how do you lot afford it!

[panhandler52]

Take some pity please.. i thought i would make a notch on my 'bucket list'
and consider motorboat cruising. Put down a deposit, take out a loan(just finished a £500 P/month car loan and wondered what that would buy me?)
Next thought mooring fees ? Based in central Scotland and seems the boat 31' was going to be around £4k for annual fees.
Plus returning from a 25 year lay off from boats i was hoping to take a refresher Day Skipper RYA approved course + my wife was pupil also so there's £1500.
Then a sealine 29-31 model was i'm told gonna burn 4-5 gal diesel per hour!.
Insurance & general maintence on a 1995 vessel God knows what figure this would be.
So am i wrong or are you lot just so rich, & if so Im the only chef in Scotland that has cooked for King & Queen (B.B. King and well H.M. but only once!) and i will just have to settle for 'crewing' again.
Only nice motorcruiser owner need apply as i ain't luggin' sails.
Enjoy your time on the water..:

 

[PCUK]

Yes, Thanks to Euro-cr*p and so-called green taxes big motor boating is once again only for the rich!

 

[rafiki_]

Don't entirely agree. Fuel costs are a relatively small part of our annual costs. Can't blame the Eu for mooring and maintenance costs can we?

But for the OP, £500 per month wil probably buy £10-£12k loan (others may have better view on this than me).

My costs are about £4-£5k pa for mooring, maintenance, insurance, licensing and fuel. Majority of our boating is on the river, so burning less than 1 gal per hour diesel in a 33 ft twin engined coastal cruiser.

 

[Searush]

Save up your money for a fortnight charter on the Great Glen. If you like it do the same somewhere else next year.

Or find a cheap coastal mooring in a less popular harbour & get something smaller & older.

10-12k will get you a very capable raggie with a fraction of the fuel cost. Why people are frighten of sails I'll never understand - you don't actually need to use them if you don't want to. Tho' I think you'd be mad not too, given free propulsion & the wonderful steadying force.

I would look at Colvic Motorsailors or the Watson MFV style boats etc, good accom, biggish engines but reasonable fuel consumption & VERY seaworthy for use on East or West coast in any weather.

 

[Mr Googler]

B.O.A.T. = Bring Out Another Thousand!!!!

It is an expensive game so I think you have to boat to you pocket size. I could have afford to buy a 40ft petrol sqeeker few years back but never in a million years could I have run or maintained the thing so I bought a big diesel rib. Had great fun and was affordable so got lots of use which makes the costs worthwhile. Had a 30ft cruiser prior and thing hardly moved

Go to any marina and see the amount of boats that never move. Must be gutting to see your pride and joy sat rotting away whilst you can't afford to run it.

I also think where you start is never where you end up. Many on here inc me started small and worked up. I don't think this is always because they got massively richer but rather gained contacts, learnt how things worked and could be fixed, found moorings that rarely come up etc all of which brings the costs down.

Some got richer obviously and well done them but I bet they still boat to their pocket size (just )

 

[oldgit]

1 packet of fags a day is £2000 a year
Foreign holiday........at least £1000 for two
Sky subscription is ??????
Etc Etc.....................

Depends what you will get most fun out off !

It does not cost a lot of money to run a boat,not unless you want it to ?

 

[Searush]

1 packet of fags a day is £2000 a year
Foreign holiday........at least £1000 for two
Sky subscription is ??????
Etc Etc.....................

Depends what you will get most fun out off !

It does not cost a lot of money to run a boat,not unless you want it to ?

Sky is about £850 pa for HD, Multiroom & all channels, cheaper than going to a film, footy match or theatre once a week. It also saves £3-400 pa annum buying a paper everyday.

 

[jfm]

I think, unless my maths is terrible, £500/month would pay for a £40k or so boat loan. But LTV ratios are probably not generous, these days, meaning the bank might want a 30% of 40% depost while they finance the other 60 or 70%

Each to their own, but I don't reckon it's a great idea to borrow a load of money if you want to keep to a budget.

As others have said if you shop around there are bargains. Or you could get a day boat to use on lochs and b+b at night. Or find a sharer and own a boat in shares (I did that years ago in a 3-way share and it worked really well). Luggin sails isn't as bad as you make out: you do it for 10 mins at the start and end of a trip and the other few hours are spent relaxing and looking at those nice sails . For crewing opportunities stay around on this forum for a few months as people will start using their boats more when the weahter warms up and will need crew then. Good luck anyway.

 

[PCUK]

Rafiki, When I first filled my boat in 1987 my boat fuel was 13p a GALLON - Nuff said!

 

[Divemaster1]

mooring fees vary a lot....

Got a 45 ft MOBO from 80's with a short 800 hp onboard....

Annual Mooring in Inverness Marina - £2500
Insurance - £400
Engine service and parts - £500 (do it myself)

Rest is useage and I do not count depreciation.... and remember that you seldom will do many hours at cruising speed, but spend a lot of time at lower speeds which reduces the hourly consumption...

 

[DougH]

I think you will find that the answer to your question is ' Yes we were rich before buying a boat'

 

[STEVEDUNSTABLE]

just a suggestion, get a boat in the 24ft range and trailer sail...that will save you a mint.. the price of a good trailer would be APPROX the cost of a years mooring so the secound year is free etc and is self financing because the mooring fees rise almost annualy..if you want more info on trailersailing, my website below might give you some food for thought, or PM me for spercific details..

