Do you think boating is a 'money pit' ?

DAKA

DAKA

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 Jan 2005
Messages
9,258
Location
Nomadic
Visit site
The shooting Times advert above reminded of a recent incident as I managed to find time to take a day off work to join a shoot party .

The game keeper approached me and suggested my low profile car wouldn't make it round the estates tracks , so I started to follow the only totty in sight towards the beaters wagon :)
I was soon stopped and directed to a chauffeur driven brand new Range Rover .

Between drives I had lots of time to cover most topics with the owner.....

The £80 000 Range Rover was his 'work horse' bought just for shooting as he didnt want to get his best cars mucky :eek:

He didnt use his cars much anyway as he owns two aeroplanes and sometimes just flys round in circles for a buzz.

He has already booked over 30 days shooting and just a few weeks into the season he has already spent over £30 000 :eek:

What has this got to do with a boating forum, well of course I managed to direct the conversation away from shooting, flying and spending obscene amounts of money on pleasure and onto boating :)
No surprise to learn he had previously owned a boat, a little disappointed it was only an F33 but its a good boat and well known, perhaps he was previously a howards way fan or something.
Anyway the point of the post if you haven't already guessed it
when I asked him if would ever buy a boat again the reply came

"Oh no , boating is a real money pit" :eek:
 
It all depends

It all depends on perspective and finance. The type of shooting you refer to is very different to that which the majority of game and clay shots enjoy. Thinking that typical shooting involves "chauffeur-driven £80,000 Range Rovers" is the same as believing average boating includes superyachts and paid crew.

What is the Shooting Times ad you mention?
 
have been thinking

If I spend a six figure amount for a boat in the med,
plus a five figure amount every year for mooring, fuel and maintenance,

or

I buy a house in the med with the same money,
I can earn a 5 figure amount every year from rent

and after 5 to 10 years

the value of the boat is at least -50%
the value of the house is at least +100% :o

but

difference in having fun is at least 200% ;)
 
BartW said:
difference in having fun is at least 200% ;)
Click to expand...

Exactly BartW. Of course boating is a money pit. But what else is worth doing with money other than throwing it into a very nice pit. Should we save it all up, earn 0.25% interest on it, have no fun, then die rich? What a daft idea!
 
I've just had an idea to re-name my "pit" - Quatermass. In fact, the boatbuilders in our yard have 2 days to build the spaceship off that very movie over the weekend. :)
 
My pals that went duck shooting over the Dee marshes did'nt spend much. You don't want a top class gun if you are lying in a mud puddle from 3.00am until the ducks fly over. Their costs were cheap but fuctional guns, cartridges, decent clothing (probably use dry suits today) a dog (self trained) a few beers and cleaning bills for the muddy clothes (clean your gun yourself!)

In the same way I know people with small sailing boats &cheap mooring that get by on a few hundred a year.
 
nope... I made money on the Binliner and the Fletcher owning each for one season, effectively free boating from each with a bit of money in the back pocket to go towards the next one. I've a sneaking feeling, all that's about to change but am very much looking forward to spending the money
 
Agree entirely. Boating is an appalling money pit. The problem is not the cost which is bad enough but the few days a year that you actually do it so in terms of cost per day, well, it doesn't bear thinking about. Taking account of all the berthing and maintenance costs, depreciation and loss of interest on the capital, boating probably costs me a minimum of £60k a year, maybe more. I probably get to my boat 40 days in a year so thats £1500 a day for the pleasure or sometimes lack of it.
What else could I do with £1500 a day? Hire the best good time girl in London? At least I would have had some exercise at the end of it:)
 
It only feels like a money pit when things start to go wrong, inc the dismal weather, up until that point it's worth every penny.

As with Gary, had a few years of depreciation free boating, only losses are servicing and the annual berthing fee's however the amount of use has been worth it, not so much over the previous two seasons but this year made up for it
 
I genuinely have no idea what my boat costs each year - I know its a hell of a lot and hard to justify. I deliberately never add it all up or I would give myself a coronary. working out the cost per day's use would just ruin every day I spent on it!
 
blueglass said:
...I deliberately never add it all up or I would give myself a coronary. working out the cost per day's use would just ruin every day I spent on it!
Click to expand...

Me too.

I sometimes reckon the enjoyment gained from boats is in inverse proportion to the amount spent, i.e. small boat = big fun. On the other hand there always seems to be something essential/necessary/desirable to spend money on.

Searush, you're spot on about wildfowling. Brilliant, true sport. I've only been a few times and loved it. Most of my shooting is small scale farm shoots and an inexpensive syndicate. A great deal cheaper than the boat....
 
Rules for cost in relation to boating-

Rule 1). NEVER calculate what it costs you to run your boat in any form of analytical/realistic manner.

All other rules). Same as rule 1.
 
BartW and jfm are spot on. The Guy with the £80,000 Range Rover. How much will his beloved Range Rover be worth in 5 years time .
I use my boat as a two bedroom movable, floating cottage and wouln't swap it for anything.
Your not here for a long time. Your here for a good time.
 
Mine has worked out just under £800 a day this season. Cars have been a far bigger money pit this year for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top