How to buy a cheap boat that comes with mooring?

[DCI Burnside]

I have noticed a lot of cheap cabin cruisers for sale online but what I need is to have one that is already in situ at a marina and I would buy the boat and take over the mooring fees as well. I have yet to see one that meets this criteria so I am just wondering if it is possible before I go any further. Cheers.

 

[Tranona]

Welcome to the forum.

Normally boats have no "rights" to a mooring or berth in a marina so you won't see many advertised like that. Berths are usually rented on fixed terms and many marinas have waiting lists so you may not be able to take over a berth. The correct way of going about it is to find a boat that you like and then enquire direct with the marina on the availability of a berth. Make sure the boat and owner are up to date with their ills. Many "cheap" boats are for sale because owners cannot afford the upkeep and bills so tread carefully.

 

[MontyMariner]

Haven't you got this all arse about face?
I would inquire at marinas if they have births available and at what cost, then look for a boat that I liked to move there.

 

[jbweston]

I have noticed a lot of cheap cabin cruisers for sale online but what I need is to have one that is already in situ at a marina and I would buy the boat and take over the mooring fees as well. I have yet to see one that meets this criteria so I am just wondering if it is possible before I go any further. Cheers.

There is a logic to what you're asking but it's based on the idea that the berth is already paid for in some way - a bit like buying a car with the added benefit of a lock-up garage owned and paid for by the previous owner. |It's rare in the UK that a marina berth is 'owned' like that. I think there might still be one or two at Port Pendennis at Falmouth, but I'm not sure, and even if there are to get the berth you'd need to but the house or flat that it goes with.

In the UK, marina berths are paid for by the current owner of the boat with a kind of 'rent'. It isn't actually rent as the bertholder has no property rights. It's a periodic (usually annual) contract with the marina entitling the bertholder to use whichever berth the marina operator chooses. Of course it's good business to try to keep your customers happy, so marinas will usually allocate a berth and not require the bertholder to move around unless, for example, they want to carry out maintenance on the berths, or reorganize the marina layout.

So to use the lockup garage analogy, there's no point in buying a car that's in a rented lockup garage if what you want is the garage, unless the garage landlord will allow you to rent it for the car you buy. Even then he'll want to charge you just as much ongoing rent as if he'd found you a nearby vacant garage for you to use with the car your really want to own.

So, as others have said, best to start with finding a marina that suits you that will have space for your boat. If your chosen one doesn't have space immediately no doubt they'll operate a waiting list. In some parts of the UK there will marinas with spaces available, at least if you don't want the berth immediately. This time of year is a good time to be looking.

 

[LittleSister]

There are many cheap to buy boats (some are good, many are not), but there are no cheap marinas.

The purchase cost of a cheap boat is only a downpayment on very substantial ongoing costs in terms of moorings (especially if in a marina), maintenance/repairs, equipment, insurance, etc. (I have spent vastly more on such things over the years than the purchase prices of the boats (all at the lower end of the market) I have owned, and one usually gets at least something back when one eventually sells the boat, but never gets back the 'running' costs.)

Definitely check out marina costs and the availability of berths in the area you are interested in before you commit to buying a boat.

 

[dunedin]

I wonder if the OP is looking for a seagoing craft in a coastal marina - or it is inland waterways that he/she is considering for the “cabin cruiser”? This could make a difference to availability of free berths. Also whether Solent or Stornoway?
Perhaps if the OP clarified where their target area is it might help get some more focussed suggestions.

 

[Wansworth]

There are many cheap to buy boats (some are good, many are not), but there are no cheap marinas.

The purchase cost of a cheap boat is only a downpayment on very substantial ongoing costs in terms of moorings (especially if in a marina), maintenance/repairs, equipment, insurance, etc. (I have spent vastly more on such things over the years than the purchase prices of the boats (all at the lower end of the market) I have owned, and one usually gets at least something back when one eventually sells the boat, but never gets back the 'running' costs.)

Definitely check out marina costs and the availability of berths in the area you are interested in before you commit to buying a boat.

Yes how right you are and all the time organizing or actually doing the work ……..philately has a lot going for it

 

[Sailing steve]

You need serious commitment to boats and boat ownership in order to overcome the not inconsiderable costs and the amount of time and energy they consume.

Buying a boat is easy. Buying a good example on a limited budget and exactly the right one for your circumstances and how you'll use it is not so easy, and getting that bit wrong is a very expensive mistake.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

A further point is that many marinas have waiting lists, and if an owner sells a boat that is in the marina, they will hold that berth to have been vacated and it will be given to the person at the top of the waiting list - and the new owner of the boat might well go to the bottom of the waiting list! Of course, marinas will negotiate on this point, but if there's strong demand - as there is for most marinas - the decision might well hinge on what brings more profit!

