The sublime and the ridiculous - boatshow

Birdseye

Birdseye

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Went to SIBS today for the first time for maybe 10 years. Rather than drive down in one trip, we broke our journey and stayed overnight at a Travelodge north of Salisbury. Cost of a bed for the night for the two of us was just a bit above £40. The room was spoptlessly clean, the bed comfortable and the boise levels low - excellent value. Went out to Spoons for something to eat, it being a Monday all the restaurants locally were closed. For less than £20 we had a two course meal for two with drinks - food was quick, tasty and well seved. Maybe pub grub rather than haute cuisine but again excellent value.
The boats on offer at the show were a different matter. For a start there wer only 3 sailboats below 30ft and few in the 30/35ft which correspong to most UK matina berths. The prices were stupid - a Bendytoy 310 was £130k !! A 29ft mobo we looked at was £300k. Yet the show was full of boats in the 50ft / 60 ft size range costing ??>
Where is the typical British sailing boat owner going to get his 30ft cruiser from in future, let alone the large numbers I see at my club sailing boats below that size. Its a bit like the bloat and silly prices that have happened to cars post PFPs. Is that what has happened to boats - people are buying 60ft Hanse at maybe £750k on the never never?
 
Well the good news is that grp lasts for ever so boats from the 70s and 80s will just need a refit.

Maybe the only people who can buy new in the UK are retirees or the wealthy. What's the boat market like in France? They seem to have younger sailors than we do.
 
dgadee said:
Well the good news is that grp lasts for ever so boats from the 70s and 80s will just need a refit.

Maybe the only people who can buy new in the UK are retirees or the wealthy. What's the boat market like in France? They seem to have younger sailors than we do.
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I haven’t been to a boat show since covid, but don’t forget that France is home to the worlds largest manufacturer of small boats. Before covid the shows were always full of small boats, sail and power. Nonetheless, the French makers are building ever bigger boats
 
Gary Fox said:
Why would anyone buy a new boat?
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Very simple - because some people see value in doing so. I have owned 5 boats and 4 of them were bought new. The first 2 (in the 1970s) because it was the only sensible way one could get a boat. The first was a plywood boat kit, the second a GRP kit for a 19' cruiser. This was the dominant way of getting a modern design boat and economically sensible.

The third was because it was initially for commercial use. The latest because I wanted a modern boat with the minimum amount of work over the expected ownership span of up to 10 years - and I could afford the outlay as it is a relatively small proportion of my overall assets. You will find that probably the biggest single group of private new boat buyers come from the same demographic as me, that is retired (or about to) and able to fund the purchase from their own resources.
 
Gary Fox said:
Why would anyone buy a new boat?
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I used to think that, but I now do want a new boat, so I can answer your question. Firstly when many people get to a certain point in life they realise they have been too frugal and are in danger of having money and not spending it. That is the biggest waste of money there is. A mistake to rectify fast. Secondly, after decades of patching up second hand boats and pissing one’s life away spannering, you realise you have been stupid. Better to get something new that doesn’t break so much, which is a happy realisation, because it supports the first point. The sensible conclusion of all this is to buy new.
 
Agree totally. It is sometimes difficult for people that are not in this position to appreciate that you have different choices to make. Put crudely, having money in the bank doing nothing or owning a boat that you can enjoy.

Just a pity that the choice in the under 40' size/modest price range is not what it used to be.
 
Tranona said:
Very simple - because some people see value in doing so. I have owned 5 boats and 4 of them were bought new. The first 2 (in the 1970s) because it was the only sensible way one could get a boat. The first was a plywood boat kit, the second a GRP kit for a 19' cruiser. This was the dominant way of getting a modern design boat and economically sensible.

