New users guide! Can we do this?

[CooHarris]

My husband and I have been considering buying a motor boat. We were thinking of a static caravan, but site fees are ridiculous. Then this summer we were mooching round the marina at Milford Haven discussing how nice it would be to have a boat instead. We stopped to window shop at the 'boats for sale' board and saw they were much more affordable than a caravan!! Too good to be true? We checked marina docking costs, again so much cheaper than a caravan site.
Is it that easy? We are going to the Southampton boat show next week to do some further research.
Do we need a licence?
Do you need 'piloting' lessons?
What else do we need to consider?
What other costs do we need to be aware of?
Any guidance/advice gratefully received.
Thank you

 

[Concerto]

Welcome to the forum.

You do not need a licence, but I would recommend doing the RYA level 2 powerboat handling and RYA Essential navigation. Being able to use a VHF radio should also be considered wise.

https://www.rya.org.uk/training/courses/level-2-powerboat-handling-pl2c
https://www.rya.org.uk/training/courses/essential-navigation-and-seamanship-course-bnsc
https://www.rya.org.uk/training/courses/marine-radio-short-range-certificate-course-srcc

This will certainly assist you in being compitent with the basics of having a boat. Your insurance company will probably require the level 2 powerboat.

Other costs will include marina berthing, insurance, fuel, berthing away from your home marina, periodic hull cleaning (either drying out, pulling out of the water or being lifted), engine servicing. Safety equipment like lifejackets, safety harnesses, flares, VHF radio, charts or chart plotter, etc. Possible winter storage costs ashore. General maintrenance or equipment improvement. A one off cost of a marine survey would be very sensible to ensur the boat you are buying is safe to use. A lot of these costs will be variable according to the boat size.

The RYA have a large stand at the Southampton Boat Show, so you can chat with them. You will find the show very tempting to part with lots of money, so certainly use it to expand your limited knowledge. Have a look at some new boats, but be warned the prices will be beyond your likely budget. Invest in the courses I have suggested above before you make any commitment to buy a boat to make you a better buyer.

 

[zoidberg]

You need a License only for a Marine VHF radio, and certain other marine radio-frequency devices. For operating modest-sized leisure craft, successive governments have relied on strong applications of innate British caution and common sense - unlike the French and 'Murricains. Time will tell if that was wise....

Most would suggest it is foolhardy, or words to that effect, to expect to operate a motor boat in tidal waters without some sort of training or 'apprenticeship'. Of course you could 'wing it' for a while, like others, and convince yourself you were managing all right.... but 'Events, dear boy, events' have a nasty habit of biting one on the bum. You could suddenly and swiftly lose more than your boat.

At the very least, get some simple coaching on boat handling, on local hazards ( of which there are quite a few in that vicinity ), and on acquiring up-to-date weather forecasts and understanding their implications for you and yours.

Everyone starts somewhere. You've started here. If you approach the rest of it the way you learned to drive, or how you'd approach learning to fly, it'll start to come together bit-by-bit.

 

[ChromeDome]

Before deciding make detailed and true budgets for Investment and Operation.

Concerto listed points above to include but your case may have more.

Depending on make and model, you'll find boats to be built differently than caravans. As a rule, they age differently (better).

 

[Sailing steve]

You need some commitment to get value out of owning a boat and if you don't have that time and enthusiasm to commit it'll quickly become a money pit you can't wait to get rid of.

Throw some frustrations like weather ruining your plans, downtime when something breaks and cost and availability of finding somebody reliable to fix if you can't DIY and a host of real world constraints and aggravations like tidal gates, hull fouling, and provisioning you'll encounter and that commitment often becomes quite quite a challenge to maintain.

For a newcomer I'd suggest you buy a type of boat boat that's in demand, perhaps with a strong owners association, take advice on how much to pay and get a survey done. If you do that then you've got the best chance of both enjoying time on the water and selling on if you subsequently find time on the water isn't for you.

 

[Mister E]

To purchase a boat and keep it in a marina but not go anywhere the only extra cost is insurance. You will still have to pay for gas and electricity.

If you only use the vhf radio for emergencies you don't need to do a course. If you don't take the boat out just don't turn it on. You need to register it.

So to use a boat as a floating caravan there is not really any extra costs.

