Where do you work on your boat?

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Pigeonmeat

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Hi, I'm new to to all this so please forgive me for what is probably a very basic question, but where do you work on your boats? A marina? A boat yard? Your homes? I'm really interested in buying something old and restoring it as a way to understand all the different parts of a boat. Unfortunately I don't have the space to be able to do that at home so I'm really curious if it's possible to do it at a boat yard or a marina or something!
 
Welcome.

Most boatyards will allow you to work on your boat. HOWEVER many are increasingly reluctant to take "project" boats because the completion rate tends to be low and they end up deteriorating as owners lose interest and in extremes (getting more common) being abandoned with unpaid yard bills. Depending on where you are in the country, storage fees can often exceed the value of the boat. I have just sold a 26 ft project boat (completed!) that was costing me almost £2k a year in storage and insurance.

While restoring old boats can be very rewarding it is also enormously time and money consuming, even for people with experience and the skills and tools needed. Even a small boat could take years rather than months to complete and get sailing if you are doing it in your spare time.

If you have never owned a boat then the best advice is to buy a functioning boat that you can use to lean to sail and operate. Inevitably boats at the lower end of the price range will need work to improve them and you can learn by doing this while you sail. With some experience you are much better prepared to take on a project that you can actually complete . Remember a boat sitting in a yard eats up money even if you are not doing anything with it, and the only way to avoid these costs is to sell the boat - if you are lucky!
 
Tranona's advice is very sound. Personally I would suggest you join a club as you will find someone wanting a crew. Let them take you out and gain some experience of sailing. This will be the cheapest way to go sailing for minimal cost. Some clubs even have training schemes at minimal cost. The more you can learn about sailing will help you decide if and when you may want to buy a boat. When you do decide, try and find a small well equiped boat that the owner is retiring from sailing and you will probably get it for a nominal sum, probably from within the club you are a member.

If you can give an idea of where you are located and want to sail from, suggestions can be made by forum members on the best clubs to try. If you are near the Medway Towns then I would recommend trying Hoo Ness Yacht Club as it is a friendly self help type of club. Hoo Ness Yacht Club - Friendly Yacht Club | Moorings | Hardstanding | Sailing

You should also have a look at the RYA web site as this has plenty of information that you will find very helpful. Home
 
LadyInBed said:
Do you have any farms near where you live that would let you store and work on it for a price?
It would be a lot cheaper than a boatyard!
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I have installed a largish battery bank, 3000W inverter and now solar panels giving me on-board power for tools. That would certainly make working on a boat on a farm (or vacant block) real cool!:)
 
guernseyman said:
If you're embarking on a project like that, find a chandlery that will give you a discount on the large amount of stuff you will buy.
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Agree to a point but sometimes the cost of travel to pick up the items negates the savings.

I buy most of my gear off eBay now that I have bought winches and steering gear etc and have it delivered to my door!
 
If you cannot work on you boat at home you will spend quite a lot of time traveling.

I built my boat on a friends farm and just traveling to and from the boat wasted a lot of time.

My boat is now 800 km from home but I can stay on the boat but its also very messy and you have to keep move stuff to work and live.

When I lived in the UK I did have a project boat at home so could work on the boat in the evenings after I came home from work.

Also consider having a workshop at home so you can build stuff then take to the boat and fit it.

Also as said it will take a long time and with traveling to and from the bat will take longer and may even deter you from going to the boat if the weather is bad.

I can still remember sweeping the snow off my boat in the UK before starting work.
 
My advice to anyone thinking about taking on a project is DON'T DO IT!

Even for someone who knows what they're doing, the way to cost a boat project is to work out everything that has to be done, the cost of parts and the time needed. Take worst case scenarios in both cases. Now double both figures and add another 50% contingency. For the time, consider how much time you'll be able to dedicate to the project in any given week, remembering that life regularly gets in the way when the weather's suitable, and when you're free, the British climate will often have other ideas. Now think how much the storage will cost during that time.

If this doesn't put you off, you're probably excessively naïve. Or you might just possibly be the kind of nutter who will pull it off, in which case, I wish you every success.
 
Even a reasonably well founded boat will need continual maintenance, upgrades and unpicking of previous owner bodged improvements. Despite being a time served shipwright I wouldn't take on a project boat, perhaps when I have retired but not before, thinking about it probably not even then. You have to ask yourself if you want to go sailing or do manual work on boats whilst watching other people go off and have adventures. As above if you have to travel any distance to where your project is then that will work against you. Price of marine spares is high and in a short time you'll have spent more on a project still sitting in a yard than one you would have sailed. My advice is find someone to go sailing with and if you like it start saving for something you could go out in tomorrow, even if that's limited to the local harbour or estuary.
 
Pigeonmeat said:
Hi, I'm new to to all this so please forgive me for what is probably a very basic question, but where do you work on your boats? A marina? A boat yard? Your homes? I'm really interested in buying something old and restoring it as a way to understand all the different parts of a boat. Unfortunately I don't have the space to be able to do that at home so I'm really curious if it's possible to do it at a boat yard or a marina or something!
Click to expand...
Reality check.
We have had a year of disruption to our normal routine and perhaps many of us have had wandering thoughts centering around some new adventure.
When we can, have a drive to local boat yards, creeks, marinas etc and see how many "in progress" boats there are about. Some boat projects become meeting places for like-minded boaty people and become no more than a coffee shop.


BoatClub.jpg
 
Stemar said:
My advice to anyone thinking about taking on a project is DON'T DO IT!

Even for someone who knows what they're doing, the way to cost a boat project is to work out everything that has to be done, the cost of parts and the time needed. Take worst case scenarios in both cases. Now double both figures and add another 50% contingency. For the time, consider how much time you'll be able to dedicate to the project in any given week, remembering that life regularly gets in the way when the weather's suitable, and when you're free, the British climate will often have other ideas. Now think how much the storage will cost during that time.

If this doesn't put you off, you're probably excessively naïve. Or you might just possibly be the kind of nutter who will pull it off, in which case, I wish you every success.
Click to expand...

Instead you might decide to take on golf instead of building a boat!

Now what are the costs and how much time will you spend on it? Annual membership, golf clubs, traveling, clothing.......

I really enjoy building my yacht! And it keeps me physically and mentally fit.:D
 
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Boats are much like cars, once they hit a certain point/condition unless they are very special they are only fit for one thing.
 
Pigeonmeat said:
Hi, I'm new to to all this so please forgive me for what is probably a very basic question, but where do you work on your boats? A marina? A boat yard? Your homes? I'm really interested in buying something old and restoring it as a way to understand all the different parts of a boat. Unfortunately I don't have the space to be able to do that at home so I'm really curious if it's possible to do it at a boat yard or a marina or something!
Click to expand...
do you want to sail, or do you want the pastime of honing your handicraft skills and the joy of seeing a job well done?
if you want to sail, stay well clear the long slow slog of years and expense of a renovation.
as said earlier, boatyards are full of failed project boats, hefty bills and legal debt recoveries.
 
I think I'll keep building my yacht. A lot cheaper than joining a golf club - Karrinyup Golf Club - $8000 nomination and $3000 per year!
Of course we can all save a lot of time and money by doing nothing!

Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75.
Benjamin Franklin
 
I like to take some bits home to work on such as tiller for varnishing ,dinghy outboard for servicing etc. During last March lockdown I ended up with a very shiny tiller and a smooth running outboard.
 
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