New To Boating!!

[Bennythebal12]

Hello I thought I would message on here as I went away on a little 30ft boat on the Norfolk broads 2 months ago and absolutely loved it, I have two kids and my misses also a dog. I use to have a boat down in Essex and I got bored very quick but when I went on the broads I feel in love with the place and am now thinking of investing in a share on a boat. 

Just wanted to see what everyome else thought about it

 

Thanks 

[Ray]

Welcome to the forum 🍺

We all recognise the feeling of falling in love with the Broads.

Having had a boat before you're in a good position to decide whether ownership or a syndicate is best for you, they both have advantages 👍

[Mouldy]

There is currently a share available on the Moonlight Shadow Syndicate.  Details of the boat and monthly costs are on their website:  https://moonlightshadow.net/

Welcome to the Forum, by the way! 😁

[Bennythebal12]

Thanks for the replys, we are looking a purchasing a share as I work alot of hours and can't get there alot, also I have two kids and every boat share I've looked at says that there is no guarantee that I will get a school holiday week so if that's the case then I'll have to wait until they get older😫 

Also I can't seem to find alot of syndicate boats on the internet is there a website or are they just hard to come by? 

Thanks 

Ben 

[FairTmiddlin]

1 hour ago, Bennythebal12 said:

 is there a website or are they just hard to come by? 
 

Just click on the link in Mouldy's post before your last

[YnysMon]

Most self managed syndicate boats have their own website. A couple (Thunder and Evening Shadow) are managed by a company called BCBM. Other syndicate boats that you could try googling include Gooseander (though she’s really a boat for two people, not a family), Lightning and Blue Mist. There’s also Ranworth Breeze.

[PaulN]

I also live in Essex and sailed on the Essex Coast for over 40 years. This worked out fine as I could get to Burnham and laterly Bradwell quite quickly on a Friday evening  for the weekend and so the boat was  getting used.

Having got to and age when I found going out to sea was getting harder and having hired on the Broads like yourself we decided in 2018 to buy a boat on the Broads and love it.

However from my point of view, it would not have been practical had I not been retired, as the cost could not be justified. With a decent marina mooring, insurance, broads toll, breakdown insurance and running costs, it is well in excess of £5k p.a. However we spend up to 15-18 weeks a year on the boat and with the house shut down at home, that offsets it a bit.

Therefore with the problem of school holidays excluding syndicates, I would suggest you could hire for 4 weeks a year more cheaply than owning a boat. This also benefits from owning, as there is no worry, especially in the winter and it's easier to moor, as by reciprocal arrangement between boatyards to use their marinas, it is a lot easier than for private owners.

Hope this helps, but if you want to own, go for it, we love it.

Let us know on the Forum how you get on. 

 

  

[Mouldy]

5 hours ago, Bennythebal12 said:

Thanks for the replys, we are looking a purchasing a share as I work alot of hours and can't get there alot, also I have two kids and every boat share I've looked at says that there is no guarantee that I will get a school holiday week so if that's the case then I'll have to wait until they get older😫 

Also I can't seem to find alot of syndicate boats on the internet is there a website or are they just hard to come by? 

Thanks 

Ben 

There are nine syndicate boats on The Broads, as follows:

Moonlight Shadow 
Evening Shadow. 
Blue Mist. 
Thunder. 
Lightning. 
Silver Cloud. 
Goosander. 
Southern Crusader. 
Ranworth Breeze.

Southern Crusader and Ranworth Breeze are both Birchwood cruisers and due to their airdraft will have some limitations to their cruising range.  That said, they are lovely craft and well maintained.  There are shares available on Ranworth Breeze currently ( https://www.boatshare.co.uk/shared-broads-cruiser-ranworth-breeze ) and the syndicate does have school holiday allocations.  I believe Thunder currently has similar allocations, but as far as I’m aware, it is currently fully subscribed.

As Yns_Mon said, Goosander is a two berth craft, all others would suit a family of four.

Hope that helps!

[YnysMon]

Moonlight Shadow and Evening Shadow both have shares for sale.

I only have experience of the Moonlight Shadow syndicate, but from what I’ve experienced to date, people who reach out to others for a swap are rarely disappointed, though that can’t be guaranteed of course. My husband and I are always open to swapping a school holiday week, as our preference is to avoid school holidays. We currently have very few syndicate members who have school age children/grandchildren.

[mikeyboy1966]

My take on things,

you really don’t need to spend a fortune on boat ownership,

yes,it has yearly costs,

but a simple older boat that’s been looked after such as maybe a freeman 22,could be bought for £10k

running costs and maintenance aside,

Its not money spent,as when and if you choose to sell or upgrade you either get your capital back or a sizeable chunk into the next one.

boats,like houses track inflation.

And like houses need to be maintained.

take time to learn the market and if you chose carefully you could own your own boat.

