DIY Project Storage in the UK

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NMB4321

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Hi.

Just looking at possibly getting myself a doer upper. Probably around a 28-32 ft sailboat.

I want to buy cheap and then dedicate weekends working on doing up the craft out of the water. I don't mind if it takes 12-18 months or even more but cost is the issue.

Any advice as to where this might be done at minimal cost?

TIA

Nick
 
Which part of the country is going to make a significant difference... can you give us a clue?

Also, with the current state of the low-end boat market, you may well be able to find one with really sound essentials and expensive things like new engine already done, for sadly not that much more. I get the urge to DIY something into a really good state (I did, and hope to again) but choose your starting point carefully. A chap I know who works in a very DIYish boatyard says he's seen lots of successful overhauls on boats that arrived in basic working order but a far higher failure rate on ones that turn up at the yard as non-runners.
 
Location, location, location. Essentially the more remote, less popular and poorest facilities is lower cost. You have to weigh up the balance between shortest journey time and cost as well. You will find you get less actual working time than you imagine. I am retired and I kept a log for the first stage of my current project (similar size boat) and roughly 40% hands on either at home or on the boat, 60% thinking , planning, organising and travel (only 15 minutes from home). There are some jobs like stripping antifouling where you get sustained work but most is fiddly work in confined spaces making small bits fit. Wiring is the worst in terms of time to output. Upshot is that it will all take twice as long (at least) and cost twice as much as you imagined.

Echo the "use and improve" approach like mine rather than with a boat that is not usable. Sail in the summer, improve in the winter.

Typical lower end storage on the S Coast for a 10m boat is well over £3kpa
 
Thx for the reply

I'm in Derbyshire so can travel to more or less anywhere in the UK. Yes I get what you say about the drop out rate for non runners. I'd be wanting something in basic working order...
 
Storage costs are lower in the north, but the choice of boats in the "cheap" locations is less good and moving small cheap boats around the country is very expensive. I bought my current boat in Wales and it cost over £2k to move it to Poole.

TBH I would not consider taking on such a project based where you are minimum 2-3 hours travel each way, nowhere to buy bits locally so you will find those ratios I quoted from my experience even worse. Unless you have a passion for just working on a boat rather than using it it really is not a good idea. It might work if you had a nice barn close by and do the work in one hit, but even then the boat would have to be really special to justify that amount of work and expense. All boats can be bought "cheap" in relation to the work and money required to make them "better" or "good". They are cheap for the very reasons that I am suggesting you don't do it. There is a glut of perfectly usable boats in that size range that do not need major work that 12-18 months implies.
 
What do you class as cheap? Functioning boats in that size that need only routine replacements can be had for 5k. What do you envisage spending 18 months doing?
 
If the ultimate goal is to go sailing, I would put aside the cash you might spend refitting and buy a working boat.

As others have said the market for smaller boats is very depressed. If you stay in the 28ish foot area you can get a decent condition boat for around £5-8k. If you do a refit in a shed you’ll spend most of that on transport and storage. If the boat works and can motor and sail, you can spend your holiday time on board doing jobs to make it nicer, and having a sail or two.

If the goal is to do boat fixing then fair enough, it doesn’t make sense financially, but people like doing it and fair play to them.
 
Interesting replies. Thanks to all.

I reckon I can stretch to £5k to get a working boat. Is it a case of trawling pages like Apollo Duck?

Cheers

Nick
 
I echo the replies above.
You really need to be close to the boat. You might ge better looking at somewhere nearby. Maybe a boatyard on the Trent or some such. Transportation might seem expensive but it would massively increase your chance of success. If it was a goer you could even sail/motor it there
 
We can help further with more information. What sort of boat, sporty racer or floating caravan? Where are you planning to keep it? What do you hope to achieve with it? What is your hopeful annual budget for moorings and storage etc?
 
NMB4321 said:
Thx for the reply

I'm in Derbyshire so can travel to more or less anywhere in the UK. Yes I get what you say about the drop out rate for non runners. I'd be wanting something in basic working order...
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I'm Derbyshire based too and have had boats in many places around the country as everywhere is 2/3 hours away. Currently at Kemps in Soton, cheapest on the S coast pontoon and yard. Preston is low cost as poor for day sailing, Douglas boatyard suoer cheap. Skegness YC almost free as is Roa Island Boat Club. Barrow? Free moorings. Happy to chat. N.
 
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Tranona said:
Location, location, location. Essentially the more remote, less popular and poorest facilities is lower cost. You have to weigh up the balance between shortest journey time and cost as well. You will find you get less actual working time than you imagine. I am retired and I kept a log for the first stage of my current project (similar size boat) and roughly 40% hands on either at home or on the boat, 60% thinking , planning, organising and travel (only 15 minutes from home). There are some jobs like stripping antifouling where you get sustained work but most is fiddly work in confined spaces making small bits fit. Wiring is the worst in terms of time to output. Upshot is that it will all take twice as long (at least) and cost twice as much as you imagined.

Echo the "use and improve" approach like mine rather than with a boat that is not usable. Sail in the summer, improve in the winter.

Typical lower end storage on the S Coast for a 10m boat is well over £3kpa
Click to expand...
I've spent a lot of time chasing deck leaks trying to get my new boat dry. The rain this year so far has found more leaks than I knew about. Getting ready to start on the electrics putting new wires in, etc. Already spent quite a bit of time chasing and removing old wiring.
I want to get the boat ready for use and then I can pick off bits in the summer and another major effort next winter. That's the plan at present.
 
ridgy said:
We can help further with more information. What sort of boat, sporty racer or floating caravan? Where are you planning to keep it? What do you hope to achieve with it? What is your hopeful annual budget for moorings and storage etc?
Click to expand...
I think this is the most important set of questions - what are you looking to achieve? If it’s learning to sail, then presumably an inland sailing lake would be the order of the day? Or do you have a navigable river / canal system to go play on with an appropriate motor boat?

If you want to do the YouTubers dream of sailing off to the warm water, then I’d save a bit more and get a fully functional boat and sail off - you needed need to save a huge amount more. There was a thread on here about a S&S34 this weekend for not much more than your budget and someone else linked to a rival 32 going cheap . Both more capable than any 28ft project boat would be.
 
I'd make an argument for a slightly smaller boat that is still, in good weather, sailable. That would give you some pleasure, and you can continue 'refurb'ing as it suits your temperament and time.

F'r 'zample, I bought a Hurley 24/70, in a very tatty state, for £500. I stripped out all the tat and loose stuff, scraped the crud off the u/w hull, slapped on some cheap antifoul paint and, after a function-check of the rig, set off to see where we would get to.

That was southern Ireland, and back.

You could get lots of pleasurable day and local-area weekend sailing without sticking your neck out, for not much money.
 
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