Captain_Donut
N/A
Apologies, but I am using a different name for this post, just in case I disclose a bit more personal info on this thread / online than I would be comfortable with having attached to my regular “persona”.
I was down the local harbour and I saw a number of small yachts moored in a row, and a couple for sale. Boats like a 21 foot Corribee, Hurley 20 /22 etc. The thing they all had in common was that they were GRP, old (1960’s / 70’s in design and usually in build), had outboards on the back and are all “solid designs” / pretty much idiot proof, fairly low maintenance (WHEN sorted!) and can often be picked up for £2/3k. and sometimes less.
Although of course they could be used for extended voyages I guess that most in practice use them as day / weekend boats to sail and potter around the coast to nearby anchorages (I know I did a long time ago), the main purpose of the cabin is to be able to have a toilet, have a hob and somewhere to shelter in or have a nap in (etc?!) – and NOT to accommodate a family of 5 for a fortnight.
Sitting their pretending to do some work! I thought to myself why doesn’t someone hire these sort of craft out to Tourists? I live in a Touristy destination.
I can see why someone would want to charter / hire a big 30/40 foot sailing boat and have a “proper” holiday aboard, but I was thinking that maybe some folk would instead prefer to hire something small and a lot cheaper for either a day out or even a week of day sailing (even if they did not use it every day all day) and not feeling like they “have” to live aboard cos of the cost of a big boat makes also paying for a hotel / B&B seem excessive – the idea being it is part of the holiday in the same way as folk hire a Jetski or play golf rather than BEING the holiday itself. Maybe good for those couples where one half is not a great one for sailing? I guess also a limited market / off season market for those wishing to teach themselves to sail / learn the area (before they buy that 35 foot Beny?!) without the aggro of buying and selling something themselves? Or even corporate race days / playing “silly bxggers”?
Partly wot got me thinking was that many years ago I hired something similar down in NZ on lake Taupo, and me and a mate had a great time for the day.
I haven’t sat down and done any hard figures (and I am not thinking of giving up the dayjob or looking to make a million!), more a case of idle thinking / wondering whether it is something that me and the wife could time wise fit around other (not presently related) business activities – the motivation is mainly cos although I appreciate that hard work would be involved (maintenance would be down to mainly me, but I do have peaks and troughs in my work flow which could accommodate and I enjoy fiddling around!) , IMHO “fiddling around” is always more preferable to sitting behind a PC 24/7!!, albeit that the money would be reasonable for the wife rather than for me. Plus I figure starting small scale could be a useful learning experience for expanding into related activities, principally I guess for “lifestyle” reasons – even if the lesson is…….don’t. Just FYI I have been messing around in boats since I was knee high, so although by no means an expert (in anything) have a fairly good idea of whats what in the Marine world although I do not have any RYA Badges, but not averse to getting some IF needed – ie I have not just got off the train from Birmingham.
My initial ball park thinking would be 5/6 boats and I would guess that if each boat got hired out for 8 weeks a year then that would be good going due to weather reasons, but even at £200 a week they would have paid for themselves after a couple of years. – .The big unknown for me at this stage would be the cost of getting them “coded” for charter and whether it can ever be cost effective to do so for a small boat. I also am assuming that there IS a reason why there is not already a flotilla of these nearby already!!
Go on folks tell me the bad news!!
I was down the local harbour and I saw a number of small yachts moored in a row, and a couple for sale. Boats like a 21 foot Corribee, Hurley 20 /22 etc. The thing they all had in common was that they were GRP, old (1960’s / 70’s in design and usually in build), had outboards on the back and are all “solid designs” / pretty much idiot proof, fairly low maintenance (WHEN sorted!) and can often be picked up for £2/3k. and sometimes less.
Although of course they could be used for extended voyages I guess that most in practice use them as day / weekend boats to sail and potter around the coast to nearby anchorages (I know I did a long time ago), the main purpose of the cabin is to be able to have a toilet, have a hob and somewhere to shelter in or have a nap in (etc?!) – and NOT to accommodate a family of 5 for a fortnight.
Sitting their pretending to do some work! I thought to myself why doesn’t someone hire these sort of craft out to Tourists? I live in a Touristy destination.
I can see why someone would want to charter / hire a big 30/40 foot sailing boat and have a “proper” holiday aboard, but I was thinking that maybe some folk would instead prefer to hire something small and a lot cheaper for either a day out or even a week of day sailing (even if they did not use it every day all day) and not feeling like they “have” to live aboard cos of the cost of a big boat makes also paying for a hotel / B&B seem excessive – the idea being it is part of the holiday in the same way as folk hire a Jetski or play golf rather than BEING the holiday itself. Maybe good for those couples where one half is not a great one for sailing? I guess also a limited market / off season market for those wishing to teach themselves to sail / learn the area (before they buy that 35 foot Beny?!) without the aggro of buying and selling something themselves? Or even corporate race days / playing “silly bxggers”?
Partly wot got me thinking was that many years ago I hired something similar down in NZ on lake Taupo, and me and a mate had a great time for the day.
I haven’t sat down and done any hard figures (and I am not thinking of giving up the dayjob or looking to make a million!), more a case of idle thinking / wondering whether it is something that me and the wife could time wise fit around other (not presently related) business activities – the motivation is mainly cos although I appreciate that hard work would be involved (maintenance would be down to mainly me, but I do have peaks and troughs in my work flow which could accommodate and I enjoy fiddling around!) , IMHO “fiddling around” is always more preferable to sitting behind a PC 24/7!!, albeit that the money would be reasonable for the wife rather than for me. Plus I figure starting small scale could be a useful learning experience for expanding into related activities, principally I guess for “lifestyle” reasons – even if the lesson is…….don’t. Just FYI I have been messing around in boats since I was knee high, so although by no means an expert (in anything) have a fairly good idea of whats what in the Marine world although I do not have any RYA Badges, but not averse to getting some IF needed – ie I have not just got off the train from Birmingham.
My initial ball park thinking would be 5/6 boats and I would guess that if each boat got hired out for 8 weeks a year then that would be good going due to weather reasons, but even at £200 a week they would have paid for themselves after a couple of years. – .The big unknown for me at this stage would be the cost of getting them “coded” for charter and whether it can ever be cost effective to do so for a small boat. I also am assuming that there IS a reason why there is not already a flotilla of these nearby already!!
Go on folks tell me the bad news!!
