What is it like trying to look after two boats ?

DAKA

DAKA

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Any one got two or more boats and what is it like trying to keep them serviced and clean ?

I was thinking of keeping a small boat close to home (in the garden over winter) and leaving my main boat on the south coast ( 4 1/2 hour drive away so we dont get there every week end, hence I need something to do locally).

Do you think this is a good idea or will I spend so much time trying to keep them maintained I will never actually get to go out in them /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

(cant afford new so we are talking about older boats that require a certain amount of TLC).
 
Had a cruiser on south coast and ski boat on lake in the midlands, found that when the weather was nice we went to the south coast, so only ever used the ski boat in poor conditions so we lost interest, then some tosser swiped it anyway.
 
Daka, what's it like in what way? I don't think anyone does servicing 2nd half price mate;-)

What sort of 2nd boat you looking at? If it's a run about for a laugh on the odd weekend and you don't mind the fact it will sit unused for most of the time go for it.

I thought about keeping my RIB when I decided to buy a sports cruiser. It's way too big for a tender! My apartment overlooks Victoria dock in East London and it would have been a right laugh around Royal Docks and the Thames. But it's value would have paid for a years costs on the new boat and I'd much rather be mucking about on the Solent.

It's 2.5-3hrs for me to the boat which is long enough so I can appreciate what 4 hours would be like. But are you really gonna use it?
 
Yep,

And the costs build up and the actual use and therefore value you derive from each decreases.

Up on Windermere I had the sports cruiser, a ski boat, and a jet ski! Problem was the sportscruiser became a floating hotel and if the lake was busy we would troll around to the public moorings in the speedboat all cramped up because it was easier to find a berthing place. If on the Speedboat we needed the facilities of the Sports cruiser and if on the sportscruiser we wanted the economy and ease of parking of the ski boat.

The jet ski was just a toy that was blasted about when guests arrived but was a right pain looking after and keeping it going.

We got the ski boat as it was trailable, but got fed up towing it at 60mph every weekend up to the lakes. So we got a mooring which then cost £1000 year.

The ski boat was no longer at home so on the weekends we did not go to the lakes we could not take it to Wales for the day so it became no longer trailable as it was on a mooring.

The Jet ski was a jet ski...enough said!

When it was sunny (hot summer of 2004) it was great to have guests up, and all three craft out on the lake....but the costs were astronomical!

Was it fun...yes.
Did I love it ...yes.
Was it as easy as it sounded......No!
Would I get lots of boats again.......Yes! I just love boats...

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
got my resto project ashore so it might not count.... but also got a toy sunseeker 20 on a trailer, just to play with, and a graduate dingy to learn in, and i wouldn't be without my inflateable zodiac that lives in the boot of my car.

iv'e found that despite my intentions, i don't have enough time to play.... just work on the resto.

once the big boat is finished i expect to be using it in the spare time that i have... not playing in the sports boat.

i did think about getting shot of the sunny, and buying an old plywood speedboat... sort of 1950's... stick a decent engine in it and trail it....

having a proper boat and a toy is a good balance... like having a car and a bike...

hmmm got 2 cars and and a bike too..... maybe it's just me... i like my toys.

steve.
 
Strange

I have been having similar thoughts.

Leave Still Dunno on normal berth and have something for pottering around the Ouse at any time of the year.
i have a lot of old friends who we used to enjoy tremendous weekends of fun with on the river.
a small old freeman 24 or similar would do nicely.

Doug
 
Thanks Nick, Steve, Aztec, doug and Paul,

I was thinking of a 23ft petrol Bayliner with a trailer that I can berth 20 miles away during the summer, trail around UK and keep at home during the winter.

I would without doubt service myself incl. leg/bellows etc.

I miss mid week evening cruises up/down the river, and there are other Sundays I could spend the day out in the Humber (when boating weekends get wrecked with weddings and the like).

As to not using I think that is a good argument and I need to think about it.
I kept the old tender for use up/down the canal and have only managed one trip this year but a sports cruiser would be launched ready for use.
 
I've been having the same thoughts. We dont get to our boat in Majorca as much as I would like and since we live only 30mins from the Thames, I've been thinking that it might be nice to have something for pottering about on the river. But SWMBO has decreed that we'd probably use it even less, it would be a waste of money and she'd rather have a bling extension
 
We are on the thames as you already know and weekly go out whether a small trip or an adventure upstream and down

I have often thought about a second boat something larger etc but it always comes back to time and what we do

which is river cruising and coastal hopping on the solent or binnie is a 22 foot bowrider which has only one drawback no loo for swmbo

It really for us would be a waste to have 50k boat on the south coast which we might only use a few times a year only other alternative would to have it here I suppose but then the drawback is mooring where we have ours is 2 mins walk and a large boat wouldnt be feasible

mooring.jpg


as you can see we are tidal with the boat on the bed at low tide so would have to go upstream with something larger which kinda defeats logic

I dont really know what do you lot think should i stay with the old faithfull binnie or ??????????????
 
i.ve got one on the solent and one in spain, quite frankly, its an everlasting round of antifouling, anodes, cleaning servicing, flat batteries and problems - I love it
 
for the past two years i've owned two boats and two moorings, upshot very expensive, cant keep up with upkeep tasks and end up using each boat less and less. and when at home doing chores end up wishing I was on either. have now sold one so should use the other more, but maybe it does not work like that.
 
I have got two. One 30ft, the other 23ft. But I'm retired and have 7 days a week to play with them. Must say, they do keep you fit.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have got two. One 30ft, the other 23ft. But I'm retired and have 7 days a week to play with them. Must say, they do keep you fit.

[/ QUOTE ]

Lucky sod me perhaps jealous just a little but hey ho good luck to you chum you deserve it

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
This is in effect a "I want more time on boats" problem. Unfortunately most of us have to work away from where we'd be boating. Well I have paid serious consideration to working from home, moving closer to the boat (like 30 mins from it) and s*d the city life;-)
 
Had 3 at one time!
Nearly drove Me demented!

30 ft wooden piece of shite--20 ft Colvic (weird thing with an outboard) and a nice ---Channel Island 22 (Well it was when I finished it) .
Been thinking again of a "two centre " boat scenario, ie one here and one in the "heat" ie 75 squids to Alicante etc etc . But SWMBO Laid it down properly.
"You can,t make enough time to use the one that,s just down the road so how are you going to get the time to blah blah blah blah.

Don,t they just drive you MAD with their logic!

She,s right stick to one Boat ,unless your retired with a suitable Wedge! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
When Debs and me met up, we had two boats for a time. Barge on the canal and mine. Trouble is, one becomes the favourite one. So tuther just gets left to rot. Anyway the barge eventually got sold, so problem solved.

Debs still fancies another little boat on the canal, which would be handy as it's just at the bottom of the garden. However I have misgivings. Think it's a bit like being unfaithfull to M Farter! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
Thanks for all your replies.
I dont think one will be left to rot as I can look after the small boat 2 evenings a week and can renovate over the winter at home.

SWMBO gave me the go ahead last night and thought it a good idea /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I just need to find a well cared for Bayliner 23 ft with a trailer and Mercruiser 130hp to 230hp petrol.
(has to be petrol as diesel too heavy to tow, bayliners weigh in 30% less than other makes).
 
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