Owning a boat, annual costs.

[watershed]

A lot of valid arguments, both for and against. I'm firmly on the side of ownership,yes it's generally more expensive but the boat is yours to do with as you will,when you want. You can equip it to suit your own needs and to the level you want.by nature,the furnishings/itinerary on hire boatsare a compromise to try and please all.on an owned boat you can leave a lot of the gear needed on board throughout the year and not have to worry about lugging it about/forgetting it

[ranworthbreeze]

My take on this is if I had not bought into our boats syndicate in 2000 for the 2001 season I would not have had 28 weeks on the Broads over the last 14 years.

I certainly would have not been able to buy a boat let alone have had the time to seriously use it.

I hate to see the vast number of boats in marinas all over the country that are almost hardly used.

Boatshare has worked for us and a number of our forum members.

 

I fully agree that anyone living a short distance away or retired with little ties at home then purchasing a boat would be your best option if you intend to fully use it.

 

As Iain has already said skint and boating go hand in glove.

 

Regards

Alan

[watershed]

Your own pillows etc,priceless.your favourite mug,priceless.the freedom to go boating at a moments notice,priceless.the ability to extend your stay by a night or two,priceless.the pride and satisfaction in saying 'this is mine,my hard work paid for it,and made it what is is',priceless.

[Matt]

Your own pillows etc,priceless.your favourite mug,priceless.the freedom to go boating at a moments notice,priceless.the ability to extend your stay by a night or two,priceless.the pride and satisfaction in saying 'this is mine,my hard work paid for it,and made it what is is',priceless.

The bills that land on your door mat, PRICEY!

[BuffaloBill]

Last year we spent 94 days afloat on our boat. Priceless 

Annual costs of around £3000 including fuel for the year.

A bargain. 

[watershed]

£3000 p.a? £60 a week.

I know of people who think nothing of spending £60 on a night out every week,or spend the same amount on fags.or both. And these same people say 'i don't know how you can afford a boat!' If you love something enough you will make sacrifices to do it.i know i have.

[BroadScot]

Watershed, spot on,

 

I gave up the fags in 1993, I was a heavy smoker. Ever since I get new cars every few years. If folks have a desire to be on the rivers with their own craft, the money will be found from somewhere I guess.

 

Iain.

[Guest]

For me, owning a boat is not a decision based on economic justification, as long as it's affordable.

 

There's another aspect that I don't think has been mentioned so far.

 

Owning your own boat on a permanent mooring also gives you your own waterside accommodation, a "country cottage" at the riverside.

 

My finances would never have stretched to a riverside home, especially when it would have been a second home, but having a comfortable boat on a permanent mooring with electricity and parking gives exactly that.

 

I wish I'd fully understood the country cottage potential years ago, before I moved here, and lived in London.

[Rincewind]

It's almost inevitable that you'll be poorer, Jim, at least financially, but the benefits of owning your own boat are likely to make the expense fade into the background. To be able to go to your boat whenever you like, work and other commitments permitting of course, is priceless in my humble opinion.

 

Nobody is trying to say that boating is a cheap hobby..it's most certainly not...in fact, it's horrendously expensive but the payback is immense. Late evening cruising with the sun setting in the wake, therapeutic swirling water, glass of Chateau Neuf Du Pape in hand...tempting innit?

[BroadScot]

Oh I say, Rincewind, I DO like your choice of red!

 

Iain.

[Oddfellow]

BOAT = BUNG ON ANOTHER THOUSAND

 

Jim, don't let anybody tell you that boat ownership is cheap. It's anything but. 

 

Mooring, maintenance, insurance, repairs and tolls will swallow the vast majority of the cash. Fuel will be of little concern after these. 

 

If you take a look around the marinas, you will see countless vessels that have been sitting there for months untouched. 

 

Boat ownership is only any good to someone that has the time and money to spend on the boat. If you are only going to use it for two weeks a year and the occasional weekend, rent it. 

