To upsize or not

[oGaryo]

This is ultimately a personal choice but no doubt others have been in similar positions over the years so I'd appreciate some advice from those that went for an increase in bpat size in the following circumstances.

We current have a Sealine S28 that has had little use over the last two seasons due to other commitments, namely cycling, holidays and the like.

We have our eye on a 40 footer that is within budget albeit we'd need something itro a £30k loan.

My gut feel is we'd use her more as there'd be more space to combine cycling and boating.. the S28 has nowhere reasonable to store the bikes.

Is this the case with those that did similar or did you find the boat sat there doing nothing much other than waste money?

Thanks Gary

 

[BruceK]

The question you have to really ask yourself is have you lost your love for boating? Not quite the same as you but I found boating absorbs just about all my time now. I used to ride motorcycles a lot, fly RC planes a lot, resore classic and vintage bikes / cars a lot and even kept 9 rare fish aquariums. I no longer have time for any of them because you cant just pop down to the boat for a couple hours here or there. It's a time consuming passion, one which you are now finding out for yourself, and I think you have made your decision. I'd be wary that buying a 40 footer will ignite the passion only temporarily, because if it was there you'd already be boating on the S28 while dreaming of the 40. Yes you can store bicycles on a 40 but I'd think trying to marry the two hobbies would be a lot more difficult than simply one of storage.

 

[MapisM]

My gut feel is we'd use her more as there'd be more space to combine cycling and boating

Fwiw, none of my boat changes ever had any impact on how much we used the boats, regardless of any new toys they allowed us to store. We always used the boat we had, at any given moment, depending on time available - nothing else.
But YMMV, of course. I suppose that if you like cycling a lot, and a boat upgrade allows you to combine the two passions, then it's worth doing the move...
Btw, the only possible problem of going bigger (costs aside), i.e. that larger size can be a limiting factor because moving a ship is more demanding than moving a dinghy, is not relevant at all when moving from 28' to 40'.
Anyway, all the very best!

 

[rafiki_]

You know you want to Gary. The larger boat just makes life so much more pleasant on board. Btw, just off out on the old MTB, too slippery out there for the roady slicks :encouragement:

 

[Nick_H]

I'm not sure where you'd store full size bikes, even on a 40 footer. I also don't think having a boat adds much to your cycling experience, as it's still fairly limiting as to where you can go (ie. has to be next to a port). How about a motorhome, although even then you're limiting yourselves to ending up each day the same place that you start? We did a 500 mile cycle tour round Scotland earlier this year, and part of the fun was staying in different places each night, and not going back over the same ground the next day.

 

[Elessar]

This is ultimately a personal choice but no doubt others have been in similar positions over the years so I'd appreciate some advice from those that went for an increase in bpat size in the following circumstances.

We current have a Sealine S28 that has had little use over the last two seasons due to other commitments, namely cycling, holidays and the like.

We have our eye on a 40 footer that is within budget albeit we'd need something itro a £30k loan.

My gut feel is we'd use her more as there'd be more space to combine cycling and boating.. the S28 has nowhere reasonable to store the bikes.

Is this the case with those that did similar or did you find the boat sat there doing nothing much other than waste money?

Thanks Gary

We strap our bikes on the bathing platform under way then to a marina hose pipe or similar if we are in one. Bikes in a dinghy is do able if at anchor as long as you’re not going up a beach with swell. Weekends where you go no where or not far become more of a pleasure. Go for it!

 

[TheOrs]

Or maybe...
Accept that cycling has taken over from boating; sell the boat & use the money to:
a) Go on cycling holidays
&
b) Buy a small trailer boat or canoes to scratch the itch occasionally.

 

[Portofino]

This is ultimately a personal choice but no doubt others have been in similar positions over the years so I'd appreciate some advice from those that went for an increase in bpat size in the following circumstances.

We current have a Sealine S28 that has had little use over the last two seasons due to other commitments, namely cycling, holidays and the like.

We have our eye on a 40 footer that is within budget albeit we'd need something itro a £30k loan.

My gut feel is we'd use her more as there'd be more space to combine cycling and boating.. the S28 has nowhere reasonable to store the bikes.

