Yesterday I grew up.

Is that why so many people are aghast at the idea of opening Pandora's box. Keep the genie in the bottle and the lid on the box sort of thing? Thanks for the replies. Some truly humorous that really cheered me up.
 
Blueboatman said:
Say you bought an inexpensive small boat and sailed off into the blue, working your way along and not paying posh marina rates as ya go..

Just how much rent/ mortgage, commute, car payment (or set aside for the next car), compensatory cups of coffee and evenings out, and more..Well how much might that save, PER DAY?
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If it was still possible to do this the money saved would allow a person to cruise using only money from their pension. But a cruising yachtsman would need to head "East" not "West" to find the same permissions. I mean step back into the emerging world that, as yet has no recreation sailing culture.
 
Unless it's your only home, owning a boat is a pleasant extravagance - that's kind of the point. That said, sailing keeps me calm enough to keep my quite good job that involves dealing with people who are really overdue an earful of full and frank opinion... so not having a boat would be really expensive for me. That's what I'm telling myself. And for that, my fairly low end boat and mooring are cheap at the price.
 
The funny thing about big boats is that much of the equipment is the same as small boats. having a big boat costs more to park, lift-out and for sails and rigging. Most other costs are the same. The amount of fuel used is marginal. I have found that having a bigger boat I spend more time at anchor and here is the thing, having a bigger boat means I can without running out of power or water. When I had the starlight we were largly marina hopping as the boat had very little battery power and a bag with fresh water so that didn't last long. As for the nav kit it is all the same, the flares and life raft are all the same, EPIRBS etc etc. So if you can find somewhere to park it for a reasonable cost it is not so hard. Insurance is based upon value not size.
 
BurnitBlue said:
Is that why so many people are aghast at the idea of opening Pandora's box. Keep the genie in the bottle and the lid on the box sort of thing? Thanks for the replies. Some truly humorous that really cheered me up.
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Think of the pleasant hours daydreaming or making lists or just sitting on your boat …..
 
johnalison said:
My late brother ruined my day years ago when he came for a sail on our then fairly new boat by pointing out that if this was, say, the tenth day out on the boat, then the day’s sail had cost me £500.
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I assume that your late brother was an accountant. The way I challenge such comments, is by saying yes I have only been out 10 times this year, but I use the boat every day. Thery will inverably say "how" and I will reply because I think about her every day planning trips or maintenance. Keeping the cost per use to a much more reseasonable amount!
 
Blueboatman said:
Somewhere there is a 45ft monohull owner gazing at a 37ft catamaran and saying- look at all that useable space!

And that super aft deck .

And a real bridge deck
And with all round windows…
😊
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Having gone from a Prout Snowgoose myself to a 44ft monohull, I can honestly say I would never go back. So much more space on the monohull
 
Boat cost is something that it is best not to think about, simply apply your very best Man Maths to the problem and you can justify pretty much anything ..... only starts to get difficult when your family members no longer have somewhere to live or food to eat.

I listed some of the non-tangible benefits of owning my boat in order to justify ownership over chartering, they included:

Hours spent on forums talking and learning about boats
Hours spent on SVB creating wish lists of bits the boat desperately needs
Hours spent planning the next system upgrade
The screensaver on my work PC which rotates through all the boaty photos I have taken over the years
Pulling my phone out of my pocket to check on the boat condition, batteries etc.
Dreaming about the next sailing trip and surfing charts on my tablet looking for new anchorages
Logging into Marine Traffic to remind myself that she is waiting for me
Knowing that everything on the boat, from the galley equipment to the instrumentation is exactly as I want it.
 
geem said:
Having gone from a Prout Snowgoose myself to a 44ft monohull, I can honestly say I would never go back. So much more space on the monohull
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This realisation was my main beef focussing on running costs on the day I grew up. It is confusing because comparing a 37 foot 40 year old snowgoose to a 45 foot monhull is the classic apples and oranges.

The monohull has hundreds of years development while a Prout catamaran was built with virtually no development except their own experience. My shock came from the marina industry that equates a 37 foot catamaran to a 45 foot monihull. They monetized the two types to a common denometer. I realised that I could never enter a marina again without knowing I was being ripped off. I agree a 45 foot monohull has more interior space and load carrying ability than an old 37 foot catamaran. But a modern developed 45 foot catamaran has a lot more space than any 45 foot monohull.
 
BurnitBlue said:
This realisation was my main beef focussing on running costs on the day I grew up. It is confusing because comparing a 37 foot 40 year old snowgoose to a 45 foot monhull is the classic apples and oranges.

The monohull has hundreds of years development while a Prout catamaran was built with virtually no development except their own experience. My shock came from the marina industry that equates a 37 foot catamaran to a 45 foot monihull. They monetized the two types to a common denominator. I realised that I could never enter a marina again without knowing I was being ripped off. I agree a 45 foot monohull has more interior space and load carrying ability than an old 37 foot catamaran. But a modern developed 45 foot catamaran has a lot more space than any 45 foot monohull.
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Once long ago while eating pot noodles in our motor home....it occurred to me that we could stay in nice hotels and eat in good restaurants..... and save a fortune. Eating pot noodles in the boat yesterday....gave me a feeling of deja vu
 
Bouba said:
Once long ago while eating pot noodles in our motor home....it occurred to me that we could stay in nice hotels and eat in good restaurants..... and save a fortune. Eating pot noodles in the boat yesterday....gave me a feeling of deja vu
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I think it was Jonny Carson the Northen stand up comedian who said "When my wife took over the budget account we have been doing rather well since she removed all the things I didn't need.
 
BurnitBlue said:
I think it was Jonny Carson the Northen stand up comedian who said "When my wife took over the budget account we have been doing rather well since she removed all the things I didn't need.
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My wife indulges me in my pursuits......I think it stems from that time early in our relationship...when I told her a man needs hobbies....
 
Blueboatman said:
Say you bought an inexpensive small boat and sailed off into the blue, working your way along and not paying posh marina rates as ya go..

Just how much rent/ mortgage, commute, car payment (or set aside for the next car), compensatory cups of coffee and evenings out, and more..Well how much might that save, PER DAY?
Click to expand...
The chap who bought my boat is doing just that. He is in the Scilly Isles at the moment. He said it was ruinously expensive when he phoned me. He had spent £3.50 on a coffee, he's living his dream. He no longer has his flat in London, gave up his job, and is living aboard a 30 ft Kingfisher.
 
Bouba said:
Once long ago while eating pot noodles in our motor home....it occurred to me that we could stay in nice hotels and eat in good restaurants..... and save a fortune. Eating pot noodles in the boat yesterday....gave me a feeling of deja vu
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That's all very well, but find me a restaurant that does a decent pot noodle 🤔
 
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