Concerto
Well-known member
The trouble is most of us do not have the means to buy an 85 footer, let alone the running costs.
Newbie intro. / Sailing Costs
- Thread starter Marquee
- Start date
john_morris_uk
Well-known member
Indeed. I’m not too sure of the efficacy of Spidermoobs suggestion.
Laysula
Well-known member
One other thing to consider is, when you croak,you can't take your money with you.
Marquee
New member
Absolutely, and on that point, thanks all for the very interesting contributions and insight.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Ignoring the initial cost of the boat new in 2003 I have just looked up the cost of my boating complete. That is everything inc all fees clothing etc ( because that is part of the hobby) I always keep accurate costs of my expenditure for everything so it is easy to see what I spend on the boat.
Ignoring the initial cost of the boat new in 2003 I have just looked up the cost of my boating complete. That is everything inc all fees clothing etc ( because that is part of the hobby) Total spend since 01/012012 until last week has been £108.850.98
31 ft boat. So that averages approx £12K PA. But I regularly have new sails etc I keep it in a marina, I sail most of the season( excepting recent covid times, which has supressed the cost) & I could save on things like new running rigging every 4 years etc. Now on second liferaft, 3rd mainsail, 5th jib, 6Th autopilot, 3rd complete set of electrics, I never anchor, choosing to visit other marinas for several months of the year. So I reckon one could knock £3-4K off that easily enough if one wanted.
A fair budget would be £8-9KPA . Less if one wanted to be frugal & go onto a mooring.
Ignoring the initial cost of the boat new in 2003 I have just looked up the cost of my boating complete. That is everything inc all fees clothing etc ( because that is part of the hobby) Total spend since 01/012012 until last week has been £108.850.98
31 ft boat. So that averages approx £12K PA. But I regularly have new sails etc I keep it in a marina, I sail most of the season( excepting recent covid times, which has supressed the cost) & I could save on things like new running rigging every 4 years etc. Now on second liferaft, 3rd mainsail, 5th jib, 6Th autopilot, 3rd complete set of electrics, I never anchor, choosing to visit other marinas for several months of the year. So I reckon one could knock £3-4K off that easily enough if one wanted.
A fair budget would be £8-9KPA . Less if one wanted to be frugal & go onto a mooring.
Last edited:
Daydream believer
Well-known member
In that case I am not going
pvb
Well-known member
In only 9 years??
Tranona
Well-known member
No from 2003 - 18 years. Still a dream customer for the yachting industry, but he does sail/motor a lot (over 5000 hours on the engine). Comparable with a well used charter boat.
pyrojames
Well-known member
True, but I'd still like to have some money up until I do croak. As for many things timing is critical!
Which has just made me realise that only very recently have pension contributions overtaken boat running costs....
pvb
Well-known member
I wonder why he only gave costs for the last 9 years then.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
18years . The costs were over 9 years. Before that I was working so did not give 2 hoots about cost. Now I am retired & on fixed income I keep a close watch.
However- just for the record-I do not have a clue what the other half spends & I do not care. Seem to get lots of DHL deliveries with golf balls in though
Last edited:
Dutch01527
Well-known member
It is easy to get sucked in to a cycle of planning, comparing boat types, locations, mooring options ect. I do not think that anyone can decide on the boat they need until they have sailed quite a lot.
The training courses, whilst valuable, do not really teach people how to sail. It is impossible to replicate the vast array of scenarios that can occur on a weeks course.
I would suggest either joining a yacht club and seeking crewing opportunity on as many boats as possible or buying a relatively cheap boat, putting it on a convenient mooring and go sailing. Something easy to handle, conservative rig but in good, well cared for condition. Maybe 26 to 30 foot with decent engine and standing rigging. Do not buy a project, buy someone’s pride and joy. £10-£15k initial investment and £2k a year should be enough. The initial investment will be largely recouped when you sell.
Sail a lot for a year or two and then make a decision on a major investment and location.
The training courses, whilst valuable, do not really teach people how to sail. It is impossible to replicate the vast array of scenarios that can occur on a weeks course.