 

[catcouk]

Just to offer an alternative opinion, hiring is very convenient (especially if you become a regular with a friendly boatyard). I could be completely wrong but a week on a syndicate boat didn't seem that different from a hire boat but with a hire boat, none of the problems are yours.

 

If I'm missing something, please feel free to correct me. I am far from educated in the world of syndicates and ownership!

[floydraser]

11 hours ago, mikeyboy1966 said:

running costs and maintenance aside,

Beware: this the basis of the saying, " A boat is a hole in the water into which you throw your money!"

[Brundall1037]

1 hour ago, catcouk said:

Just to offer an alternative opinion, hiring is very convenient (especially if you become a regular with a friendly boatyard). I could be completely wrong but a week on a syndicate boat didn't seem that different from a hire boat but with a hire boat, none of the problems are yours.

 

If I'm missing something, please feel free to correct me. I am far from educated in the world of syndicates and ownership!

A week on Southern Crusader used to cost me just over £300 per week and when I sold the two shares I had I actually got back more than I paid for them. I think Southern Crusader is the only syndicate boat that offers fixed weeks so the week you buy is always within a few days of each other every year. www.southerncrusader.com

 

[bucket]

1 hour ago, catcouk said:

Just to offer an alternative opinion, hiring is very convenient (especially if you become a regular with a friendly boatyard). I could be completely wrong but a week on a syndicate boat didn't seem that different from a hire boat but with a hire boat, none of the problems are yours.

 

If I'm missing something, please feel free to correct me. I am far from educated in the world of syndicates and ownership!

Brundall1037 is spot on. Syndicate ownership is far more cost effective than hiring as far as yearly running costs go. 5 weeks on the broads on Blue Mist each year for roughly the same as one weeks peak hire.

There is the initial investment to consider as well of course, but if and when I come to sell my share, I will get most if not all of it back.

True that any problems are the responsibility of the syndicate, but that's part of ownership of anything, and the monthly payments will cover the annual fixed costs, and leave enough to cover improvements and the odd unexpected repair.

[Mouldy]

4 hours ago, catcouk said:

Just to offer an alternative opinion, hiring is very convenient (especially if you become a regular with a friendly boatyard). I could be completely wrong but a week on a syndicate boat didn't seem that different from a hire boat but with a hire boat, none of the problems are yours.

 

If I'm missing something, please feel free to correct me. I am far from educated in the world of syndicates and ownership!

The monthly amount paid to the Moonlight Shadow syndicate is £1800 over the whole year (£150 per month).  This covers four weeks usage per year, one week per season and all running costs, mooring fees, maintenance etc.  The exception may be if there is extraordinary additional repairs when members may be asked for an additional contribution.  Winter maintenance was completed in February this year, when the boat was lifted, hull and superstructure polished and waxed, heating and engine serviced and all onboard systems checked as necessary.  We also had new saloon upholstery fitted.  All this additional work was completed without extra funding from syndicate members.

The only extra monies are for refuelling and pumping out the toilets at the end of each member’s allocations.

Compare the cost of a summer week on a similar boat to Moonlight Shadow against the value offered for a similar cost of four weeks per year, as well as the opportunity to claim additional unused weeks for no extra cost and the benefits of syndicate ownership soon become apparent.

This page from the website explains it all in detail:  https://moonlightshadow.net/syndicate-ownership

[catcouk]

Can I say a big thank you to all the replies - always great to hear accurate information from a different perspective. I think it's the initial outlay that makes me consider syndicates as more expensive but you are right about getting money back at the end. Also, for me as a teacher, I could never find a syndicate that I could make use of for more than one week a year.

[Brundall1037]

16 hours ago, catcouk said:

Can I say a big thank you to all the replies - always great to hear accurate information from a different perspective. I think it's the initial outlay that makes me consider syndicates as more expensive but you are right about getting money back at the end. Also, for me as a teacher, I could never find a syndicate that I could make use of for more than one week a year.

Keep your eye on Southern Crusader, there are shares currently for sale on the website and you only need to buy one week at a time.

 

[Bennythebal12]

Wow thanks very much to everyone that has commented we are currently keeping our options open but we have made the decision that owning a boat out right just isn't the way forward for us as we can't go down to the boat enough. 

I will keep everyone posted on what I do ☺️

I'll be back on the broads in September for a week got a good deal on magic gem the boat looks a bit old but was a good price. 

 

Happy sailing everyone 

[Smoggy]

Sometimes the older boat is just what you want,  boats are all a comprise and the modern hire fleet seem to be more about what they look like in the brochure, looks don't make them practical or comfortable. 

[oldgregg]

Some syndicates also specifically have 'school holiday shares' available, and for someone dependent on specific weeks then those have to be a really good option.

You will of course pay more for those shares, but they are very flexible. And they're not just school holiday shares, they're basically a 'pick your own weeks' share.