Is boating in a death spiral?

Stemar said:
Or have family living on the mainland who might want to visit. When I retired and moved from London, we looked at the IoW, and it would have been great, apart from the ferry prices.
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It's mad that you can go to France considerably cheaper than you can go to the Isle of Wight. What's going on with that?

We like to grumble about Calmac up here but at least we have 'road equivalent tariff' (although it seems to assume we're all driving at about 10mpg).
 
winch2 said:
A bit like the idea that cockroaches will be the last bio-organisms on earth, I do think the small, lifting keeler will eventually become the primo leisure sailing vessel for the majority. Easy and fun to use and easy to look after, own and maintain.
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Thank heavens for that, I've just had my second sail on mine. It's 22', has a trailer and has cost me £2,800 in total including a new outboard. My wife will whinge at the size but it's affordable.
 
Yep. Even tho it'll be gloomy with no wind I cant wait to get out in my 20 foot gaff tmmrw. Spent a bit more than you but its just great. As long as I can get my head down and cook up something I'm happy.
 
Sea Change said:
It's mad that you can go to France considerably cheaper than you can go to the Isle of Wight. What's going on with that?
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I think most people have realised what's going on with that.

The UK stopped offering fair prices and good value some time ago and now practically everything you can buy or service you engage with has been monetised and profit margined to the max in order to squeeze every penny that can be squeezed out of it.
 
Sailing steve said:
I think most people have realised what's going on with that.

The UK stopped offering fair prices and good value some time ago and now practically everything you can buy or service you engage with has been monetised and profit margined to the max in order to squeeze every penny that can be squeezed out of it.
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Grass is greener etc etc.
Having sailed from the UK to the USA via Europe and the Caribbean, the UK remains, in my experience, the cheapest place to keep and maintain a boat.
Europe is better for most general living costs though.
 
Sea Change said:
Grass is greener etc etc.
Having sailed from the UK to the USA via Europe and the Caribbean, the UK remains, in my experience, the cheapest place to keep and maintain a boat.
Europe is better for most general living costs though.
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Really ?? My alongside marina berth including electricity and parking at Saint Quay Portrieux (a modern marina with good facilities and all tide access) costs me €3200 a year or about £2750 for a boat that is 10.7m x 3.44m How much for the same thing on the South coast of England ?
 
Frogmogman said:
Really ?? My alongside marina berth including electricity and parking at Saint Quay Portrieux (a modern marina with good facilities and all tide access) costs me €3200 a year or about £2750 for a boat that is 10.7m x 3.44m How much for the same thing on the South coast of England ?
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Are you comparing like with like ?….the natural comparison with the South of England is the South of France….and the North with the North of Scotland
 
Bouba said:
Are you comparing like with like ?….the natural comparison with the South of England is the South of France….and the North with the North of Scotland
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I have a boat ashore at Port Napoleon (south of France) for sale and it is nowhere near what it would be ashore on the South of England. And the French price includes a couple of lifts. The difficult bit about the South of France is getting an afloat berth, but lots just dry sail.
 
dgadee said:
I have a boat ashore at Port Napoleon (south of France) for sale and it is nowhere near what it would be ashore on the South of England. And the French price includes a couple of lifts. The difficult bit about the South of France is getting an afloat berth, but lots just dry sail.
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My drysail contract in Hamble includes 12 "return journey" lifts. I strongly suspect it costs more than your contract, however it is many thousands of pounds less than an afloat berth in the marina next door.
 
flaming said:
My drysail contract in Hamble includes 12 "return journey" lifts. I strongly suspect it costs more than your contract, however it is many thousands of pounds less than an afloat berth in the marina next door.
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I just did an online quote for a Dehler 37 at Hamble Yacht Services dry sailing - £10,227.62. Afloat is slightly less. Seems dry sailing is for racing. Clean hull etc.
 
dgadee said:
I just did an online quote for a Dehler 37 at Hamble Yacht Services dry sailing - £10,227.62. Afloat is slightly less. Seems dry sailing is for racing. Clean hull etc.
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I think Tom Cunliffe for one keeps his boat in the Baltic now and quips that, including undercover winter storage ashore, it makes perfect financial sense

Uk Pips, squeeze, gone. 👍
 
dgadee said:
I just did an online quote for a Dehler 37 at Hamble Yacht Services dry sailing - £10,227.62. Afloat is slightly less. Seems dry sailing is for racing. Clean hull etc.
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I'm at HYS. It's an amazing yard for dry sailing, but has only a tiny smattering of afloat berths. The main Port Hamble marina next door was £4k more for my boat for an annual pontoon berth.

Ruin my day and tell me how much cheaper your French contract is.....
 
Frogmogman said:
Really ?? My alongside marina berth including electricity and parking at Saint Quay Portrieux (a modern marina with good facilities and all tide access) costs me €3200 a year or about £2750 for a boat that is 10.7m x 3.44m How much for the same thing on the South coast of England ?
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Fair point, I've never kept my boat in a marina. I laid my own mooring back home and whilst cruising, I anchor. I forget sometimes that I'm an outlier.

For a budget boater, the UK has a lot going for it. Our chandleries are pretty good, and we have a huge secondhand marketplace where you can pick up cheap parts.
 
flaming said:
Ruin my day and tell me how much cheaper your French contract is.....
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"Please find below several offers that could fit your storage needs for your Dehler 37 boat of 11.2 x 3.5m (rates VAT included until 12/31/2025):
  • Annual dry storage: € 2679
  • 6-month dry storage: € 1822
  • Monthly dry storage: € 483
  • Launching/lifting: € 217 each
  • Boat hull wash (high-pressure): € 123
In addition, you may be interested in the following packages:
  • Serenity package (annual dry storage, 4 liftings and 2 boat hull wash (high-pressure): € 3414
  • Freedom package* (6 months dry storage, 6 months afloat storage, 2 liftings and 1 boat hull wash (high-pressure): € 5990
  • Adventure package* (annual afloat berth, 2 liftings, 1 boat hull wash (high-pressure) and 1 month of dry storage): € 5472"
They do say that afloat only if available, and it seems it rarely is. In Rhodes the yard owner told me that most of his boats were ashore 11 months of the year, afloat in August and required no antifoul because the anchorages were so clean. Mind you, the constant wind put the crew off the Aegean.

The £ is lower than when I signed up, of course,
 
Ps: It's up for sale at Ancasta in case anyone is looking for a Med boat. We found it very low cost - months and months at anchor.
 
Mark-1 said:
I've sailed in the Swedish Archipelago which, I'm told, is the best part of the Baltic. It was lovely, possibly as good as the West Coast of Scotland but 4x the price of the west Coast of Scotland and zero chance of Winter Sailing. Glad I went, but I won't be going back.
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Doesn't look like that to me (luckily, since I hope to get there next year). This is an upmarket one:

Rates Svinninge Marina | Port Adhoc Sverige
 
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