Sailing costs as a beginner?

[Guest]

I have just started sialing and am looking at buying a cruiser for around the £2500 (I know "the best place to look is the bottom of the ocean").
What other costs are there per year like mooring and insurance.

Thanks in advance
wethead.

 

[George]

Re: I,ve just bought a small yacht

As a matter of fact I've just bought a yacht for a similar price, though a little more. You may be surprised at the sort of yacht going for this price range. I spent alot of time researching on the internet but when I actually went and looked at some yachts it seemed to put a different perspective on the whole thing. Of course it depends what your prioreties are but the largest yacht you are likely to get in this price range is 22 ft. I recomend going for a cruiser with plenty of internal room, I just bought a Westerley 22 which actually has standing head room and feels as spaciouse as a 26 footer I looked at. You should really get it serveyed I got a quick survey without a report just looking for major structoral problems ect. for £30. Also you need to look at issues such as a radio, depth sounder, gps, radar etc. Two radio liceces are neccessary one for the boat and one for yourself total cost with training around £85. Make sure the boat comes with proof of ownership and vat details if it is not exempt because of age. Other costs might be charts £12 each roughly, nav. equipement, life jackets, you get the picture? Berthing varies, my berth costs £91 pounds a month in a mariner near the solent but it is an expensive area, a moring would be alot less a should think. Also unless you are going for a very small boat the cost of renevation on an old boat needs to be considered, mine is in working order but it still requires tlc, and I,ve found the little costs can really mount up. All in all if you alow and extra £1000 on top of the price of the boat asuming the boat is seaworthy and has a radio that sort of amount should be ample, £500 say would probably be pushing it a bit from my experience.

 

[Jeremy_W]

Why?

Why make buying a yacht your first step? If you are just starting, try a season's crewing. Do a Competent Crew course at a sailing school. Study the theory at night school. Sit the VHF exam. Do a couple of weekends' dinghy sailing course. It may not be your ultimate destination, but it's the quickest way to master helmsmanship. Then you will be in a better position to buy a yacht. For that money a Hunter 19 would be my pick.

 

[Guest]

Re: I,ve just bought a small yacht

Thanks George
Much appreciated , I look forward to passing you one day as for why then"why not".
( I am taking lessons, but can't wait to get going).

Have a rum on me!

wethead.

 

[Guest]

I would agree with much of what George says...

...regarding extra costs. We are currently selling our 22 footer, and can vouch that most of his costings and considerations are accurate. HOWEVER there is one area that I would take issue with, and that is the cost of mooring. OK, it is a fact that the South Coast IS more expensive than the East Coast where we are based, but our boat is on a swinging mooring, for which we pay the princely sum of £92 per annum!! I would suggest that you do look at the option of swinging moorings rather than Marina based, far nicer environment!!!!

 

[robp]

Re: I,ve just bought a small yacht

Must admit, I just jumped in feet first. Pun intended? It was great fun and I wouldn't change it. Mirror Offshore and stayed in Chichester Harbour till we upgraded. In a relatively safe environment you can practice picking up moorings etc on quiet days. Read and listen to all re safety though.

Have you thought about trailor sailing? You can tuck her up at night in your garden then.

Good luck

Rob

 

[George]

Re: swinging morings

I am very new to yachting myself and simply took over the moring that the yacht was on, however I have an agreement to give one months notice to quit because I want to find cheaper morings if a can. I've offen heard the word swinging moring but to be honest I don't know what it is, could you elaborate. Also I would be very interested if someone could direct me to where I can get cheaper morings in the southhampton area including chichester etc. where there isn't a waiting list.

 

[Rabbie]

Re: swinging morings

George. Swinging moorings are where you are moored to a buoy, and 'swing' around it as the tide/wind dictates. Dependant on the location, your vessel may dry out for part of the tidal range, but this is usually no problem for twin-keelers. I can put you onto a swinging mooring near me in Chichester Hbr. which has access up to 2.5 hours each side of high water for the annual cost equivalent to about 2 months of your present marina fees - and this includes annual harbour dues. Email me if interested. Remember - you will need to acquire a tender + engine.

