WTF are people paying £60k for a camper van with 100k miles on the clock? And a decent Westerly is under £15k 😀

[guardian]

Well you beat me to it I'm already 57 & still working. Been living on boats last 13 years, now on number 6 I've usually made a bit when I've sold them on. I did try a camper for a year just to see when I was between boats, a coachbuilt, all I did was put a couple of big solar panels on the roof and added a couple of extra house batts. It worked surprisingly well the coachbuilts being well insulated & double glazed but if I was going FT I'd favour something like your set up for obvious reasons. Vans are without doubt cheaper & easier than boats...

Yep van life as a hobby/living arrangement is super simple, i had the bonus of already owning the van, joiner by trade so it was a case of empty out the tool storage and putting in the appropriate bits and bobs to make living aboard easy.

Contrary to the statement that opened this thread i've met people especially older women who have converted mini vans, think fiesta, Berlingo sized vehicles that live in them full time that haven't spent more than a few grand buying the vehicle and fitting it out, from my experience there's thousands in this country living under the radar in this way of all ages and genders.

When i think of the money i poured into my Centaur project over the 11 years it was in my possession (£25K ) i felt rather comforted pulling back £13K selling everything off after skipping the hull, deck & keels, infact i'd say if anyone finds themselves stuck with a project thats gone sideways, part it out for money.

But in terms of living aboard for me its a van over a boat although just after the credit crunch (2009) I found a Westerly Conway that was up for £8000! It was a mess and aboard but thought i could live on it, this was before i got neck deep with my Centaur project and i'm glad i didnt buy it.

I made no secret on my blog over the years about how much of a con the marine industry was/is given the arbitrary price rises that bore no relation to the market or the wider economy and was one of the constant drags on the project as a whole. Plus with living on a boat you're relying on a marina or where ever you're moored to keep schtum for you to live, that's way too much of a risk for me.

Last day owning my Centaur, that's the entire boat plus some of the boat shed all in an 8 yd skip.



Yesterdays view:



cheers

 

[ridgy]

You got 13k out of stripping a Centaur?
That seems astonishing, do you have a breakdown of what bits achieved a value?

 

[guardian]

You got 13k out of stripping a Centaur?
That seems astonishing, do you have a breakdown of what bits achieved a value?

Not just centaur parts but a loft full of brand new parts I collected over the 11 years of the project I bought at various boat shows including a brand new inboard diesel engine I bought in 2008, plus most of the tools and plant bought for the project. Although curiously never found a buyer for the mast so weighed it in with the keels.

 

[Kelpie]

Is a van really that much cheaper to own/run than a boat?
I guess it depends on where you are and what you do with it.
Our boat cost about the same as a middle aged VW, and has far more space and tankage. Unlike a camper we pay no VED, have no MOT, and can park up for free most places. Haven't stayed in a marina since 2nd of January. In the past year we've covered over 5000 miles whilst using a fraction of the fuel that a van would need.

Boats have breakages and repairs which can be pricey, but so do road vehicles. I certainly do not miss the eye watering repair bills every time you hit a pothole, and I don't have to brace myself for the pain of MOT time.

 

[Momac]

Is a van really that much cheaper to own/run than a boat?
I guess it depends on where you are and what you do with it.
Our boat cost about the same as a middle aged VW, and has far more space and tankage. Unlike a camper we pay no VED, have no MOT, and can park up for free most places. Haven't stayed in a marina since 2nd of January. In the past year we've covered over 5000 miles whilst using a fraction of the fuel that a van would need.

Boats have breakages and repairs which can be pricey, but so do road vehicles. I certainly do not miss the eye watering repair bills every time you hit a pothole, and I don't have to brace myself for the pain of MOT time.

People who I know who are swapping boats for mororhomes or caravans or the like are doing so for health reasons rather than cost.

 

[fisherman]

We bought a camper, pro conversion of ex builder van, Traffic swb hi top, 108k m when we got it. I was glad not to have decided to do my own, especially after daughter turned up with a Renault Master to convert. More work than building a house. She was very particular about the insulation, no foam no celotex. Then it's like a boat, lots of scribing bulkheads. Then the electrics, lithium battery and complex charging system, plus solar. Daughter had to pass French mot so lots of regs, more than UK. No probs with insurance on either, but you do have to get the registration correct as a camper.
I would like to do one, but I think a supermarket delivery van is the ticket.
Small footprint, fits a car space. Already insulated. Almost square. Flat walls so upvc windows fit. Flat walls so easy to fit inside. The floor is high, but, there is space both sides of the chassis under the floor for lockers with all the stuff we currently have inside with us inc the gas bottle. chairs, awnings, water, wine, beer, foul weather gear, boots shoes etc.

Motor homes are a very different animal, and in France they gather in huge bunches and spend the time discussing their vehicle attributes.

 

[Grith]

We do both but in Australia there is a bit more room to move here!
Regarding cost differentials I think if they are both the same age and condition then there is probably not as much difference in cost as the OP proposed.
It’s just most yachts are getting very long in the tooth whilst most motorhomes, campers are in comparison relatively new.
A contributing fact is also in the older crowd like us there are not that many keen boating/sailing wives/partners!
Got lucky when repartnering myself and converted a never set foot on a boat to a loves boating new partner.
Our motorhome like camper is actually a slide on which mounts on an AWD car licensed truck.
Storage costs are pretty similar if the yacht is trailerable!
Both cost us virtually nothing to store as they sit beside our very cheap home on the Murray River if we are not off in them cruising or travelling!

