Cost of sailing?

[Sailor_pup]

I recently heard a saying that made me both laugh and worry at the same time.

The saying is...

"sailing is like standing in a cold shower ripping up ten pound notes"

Heha...

So how much does it cost the average sailor per year (roughly of course) to sail and maintain the average sail boat?





P.S some of you may remember me putting a post here about me getting into sailing. Just to let you know i've booked my RYA start yachting course at the crouch sailing school burnham for this month.




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[Romeo]

There is no such thing as the average sailor.

If there was, however, you would find that the average sailor is in denial about how much it costs them. I am sure that I will be at the very cheap end, spending about £500 per year split between mooring, yacht club membership, insurance, cranage, and maintainance. The boat was paid for at purchase so no loan to factor in. Avoid marinas and big engines if you want to do things on the cheap. Before I got my pencil out to add that lot up I actually thought I spent a lot less. No one should let their significant others read this thread.

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[[2574]]

I've just come from motorboating and, believe me, yachting is almost free in comparison!

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[Evadne]

One rough guide to boat mainainence is 10% of the value of the boat per year, all in. Owning an MAB as I do, the boat is cheaper than an AWB so its more like 20%-25% on a swinging mooring. I agree about the denial bit, I have never dared work out how much per mile or per hour's sailing it costs, this year would have been particularly bad.

The other relevant bon mot is "a boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money."

There may be no such thing as an average sailor, but I've met some mean ones in my time....

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[Evadne]

Is motorboating like standing in a cold shower burning ten pound notes then?

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[[2574]]

well mobo'ing is great fun - but with white diesel upon us shortly I reckon my mobo would cost £4/mile just for fuel. - that focuses the mind!

A typical lunch spin from Portsmouth to Yarmouth (return) will cost about £200. That's just barmy!

rob

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[Clive]

My basic costs are

£4k mooring (Hamble)
£1k maintance & winter storage ashore
£1k general cost of sailing kit, driving to yacht, new bits of string and the latest bargin for the local rip off shop etc.


PS
Just to P*** you motor boats off, my fuel bill for a full season is under £18, yes Eighteen pounds only per year.

<hr width=100% size=1>Clive

 

[jfm]

Digressing

Scuse my ignorance but what do AWB and MAB stand for?

On the costs thing, 10% of cost is often quoted. I think that's on the high side. A 4o footer in a Solent marina will cost you say 10k in marina fees, insurance, engine service and antifoul. That's less than 10% A 60 footer might cost you £22k in insurance, marina annuals, 1x crew wages and twin engine service, but that's much less than 10%. I'm not counting fuel as that depends on mileage

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[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Depends on where you are

Down here the showers are warmish but the notes are closer to €50.
And that's BEFORE you start feeling symptoms of two-foot-itis.....
It IS fun but it helps if you're crazy!
Fair Winds!

<hr width=100% size=1>Wally

 

[roger]

For a thirty foot boat my costs work out something like this
9 months storage and insurance £1500. No mooring fees as when not on the boat its in the shed.
New toys sails, electronics £1000 but I may be kidding myself.
Running costs for three months basically nil. For those three months we seem to spend less than we would at home - its my wife who does the accounts incidentally when on the boat.
One factor is that while sailing you are not spending a lot of money, not driving the car etc.

<hr width=100% size=1>Roger

 

[Peppermint]

25ft foot sail boat kept in MDL marina. Average over three years £4k p.a. give or take a few quid.

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[brianhumber]

45' 16 year old racer cruiser kept in PM South Coast UK so the vets bills are high.

All work by myself and my mates

Mileage over 8 years 2,500 per year

Mooring £4,600
Insurance £450 in commission 12 months
Fuel £40/£60 per year
Yearly planned maintenance ( paint engine oils filters etc) £1,500
One off improvements ( new steering pedestal, radar, sails, prop, fixing hull/deck joint leaks etc) £3,000/year

works out to around £2.5 per mile sailed, gulp!!!




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[Sailor_pup]

Not bad

I was expecting it to be more than most of you said.



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[Evadne]

Re: Digressing

Sorry, AWB is a (derogative) term for Average White Boat, i.e. any modern production sailing cruiser. An MAB is a Manky Auld Boat (or plastic classic if you're not being derogatory).
Mine was valued at about £11k by the last surveyor, which is mid-range for the class, and my costs are in the region of £2k to £2.5k per year. As long as nothing major breaks. £600-ish for the mooring, £850 for the winter haul out etc. and a few hundred quid for a/f, mending the engine, harbour fees, replacing worn out bits, green halliards and deflated fenders etc. If I owned a modern 29 footer the costs would be the same, or maybe a bit less for antifouling and a bit more for diesel, but the value of the boat would be at least £20k.

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[Peppermint]

Re: There\'s a bit more to it.

Sailing with a mate of mine who's got a few bob. ie. last 10 years of his working life he bettered 100k pa. and now has a pension of over 75k pa. He asked me who on earth owned all of these boats. He didn't quite understand how people could buy a 200k boat, keep it and maintain it and get anything like value out of it? Why would you go from cash at bank or invested to thing in water bleeding you dry?

I explained how it gave you the freedom of the seas and a lifestyle that took you away from your humdrum existance. How it compared favourably with other leisure pastimes. He snorted. I tried him on the idea that boats don't depreciate and that one might ask a little more than you paid when you sold it. He snorted again. "Ah! but how much of the asking price would you realise?" he asked. "How quickly could you sell it for top doller?'

I tried that you could go sailing as much as you like. To which he responded that he could do that already thank you.

Realising he had no poetry in his soul, I didn't bother telling him how many people have to borrow the dosh in the first place.



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[aBod]

Re: Digressing

The best sailing I have ever done has got to be in a mirror dinghy. They are wonderful little boats and can cost just £200/£300 to buy and less than £50 or £100 a year to look after.
Aw the memories. What a classic little boat.
Alasdair

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[jfm]

Re: Digressing

Agreed Alasdair. I had #56816. If I recall correctly, the kit from Bell Woodworking cost £312. That's roughly what i pay now in travel costs just to get to the boat for a weekend, or to have the genset serviced...... Makes you think.

 

[jimi]

Re: Digressing

Think its often true that the fun is in inverse proportion to size .. apart from sex of course ... big wummin ... mmm

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[gandy]

"sailing is like standing in a cold shower ripping up ten pound notes"

Gill clothing say that their job is to cancel out the cold shower. (In exchange for more £10 notes)

Tony S

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[paulburton44]

Move to the Wash !
Sailing club membership and 7 months mooring £200 (Witham sailing club)
Lift out, storage, lift back in (upto 6months) about £500 depending on boat size at Fosdyke yacht Haven.
About £1.00 per hour of motoring......(who needs red diesel????)


<hr width=100% size=1>www.withamsailingclub.co.uk