I would suggest either joining a yacht club and seeking crewing opportunity on as many boats as possible or buying a relatively cheap boat, putting it on a convenient mooring and go sailing. Something easy to handle, conservative rig but in good, well cared for condition. Maybe 26 to 30 foot with decent engine and standing rigging. Do not buy a project, buy someone’s pride and joy. £10-£15k initial investment and £2k a year should be enough. The initial investment will be largely recouped when you sell.
Sail a lot for a year or two and then make a decision on a major investment and location.
DownWest
Well-known member
I like small boats, biggest was 24ft, though largest I had to pay the bills on was 70ft (not my money!) Smallest was 10.5 ft and I used to buy a new mainsheet every year because it got borrowed for something else. Had huge fun with that, often.
Now building a micro cruiser at 17ft and a bit. Will keeps it at home and trail-sail.
But different than most, but reflects the time I have spare.
Now building a micro cruiser at 17ft and a bit. Will keeps it at home and trail-sail.
But different than most, but reflects the time I have spare.
john_morris_uk
Well-known member
There's a lot of choices being made in these figures.
Our boat was nearly twenty years okld when we bought it. We've had it fifteen years and although we replaced the autopilot computer when we bought the boat, we are still mainly on the instruments I fitted in the orgininal 'new to us' fit out. I've had the course computer mended by Raymarine once as it kept claiming that there was a 'low battery voltage' when there wasn't.
One complete new suit of sails in the fifteen years.
We kept her for most of the time on swinging mooring in Plymouth for a few hundred £/annum. We anchor a lot because we like the peace and quiet, but we're not averse to going into marinas when we are away cruising.
The standing rigging was replaced when we bought the boat and we replaced it again last year. Running rigging is on a rolling 'when it needs it' program.
I rebuilt the engine myself for about £700 twelve years ago and it was me that removed it and installed it. It's started first push of the button ever since.
For many years we used to treat the boat to about £1k per year 'upgrade'. So over the years we added warm air heating, a feathering propellor a chart plotter, a. completely rebuilt fridge and galley worktops, new windlass etc etc.
Boating doesn't have to cost half as much as some people spend. If I think its expensive, I look up the cost of foreign package holidays and it puts it all into perspective.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Exactly
Stemar
Well-known member
I've never dared to work it out, but I doubt we've spent £1500 a year on our boating habit since we've had a club mooring. Some years well over, others less. It all depends on what breaks
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Do you travel far to your boat? If so, how often? Does it include club membership fees? Do you change your yachting clothing, footwear, LJ,s etc. Have you factored those items into the costs? They are, after all part of the hobby. You may have considered that, but many do not.
You mentioned"what breaks" but do you not maintain parts, antifoul etc. As an example, i have a friend on whose boat one might get typhoid from the running rigging. I could not bear to work the sheets on his boat but he seems happy to continue with knackered mooring lines & halyards & sails etc. If that does not worry some then, yes. Costs can be low. But to me if one is sailing a boat it needs to work properly.
By the way- I am not suggesting in any way that yours is not well kept- only expressing surprise at the low cost suggested.
To many they do not actually NEED to know how much it costs anyway. It is a hobby & one enjoys it regardless.
Last edited:
awol
Well-known member
In my case, it's half my age minus 5 feet.
Praxinoscope
Well-known member
It's our mooring fees that are now beginning to force me to question if I can afford to keep the boat, I do all my own maintenance, sails are 5 years old but of course were not used last year, so reasonable to say 4 years old, the standing rigging is the same, running rigging on average 3 years old, so the boat itself has a relatively low running cost, maybe about £600 a year on average including anti-foul, varnish, paint, a rolling programme of replacing mooring chains running rigging etc. and of course insurance. This excludes mooring fees, club membership fees are put into the household budget, but as both SWMBO and I are pensioners we get a heavy membership discount, travel to and from is minor as we live only 2 miles from the harbour.
