What value do you put on pride of ownership

[nicho]

I won't bore you with all the details, but due to health probems (my back trouble, and Mrs Nicho's two operations) we have only had "prophecy" out for 5 days this year. At an annual (true) cost approaching £10,000* per annum to keep the boat, that means the best part of £2000 for each day sail around the Solent! I must be a very proud owner indeed!!!

* Marina - £5200
* Loss of interest on capital - £3500
* Service/fuel/antifoul etc - £750

Hopefully we can redress the balance in 2005!!!

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[dralex]

I think it's scary when you start putting down figures and then trying to rationalise them. I think you have to accept there are times when you will use a boat less than intended and it then can become a bit of a conflict and you start thinking about money. I liked one of the recent arguments about winter sailing- you may not do it very often, but it's nice knowing you can.

I suppose a sensible suggestion would be to consider a smaller boat and therefore lower running costs, but then I just love knowing I have the boat and cannot imagine downsizing now.. My advice- forget this year and start planning next. How about chartering your boat if you really aren't going to use it that much? When I've investigated UK charter costs, it's always been more than I imagined, especilly for 2 people.

<hr width=100% size=1>Just enjoy it.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Did you not see the weather this year!

How many days did you go and just laze about the boat spending time together.

Due to work commitments of Mrs Woofy the time we had to go for our annual cruise the weather was awful. Instead of having miserable runs in poor weather from port to port we had days out from the boat. We got to see many sights by car that we otherwise drove past. With the odd day sail interspersed.

It was not brilliant, but not too bad either. Just spending time aboard can be really relaxing and away from modern life, wouldn't the panel say.

How much to own and maintain a holiday cottage with waterside views?

2004 was a terrible year for sailing, up here past Watford, you had a gamble as to getting the boat back from any visited port on the Saturday night. So I don't think you missed much.

edit>> p.s. Get a mooring

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</A><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by ShipsWoofy on 07/12/2004 11:31 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[dralex]

I agree about the mobile holiday cottage. When SWMBO was pregnant, we just used to go a mile from our mooring on the Dart and moor up outside the pub for the night- didn't do any sailing some weekends, but just chilled out on the boat. There's a lot more to be said for doing that on a mooring rather than in a marina. Much more scenic.

<hr width=100% size=1>Just enjoy it.

 

[aluijten]

"Marina 5200 GBP..."
What is it you get for this? A personal butler on your boat? In Holland there are places where you can actually buy a place for your boat at those rates. Why are these things so expensive on your side of the sea?

Arno


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[Sgeir]

Fair point, and I'm not sure the economics of ownership make any sense unless you are fortunate enough to be able to maximise the benefits.

We'd not intended to purchase until retirement, preferring to charter for the odd weekend, or, on occasion, a 2/3 week spell. Perhaps we were lucky, but we were usually able to find relatively cheap charters in UK, Greece, and Croatia. We looked for the smaller and older boats as they were priced nearer our target. We started sailing fairly late on, so the good thing about chartering diff boats in diff waters, was, for us, building up experience.

We were not looking for a boat, but accidentally found one that suited us. The ongoing costs meant we sold back the marina berth and rented a swinging mooring.

Re Woofy, OK Aug wasn't too good, and Sept/Oct pretty poor in the main, but we had some splendid sailing for the rest of the year.

I think it's worth it, if you can make the time available. Hope the back improves and that you're able to enjoy the boat, rather than worry about it.

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[pragmatist]

For us its almost unlimited ... sad aren't we ? If you count in what we spent on a copper bottom (no jokes please /forums/images/icons/smile.gif), new yankee furler etc plus our mooring & insurance we can beat you for the daily rate !!! It was a terrible year weather-wise, broadband-wise and dog-wise. Next year MUST be better (please).

But give up - never ! (OK - one day we may have to change to something more suited to age ...) So I hope to be down on the Dart on New Year's Eve - stove stoked up, chilled bottles in the fridge and maybe a sail to start the new season.

I'm sure the economics of chartering make sense but how do you survive knowing you can't nip down to the boat for the weekend ?

<hr width=100% size=1>a pragmatist is a sailor who now believes it will _always_ rain

 

[Sybarite]

If 36' is indeed the overall length, then you would pay £1220 for 2005 (at today's x-rates) at my marina in Brittany with reciprocal rights at a dozen other marinas ( + free showers, electricity and water).

I certainly couldn't afford to boat in England - unless I had a trailor sailor.

