How much is this Sailing lark?

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Foxxen

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I'm keen to buy used sailing yacht but not sure about the budget, can I afford it? Looking to get a 32’, 34' boat that is not a 'Project', something that requires a modest amount of refit. How much?
Will be berthed in an East coast marina used at weekends and holidays. What yearly costs am I looking at?
 
Foxxen said:
I'm keen to buy used sailing yacht but not sure about the budget, can I afford it? Looking to get a 32’, 34' boat that is not a 'Project', something that requires a modest amount of refit. How much?
Will be berthed in an East coast marina used at weekends and holidays. What yearly costs am I looking at?
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its reckoned @ 10% of boat value pa
ins about 0.5% of value
berthing say £2.5k East Coast
 
A marina is always going to be an expensive choice.

We ran a Centaur on a swinging mooring at a do-it-youself club on the Blackwater (Marconi) for less than £1k pa for everything - mooring, insurance, club fees, storage, etc, etc. That is cheap!

Multiply it by 3-4x for even the cheapest marina.
 
If you need to ask, you can't afford it!!

Seriously, it is a "how long is a piece of string" question. You can spend as much or as little as you like. There are those who get more sailing in than most who paid £2k for an elderly small cruiser & under £1k pa to run her. There are those who buy new like all the best gear (for the boat & themselves) & use marinas that spend £15k plus pa.

My starting point - many years ago, was the cost of 2 weeks charter a year. If I could run a boat of my own for the same (don't forget the capital tied up is costing you interest) then it is worth while.

But you don't have to start at 30', nor, as already pointed out do you need a marina. If the cost is too high, consider smaller boats, drying moorings, trailer sailers - even day sailing. Or boat share or even fall back on chartering.

I have a friend who took qualifications & got involved in delivery work, so his sailing earns him a small amount each year.
 
There are many options it's clear. The option I've chosen appears to be about the same as buying and running a large 4x4 which isn't that dreadful.
 
In round numbers a swinging mooring plus boatyard for the winter would probably cost £1500 as opposed to the marina charge of £2500. Depends on whether you live within easy travelling distance of the boat - if not then you may want the "weekend cottage" convenience of a boat in a marina.
 
The problem is that even though you can work out a budget figure - moorings, insurance, survey,lift out, antifoul, harbour dues there's always that big bill waiting round the corner to catch you out.
 
Are you new to this sailing lark? If so, the question of experience comes into the equation. AS a newbie,,my advice would be to start with something smaller and cheaper and then move up. Depending on your voyage ambitions, a trailer sailer would provide an excellent start. Lots of choices for sailing locations and no worries about moorings or marinas.We started our boat owning career with a Winkle Brig pocket gaffer which was a load of fun and cheap to run. The Trail Sail Association are very friendly and helpful.
 
samwise said:
Are you new to this sailing lark? If so, the question of experience comes into the equation.
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If new to sailing factor in £1000 for training - that should get you to Day Skipper standard by mid summer. It will also give you experience of sailing school boats (usually in the 32' range) and you'll have a better idea of what you are looking for in your own vessel.
 
Foxxen said:
I'm keen to buy used sailing yacht but not sure about the budget, can I afford it? Looking to get a 32’, 34' boat that is not a 'Project', something that requires a modest amount of refit. How much?
Will be berthed in an East coast marina used at weekends and holidays. What yearly costs am I looking at?
Click to expand...

Depends a bit on how much you want to spend each year on 'toys' (eg electronics upgrades etc.); new sails; anchors etc. Quite a few items can be servicable for say another season or two, but if you have the money at the time are best off replaced.
 
'AS a newbie,,my advice would be to start with something smaller and cheaper and then move up.'
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Very sound advice which I'm going to ignore no doubt at my cost. I want a boat where we and friends can be in some comfort. After training to Day Skipper plus one or two weeks additional experience plus some on own boat training would I be good to go or set for sure disaster?
 
Foxxen said:
Very sound advice which I'm going to ignore no doubt at my cost. I want a boat where we and friends can be in some comfort. After training to Day Skipper plus one or two weeks additional experience plus some on own boat training would I be good to go or set for sure disaster?
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In actual fact theres not a lot to the basics of sailing the nitty gritty is in the seamanship which will come overtime.
 
Foxxen said:
Very sound advice which I'm going to ignore no doubt at my cost. I want a boat where we and friends can be in some comfort. After training to Day Skipper plus one or two weeks additional experience plus some on own boat training would I be good to go or set for sure disaster?
Click to expand...

As it sounds like you are a relative beginner, I'd be tempted to do the RYA course(s), and then join a local sailing club, and spend a few seasons sailing on other peoples boats. That way you get the experiance to back up the formal training, thus reducing the risk of disaster when you set off in your own boat. It will also give you experiance of different boats / skippers / ways of doing things, thus when you do come to buy a boat you will be in a position to make a far more informed choice of what to get to suit your needs, plus your new friends from the sailing club will be on hand with help, advice etc.

A final thought; a quick glance in my log book shows I did more sailing crewing for other people before buying a boat than I do now, although my personal circumstances have changed significantly as well. I certainly spend a lot more time working on boats now than before I bought!

Andy
 
As far as costs go, a smaller boat in the 24-32 foot range will be much cheaper to buy and run. A lot will also depend on whether you are of a practical nature when it comes to repairs. My Dad couldn't put in a screw without snapping the head off! (Sorry Dad) I helped a friend to renovate his T24 and started each repair on the basis of how would we replace the part if we broke it? Sometimes we chose that course of action as it proved easier to remove a whole section of bulkhead and replace it than try to scarf a new piece in...

We still spend probably more time on maintenance each winter than sailing in the summer!

A nice compromise on mooring costs I have achieved is a swinging mooring (least cost) and a yacht club that runs a launch service at weekends and has a single pontoon where you can quickly load/unload gear and crew. On weekdays, there always seems to be more time available to take the tender out to the mooring.

Rob.
 
Foxxen said:
I'm keen to buy used sailing yacht but not sure about the budget, can I afford it? Looking to get a 32’, 34' boat that is not a 'Project', something that requires a modest amount of refit. How much?
Will be berthed in an East coast marina used at weekends and holidays. What yearly costs am I looking at?
Click to expand...

My budget for a 34' boat in Dover Marina on holiday and weekend usage is £3600pa. This is just the basic running cost, and includes visiting other marina fees.

On top of this are the inevitable running repair and unexpected nasties.

Cost to date 10 months into ownership has worked out to about £400pm, I expect/hope this will drop back to about £320 as issues have been sorted.

Be aware of potential nasties, I have a 22 year old engine, which should go on for another 22, but if it explodes, £6000 to replace.

The other big factor on cost is how much work you can do yourself, if time or ability constrained outside agencies aint cheap.

Still cheaper than the amount we used to spend on holidays though!
 
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