 

[bluejasper2]

Take some pity please.. i thought i would make a notch on my 'bucket list'
and consider motorboat cruising. Put down a deposit, take out a loan(just finished a £500 P/month car loan and wondered what that would buy me?)
Next thought mooring fees ? Based in central Scotland and seems the boat 31' was going to be around £4k for annual fees.
Plus returning from a 25 year lay off from boats i was hoping to take a refresher Day Skipper RYA approved course + my wife was pupil also so there's £1500.
Then a sealine 29-31 model was i'm told gonna burn 4-5 gal diesel per hour!.
Insurance & general maintence on a 1995 vessel God knows what figure this would be.
So am i wrong or are you lot just so rich, & if so Im the only chef in Scotland that has cooked for King & Queen (B.B. King and well H.M. but only once!) and i will just have to settle for 'crewing' again.
Only nice motorcruiser owner need apply as i ain't luggin' sails.
Enjoy your time on the water..:

hi my boat is about 31ft mooring fees for year north east £2025 ,insurance
£450 for £100,000 boat,£700 per month to borrow £70,000 fuel is expensive
but you are not using boat every day like car,i am not rich you do not have to spend a fortune to have a great day out at sea

 

[enterprise]

Don't be too disheartened, most like ourselves start off on a modest/average budget, trading up when possible, £20k can buy one hell of a good starter boat these days with older examples nearer £10k (thinking older sealines here).
http://sealine.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=212106

Trailerboating is the way forward if you need to keep those costs as low as possible, just have to factor in running a gas guzzler motor to tow it, thats if you want anything near a 25ft boat that is.

Look at what you think will suit you best, day boating or extended cruising, weekending can be done quite comfortably in even the smallest of pocket cruisers, 22ft is a good size and just about tow-able with a medium sized family car.

If you look after whatever you buy and buy wisely then you often lose nothing on resale, it gets you out on the water and then only trade up when the funds become available, it took nearly 10 years for us to get enough for a second hand 28ft Fairline targa, but this was without borrowing to buy the boat.

So it's doable on a very modest budget, just takes time, and there's many owners that have done the same, I think it's already been mentioned, you tend to sacrifice something else like holidays abroad, expensive cars etc, just depends how much of a dream you think it really is I guess.

 

[neale]

Then a sealine 29-31 model was i'm told gonna burn 4-5 gal diesel per hour!.

I think it may be higher than that if it is a twin diesel.

I have a 28ft twin diesel Sealine and I get around 2.5mpg at around 20 knots. That equates to about 8gph

My single diesel Bayliner does about 5mpg at 20 knots, which is about as economical as you can get for a boat with proper accommodation, but even that is 4 gph

If you are thinking petrol, these figures will seem like a bargain

 

[oldgit]

Sky is about £850 pa for HD, Multiroom & all channels, cheaper than going to a film, footy match or theatre once a week. It also saves £3-400 pa annum buying a paper everyday.

Freeview £00.00

 

[Sneds]

I have a 28ft twin diesel, uses 30lph and cost £1300 pa to moor.
Insurance is about £350 pa and I put away £100 per month to cover all servicing, inc lift every two years.
I reckon on about £1,000 - £1200 pa on fuel.
Blimey! That is £4k pa! But we both use and enjoy our boat so well worth it.
I know some people will spend £4k just on a mooring but there are usually cheaper options if you look.
All down to how much you value your boating ie I could never spend £4k on a two week holiday but I know a couple who do every year.
Likewise, a friend of mine pays that to park his static caravan in a field with a swimming pool and a bar.
Each to their own enjoyment

 

[Searush]

hi my boat is about 31ft mooring fees for year north east £2025 ,insurance
£450 for £100,000 boat,£700 per month to borrow £70,000 fuel is expensive
but you are not using boat every day like car,i am not rich you do not have to spend a fortune to have a great day out at sea

That's standing charges of £11k pa, which is a significant amount for most people in the UK - almost half the average household income after tax. I certainly couldn't spend that on my boat, £2-3k pa is my max including fuel, club membership & upgrades/ repairs. So some may dispute your claim to not be rich.

 

[gjgm]

Take some pity please.. i thought i would make a notch on my 'bucket list'
and consider motorboat cruising. Put down a deposit, take out a loan(just finished a £500 P/month car loan and wondered what that would buy me?)
Next thought mooring fees ? Based in central Scotland and seems the boat 31' was going to be around £4k for annual fees.
Plus returning from a 25 year lay off from boats i was hoping to take a refresher Day Skipper RYA approved course + my wife was pupil also so there's £1500.
Then a sealine 29-31 model was i'm told gonna burn 4-5 gal diesel per hour!.
Insurance & general maintence on a 1995 vessel God knows what figure this would be.
So am i wrong or are you lot just so rich, & if so Im the only chef in Scotland that has cooked for King & Queen (B.B. King and well H.M. but only once!) and i will just have to settle for 'crewing' again.
Only nice motorcruiser owner need apply as i ain't luggin' sails.
Enjoy your time on the water..:

It is an expensive hobby;there you have it.
It is an even more expensive hobby if you dont use the thing.A couple of years ago I think there were alot of boats just sitting about, but in the last 6months a great many of those have gone.
So, just be sure that you and yours really want to spend alot of time doing this, bcz of course,it isnt for everyone.If you do, then it is a question of priorities, and as others have said, they give up other expenses to go boating.
Lots of other ways to spend your money, though!

 

[Deefor]

Bottom line, how much disposable income do you have a year, ie. spare cash?

I went from 30' to 40' and the Fairline 40 cost me a fortune to run/keep.

Now I've got a 15hp, 18' weekender on a trailer which, now I've moved home, I keep on the drive with minimal overheads. Boating at it's best and money in my pocket, not the mainas and engineers.

Sitting on the back of my little boat costs me less to have a beer than all those big boats and we have just as good a time getting drunk .