Is this the case with those that did similar or did you find the boat sat there doing nothing much other than waste money?

Thanks Gary

Who,s “we “ ?

Thing is I think it’s easier to get as many close folks esp the wife in on this , with 90 % or more enthusiasm for the two hobbies that you have .They never will have the same .

Two hobbies -
1- the cycling
2- the boating .
If there’s a seed of doubt from anybody nearest and dearest who you expect to participate, ........you are knackered !

Presume your bikes are pretty high end ? Not rubbish * folding stuff ?
I can,t see it working ,there’s just too many ducks to line up .

* what I mean is not rubbish in terms of build ,quality or indeed price , I mean let’s face it you wouldn’t go a big trip say London - Paris etc on a folding bike , rock up a amateur Sunday ride out on a folding bike !

 

[paultallett]

Hi Gary,

As we spoke about we now find ourselves in a similar position but for different reasons. Boys want more room and not to be sharing a bed with each other.

Is there anywhere at OV you can hire a shed to store bikes in? You could try that for a year and see if you visit the boat more and get some cycling in whilst down. If you do, happy days and size up. If you don't, you've saved a fortune. At Mercury we can rent sheds, so if OV can't help, maybe try a new marina?

Or...

Why not down size to a rib? Then you can cycle as much as you like back at home, but still get your boating fix when the weather is glorious. At least this way you aren't worrying about the boat not getting used as it'll be tucked somewhere on a trailer safe and sound.

Hope that helps.

 

[Kildarepete]

Hi Gary,
We traded up to a 38ft from a 24ft for the more space reason (3 kids need a lot of space !), and we bike as well. We put the 5 bikes up at the bow and strap them in, no problem going on plane etc. We easily combine the two pass times and it gives us much more time together. The 38ft boat also allows the parents to get a bit of a break with the kids in one end and parents at the other !
Definitely worth it, but a lot more expenses to consider !
We also invested in a rib for the 2 older kids who can then head off for a bit of time away from us (always in radio contact).

Pete.

 

[freddy the frog]

</script><script>processGoogleTokenSync({"newToken":"FBS"},5);</script>" tabindex="1">

This is ultimately a personal choice but no doubt others have been in similar positions over the years so I'd appreciate some advice from those that went for an increase in bpat size in the following circumstances.

We current have a Sealine S28 that has had little use over the last two seasons due to other commitments, namely cycling, holidays and the like.

We have our eye on a 40 footer that is within budget albeit we'd need something itro a £30k loan.

My gut feel is we'd use her more as there'd be more space to combine cycling and boating.. the S28 has nowhere reasonable to store the bikes.

Is this the case with those that did similar or did you find the boat sat there doing nothing much other than waste money?

Thanks Gary

Been in your shoes sold the boat bought a very nice new A class motorhome bikes on the back we now go everywhere and europe for holidays and the plus no mooring fees yeeeeeeeeeeeh

 

[Momac]

Sounds like you are not getting good value from your present boat.
You appear to have greater commitment to cycling.
Sell the S28 and see how you get on without a boat over next summer.
You could always revert to boating and you will have lost nothing . You will possibly have gained the financial benefit of a year without the mooring fees etc.

 

[superheat6k]

Too many hobbies - not enough free time. I think this affects all of us who can afford to own a boat, but are not sufficiently wealthy not to have to work.

I have only one hobby, although SWMBO thinks my other hobby is my work, and she is probably right. For us our teenage girls have reduced the boating significantly, but if I sold it what would I do in the spare time I do have, and I don't resent do other things with the family either. I tried golf once and am in no hurry to try it again. As the girls grow up I do expect to have more weekends available as they make their own pleasure arrangements or disappear to uni etc.

Plenty of boats that are suitable to carry bikes and allow them to stay reasonably dry. Bear in mind that moving form 28 to 40' will see most costs of ownership increase at least 50%. My own 32' could easily carry two or three bikes on the aft poop deck, and larger traders / trawlers have a similar deck arrangement. Won't cruise at 25 knots though, but do offer economical cruising at 8 knots with reasonable performance at ~15 knots. Trawlers do have excellent internal space too.