 

[oldgit]

Boats are bit like icebergs, a apparently small attractive bit at the top with a vast hidden lump lurking underneath. !

 

[jac]

To purchase a boat and keep it in a marina but not go anywhere the only extra cost is insurance. You will still have to pay for gas and electricity.

If you only use the vhf radio for emergencies you don't need to do a course. If you don't take the boat out just don't turn it on. You need to register it.

So to use a boat as a floating caravan there is not really any extra costs.

I would add in maintenance costs to that. As a minimum, once a year hauling out to change anodes, quick scrub and antifoul but if just used as a caravan maybe could get away with it.

 

[ChromeDome]

There are similarities and differences, and some of them are inherent in the design. The whole driveline aspect is outside a caravan, which affects maintenance and budget. You can't simply ignore this in a boat (and all other tech/electronics), even if you don't plan to use it.

The floor plan of a caravan is a rectangle—this doesn't apply to boats because their hulls are shaped to provide sailing characteristics and robustness. This has a significant impact on the space inside. It's easy to create extra space in a caravan by erecting an awning, but this is impossible on a boat.

On the other hand, a boat can be moved under its own power on waterways, and you don't need a (large and expensive) car with sufficient towing capacity to move it (admittedly irrelevant if 100% static forever).

 

[doug748]

My husband and I have been considering buying a motor boat. We were thinking of a static caravan, but site fees are ridiculous. Then this summer we were mooching round the marina at Milford Haven discussing how nice it would be to have a boat instead. We stopped to window shop at the 'boats for sale' board and saw they were much more affordable than a caravan!! Too good to be true? We checked marina docking costs, again so much cheaper than a caravan site.
Is it that easy? We are going to the Southampton boat show next week to do some further research.
Do we need a licence?
Do you need 'piloting' lessons?
What else do we need to consider?
What other costs do we need to be aware of?
Any guidance/advice gratefully received.
Thank you

Lots of people do it.

I think you should either take an interest, get some experience and use your boat or treat it as a holiday home and never take it out.
Getting a boat and then taking it out for fun because it looks easy is when problems start.
It actually is easy but you need to know what you are about .

Places like Milford Haven are a good pick, some parts of the south coast are too expensive to make it work.

Remember that using the loo for serious work means a trip to the shower block day or night.
Plus you will have little or no scope for sub letting to offset costs.

.

 

[Boater Sam]

A boat, any boat, is a hole in the water into which you continually throw money in large lumps.

Seriously, consider the inland waterways, lots of fun and exercise in fresh air, relatively safe, less hazards. Definitely less expensive.
2000 miles of canals to play in, ( Providing you don't have a silly fat boat that won't fit everywhere ), visit some wonderful places, meet lots of like minded folk.
Sea sailing is 20 minutes panic getting in and out of a marina followed by weeks of boredom on grey sea, canals are constant stimulation and changing scenery.

 

[westernman]

In a port we kept our boat in, on one of the pontoons was a large motor boat (65ft or so). We talked to the owners (who were Vietnamese boat people!), and they said they used it purely as a caravan and that the engines did not work.
This seemed to work very well for them. They certainly had no certificates for driving it.

I guess they had it towed for a lift out and scrub every couple of years. I am not sure what they did with black (toilet) and grey water (showers, washing up, etc).

 

[justanothersailboat]

If you like boating, having your own boat you can take out when you like (weather permitting) is really lovely. You need to build up skills but they're generally interesting to learn.

If you don't like boating or one of you gets unhappily seasick in moderate conditions, it's hard to see how it could really work out. Boats seem to decay quite rapidly if not used, but mostly stay good if regularly enjoyed and looked after a little each time.

Cheaper older boats are cheaper because they need more work doing on them, and it is not at all cost effective to have it all done by professionals, so their sensible market is restricted to people who are quite handy and enjoy working on them. People like this and people unlike this find it hard to see eye-to-eye.

Different sorts of boating please different sorts of people - I am happy that Boater Sam is happy on canals but can't relate to it at all.

That said, for many of us it is simply one of the best things in life and my main boat regret is that I didn't start earlier.