But our local council which runs the harbour wants a marina company to come in and take over the harbour, (totally impractical in most users eyes, but no-one on the council sails so they are particularly ignorant of the problems) so have been increasing our drying mooring fees dramatically to make it look like an attractive option to go 'marina'.
The council provide no facilities apart from the cross chains across the harbour and the occasional dredging, water and electricity is provided the the yacht club. The harbourmaster (sorry now called 'harbour manager') has just resigned as he can't stomach the stupidity of the council, which has ring fenced his work to sitting in his office at his computer and even banned him from going into th harbour except at low tide!
I now pay almost £450 for the Summer season (April-Oct) and a further £225 for Winter storage on the hard, for a 25' boat, have to provide my own chain risers etc. and at best can get on and off my mooring 8 hours out of 24.
5 years ago there was a healthy waiting list for moorings, this year there are at least 15% unoccupied.
The harbour is also becoming a red flag to insurance companies, during the 2019 storm we lost 9 boats in one day and about weeks ago we lost 2 more in one day.
So yes if you are reasonably practical and can do your own maintenance a 25' boat can be maintained relatively cheaply, if you are lucky and can find a low cost mooring, but if like those of us subject to ignorant councils that think everyone who owns a boat is wealthy and will be happy to pay £2500 marina fees, or considerably more in many areas, for a 25' boat then the whole picture of the costs involved in owning a boat changes considerably.
To Daydream believer, many of us do have know how much our boating activity costs us, so restrict our expenditure in some areas to make it possible to continue our hobby, it's just a matter of when the balance swings too far in the wrong direction for us to manage to juggle the finances and the boat has to go.
But our local council which runs the harbour wants a marina company to come in and take over the harbour, (totally impractical in most users eyes, but no-one on the council sails so they are particularly ignorant of the problems) so have been increasing our drying mooring fees dramatically to make it look like an attractive option to go 'marina'.
The council provide no facilities apart from the cross chains across the harbour and the occasional dredging, water and electricity is provided the the yacht club. The harbourmaster (sorry now called 'harbour manager') has just resigned as he can't stomach the stupidity of the council, which has ring fenced his work to sitting in his office at his computer and even banned him from going into th harbour except at low tide!
I now pay almost £450 for the Summer season (April-Oct) and a further £225 for Winter storage on the hard, for a 25' boat, have to provide my own chain risers etc. and at best can get on and off my mooring 8 hours out of 24.
5 years ago there was a healthy waiting list for moorings, this year there are at least 15% unoccupied.
The harbour is also becoming a red flag to insurance companies, during the 2019 storm we lost 9 boats in one day and about weeks ago we lost 2 more in one day.
So yes if you are reasonably practical and can do your own maintenance a 25' boat can be maintained relatively cheaply, if you are lucky and can find a low cost mooring, but if like those of us subject to ignorant councils that think everyone who owns a boat is wealthy and will be happy to pay £2500 marina fees, or considerably more in many areas, for a 25' boat then the whole picture of the costs involved in owning a boat changes considerably.
To Daydream believer, many of us do have know how much our boating activity costs us, so restrict our expenditure in some areas to make it possible to continue our hobby, it's just a matter of when the balance swings too far in the wrong direction for us to manage to juggle the finances and the boat has to go.
Last edited:
Stemar
Well-known member
We aren't particularly adventurous - mostly pottering around the Solent and using anchorages, some free, some a small charge.
Club membership and mooring - a bit over £200, maintenance on the mooring average £100
Insurance (3rd party) £80
Footwear maybe £30 a year, but I use then day to day as well, clothing - my oilies cost a horrendous amount, but they're 10 years old, so cost per annum so far about £55
Fuel - maybe 100l a year.
Lines all a few years old, but I buy ends of reels and splice 'em myself. some of my running rigging came with the boat 18 years ago, but it gets washed every winter, so typhoid free
For many years I had an unfair advantage - a mate who did boat repairs for a living, so I got a lot of free stuff from boats that were upgrading - including an engine, but I think I've covered most expenses apart from the maintenance, most of which I've done myself, so I don't think my guesstimate of £1500 a year is far out.