Talk to me about boats

[Eddy77]

Just wondered how you got on with this in the end ?

Have you rented any boats or had any more thoughts about purchase?

Still looking and dreaming. But not really advanced the process much at present! I think I have concluded that the annual budget would be £10k for mooring, maintenance and fuel. Plus the cost of the boat. Plus a contingency. Morning for me would be around £5k to £6k a year so that’s the biggest factor in the £10k a year budget.

 

[Big Janner]

Still looking and dreaming. But not really advanced the process much at present! I think I have concluded that the annual budget would be £10k for mooring, maintenance and fuel. Plus the cost of the boat. Plus a contingency. Morning for me would be around £5k to £6k a year so that’s the biggest factor in the £10k a year budget.

The problem with 'mooring' fees, is, in reality, you are paying for a hole in the water, one which moves around as your boat moves . . . . Most of the time, that's about all you get for your fee.

BUT, but, owning a boat, big or small is a pleasure
For the most part, all boat owners are equal, you are a boat owner. It's all just for fun.
Work out how much your annual 'pleasures' bill is (now, now . . . .think clean), holidays, days out, kids expeditions etc etc.
Then, if you do some simple addition and subtraction, you may well find, it isn't that expensive after all.

 

[Fastcar155]

Hi , first thing to ensure that who is selling the boat actually owns the craft. ( Proving legal ownership is a mine field)

I nearly purchased a Princess 435 through a large marine broker ( utter shambles ) and the return off my deposits was fun / cheque bounced but I did receive my money back.

Sea boats that have been used on rivers over the years have never been but under load and when a sea can be unrealible / from my experience.

Make sure on a sea trial that the boat performs to specification and run the boat flat out for at least half an hour keeping a careful eye on all the instrument gauges.

Filling up a boat with fuel can be expensive and a friend of mine had a twin engined boat with Cats 375 that at sea burnt 25 gallons of diesel per hour (each engine )

Don't be rushed into a purchase because selling boats can take years.

Find a real good marine surveyor who knows how to survey the craft type you are looking at.

I had over 20 years owning a boat and loved it but really glad to be out of it now , I purchased a holiday home

Please be very careful

 

[Tuercas viejas]

B_O_A_T
Means "Bring Over Another Thousand"!
Anything like this in my book are considered toys.
So in keeping with Boating Without Owning when I am up in Idaho, I just rent one.
On lake Pend Oreille
marinas on lake pend oreille - Google Search

And a view over a portion of it:-

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Like the antique/classic wooden stuff ?

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Tuercas viejas
Me & the Missus own 150 acres of woodland here at Sagle (near the long bridge.)

 

[Will]

Some interesting posts on here - especially regards fuel consumption at sea

I’ve been giving some thought to a modest size cruiser to use on the river, probably around 32ft or thereabouts (6-berth). Logic being that for regular short trips with the family we would be able to get some use out of one, and depending on how it goes maybe the odd overnight/weekend stay - holidays in general are a bit of a minefield at the moment, and I’ve got cars that have hardly been used over the last few years (the 911 hasn’t turned a wheel in months, and only has four seats - just looked and it’s done less than 2000 miles in 5 years)

We live right by the Thames, and there’s a fair few places close by for moorings - some of the marinas are pretty nice.

I guess like many things, you can read up loads about stuff but there’s only one way to know for sure. Worst case you buy something, don’t use it enough/don’t enjoy it and it costs you a bit of money in the process - but at least you get the experience

I’ve grown up around boats a bit on and off, my dad had a couple when I was younger and we had a couple of boating holidays as kids, but these are quite distant memories now. I do remember the last one he bought spent what seemed like ages out out of the water though and was eventually sold for less than it was bought for

Having said that I have seen a boat locally that seems perfect size wise etc, but needs a bit of work. The engines and outdrives (Volvo Pentas) will need a good overhaul, but I’m tempted to take a punt and perhaps organise/do some of the work myself. The only thing that I am conscious of is that it will need to come out of the water and will probably spend this season up on blocks. I’m thinking long term if I get to know the power train myself then future servicing/repairs should be less daunting/expensive - and even ones for sale that are outwardly okay will clearly need work from time to time anyway. Starting off at the deep end with a fresh overhaul maybe not as bad as it sounds if the budget allows…?

I’ve heard rumours of £10k plus bills for this sort of work though. Not sure how much I could reduce that by doing some of the strip down myself though.