 

[George]

Re: swinging morings

yeah definitely interested, but not for the imediate future as I have not got a tender and for a beginner the mariner is convenient, showers and toilets are as well. Perhaps if you could tell me where to get the swinging moring I could go there when ready. ps I don't think I have your e-mail address.

 

[ChrisJ]

Re: swinging morings vs marina

Never having had a swinging mooring, this summary might not be correct!

Marina:
- drive up and get on board. Great if you have kids, or if you have a long drive and get to the boat late on Friday night ready to sail the next morning.
- Convenient showers and toilets (but a swinging mooring allows a swim).
- expensive.

Swinging:
- less convenient. Need a tender / engine.
- security? (harder for theives to get to, but once they are there they are undisturbed).
- Great for going to the boat and just sitting (sitting in a marina is not everyones peace and quiet).
- Harder to use if you only have a day to go sailing in.

If swinging, try to find a convenient marina near by - then you can keep the boat cheaply, but when its time for your annual 2 or 3 weeks, you can go the marina and load up with stores, drink, water and fuel much easier.

Cheers, Chris

 

[rex_seadog]

One other expense that no-one else has mentioned is winter storage, assuming, of course, that you do not trail it home. We keep our 25 footer on a swinging mooring near Dartmouth and with harbour dues this costs about £450 per annum. By comparison winter storage plus lift-out and lift-in at a local boatyard sets us back about £500.
As others have pointed out, do not under-estimate the costs of ownership. We bought our boat about 4 years ago for £10500 with a near perfect survey and in virtually ready to sail condition. Since then we have spent more than half as much again on maintenance and up-grading of equipment with most of the work done on a DIY basis.
In our case chartering would probably have made more financial sense but there's nothing to compare with owning your own boat. Think of the pleasure of scraping off antifouling on a raw winter's day! Just make sure you go into it with your eyes wide open and good luck.

 

[Grehan]

Mooring vs Marina

To add to what's been said, and we're in our first ownership season . .

a) Marina gives you convenient access to some formal expertise (rigging, engineering, craning-out, etc.) but obviously at a price. Our on-site firms are actually very friendly and not 'rip-off merchants'.
b) Marina also gives you access to informal (= one's fellow 'sailors' moored close-by) expertise, help, advice and comradeship at "no charge". This should not be discounted. Like this forum, but face-to-face!
c) Our boat's bigger than what you envisage, but Marina handling and manouevring is a distinct and tricky skill.
d) Marinas are noisy - sometimes, not always. Having a Marina Bar close by is not always so good. Maybe it's not so essential to have on-shore ablutions - depends on your boat/attitude.
e) I think our Marina is pretty secure - I would guess better than a swinging mooring.
f) Check out tidal restrictions - they're more significant than we thought they'd be - and can apply to both Marina and swinging moorings.
g) The safe parking/loading-up thing is true - not sure how seriously disadvantageous a swinging mooring would be - and would be interested to hear more.

We've been quite satisfied with our 'first Marina year' but we are investigating swinging moorings for next year . . . [Cost + More Solitude]

 

[KrisHansen]

I\'m about to, too

I've only sea-sailed once or twice, to Competent Crew level, and lots of skippering on the Norfolk Broads (!), but I am still purchasing a 30-35 footer as I intend to live aboard for approximately 6 months in a year. She'll be a floating caravan, essentially, not leaving the river until I've taken Day Skipper, but I'm quite looking forward to learning bits, and then coming back and being able to practise on the GPS whilst moored, or getting totally used to the rigging before I even get off the berth.

The long and short of it is that I need a place to stay, and where better than a nice, homely boat? Apart from Monte Carlo, of course.



- Kris Hansen