross oversimplification, you know! What price do you take as your starting point? The list price of our boat is over £250k, we paid around £200k for it and we would probably be lucky to get £150k for it now. The running costs haven't changed over that period and will not do so significantly in the near future. Our friends in the marina with a very similar boat that is around ten years old are probably paying more in running costs than we are - things like mooring fees and insurance will be pretty much the same and the boat is now beginning to need significant maintenance - but I know that they paid about half of what we did for it.

Whichever figure you take, the 10% does not apply to us - I haven't done detailed calculations, but our running cost this year will be a lot less than the £15k which would be the lowest figure based on the various valuations I mentioned above.
 
I spend more than 10% but then I really enjoy the work of doing the boat up and I'm willing to spend a bit on that. Bit like restoring an old car but I get to do a lot of the work floating in the middle of the Itchen!

In my very limited experience so far I'd say if you are interested in boating on the cheap, make sure what you buy has all the bits you want already there, in good nick and unlikely to need money spent on them any time soon. (Engine, electronics, sails, rigging, etc.) Unexpected costs sting far more than the same level of discretionary spending.
 
I've taken the plunge and am moving from a pontoon berth to my own swinging mooring in a Scottish loch.
Marina fee was £3600 pa, my mooring is £50pa* Though I did have to pay the one off charge for the laying of the mooring (£2k) and it needs inspecting every year (£200 + any parts).

* Crown Estate licence £40, mooring association membership £10.

Is it worth paying over £3k more for the convenience of a pontoon berth + noise from neighbouring rigging, whirring of Webastos, risk of bumps due to marina operators squeezing in as many berths as possible with barely room to maneouver (especially for a heavy long keeler) etc? Ask me in 12months!

Ian
 
ianj99 said:
Is it worth paying over £3k more for the convenience of a pontoon berth + noise from neighbouring rigging, whirring of Webastos, risk of bumps due to marina operators squeezing in as many berths as possible with barely room to maneouver (especially for a heavy long keeler) etc?
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I do hope you conclude in a year that marinas are the extortionate, dull, noisy, soulless and above all, unnecessary things I believe them to be.

Having said that, there wouldn't be many swinging moorings available, if everyone with a marina berth realised they'd be happier keeping their boats elsewhere!
 
maby said:
Whichever figure you take, the 10% does not apply to us.
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It will; come back in 30 years of several boat ownership. Your figures are just a snapshot. You have, by your own admission, lost at least 25%. It is nothing to do with 'running costs' and is a figure which, all things considered, is a pretty accurate yardstick.

Do you think that somebody just woke up one day and said 'I know, I will dream up a figure of 10% pa?'.

If you don't agree with that, come up with another figure.
 
maby said:
That is a gross oversimplification, you know! What price do you take as your starting point? The list price of our boat is over £250k, we paid around £200k for it and we would probably be lucky to get £150k for it now. The running costs haven't changed over that period and will not do so significantly in the near future. Our friends in the marina with a very similar boat that is around ten years old are probably paying more in running costs than we are - things like mooring fees and insurance will be pretty much the same and the boat is now beginning to need significant maintenance - but I know that they paid about half of what we did for it.

Whichever figure you take, the 10% does not apply to us - I haven't done detailed calculations, but our running cost this year will be a lot less than the £15k which would be the lowest figure based on the various valuations I mentioned above.
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Obviously such a rule of thumb is very very simple and you have lower costs - great, but what if you blow an engine one year ? You have also by your own reckoning taken a £50k hit so assuming the average boat is owned for say five years that is £10k per annum you are possibly ignoring.

Presently my boating all up costs me around £8k for a boat all up worth somewhere around £60k, and at the bottom of its depreciation curve, but that includes all of my fuel and visiting fees at marinas. So of the £8k i would judge £6k of this pays for the boat itself.

I know that just to say 10% p.a. is overly simple, but it has always worked for me and I have now owned 10 boats. For someone looking for a rough guide then it is IMHO a perfectly reasonable starting point when considering affordability.
 
dancrane said:
I do hope you conclude in a year that marinas are the extortionate, dull, noisy, soulless and above all, unnecessary things I believe them to be.

Having said that, there wouldn't be many swinging moorings available, if everyone with a marina berth realised they'd be happier keeping their boats elsewhere!
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Shortage of swinging mooring is undoubtedly a problem and even if it wasn't, I doubt the marina operators would be worried as they are satisfying a demand. I'm sure most are less than impressed with the behaviour and attitude of some of their customers.
I
 
Ah, well..........I think the "three F's" rule applies here.

That way you get temporary ownership for a fixed cost. No capital tied up and no nasty surprises on the running expenses.
 
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