Is boating in a death spiral?

[flaming]

"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,

Ok, that's actually not so different once you add in the 12 lifts I get. And also the fact that every boat is pressure washed every time it's lifted.

I think your package works out about £3k less for 12 months dry storage and 12 lifts/washes. And then any additional lifts and washes over the 12 are cheaper for me (roughly half) than you'd pay. That's closer than I thought to be honest.

 

[Bouba]

Small private marinas change over the years because their owners are getting old...our port has now been taken over by the sons....and they are monetizing everything....what used to be complimentary is now billable.....but they could have just as easily developed the land...and perhaps their sons will...

 

[nevis768]

Obviously if it’s on the Clyde....then it’s mostly doom and gloom

Just for fair weather sailors like yourself

 

[doris]

I think at Haslar many stay in over winter as opposed to lifting out at GBY or Endeavour -clearly Deacons is an option if you can brave the tides etc

But now probably changing with the merger

 

[doris]

Why would you be waking up in france and wanting a rubbish mix of cholesterol for breakfast?

True, especially when you’re about to have an even more indulgent repast for lunch!!
Let’s not even think about dinner, unless of course you’re in the SW of France where heart health rules supreme, but then there are no marinas or moorings there are there!

 

[Laser310]

There seems to be no death spiral for boast that are larger/more expensive than those which the OP was asknig about.

I just enquired about two cruising boats in the 45-50ft range, after they each had modest price reductions, and both were immediately in contract.

 

[winch2]

I dont know how some boat yards get away it. People stripping gel coat and anti foul straight onto ground that slopes down to the water in a protected harbour! Boaters are their own worst enemies it seems.

 

[Bouba]

I dont know how some boat yards get away it. People stripping gel coat and anti foul straight onto ground that slopes down to the water in a protected harbour! Boaters are their own worst enemies it seems.

It certainly is something that I always wonder about.....it either seeps into the ground or washed into the river and sea. But a environmentally clean space where everything is collected and recycled would not only end DIY work but greatly increase the cost of getting suited and booted experts to do the job for you. Between the devil and the deep blue sea

 

[mrming]

There seems to be no death spiral for boast that are larger/more expensive than those which the OP was asknig about.

I just enquired about two cruising boats in the 45-50ft range, after they each had modest price reductions, and both were immediately in contract.

This is definitely a more robust part of the market. Good condition (relatively) modern, larger boats that are big enough to travel on for longer periods.

 

[Sea Change]

It certainly is something that I always wonder about.....it either seeps into the ground or washed into the river and sea. But a environmentally clean space where everything is collected and recycled would not only end DIY work but greatly increase the cost of getting suited and booted experts to do the job for you. Between the devil and the deep blue sea

The yard we're in (in the US) allows DIY but stipulates that you must collect all runoff, dust, etc. In practise nobody is really watching us and we're just doing the best that we reasonably can. We've just finished stripping the hull, using paint stripper, with tarps on the ground to collect the blobs. I know it's not 100% effective but we must be getting almost all of it.
I think we need to aim for practical solutions that people will actually use. It's not hard to take basic measures that collect almost everything.

 

[Ribtecer]

I dont know how some boat yards get away it. People stripping gel coat and anti foul straight onto ground that slopes down to the water in a protected harbour! Boaters are their own worst enemies it seems.

You are quite correct it should be managed and minimised where practical, but lots of antifoul disappears off the boat whilst in the water, so what do we do about that? Give up boating?

 

[Ribtecer]

Small private marinas change over the years because their owners are getting old...our port has now been taken over by the sons....and they are monetizing everything....what used to be complimentary is now billable.....but they could have just as easily developed the land...and perhaps their sons will...

As family businesses go down the line they inverably pick up more and more shareholders that often have death duties to pay whilst splitting the income from one to two or three.

Inevitably things have to change, then at the next family change it goes from the siblings to the cousins that more than likely don't agree on a direction.

Hence, the land is sold for redevelopment.

 

[Sea Change]

As family businesses go down the line they inverably pick up more and more shareholders that often have death duties to pay whilst splitting the income from one to two or three.

Inevitably things have to change, then at the next family change it goes from the siblings to the cousins that more than likely don't agree on a direction.