Although the OP is in the UK, I note that the advice given here is UK-centric, and different rules might apply elsewhere.

 

[Mark-1]

I have noticed a lot of cheap cabin cruisers for sale online but what I need is to have one that is already in situ at a marina and I would buy the boat and take over the mooring fees as well. I have yet to see one that meets this criteria so I am just wondering if it is possible before I go any further. Cheers.

I bought a boat in a Marina with 3 months left on the Marina contract which was transferred to me with the boat.

I'm lazy so without that three months I wouldn't have bought the boat. I regarded it as a 3 month charter and at the end I might have to dispose of the boat. As it happens 9 years and 5 different moorings later it's still a millstone round my neck joy to own.

My story is not typical and I'm not really sure of the benefit to you of doing it that way.

Maybe you can explain what you want to gain from this arrangement? Is this about getting onto a club mooring with a waiting list?

 

[LittleSister]

. . . philately has a lot going for it

I would take a lot of persuading on that point!

 

[Wansworth]

I would take a lot of persuading on that point!

What about lying on your back in November on the concrete scraping off anti fouling

 

[DCI Burnside]

Thanks for these replies, it's a lot more than I expected.

I can see what most of you are saying; that what I'm looking for isn't really a thing. I thought there would be a certain % of sellers who couldn't afford the boat/mooring and you could get them both together. No worries.

The reason why I wanted that setup is because I'm banned from driving so I can't move it on my own.

The reason why I wanted a boat in the first place was because I'm a bit of a prepper and I wanted somewhere to stash some stuff (somewhere that I owned rather than rented) It's funny that lock-up garages were mentioned because that was the original idea but the cheapest boats are cheaper than the cheapest garages.

The area I was looking for is south Wales. Anywhere from Pembroke in the west to Bristol over the border but preferably more south central Wales.

From what I've seen, the fees for a ~20ft boat are ~£100 per month which is affordable.

In terms of upkeep, I can do any easy jobs myself and anything mechanical or technical I could ask some friends. I wouldn't even be thinking about trying to sail it anywhere for ages anyway.

 

[LittleSister]

What about lying on your back in November on the concrete scraping off anti fouling

Well, there is that!

On the other hand, where in philately is the thrill, the challenge, the relaxation, the dreaming, the pride, the exploring new and well-known places, the looking forward to and looking back on?

 

[Mark-1]

I can't move it on my own.

Given that, I think there is a pretty good chance you'd find a boat, either with a mooring or with a mooring a short distance away by water.

The seller would be best placed to know. Explain the situation and see if they can arrange for the existing mooring to be transferred to you or if they know of nearby moorings available. They will be highly motivated to help you source a nearby mooring.

I also think this is the right time of year to be looking for this kind of arrangement.

 

[Wansworth]

Well, there is that!

On the other hand, where in philately is the thrill, the challenge, the relaxation, the dreaming, the pride, the exploring new and well-known places, the looking forward to and looking back on?

Finding a Penny Black in the loft ……

 

[LittleSister]

Finding a Penny Black in the loft ……

That certainly would be a challenge!

 

[Wansworth]

That certainly would be a challenge!

That certainly would be a challenge!

True,god knows what’s in ourl loft some beastly of indeterminate size

 

[jbweston]

. . .

The reason why I wanted a boat in the first place was because I'm a bit of a prepper and I wanted somewhere to stash some stuff (somewhere that I owned rather than rented) It's funny that lock-up garages were mentioned because that was the original idea but the cheapest boats are cheaper than the cheapest garages.

. . .

From the point of view of cost - both to buy and ongoing running and mooring costs - better to think of the boat more like the car than the garage. A cheap-to-buy car isn't necessarily cheap to run.

I appreciate that you're considering a boat as a place to store stuff. Maybe think what you'd say to someone that said he was going to but a cheap old Volvo estate car as a place to store stuff - the car itself would need to be kept somewhere and, if the 'stuff' has any money or sentimental value, it's the cost of secure parking that outweighs the cost of the car. That's not to say that secure parking is necessarily high, but the 'stuff storer' needs to focus his attention on finding and paying for the parking not on the car.

 

[nevis768]

I bought a boat with 6 months left on the marina contract, transferred to me as part of the sale. I enquired about it before I bought it. You do see this advertised sometimes, possibly not in the south though