 

[vyv_cox]

My husband and I have been considering buying a motor boat. We were thinking of a static caravan, but site fees are ridiculous. Then this summer we were mooching round the marina at Milford Haven discussing how nice it would be to have a boat instead. We stopped to window shop at the 'boats for sale' board and saw they were much more affordable than a caravan!! Too good to be true? We checked marina docking costs, again so much cheaper than a caravan site.
Is it that easy? We are going to the Southampton boat show next week to do some further research.
Do we need a licence?
Do you need 'piloting' lessons?
What else do we need to consider?
What other costs do we need to be aware of?
Any guidance/advice gratefully received.
Thank you

You don't say if you are thinking of berthing the boat at Milford Haven. We kept a boat there for a couple of years and have to say it is a super place to be. Remarkably friendly people, good yard staff, perfectly sheltered. If and when you take the boat out there is plenty of sheltered water to play on before venturing onto the sea. Plus of course lots of beaches and countryside to visit by car.

 

[westernman]

In a port we kept our boat in, on one of the pontoons was a large motor boat (65ft or so). We talked to the owners (who were Vietnamese boat people!), and they said they used it purely as a caravan and that the engines did not work.
This seemed to work very well for them. They certainly had no certificates for driving it.

I guess they had it towed for a lift out and scrub every couple of years. I am not sure what they did with black (toilet) and grey water (showers, washing up, etc).

I will just add that they bought the boat for peanuts because it would cost a more than the boat would be worth with new engines to replace the huge twin diesel engines.

 

[MontyMariner]

Before you commit to buying a boat, if you haven't already, confirm that you don't get seasick. Both when speeding along and when wallowing around. Doing a practical boat handling course should achieve this and give you an idea as to what it's all about.

 

[Bouba]

Boats are bit like icebergs, a apparently small attractive bit at the top with a vast hidden lump lurking underneath. !

Well put
Every time you go to your boat something else will need your attention….your boat will only ask three things from you…sweat, blood and money.
It’s a hobby to endure…only stubbornness keeps most of us going…the determination not to be beaten by the boat
Saying that…I am writing this at anchor, drinking wine while the Mediterranean sun goes down over the horizon

 

[srm]

In Holyhead Marina on a delivery passage we were berthed across the walkway from a large modern motor yacht. The owners were showing another couple their boat. The following, spoken by the lady in a positive voice, stuck in my memory.
"We used to have a caravan but now we have this".

 

[justanothersailboat]

...and I (gosh this is a bit too personally identifying, but whatever...) occasionally refer to my boat as "an old plastic caravan with a sail on top"

I imagine I'll now be in trouble somewhere for nautical blasphemy!

 

[ylop]

they were much more affordable than a caravan!! Too good to be true? We checked marina docking costs, again so much cheaper than a caravan site.

Is that right - I’ve no idea what caravan site fees are or what the purchase cost of a caravan comparable in comfort to a yacht is - but I would honestly be very surprised unless you are comparing lovely caravan site to grotty marina… Perhaps you are not really comparing like with like? Certainly a boat in a marina has no mains plumbing so you have a walk to the loos/chemical toilet/pump out depending on your arrangements if you never leave the marina - much like a touring caravan but I wonder if you were looking at statics which will be much more comfortable inside that almost any yacht in the same price range, quieter and need a lot less maintenance.

Most would suggest it is foolhardy, or words to that effect, to expect to operate a motor boat in tidal waters without some sort of training or 'apprenticeship'.

Especially if the place you are moving it is a marina full of other really expensive boats.

To purchase a boat and keep it in a marina but not go anywhere the only extra cost is insurance. You will still have to pay for gas and electricity.

But you will have to lift it out from time to time for maintenance - depending on age and design you may have gaiters on drive legs that need replacing, seacocks, anodes, antifouling that insurers will expect to be done… Even the cost of mooring lines, which will wear through eventually, fenders/fender socks, keeping the engine in a serviceable condition (you might not use it - but you are never selling it if it becomes a project boat). All adds up…

If I was in the market for a floating caravan I’d consider a narrow boat or similar depending where you want to be in the country. The idea of being in a marina wobbling around everytime someone moves their boat / jumps on the pontoon, kept awake with clanging halyards and squeaky fenders, no option to have a BBQ on your own boat etc without ever getting the actual benefits of actually boating would not be for me. But with moderate investment of time and money you could easily end up with a much better experience.