Red Diesel petition dead

“Without wishing to seem disrespectful….. Might that be a symptom of older age of the people rather than the cost?”

That maybe true in some cases but not all. There is no age limit on fun.
If you are retired you would want to make good use of the weather midweek and even if your boat averages 2 to 3 mpg a quick jaunt of 30 miles maybe to do a spot of fishing or just a leisurely day out; is going to cost around £60.00 or more a day. If you go out 3 times a week you’re looking at nearly £200 a week. Quite a dent in any pension, no matter how generous.
I wish I knew the answer - apart from going back to sails!!!
 
moresparks said:
“Without wishing to seem disrespectful….. Might that be a symptom of older age of the people rather than the cost?”

That maybe true in some cases but not all. There is no age limit on fun.
If you are retired you would want to make good use of the weather midweek and even if your boat averages 2 to 3 mpg a quick jaunt of 30 miles maybe to do a spot of fishing or just a leisurely day out; is going to cost around £60.00 or more a day. If you go out 3 times a week you’re looking at nearly £200 a week. Quite a dent in any pension, no matter how generous.
I wish I knew the answer - apart from going back to sails!!!
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Sails is one answer, but I would guess that going slowly is another - even if we don't wind the canvas out, we get a lot better than 3mpg under power - but with a top speed of 5 or 6 knots. A few years ago we took our previous sailing boat - a 43 foot Beneteau - from Chatham to Northney - over 160 nautical miles - running on engine all the way. I didn't do an accurate calculation, but the boat had a tank which held about 200 litres and we arrived with plenty still in it.
 
oldgit said:
The increasing price of diesel has proved over the years to have been a factor in the amount of boat use in our club.
Many of our club members who have been boating for since the early 1960s and 1970s have repeated their assertion that the cost of fuel has been deciding factor in not undertaking longer trips.We are very lucky round here with a wide choice of worthwhile destinations available.
Whereas a weekend return trip to Ramsgate, around 150 miles, would have once be something somebody would have suggested after few drinks on a Friday night, it is now something to be carefully considered.ie. Is worth all that money for a couple of days away ?
.10 hours @ 3 gallons at hour ie. £120. at club prices..
The days of impromtu lets go for a spin have diminished considerably and these folks are the comfortably retired with the time and probably the money. On the spur trips to France or Belgium were not uncommon
The main movement now is definately shorter distances of longer duration to get value for money.
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Given that fuel wasn't free before, then it's what, an extra £50 worth of fuel for that weekend away on the boat? If £50 was curtailing my weekend boating trips, I'd think it was probably time to give up boating.

Perhaps it's an excuse than a reason.
 
ari said:
Perhaps it's an excuse than a reason.
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£50 used to be a significant sum – not easily spent in a day’s entertainment. Despite inflation making £50 a lesser sum in real terms there are plenty of people alive who would think twice before spending it.
To put it into perspective the state pension is £125.95 per week even if 30 qualifying years of national insurance has been paid in. So a large slice of a week’s pension spent on diesel will, to some people be seen as a lot.

Have some respect for your elders .
 
MartynG said:
Without wishing to seem disrespectful….. Might that be a symptom of older age of the people rather than the cost?
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Almost certainly :) but this would also include the 50% of young whippersnappers under 60 who are probably in the best financial situtation they are ever likely to be in.
Kids gone,* mortgage gone, usually both still working and possibly with an inheritance or two.
Suspect very few of the 100 boats on the pontoons are on any sort of finance.

*Actually they always come back, usually with three or four other souls in tow.
 
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The Red debate has finally arrived where it was always going to. Rebated fuel for leisure, especially in today's political climate, is unsustainable, just ask the lovely Greta, her opinion

The RYA & Government came up with a fudged option, that has caused much grief to some boaters travelling abroad, it was totally avoidable
 
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ari said:
Given that fuel wasn't free before, then it's what, an extra £50 worth of fuel for that weekend away on the boat? If £50 was curtailing my weekend boating trips, I'd think it was probably time to give up boating.

Perhaps it's an excuse than a reason.
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Ari, we are talklng here about folks who were once paying around 10 olde pence a gallon :)
 
maby said:
Sails is one answer, but I would guess that going slowly is another - even if we don't wind the canvas out, we get a lot better than 3mpg under power - but with a top speed of 5 or 6 knots. A few years ago we took our previous sailing boat - a 43 foot Beneteau - from Chatham to Northney - over 160 nautical miles - running on engine all the way. I didn't do an accurate calculation, but the boat had a tank which held about 200 litres and we arrived with plenty still in it.
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Changing to a yacht would be my preference . But my chief officer doesn't like it when the yacht leans over. So we would motor unless going with the wind.
 
MartynG said:
Changing to a yacht would be my preference . But my chief officer doesn't like it when the yacht leans over. So we would motor unless going with the wind.
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Strangely, because she was initially a reluctant boater who in her words ‘got seasick getting out of the bath’, SWMBO really took to sailing when we first chartered in Greece and every time we have changed the boat and idly wondered about a yacht she has been quite keen.

Reading the writing on the wall we are thinking motorsailer may well be the answer for retirement. That or a single engined displacement mobo.
 
MartynG said:
Changing to a yacht would be my preference . But my chief officer doesn't like it when the yacht leans over. So we would motor unless going with the wind.
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I think that is true of many women - certainly my wife and the wife of a friend who has effectively driven a move from sail to steam. The thing is that heeling over is not mandatory - and is not particularly good for performance either. If you have the right amount of sail set, and trimmed correctly, you can keep the boat close to upright and may actually go faster than an identical boat sailing next to you with water running along the side deck.
 
Old Harry said:
The Red debate has finally arrived where it was always going to. Rebated fuel for leisure, especially in today's political climate, is unsustainable, just ask the lovely Greta, her opinion

The RYA & Government came up with a fudged option, that has caused much grief to some boaters travelling abroad, it was totally avoidable
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:encouragement:
 
Old Harry said:
The RYA & Government came up with a fudged option, that has caused much grief to some boaters travelling abroad, it was totally avoidable
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As I see it, the fudge was an afterthought, trying to paper over the basic problem: that the Government had agreed and signed up to arrangements with its EU partners that it hadn't thought through, and didn't want to implement what was necessary (i.e. waterside white diesel availability).
 
Old Harry said:
Not to mention farmers bringing bowsers to their boats, loaded with farm diesel that was paid for by the business
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Blimey and I though all those old geezers with contacts in the lorry trade and central heating were just dragging those 20 litre drums up the pontoons to keep fit. !
You live and learn.
 
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oldgit said:
Blimey and I though all those old geezers with contacts in the lorry trade and central heating were just dragging those 20 litre drums up the pontoons to keep fit. !
You live and learn.
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Yes we all were paying for their pleasure
 
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