John



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[BrunoandChianti]

5 Days!!
Wow you were fortunate!!

Due to commitments right left and centre we only managed 6 miles.
Reasons. - Poor weather, engine breakdown that took 5 weeks to fix, oh! and SWMBO insisted that we buy a house and make it fit to live in.
Oh! Well there's always next year.

But I agree you cannot easily value "hobbies" if you don't have them you go mad, if you do you go broke!

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[BlueSkyNick]

Our boat is 3 berths along from Nicho's.

We get a secure marina, with 24hour lock access, free showers, parking and errrr..... Oh, fuel berth, excellent italian restaurant and OK shop.

Why are things so expensive? Simple case of market forces.

<hr width=100% size=1>Tide and time wait for no man.

 

[Evadne]

Thanks, I feel much better now I know I'm not the only one. Work betwen May and September ruled out most of the summer, and the month that we both had free was spent at home, 'cos one of the cats had been run over and couldn't be left on his own until well enough to go out. (He's fine now in case you're worried.) At least the weather was so crap I didn't feel we really missed our summer sailing holiday, much.

We had two day sails and two weekends. Mooring is cheaper than the marina, so cost per mile is less, but I always include days spent on the boat before she goes in the water as part of the pleasure of boat ownership, so it's not as bad as it appears. My boat is also so old that she neither increases nor decreases in value, no matter how much we spend on her.

And anyway, how much it costs is not a consideration when it comes to boat ownership, unless it involves bankruptcy proceedings.

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[aluijten]

But why doesn't everyone start a marina then? It sounds like a sure way to be a millionaire in no-time.
On other words, why is marina capacity so scarce in your area?

A.

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[nicho]

It seems that we were not the only ones to have a sh...t year! I wasn't really whinging about the cost, 'cos our eyes are wide open, and we've had some brilliant years in the past, but when you think of nearly two grand for each day actually sailing, it does make your eyes water a bit.

The marina is expensive compared to those overseas, but as BIGNICK says, it's a superb place, with state of the art CCTV, 24 hour security patrols, and a lock to prevent your boat from being pinched, good pub and restaurants - it's also literally in the New Forest, and Southampton town centre is a 15 minute ferry ride away when the weather is (inevitably) bad, so it suits us admirably. As for the suggestion to charter the boat, sorry, but that's not for us, we wouldn't like to let anyone else loose on our 'pride and joy' (there's that word "pride" again!!) We do spend some considerable time on board, using it as a holiday home as well.

No, it wasn't a proper moan, but just a comment that sometimes you have to look for reasons (excuses) to forget about the true cost of boat ownership when you are unfortunate enough to have a year like 2004, which has been written out of our memory banks!

With regards to marina costs over here, particularly in the Solent area, there's little doubt we get hammered, but it's surely all to do with supply and (seemingly unending) demand. It's always been expensive in the area, and until some real "crash" happens, I guess it always will be.

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[nicho]

John, it's actually 11.4 metres (37' 4" in old money) Nevertheless, I realise it's much cheaper out there, and who knows, one day we may move the boat there too, but not for a while. Hythe marina, is one of the cheaper MDL marinas in the area - we could save £1500 by going to say, Brixham, but we do like the "flexibility" of the Solent - so many great places to go to within a 3hour sail topside. We do get hammered though!!

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[Sybarite]

OK. £1300. Exactly one quarter.

John

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[Sybarite]

<< Simple case of market forces. >>

Is it though, Nick? Surely some local authority grants a concession on part of the coastline and other potential suppliers are precluded from entering the market?

This leaves the authorised concessionnaire in a monopoly position.

John

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[BlueSkyNick]

There is a lot of truth in that John, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter how many companies are providing the service. If there is greater demand than there is availability, they can set high prices, especially if the punters are prepared to pay it.

Having said that, on Saturday I heard of one well known marina in the Solent which has vacancies, and there may be a lot more if other market forces come into play, eg tax on diesel.

<hr width=100% size=1>Tide and time wait for no man.

 

[jac]

Very true point.

Until the planning laws are relaxed in this country there will always be difficulty in providing more berths. And until thats done the only way to get prices down is to persuade more people to leave the sport!!

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[billmacfarlane]

One of the great things about boating is that you've always got something to look forward to. Start planning for next year now, and of course the weather next year will be better and you'll sail forever in great winds.

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[DavidofMersea]

Global warming

Don't worry with a bit of global warming, things will get better

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