Hmm

 

[BPD07]

Some interesting posts on here - especially regards fuel consumption at sea

I’ve been giving some thought to a modest size cruiser to use on the river, probably around 32ft or thereabouts (6-berth). Logic being that for regular short trips with the family we would be able to get some use out of one, and depending on how it goes maybe the odd overnight/weekend stay - holidays in general are a bit of a minefield at the moment, and I’ve got cars that have hardly been used over the last few years (the 911 hasn’t turned a wheel in months, and only has four seats - just looked and it’s done less than 2000 miles in 5 years)

We live right by the Thames, and there’s a fair few places close by for moorings - some of the marinas are pretty nice.

I guess like many things, you can read up loads about stuff but there’s only one way to know for sure. Worst case you buy something, don’t use it enough/don’t enjoy it and it costs you a bit of money in the process - but at least you get the experience

I’ve grown up around boats a bit on and off, my dad had a couple when I was younger and we had a couple of boating holidays as kids, but these are quite distant memories now. I do remember the last one he bought spent what seemed like ages out out of the water though and was eventually sold for less than it was bought for

Having said that I have seen a boat locally that seems perfect size wise etc, but needs a bit of work. The engines and outdrives (Volvo Pentas) will need a good overhaul, but I’m tempted to take a punt and perhaps organise/do some of the work myself. The only thing that I am conscious of is that it will need to come out of the water and will probably spend this season up on blocks. I’m thinking long term if I get to know the power train myself then future servicing/repairs should be less daunting/expensive - and even ones for sale that are outwardly okay will clearly need work from time to time anyway. Starting off at the deep end with a fresh overhaul maybe not as bad as it sounds if the budget allows…?

I’ve heard rumours of £10k plus bills for this sort of work though. Not sure how much I could reduce that by doing some of the strip down myself though.

Hmm

Sounds like a reasonable plan, if it’s for river use then a single engine and a bow thruster (maybe even a stern thruster as well) would be sufficient. For rivers you need safety certificates as well. I do like you attitude though “suck it and see”. Worst case you’ve always got memories and a tale to tell.

 

[Big Janner]

Sounds like a reasonable plan, if it’s for river use then a single engine and a bow thruster (maybe even a stern thruster as well) would be sufficient. For rivers you need safety certificates as well. I do like you attitude though “suck it and see”. Worst case you’ve always got memories and a tale to tell.

When we had our narrowboat on the inland waterways, thrusters were considered cheating.
They make life easy, but, it's another bit of tech.

Have thrusters, yes, but, initially, only use them if you get into a bit of a fix, that way, when they fail, which we know they will, you have the prcatice and confidence to 'go it alone'.

e.g. thruster make life easy when leaving from a mooring where you are moored, with a number of other boats alongside the river/canal bank at, for example, a pub.

BUT, it's just as easy to 'spring' off and much more impressive.

Note
I agree with you, a very reasonable punt.
The majority of the £10k mentioned, is going to be labour costs

 

[BPD07]

When we had our narrowboat on the inland waterways, thrusters were considered cheating.
They make life easy, but, it's another bit of tech.

Have thrusters, yes, but, initially, only use them if you get into a bit of a fix, that wat, when they fail, shich we know they will, you have the prcatice and confidence to 'go it alone'.

e.g. thruster make life easy when leaving from a mooring where you are moored, with a number of other boats alongside the river/canal bank at, for example, a pub.

BUT, it's just as easy to 'spring' off and much more impressive.

But don’t you find that your tow horse gets tired these days?

 

[Big Janner]

But don’t you find that your tow horse gets tired these days?

No, we retired him a couple of years ago.

I always enjoyed the challenges of boating on the inland waterways;
Leaving a bankside mooring without being pushed off
Bringing a mate and his boat home, after his engine failed
Locking through with another boat, whose crew are clueless
Falling in (yes, I have, a few times)
Getting out!
Learning something new, that I could use regularly, that improved my boating skills

 

[Tonye]

Just found this thread and think it deserves reserection. Being a live abroad boater now for 12 months and loving it i have lots to learn so come on with all your knowledge.

 

[ChrisEdu]

Always fancied a boat. However, if cars are money pits, boats are an abyss, so people tend to suggest.

 

[Tonye]

Not if you live on it. We have a 57ft Narrow Boat, mainly stay at marina but at that size you can go anywhere on the 2000ml system.

 

[Tonye]

Costs for a leasure boat are a bit mad i must admit, especially if not used very often. I had a 22ft cruiser on the Lancaster canal for a couple of years, not to expensive for the odd trip to the pubs over a weekend. As for yachts, i charter once a year with the lads for a long weekend pub crawl. Im a YM with my ICC as well so charter is easy for me and cheap with the lads, 42ft min, from Largs or gosport.

 

[ChrisEdu]

I've always had a hankering for a motor cruiser, something akin to a Princess or similar. I love the idea of something that has space for four to sleep, and the ability to sail over to the Channel Islands and go bay hopping.

