How many leisure boats never go anywhere?

[Gixer]

When I crewed on other people yachts I used to go out every weekend.
Since buying my own yacht I hardly get out at all, I cant quite put my finger on why. I think its life/family changes and timing wind and tide.
I'd never sell by boat and keep her ready to go at any time, I hate seeing boats going green, etc.

This year is the year!
(if the weather ever picks up.....)

 

[[3889]]

On the other hand, I have a 700 mile drive to my boat and have spent 12 weeks aboard this year away from my marina.

 

[NormanS]

Well I don't keep my boat in a marina, but contrary to what folk are saying on here, with her normal mooring about 120 miles from home, we still average about 120 nights aboard each year.

 

[agurney]

And back to front - 4 ways, ergo 4 weeks.

and swap with the crew .. so eight weeks

 

[25931]

La Roca ? On the hard in Portimao ? ( Port y mayo if you're a Yorkie )

Afloat in Olhão (( Ol yow )

 

[sniffyjenkins]

There was a survey in the Solent where at the time there were 9,000 boats on moorings and marinas, 98% of them never sailed and the marina boats were used as weekend caravans. It was the same Burham-on-Crouch marina.

Wow. 98%? Extraordinary. Seems crazy, with the kind of money one spends on a boat, that it doesn't get used. And sad.

I get twitchy if I go 2 weekends without sailing, year round...

 

[steve yates]

I would say the vast majority are rarely ever used.

 

[Sandyman]

Afloat in Olhão (( Ol yow )

 

[Trundlebug]

It would seem from reading the posts above that there is a relationship between distance from boat and frequency of use.

I live in the East Midlands, i.e. the centre of England and about 70 miles from the sea in any direction.
We decided to keep our boat at an inland marina about 45 miles / an hour's drive away.
We can get to sea, and do about twice a year for our main hols but it takes 2 days to get to sea.
On the plus side, we go to the boat most weekends and do around 100 hours a year.
Even if we don't go to sea at least we can go up and down the river and its various tributaries and side navigations to keep life interesting. Even in weather that would probably stop us going out to sea.

But therein is the dilemma when deciding where to keep the boat.
Inland, an hour away = use it often, have lower mooring fees but potentially less variety or range of cruising options.
Keep it on the coast = pay 3.5 times more, visit and use it 1/3 as often, but with a big variety of coastal destinations available nearer the home mooring.

You can soon see why quite a few boats don't get used much. Although I can never see why people would pay so much and get so little value from it through lack of use.

 

[LittleSister]

Distance is much less of a factor for those who are retired or can plan their own working periods.

 

[NormanS]

Distance is much less of a factor for those who are retired or can plan their own working periods.

Indeed. When I worked, we drove across the country to the boat two weekends out of three. Now retired, we tend to go once a month, but are out for two or three weeks each time. Car milage and use reduced, boat milage and use increased.

 

[GrahamM376]

It would seem from reading the posts above that there is a relationship between distance from boat and frequency of use.

Yes in our case. When we had an 80 mile each way trip to the boat, we went Friday evening until Sunday, summer and winter. When we moved locally to the boat, could look out of the window at local weather, we often didn't bother going aboard. Now it's somewhere warmer, we spend 6 - 8 months aboard.

 

[aquaplane]

Last year my boat had 100% usage. I only had 5 weeks holidays and I was boating for 5 weeks.

That's not to say the boat wasn't dormant for 47 weeks.

The 350 mile 6-7 hour drive means boating was done for weeks as opposed to hours.

Now I'm retired I have boated 7 of the last 8 weeks but I have taken to washing my grundigs and socks in the shower so I don't run out.

 

[Momac]

I am presently on the return leg of a round trip of some 300 miles over two weeks which I think exceeds some people's annual use.
Next holiday is a long weekend in two weeks time.
Most weekends we spend on the boat even if not going out.
I know of a few boats that do not leave the marina at all . I don't mind that as its no loss to me.

 

[jamesson]

Sad really

 

[NormanS]

As it happens, I make full use of my boat, but I respect others' desires to use theirs as they wish. If they want to use their yacht as a weekend retreat, where they can enjoy life out of their usual, for example, city life, why should we criticise or think any less of them?

 

[jac]

I know of a few boats that do not leave the marina at all . I don't mind that as its no loss to me.

Depends on where they are of course but I would say it is a loss for you.

all those boats clog up space in Marinas or moorings that could be used by others to get better / cheaper berthing. Opposite my berth on the Hamble is a boat that I think is on a HM mooring. She is slowly deteriorating but Is occupying a place that could go to someone on the waiting list.

Those boats that sit in marinas that never go anywhere are subsidising the rest of us but when it gets to the state that some visitors may not get a berth overnight it is an issue.

Equally the higher demand / occupancy means that Marinas don't need to try so hard to attract boats in by operating more competitive prices.

All those boats sat going no-where take up spaces that could free up mooring grounds for anchoring.

Maybe the lower £ will mean that the UK fleet of pleasure boats shrinks as European buyers seek bargains in the UK and snap up hundreds of boats for sale in the UK and take them abroad.

 

[jac]

As it happens, I make full use of my boat, but I respect others' desires to use theirs as they wish. If they want to use their yacht as a weekend retreat, where they can enjoy life out of their usual, for example, city life, why should we criticise or think any less of them?

I think that's different. As you say, just using the boat as a weekend retreat can be fine, especially those who use it a lot like that.

However, I think there are a lot that are not even visited from one month to the next.

 

[RupertW]

An old boat which is virtually valueless may just become one of those problems you don't have time to solve.

Last month I sailed a boat I've owned for 12 years, but not even untied for 6. It's been on the market on and off for 8 years at lower and lower prices but I gave up trying to sell it 3 years ago as I had let it run down to an embarrassing condition. Have just spent a lot of time and money making it more acceptable I'm minded to keep it for one more season then try 99p on Ebay.

I should really have sold it before buying my next boat (6 years ago) as keeping two boats is just far too much hassle if you are working. My thought of one big boat in the Med, and a nice little one on the South Coast just hasn't worked, really and just adds to the clutter in two marinas.

 

[PaulJS]

Blimey! I thought that I was the only one. Bought my boat 4 years ago, then due to vagaries of work schedule and weather took a year to get it near my home... Since then I have moved her to my home port for winter when she got beaten up by the pontoon, then moved her back to the very tidal mooring. That year my leaves, the weather, and the tides conspired to prevent any sailing, and the last 2 years she has been on the hard with me only accomplishing about 10% of the jobs I'd like to do due to other obligations. Hope to restart sailing before I retire!