So how many boats are there in the UK?

[Guest]

I am trying to get an estimate of the total number of pleasure craft there are in the UK and/or continental Europe. I have looked at the bmif website etc but data is at best very incomplete. A trawl through the search engines came up with some interesting, but not very valuable data such as "There are more private craft in Canada than there are households" this does include kayaks and PWC's though. VHF licences was one thought, but that would include the commercial sector etc

Ideally I would data/estimates on motor and sailing cruisers - say greater than 7-8m loa, but if anyone has suggestions for a starting point I would be grateful………………

 

[Guest]

For the inland waterways try the licensing authorities ie Broads authority in Norwich

PZ

 

[bedouin]

You could look at:

(i) Registered vessels (Part 1, SSR, BWB &c)
(ii) Number of boats insured
(iii) Occupied berths

None are complete of course so you would need to make an educated guess as to what proportion of boats fitted each category.

 

[Shanty]

Crown Estates Commissioners should be able to tell you how many yacht moorings there are in the areas under their control.

 

[Joe_Cole]

Sorry I can't help but whatever the number of boats it's bound to be more than the number of berths available. Hence the extortionate Marina charges in the UK!

Joe Cole

 

[andy_wilson]

1 recreational craft per 100 housholds.

Sorry, can't remember the source, or definition of recreational craft.

And I don't know how many housholds there are but that should be the easy bit.

Andy

 

[Jacket]

Re: 1 recreational craft per 100 housholds.

How about the national census? Do they ask questions like boat ownership?

 

[Mike_Martin]

Hi there,

I am afraid that you have set yourself an impossible task, I have already tried to do this as a part of my own work.

However, as others here have mentioned you can set yourself alternative goals, ie

How many SSR registered (approx 88,000) however, this will not include all pleasure craft.

How many are kept in Marinas or on moorings, however, this will not tell you about trailer sailers, liveaboards, blue water cruisers etc.

How many are licensed for radio (approx 60,000), pleasure craft are not required to carry radio and many don't so that won't help.

How many members of the RYA are there (approx 94,000) unfortunately many people are members but don't actually have boats.

Add up all the subscribers to boating magazines, many subscribe to more than one I through the RA subscribe to them all.

In the UK we are not required to register vessels (good thing) so it will always be impossible to determine how many pleasure craft there are here.

Mike

Manager,
Aeronautical & Maritime Section,
Radiocommunications Agency

 

[bernard_foster]

All of the rest, plus mine...

 

[Guest]

Many thanks to all those who made suggestions. It has given me a starting point.

Regards

 

[barry frye]

Hi, i am doing the same research. UK and EU number of leisure craft "in use"
Oz NZ USA all have national stats for this information and the UK doesn't - bit strange eh?
If OZ and NZ have 6 million boats for 25 million people, how can the UK have such a small amount of boats as detailed in subsequent replies?
I estimate 1 million. If you get any further I would be most interested
Cheers
Barry

 

[pvb]

I estimate 1 million. If you get any further I would be most interested

I'm afraid your estimate will be as meaningless as anyone else's. There's simply no way of knowing.

 

[PotatoNavigator]

Go to Cowes Yacht Haven during Cowes week and count them

 

[jordanbasset]

The figures for New Zealand are estimates obtained by a survey of a relatively few number of people and then extrapolating it up. I doubt anywhere in the western world has an accurate record of the total number of leisure boats in use
http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/...ection32report/Appendices/Appendix 3.33.2.pdf

 

[sarabande]

Hi, i am doing the same research. UK and EU number of leisure craft "in use"
Oz NZ USA all have national stats for this information and the UK doesn't - bit strange eh?
If OZ and NZ have 6 million boats for 25 million people, how can the UK have such a small amount of boats as detailed in subsequent replies?
I estimate 1 million. If you get any further I would be most interested
Cheers
Barry

Define a boat. Privately owned, or commercial ? Pleasure or commercial ? In use, or laid up more than 1, 2, 3 years etc ?

When does a boat cease to be a boat - when it's hulk ? Is a superyacht a "boat" ? What about a canoe, or a surfboard ?


If you can post the basis on which Australia and NZ collect the data, that would be extremely helpful, and might trigger a more focused response.

 

[{151760}]

Hi, i am doing the same research. UK and EU number of leisure craft "in use"
Oz NZ USA all have national stats for this information and the UK doesn't - bit strange eh?
If OZ and NZ have 6 million boats for 25 million people, how can the UK have such a small amount of boats as detailed in subsequent replies?
I estimate 1 million. If you get any further I would be most interested
Cheers
Barry

In the uk we can buy, use and sell on a boat without having to inform any 'authority' of our intentions. I don't consider that strange, I consider that normal. I don't suppose that freedom will last much longer.

 

[Tranona]

Hi, i am doing the same research. UK and EU number of leisure craft "in use"
Oz NZ USA all have national stats for this information and the UK doesn't - bit strange eh?
If OZ and NZ have 6 million boats for 25 million people, how can the UK have such a small amount of boats as detailed in subsequent replies?
I estimate 1 million. If you get any further I would be most interested
Cheers
Barry

As has already been pointed out you will only get an estimate as there is no official record of boats kept in a form that can be aggregated.

The BMF carries out surveys fairly regularly to try and get an estimate mainly in order to support its promotion of boating as both a hobby and a contributor to the economy. However, their estimates vary significantly from time to time because of the limitations of survey methodology in establishing concrete facts.

Unless you have time to waste and are happy spending energy getting largely meaningless data, I suggest you direct your efforts towards research that is likely to lead to something useful.

 

[bigwow]

14 year old Lazarus thread, is this a record?

 

[Tranona]

14 year old Lazarus thread, is this a record?

Not surprising for somebody claiming to be doing research to dig up old threads on the subject. Age of thread is a good indication of how pointless any research is in this subject area!

 

[barry frye]

As has already been pointed out you will only get an estimate as there is no official record of boats kept in a form that can be aggregated.

The BMF carries out surveys fairly regularly to try and get an estimate mainly in order to support its promotion of boating as both a hobby and a contributor to the economy. However, their estimates vary significantly from time to time because of the limitations of survey methodology in establishing concrete facts.

Unless you have time to waste and are happy spending energy getting largely meaningless data, I suggest you direct your efforts towards research that is likely to lead to something useful.