 

A while back, I was speaking to a customer who was a chief exec of an American tobacco giant. He told me that a very wealthy Arab once said to him; "If it flies, floats or (something else beginning with F), rent it."

[Rincewind]

 

Oh I say, Rincewind, I DO like your choice of red!

 

I'm no expert, Iain...it's a red to which I was introduced some years ago by a friend. I've supported the cause ever since.

 

Though the occasional single malt from God's Country has to be sipped too...

[littlesprite]

Think of a number, treble it, add another 0, and you might be getting close.

 

You won't be able to afford the little luxuries of life like food and clothes but it will be worth it to spend every spare minute working on your boat trying to keep it clean, running and afloat.

[Mowjo]

Right here's what happened the first year we owned our Hampton 25, we were out for a total of 165 days, (we only live 1/2 hour away) if you work it out that's just over 23 weeks on the water, if I hired at say £800 a week it would have cost me £18400 for that season, even buying the boat paying for the moorings, Insurance, river tax, service and buying all the cutlery, bed stuff and everything else, my boat paid for itself in the first year, I know you can't compare my usage to most peoples normal usage, what I am trying to say is work out how much usage you will get out of your boat, if it's just a few weeks a year with the odd weekend, I'd say hire don't buy, my estimate of 3k a year to own is just to have it sitting on the water, as someone said there are a lot of boats sitting out there never being used because people can't afford to use them,, Frank,,,,

[Matt]

My problem is I would not want to spend 23 weeks onboard the boat I could actually afford!

[ranworthbreeze]

 

I'm no expert, Iain...it's a red to which I was introduced some years ago by a friend. I've supported the cause ever since.

 

Though the occasional single malt from God's Country has to be sipped too...

Hi Rincewind,

 

I used to love this wine, but several years ago I stopped buying anything french, these days I mostly buy Australian & New Zealand wines.

Regards

Alan

[Mowjo]

Apart from two weeks we spent out with two others boats and an odd week, the rest was made up from odd days here and there, saying Odd days I mean we out at least four days every week, we are both retired so why sit at home and watch four wall when you can be out on your boat,,,

 

Frank,,,, 

[BroadScot]

Another red I had many times at Cricket Club Captains Smokers was Nuis St George,(Pos iffy spelling my French not as good as my foul  )) a bit heavy, but full of flavour.

 

 

Iain.

[CooWee]

Chateau Neuf Du Pape, I'm on board too and have spent some pleasant weekends with our friends from Lancaster imbibing said fluid and it's not unknown on Moonlight Shadow either.

[kadensa]

Boat ownership is something we've considered and rejected.  That is if a 'boat' means a cruiser on the Broads.  We'd never be able to use it enough to justify the outlay.  However, we have what is, for us. the ideal solution - a 14ft sailing dinghy, a small outboard and a 'pop-up' tent.  We regularly sail on the River Dart and also off the Gower peninsular, both +- 2 hours away, so easily accessible for weekends.  We've also taken our  dinghy to the Broads, Cornwall and  the Isle of Skye (we have a bigger tent for longer holidays).

[BroadScot]

Sainsburghs finest NON alcholic Red duz me fine now, the odd time at meals. Its just like being at communion without listening tae the Ministers Sermon!

 

 

Iain.

[littlesprite]

My personal favourite is Chateau cheaper the better, why waste money on quality when you can have quantity, after the second bottle it all tastes good.

[kadensa]

Wines from the Veneto region of Italy are invariably good AND cheap.  Mind you, they are pricey here +- £4, compared with what you pay overseas (our best bargain being 59c a litre from the delightfully named, 'Hurra' supermarket in Casale sul Sile). 

[CooWee]

Absolutely right Iain and Martin, how dare Kadensa try to put this thread back on topic, disGRACEful behaviour.

 

Okay I'm going.

[kadensa]

Absolutely right Iain and Martin, how dare Kadensa try to put this thread back on topic, disGRACEful behaviour.

 

 

 

Unjustified!  I've just sent it off-topic again.