 

[wizzer]

Best answer:
YOLO

 

[Sneds]

We had a 28ft sports cruiser for ten years and last January "traded up" to a 36ft flybridge
The difference is chalk and cheese, room to move around and space to move about it, being able to stand up straight and not have to crawl into bed. The new boat is a lot more comfortable and can take chopier sea states although the water can still get you in the face up on the fly!
It costs extra to moor and uses more fuel but no out drives to service.
We seriously considered a motor home, you can get a nice one for less than the boat cost, maybe with a rib on the back?
What persuaded us against the motor home was you actually had to go somewhere in it, ie you couldn't just pop down to the motor home storage yard and sit in it, well I suppose you could but not quite the same as popping down to the marina and spending time just sat on the boat
We were boatless for around six months and between selling and buying and spent most weekends wondering what to do, apart from travel the country and scouring the Internet looking at boats. I think I knew every 36 foot FB for sale in Europe!
As said by others, sell the boat and see how you feel after a year without it, you could rent county cottages and takes your bikes or even rent a narrow boat or broads cruiser and take your bikes with you.
Then after the year buy another boat, sometimes a change is a good as a rest.

Good luck

 

[volvopaul]

Sounds like you are not getting good value from your present boat.
You appear to have greater commitment to cycling.
Sell the S28 and see how you get on without a boat over next summer.
You could always revert to boating and you will have lost nothing . You will possibly have gained the financial benefit of a year without the mooring fees etc.

I was in same position last year, I stopped enjoying my boat , like cycling my rallying took over , I’d won my class the year previous on th btrda a uk national championship, I didn’t enjoy the latest boat as much as the previous so I sold it.
A year and a half on I’ve virtually stopped looking at boats for sale, one of the reasons is the price of boats and the thought of mooring charges again.

As boats are at an all tim high I’d sell it for a good price and go cycling , you can always come back to it when the time is right for you.

 

[freddy the frog]

I was in same position last year, I stopped enjoying my boat , like cycling my rallying took over , I’d won my class the year previous on th btrda a uk national championship, I didn’t enjoy the latest boat as much as the previous so I sold it.
A year and a half on I’ve virtually stopped looking at boats for sale, one of the reasons is the price of boats and the thought of mooring charges again.

As boats are at an all tim high I’d sell it for a good price and go cycling , you can always come back to it when the time is right for you.

When we were doing our research on luxury motor homes the amount of people we bumped into that had got out of boating was quite surprising, costs, moorings, same old places month in month out etc . moving to 36ft increases costs all round dramatically, not any nice places in southampton to do good cycling apart from the new forest. Sell it pursue your new interest and see if the desire is still there in a year or so.
Rent a rib out of shamrock for the odd sunny day that we get.

 

[MapisM]

As boats are at an all tim high

Do you really think they are...
Unless you are joking, we must be looking at radically different markets, because I can't for the life of me remember a time when a decent used boat of the type which is being discussed could be bought for less than in the last couple of years.
Indeed, if there's one way prices are tending to move ATM, that's upward.

 

[volvopaul]

Do you really think they are...
Unless you are joking, we must be looking at radically different markets, because I can't for the life of me remember a time when a decent used boat of the type which is being discussed could be bought for less than in the last couple of years.
Indeed, if there's one way prices are tending to move ATM, that's upward.

In my language , all time high means exactly that there at there highest for years.
I talk to many traders , because its a supply and demand situation boats are selling at the asking prices and very quick.
Well they are in the UK.

 

[MapisM]

Ermm... What I actually said is that in the last couple of years they were at their lowest, from where I'm sitting.
I mean, prices dropped like a lead baloon well before the last 2 or 3 years, but after then they stayed at the rock bottom till very recently.
So, in real terms the last two years were the lowest ever, and it's hard to imagine that there will ever be a better time for buying used boats in the future.
Btw, I also talked with traders during this timeframe - I would say most, rather than many of them.
If in the UK the situation was different, well, good for sellers and brokers...
...but, so what? Buyers could always look elsewhere.