Hence, the land is sold for redevelopment.

It would be better all round if the business was passed on to somebody who actually wanted to run it properly.
The inheritance tax system should be set up to encourage this.

 

[billcole]

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.

I hope you're right , and soon ! My Parker 21 has been up for sale since May !

 

[Lucky Duck]

Oh yes I’ve seen promos for the floating homes, I haven’t been on or ‘in’ one. Possibly a good berth rental revenue stream for the unused areas.
The funny thing is that weatherwise it is so much calmer and quieter, with less salt spray and fender wear etc etc -and with clear water, you can see the bottom - in the inner harbour yet still relatively less popular with seagoing boats.
Berth holders used to come from Eastbourne to use the boatyard as they (we) could make more noise, being relatively tucked away from housing . And usefully profitable arm for the marina operator too . Maybe that’s why it hasn’t been built over

To me it seemed rather perverse that Yarmouth harbour masters (a place well known for being busy and periodically turning arrivals away) saw fit to give over two spaces for floating homes for rental which also presumably had a capital and ongoing costs.

 

[sigma38dave]

You are quite correct it should be managed and minimised where practical, but lots of antifoul disappears off the boat whilst in the water, so what do we do about that? Give up boating?

I think amateur hour in the yard with a sander from Aldi is the problem. Your example very difficult to manage, mine is as simple as buying a decent sander and dust extractor.

In an ideal world a club or marina would have these for hire to save us the cost of purchase and the hirer would return the equipment in the same condition it was hired.

 

[Dutch01527]

Boating seems pretty healthy to me. Maybe my location in the southwest is different. Town harbour authorities like Dartmouth, Salcombe, Newton Ferrers ect all have mooring waiting lists stretching to years. Marinas and visitors summer berths are full. Marine engineers and the like have more work than they can cope with.

The age profile is over 50’s generally but has it ever been much different. Boating needs two things, money and time, both of which are easier in later years for most people.

True , a lot of boats do not move much. In my home port of Dartmouth those are often the big motor boats which are used as floating holiday cottages but what right does anyone have to criticise that? Those owners are still enjoying being on the water in a great location.

 

[JT14]

It certainly is something that I always wonder about.....it either seeps into the ground or washed into the river and sea. But a environmentally clean space where everything is collected and recycled would not only end DIY work but greatly increase the cost of getting suited and booted experts to do the job for you. Between the devil and the deep blue sea

Not at all. Take Brest marina for example, in Bretagne France. Their yard is a large, with room for plenty of boats and the ground is manufactured with sloping concrete, which drains into one common gutter. This therefore collects all runoff for treatment off-site. They hauled us out, let us work on our boat at no extra cost (with fantastic chandelries very close-by, for everything you could ever dream of!). We stripped the hull, re-antifouled etc etc and were back in the water after 48 hours.

**Worth noting that I'm only speaking for dust/paint particles and microplastics that are gathered in liquid and drain via run-off. Volatile microplastics that take flight on the wind and make their way into the sea is a different scenario, for which the only protection would be to use a shed..

 

[Bouba]

Not at all. Take Brest marina for example, in Bretagne France. Their yard is a large, with room for plenty of boats and the ground is manufactured with sloping concrete, which drains into one common gutter. This therefore collects all runoff for treatment off-site. They hauled us out, let us work on our boat at no extra cost (with fantastic chandelries very close-by, for everything you could ever dream of!). We stripped the hull, re-antifouled etc etc and were back in the water after 48 hours.

**Worth noting that I'm only speaking for dust/paint particles and microplastics that are gathered in liquid and drain via run-off. Volatile microplastics that take flight on the wind and make their way into the sea is a different scenario, for which the only protection would be to use a shed..

I have also been in yards with this type of drainage.....but I had no idea if the waste is specially treated...or if it goes to the town sewage to be treated there...or run back into the sea....so thank you for the information

 

[oldbloke]

There seems to be no death spiral for boast that are larger/more expensive than those which the OP was asknig about.

I just enquired about two cruising boats in the 45-50ft range, after they each had modest price reductions, and both were immediately in contract.

A good typo