 

[Tonye]

Channel Islands and go bay hopping.

Hope you can read charts well for that one.

 

[Smart320]

If you’re seriously considering a power boat then take a Power Boat qualification, then you’ll know if you really fancy buying one.
On my retirement I took (and passed ) a 16 week Yacht Master Offshore Skipper qualification ( Commercial) with the intention of buying my own boat as I lived in a Marina and had a berth.
I sailed mainly for pleasure afterwards , with a little paid work for a couple of years, but eventually we had a home in a Mediterranean country rather than buy a boat .
Instead of buying we joined a sailing syndicate in the Solent and had the use of one of 3 or 4 different boats for a very reasonable membership fee and daily rates for usage , a highly recommended way of having the best of both worlds

 

[Will]

Ended up taking on a 6-berth/30ft cruiser last year with my father whilst he’s still able to enjoy it. He loves it and the kids love the odd trip at the weekend/overnight stay etc

Have managed to avoid any large bills so far, although it’s a little older and less flashy than some but it’s pretty solid and easy to work on. Twin engines on shaft drives.

Mooring costs are pretty reasonable where it is kept for our area (c. £2k PA) and the river license (Thames) and insurance are about another £1k for both. BSS is every four years I think and ours was done before purchase.

Other than that it’s been usual fettling, some cosmetics, few updates/upgrades etc. It’s got to be lifted out and antifouled later this year or possibly in the spring. There’s always something that needs doing though!

Summer last year was great weather wise but this year as we know hasn’t been great. We are lucky that we are literally minutes away from where it is kept so can maximise the odd afternoon trips during the longer days etc but I think unfortunately a lot of people use boats less than anticipated.

On reflection it’s been a good purchase and if you look at the cost of hiring it can quickly become cheaper to own.

Buy carefully as you do with cars and you should be fine. A lot of the doom and gloom comes from people who either don’t own a boat or can’t do any work themselves.

Get a survey done if you’re unsure.

See how you get on and if you’re not getting enough out of it you can sell on the following year?

 

[NJSS]

The late multi-millionaire publishing mogul, Felix Dennis said:-

"If it flies, floats or fornicates, always rent it. It's cheaper in the long run."

I must confess that I have not always followed this advice; but now I'm single and have sold my various boats, & my share in a Cessna, I really intend to follow this advice henceforth.

NJSS

 

[Will]

Ended up taking on a 6-berth/30ft cruiser last year with my father whilst he’s still able to enjoy it. He loves it and the kids love the odd trip at the weekend/overnight stay etc

Have managed to avoid any large bills so far, although it’s a little older and less flashy than some but it’s pretty solid and easy to work on. Twin engines on shaft drives.

Mooring costs are pretty reasonable where it is kept for our area (c. £2k PA) and the river license (Thames) and insurance are about another £1k for both. BSS is every four years I think and ours was done before purchase.

Other than that it’s been usual fettling, some cosmetics, few updates/upgrades etc. It’s got to be lifted out and antifouled later this year or possibly in the spring. There’s always something that needs doing though!

Summer last year was great weather wise but this year as we know hasn’t been great. We are lucky that we are literally minutes away from where it is kept so can maximise the odd afternoon trips during the longer days etc but I think unfortunately a lot of people use boats less than anticipated.

On reflection it’s been a good purchase and if you look at the cost of hiring it can quickly become cheaper to own.

Buy carefully as you do with cars and you should be fine. A lot of the doom and gloom comes from people who either don’t own a boat or can’t do any work themselves.

Get a survey done if you’re unsure.

See how you get on and if you’re not getting enough out of it you can sell on the following year?

Also should have added, manoeuvring a 30ft+, relatively high boat on water with currents, wind and in close quarters can be quite challenging until you get used to it. Driving and parking a car is a piece of cake by comparison You can’t just put the handbrake on and try again

Has twin engines which helps but you can see why bow/stern thrusters are popular on larger vessels or for those with less experience.

Surprising also just how many (illegally) moored boats there are out and about these days. I mean it’s a sign of the times and at least it gives some a place to live but also quite sad as it limits places where you can stop off on a day out. Not sure there’s an easy answer though.

Oh an cleaning a boat takes a lot longer than washing a car

Great way to de-stress too, and there’s always some nice pubs by the river

 

[baxlin]

As said previously, boat bits are expensive, sometimes stupidly so. When we refitted the interior of our Norman river cruiser we used almost identical fittings etc from caravan suppliers at a fraction of the price.

It seemed at the time (some years ago, admittedly)to be

boat owner = rich and can afford it, so charge accordingly

Caravan owner = not so rich, looking for cheaper holidays, so charge accordingly…