 

[Neeves]

Camper van and vans seem a bit overpriced? Or are boats underpriced?

It is very, very unusual for someone to suggest that something to do with yachts and sailing is (or are) very underpriced.

Rejoice.

Jonathan

 

[nevis768]

Camper vans may have cheaper upkeep but they don't go well to windward...and motoring isn't much fun either...

 

[TRUNDLETRUC]

On the contrary they go straight upwind with little difference than going downwind. We recently travelled from the Midlands down the M5 in a force 6 gusting 7 headwind and except that it probably used a little more petrol we did not notice the difference!
We have had a small Campervan for decades and travelled extensively around France. When the chance came to share a yacht in Greece we took it whole heartedly and had 14 years of sailing which we thoroughly enjoyed. However, we have now gone back to the camper, (The same VW camper) because we have got older and want to see lots of places quicker and inland. It has great advantages:-
Our main reason for leaving the yacht is that two old people in the middle of a sea are not really safe, especially if the wind gets up.
There is the RNLI in the UK but little in Greece to help you.
You only see the coast unless you hire a car.
Harbours in Greece are packed in the summer and difficult to get into. Even if you get in a harbour you are not completely safe in case someone
lays their anchor across yours or bumps into you. If you anchor, a change in the wind can create loads of problems. At least when the camper is parked in a campsite you can be sure nobody will drag into you or give you a rough night's sleep.
Campsites are generally cheaper than marinas if you don't Wildcamp and there are lots of sites around.
Nowadays it seems that to get in a Greek harbour you need to book a place or a Flotilla will have already booked all the places. I often felt recently that I was not wanted.
I could go on about the advantages of having a campervan but the best thing is you can see lots more places. This year we have been to all the Outer Hebrides, some of Scotland. We have also been to Geneva via NE France. Also trips to Cornwall and Torquay and odd trips to Weston Super-mare.
If you love sailing have a yacht and enjoy it knowing all the pitfalls, but now we are getting older we will have the camper to make the best use of our time.

 

[greeny]

On the contrary they go straight upwind with little difference than going downwind. We recently travelled from the Midlands down the M5 in a force 6 gusting 7 headwind and except that it probably used a little more petrol we did not notice the difference!
We have had a small Campervan for decades and travelled extensively around France. When the chance came to share a yacht in Greece we took it whole heartedly and had 14 years of sailing which we thoroughly enjoyed. However, we have now gone back to the camper, (The same VW camper) because we have got older and want to see lots of places quicker and inland. It has great advantages:-
Our main reason for leaving the yacht is that two old people in the middle of a sea are not really safe, especially if the wind gets up.
There is the RNLI in the UK but little in Greece to help you.
You only see the coast unless you hire a car.
Harbours in Greece are packed in the summer and difficult to get into. Even if you get in a harbour you are not completely safe in case someone
lays their anchor across yours or bumps into you. If you anchor, a change in the wind can create loads of problems. At least when the camper is parked in a campsite you can be sure nobody will drag into you or give you a rough night's sleep.
Campsites are generally cheaper than marinas if you don't Wildcamp and there are lots of sites around.
Nowadays it seems that to get in a Greek harbour you need to book a place or a Flotilla will have already booked all the places. I often felt recently that I was not wanted.
I could go on about the advantages of having a campervan but the best thing is you can see lots more places. This year we have been to all the Outer Hebrides, some of Scotland. We have also been to Geneva via NE France. Also trips to Cornwall and Torquay and odd trips to Weston Super-mare.
If you love sailing have a yacht and enjoy it knowing all the pitfalls, but now we are getting older we will have the camper to make the best use of our time.

You do realise you'll not get any "anchor" threads on the campervan forums.

 

[Kelpie]

You do realise you'll not get any "anchor" threads on the campervan forums.

I'm sure the issues surrounding ever greater numbers of motorhomes visiting the outer isles will more than make up for that.

 

[westernman]

You do realise you'll not get any "anchor" threads on the campervan forums.

I think they need some very secure anchors to keep them on the ground and stop them being blown away in storm Ciarán.

 

[stranded]

You've been lucky. As well travelled/livaboard sailors in relatively small boats, that was something we regularly encountered, though to be fair, it most often came from other UK flagged vessels, rather than Jonny -Foreigners, they usually tended to be... encouraging, even impressed by our efforts rather than derogatory or disbelieving.
We resigned from the Cruising Association as a result of one too many such incidents: A chap on a very nice 50 footer gestured toward the burgee on our 27' Vega and advised 'That's a CA burgee... for members only'; when I replied that we were CA members he looked at both us and the boat like we were dog shit on his shoe, then walked away without another word. I think what especially galled me was that I'd assumed he was stopping by to say 'thank you'; we'd just spent the previous half hour helping he and his equally inept crew to berth in that windy little harbour on the NE corner of Zakynthos.

Your experience reflects ours. We are still CA members but took down our burgee after a couple of months cruising this year after a number of encounters along the theme you outline. Must say I am very surprised that the earlier poster found boaters less snobby than, well anyone really - that has definitely not been our experience over the past 10 years - and like you, seems to be an English disease. With many notable and wonderful exceptions of course.