Cost per use

While we own a boat, it is in Belgium and I am yet to play with it. Being boatless is horrible as I have no escape from the day job (I live over the shop.) I miss it terribly along with the friends we make at the coast.
Cost of boat... Horrendous. Time on board as a family... Priceless. Cost of a house by the sea... Extortionate.
In my mind having a floating home is much better value AND you can go places, do things, fix it, clean it, get away from email...
We did consider buying a flat by the sea instead but SWIMBO pointed out that we would get there and then have to find something to do... Incurring even more cost! I love my wife!!!
 
Very true! Used to race karts about 15 years ago. I earned 25k and somehow managed to spend between 3 and 5k of that on racing each year.

I'm a great believer in doing something you enjoy and the costs are largely irrelevant. As long as you live to your means you can make sacrifices elsewhere, whether it be fancy holidays, clothes, cars, drink, fags etc etc. You only live once, so do what makes you happy. The second you start to think about true costs, you'll only get upset so why bother. Man maths rules in my book.

Although not in the water yet, I'm selling it to SWMBO as an opportunity to get out as a family more, which is the truth. I don't need to complicate matters with the cost of the boat and running costs. She never looks at the price when shopping for clothes so why should I when boat shopping :-)
 
thecommander said:
So my partner and I did a few calculations last night to find out how much our motorboat was actually costing per use.

For a 20ft 3 litre petrol motorboat, drystacked with 20 uses per year it was costing £200 everytime we stepped onboard. Needless to say we were shocked. If we've done this calculation three years ago, we would have never bought a boat. But we're hooked now :D

This cost was calculated by totaling up our drystack fees, annual fuel costs, insurance costs, annual maintenance costs, cost of transport to and from the boat divided by the annual visits/trips to the boat. Not 100% scientific as it doesn't account for depreciation on the boat nor food or drink costs onboard.

I would be interested to hear readers opinions. Obviously the more you visit your boat the cheaper the cost per use becomes.
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You're going on 'Ignore' mate! I don't want the missus seeing this thread! :(
 
I think the response to the question would be the same as a response to "how much does it cost to raise a child". If you looked at the costs at the outset, your eyes could water and you probably wouldn't do it, but we don't look at it that way, we do it for love and enjoyment. It is a fact of life though that as both grow older they get more expensive to keep !
 
If you are worried about cost of use consider this. When we were at Swanwick for two years we were moored next to a sold but brand new Princess 50 something. I met the owner once, he admitted that he had bought it and the family hated It and he had never once used it. I don't know what the cost of use was but reckon it must have been around £1m!!!!!! The ones that should be in tears are the ones that DONT use the boats and there are loads of them out there, if you use it regularly and it takes the place of other things then that helps to balance things out
 
paul salliss said:
If you are worried about cost of use consider this. When we were at Swanwick for two years we were moored next to a sold but brand new Princess 50 something. I met the owner once, he admitted that he had bought it and the family hated It and he had never once used it. I don't know what the cost of use was but reckon it must have been around £1m!!!!!! The ones that should be in tears are the ones that DONT use the boats and there are loads of them out there, if you use it regularly and it takes the place of other things then that helps to balance things out
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Well said.
 
Yes but owning a Arrow is More akin to owning a nice day boat. Compared to a twin engine Baron the cost are nothing and the baron would compare easily with the costs of your S65
 
paul salliss said:
If you are worried about cost of use consider this. When we were at Swanwick for two years we were moored next to a sold but brand new Princess 50 something. I met the owner once, he admitted that he had bought it and the family hated It and he had never once used it. I don't know what the cost of use was but reckon it must have been around £1m!!!!!! The ones that should be in tears are the ones that DONT use the boats and there are loads of them out there, if you use it regularly and it takes the place of other things then that helps to balance things out
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+1.

I suppose it's pocket change to some people though.
 
Following my post on this
re the a princess that was never used, I propose we turn this thread on its head and change it from miserable cost of use, to

upbeat

value of smiles and good times, a much better way of looking at things when it comes to boating
 
paul salliss said:
Following my post on this
re the a princess that was never used, I propose we turn this thread on its head and change it from miserable cost of use, to

upbeat

value of smiles and good times, a much better way of looking at things when it comes to boating
Click to expand...


Hear! Hear! Give that man a cheer!




What it's all about. Under an evening anchor, watching the rugby on telly (SA vs Wales) while the admiral sorts out dinner

 
thecommander said:
What sort of boat do you have?
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A small antique catamaran - Catalac 8m. Mooring is cheap as it is a club pontoon so probably would be another £2k if I used a commercial marina. So adjusted cost per day would be £74.
 
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We all like adrenaline sports, £200 a time sounds real value for money to me that gets you a good fix.
My boat costs I recon £1000 a month maybe more . My other love is a£1000 a day to take out, only do it 10 times a year though.
 
About 20 years ago a good friend of mine used to refer to a good day out on the boat as a'thousand pound day' as being realistic that's what it just cost you, more now I suppose. Hobbies are to be enjoyed and provide good memories, I think what ever your hobby is its going to cost you to enjoy it, make sure you do.
 
So I've just done the calculations:
29 footer with twin petrol outboards
~£20000 for the year includes everything, even marine mortgage repayments
~2000 miles (£10/mile)
~40 trips (£500/trip)
~80 nights on board (£250/night)
And worth every penny!
Cruising with dolphins in Lyme Bay, Cherbourg, Carteret, St Helier, St Peters Port. Weymouth, Poole, Portland (each several times), Brixham, Torquay, Plymouth, Brighton, Chichester, Gosport, Hayling, Lymington and many trips on the solent and to the Isle of Wight.
 
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All priceless!!
 
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