The third was because it was initially for commercial use. The latest because I wanted a modern boat with the minimum amount of work over the expected ownership span of up to 10 years - and I could afford the outlay as it is a relatively small proportion of my overall assets. You will find that probably the biggest single group of private new boat buyers come from the same demographic as me, that is retired (or about to) and able to fund the purchase from their own resources.
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I retired at 50. I could afford a new boat but there was nothing on the new boat market that appealed to me.
We purchased an old boat that was a closer match for our needs and refurbished it. To some people, refitting a boat would be their worse nightmare. To me it was a great project. We know every inch of the boat. It didn't stop us sailing in the UK summer as we completed the larger refurbishment projects in the winter. After two seasons I retired fully and sailed across the Atlantic. Been having a blast on my old boat ever since and now done 28500nm on her. Looking back, we wouldn't do it any differently.
 
Tranona said:
Very simple - because some people see value in doing so. I have owned 5 boats and 4 of them were bought new. The first 2 (in the 1970s) because it was the only sensible way one could get a boat. The first was a plywood boat kit, the second a GRP kit for a 19' cruiser. This was the dominant way of getting a modern design boat and economically sensible.

The third was because it was initially for commercial use. The latest because I wanted a modern boat with the minimum amount of work over the expected ownership span of up to 10 years - and I could afford the outlay as it is a relatively small proportion of my overall assets. You will find that probably the biggest single group of private new boat buyers come from the same demographic as me, that is retired (or about to) and able to fund the purchase from their own resources.
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Got to agree about the motivation. My 35 footer as a 96 boat was beginning to require a fair bit of maintenance / renewal so apart from the issue of boat size, I wanted something that wont need fettling for Tranona's 10 years. Dealing with boatyards like dealing with garages is just a source of endless irritation and expense so I dont fancy the maintenance / upgrade / rewal process on an old boat . In the past I have stripped and replaced engines and masts and many other boat fittings myself but I simply dont want to do that now.

I want a smaller new boat that can easily be sailed single handed by a geriatric and his dog. The show suggests that I am going to have difficulty finding a suitable new boat.
 
Someone has to buy new, or there won't be any old not quite bangers for the (younger) likes of me in a few years.

OTOH, the running and refurbishing costs of sub-30 footers are bad enough. I hate to think about buying a 40 footer "in need of a little tlc". The current size of old boats - up to 33 feet or so do fine on a swinging mooring, which makes them affordable for those on a budget. How many moorings are there that are suitable for a 40 footer, and how many people will be willing or able to pay marina fees for a 25-30 year old one?

Also, I can't help thinking about the story of Catalacs. The 8, 9 & 10 sold well enough and the company was doing great. Then they wanted to produce a bigger one still, and it broke them. I have a feeling they aren't the only ones to have gone down that path
 
Birdseye said:
Got to agree about the motivation. My 35 footer as a 96 boat was beginning to require a fair bit of maintenance / renewal so apart from the issue of boat size, I wanted something that wont need fettling for Tranona's 10 years. Dealing with boatyards like dealing with garages is just a source of endless irritation and expense so I dont fancy the maintenance / upgrade / rewal process on an old boat . In the past I have stripped and replaced engines and masts and many other boat fittings myself but I simply dont want to do that now.

I want a smaller new boat that can easily be sailed single handed by a geriatric and his dog. The show suggests that I am going to have difficulty finding a suitable new boat.
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I am (trying) to buy a Tesla for exactly the same reason. I would rather my dog chew my arm off than take a car to a French mechanic for service
 
Zing said:
Firstly when many people get to a certain point in life they realise they have been too frugal and are in danger of having money and not spending it. That is the biggest waste of money there is. A mistake to rectify fast.
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Blimey I recognise that characteristic. We’ve no children either. so we‘ve made a similar decision but bought top quality but not new. Ridiculously expensive but she’s jolly nice to be aboard and sail. It’s no rehearsal…….I still drive a rubbish car though, I can only change so much!
 
PlanB said:
I once met a chap who boat a new boat because he wanted a toilet no-one else had used.
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I've put a new toilet in all the secondhand boats I've bought, cheaper than buying a new boat...

What amazed me was when I bought my current boat 16 years ago during the intial refit I chucked the loo into the skip in the yard, then thought 'I wonder', got it out, hosed it thoroughtly and sold it on ebay for £55
 
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