What's it like having a boat?

VikingNorthUtsire · 2021-09-05T12:03:15+00:00

Hoping MN is big enough that there will be some boaty people on here. This is DH's latest plan. If you have one, do you spend most of your free time out on it, and dies that cause any tensions? Do they take a lot of maintenance, and is that very time consuming?

RosesAndHellebores · 05/09/2021 13:06

Yep, yep and yep. Thankfully ours is in France and mostly other people do the maintenance at the harbour where it's moored and often rented.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/09/2021 13:09

I don't have a boat, but I've spent enough time with boat owners to know that the Viz top tip of 'recreate the experience of owning a boat by standing in the shower ripping up £20 notes' is based on the reality of having one.

mrsnec · 05/09/2021 13:10

Ours has been parked outside our house and not used for years.

I can't afford to insure it. DH found it a massive faff to tow and launch it, none of our friends were in the slightest bit interested and we couldn't get in any marinas. We have a state of the art marina now just down the road and we can't afford the fees. We've had the boat for 4 years and I've never spent a night on it.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/09/2021 13:12

Add 'expensive' to the list of downsides to owning a boat. Does he have lots of personal money to spend on a boat without impacting family finances?

What sort of boat does he want, where does he plan on keeping it and what does he plan on doing with it? Does he have 'boat driving' qualifications?

mrsnec · 05/09/2021 13:12

But he'd happily fork out to hire one and frequently does even though we own one!

ImInStealthMode · 05/09/2021 13:13

A (multiple boat owning) friend attests strongly that 'the very best boat is your best friend's boat' : meaning all of the fun without any of the cost and responsibility.

I know plenty that own boats, few that use them very regularly (and they tend to be fishing rather than leisure), some that hardly ever leave the marina but are a status thing to say you have.

All are money pits.

mrsnec · 05/09/2021 13:14

We did our RYA powerboat course and it was loads of fun and I felt a real achievement
Do that even if you decide not to buy one

LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow · 05/09/2021 13:14

BOAT= Bring Out Another Thousand.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/09/2021 13:15

@LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow

BOAT= Bring Out Another Thousand.

MistandMud · 05/09/2021 13:15

How big a boat? Dinghy, RIB, trawler?

Original poster

VikingNorthUtsire · 05/09/2021 13:16

Oh dear it's not sounding good....

I don't know boat terminology but it's a motor powered one with a little galley and room to sleep 2. He's said he won't consider buying it unless he can find an affordable mooring spot in one of the nearby towns.

I have zero boat experience. He has some, and loves the water. Ownership would be a completely new experience though.

OP posts:

Eloisedublin123 · 05/09/2021 13:18

Say good bye to your spare cash dolla

Original poster

VikingNorthUtsire · 05/09/2021 13:19

What's so expensive?

Insurance? Maintenance? Mooring? Other stuff?

OP posts:

milian · 05/09/2021 13:19

It’s pretty similar to having a horse - it costs huge amounts of money but it’s a lifestyle.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/09/2021 13:23

@VikingNorthUtsire

What's so expensive?

Insurance? Maintenance? Mooring? Other stuff?

All of that, plus fuel for running it. If you keep it in the marina, you have to pay a fee for it to be taken from the marina to the water, even if it's just across a few feet of sand.

My diving club gave away our boats because it freed us from the running fees and we weren't getting enough use out of them.

But it sounds like there must be a lot of underused boats that the owners would happily rent out in exchange for money towards their upkeep.

Someone needs to set up an AirBnB for boats.

MMMarmite · 05/09/2021 13:23

I have four boats.... But they are kayaks :D They are great.

If you want to go for holidays or weekends on the boat, that sounds good. If you just want day trips, a small boat on a trailer would save money I think.

Make sure you have the training you need, e.g. How to use the VHF radio, how to understand the rides and weather.

Bogoroditse · 05/09/2021 13:23

We have a gorgeous day boat moored on our local river. Sailing to a pub or to secret beaches for picnics is idyllic. Hanging on to a buoy on an ebb tide when the outboard has broken, getting stranded on the wrong shore, stuck on the mud and spending half the weekend fixing/maintaining it is frankly not quite work worth the highlights for me. It might get easier as we get more experience in our location but I remain to be convinced. There is always a pressure to go out on the boat meaning other local trips are neglected as is the garden/diy/etc. I've put my foot down today and stopped DH spending another day on the boat so he can join in with the kids and get ready for term starting.

mrsnec · 05/09/2021 13:24

It's everything that's expensive. Mooring and insurance would be about 200€ a month. Then there's regular inspections and licences and fuel (50€ a go for us)

And then there's all the equipment everything costs more than you think and there's things like lifting and antifouling etc.

KnottyKnitting · 05/09/2021 13:24

Everything is expensive- all the things you mentioned!

Nothing is cheap on a boat. The smallest of bits that you buy will cost about 4 x more than you think. We recently changed the cooker in ours and it was £1000! ( tiny little oven, no grill and two burners...)

Used to do day trips most weekends during the season but now tend to do longer trips slightly less frequently.
If you have little experience then it is vital that you learn the rules for travelling on the water- especially the collision regulations!

MMMarmite · 05/09/2021 13:24

*tides, not rides

Original poster

VikingNorthUtsire · 05/09/2021 13:25

@Bogoroditse

We have a gorgeous day boat moored on our local river. Sailing to a pub or to secret beaches for picnics is idyllic. Hanging on to a buoy on an ebb tide when the outboard has broken, getting stranded on the wrong shore, stuck on the mud and spending half the weekend fixing/maintaining it is frankly not quite work worth the highlights for me. It might get easier as we get more experience in our location but I remain to be convinced. There is always a pressure to go out on the boat meaning other local trips are neglected as is the garden/diy/etc. I've put my foot down today and stopped DH spending another day on the boat so he can join in with the kids and get ready for term starting.

This is exactly what I am concerned about tbh.

OP posts:

mrsnec · 05/09/2021 13:25

OMG I'd happily rent mine out in an Air B&B style!

LilyGlobe · 05/09/2021 13:28

You’ll need to service the engine annually, even more important to do so if you don’t put many hours on the engine. Servicing costs can run into ££££ depending on what needs doing. You might want an auxiliary engine incase yours fails and this too will need to be serviced. And on that note, factor in breakdown costs

Fuel costs - petrol on the Marina near me today is £1.77 a litre. Diesel £1.33.

Mooring fees will depend on your location and size of boat but these generally start in the thousands for an annual contract. Some marinas will do seasonal moorings though.

I’d recommend using a surveyor before buying, just to check its structurally sound. Don’t ask a marine engineer to do this, unless they have the specific qualifications, what they say is worth nothing. Get a proper marine surveyor.

Get an insurance quote from a few different companies, but I can recommend Noble Marine from personal experience.

It’s good fun, I go out as often as I can. My favourite days are in autumn when it’s quiet, cold but calm.

VorpalSword · 05/09/2021 13:29

I love having a boat, we have a 34ft yacht.
Pros you just feel calm when you go on it
Being in water is wonderful
You get to go fun places
Great meeting people
Even 1 Night away feels like a proper break

Cons costs - for a motor boat ask how much the annual fuel bill is!
Maintenance- there is always something to do (but some love this - my husband is one of them!)
You feel you have to use it
If the weather isn’t right you can’t go out - which can ruin plans

BiddyPop · 05/09/2021 13:30

I'm budgeting, saving and looking.

Maintenance can be a lot, but it can be a lot less if your DH is handy, understands the systems, maintains them regularly (so before there are problems needing big repairs he has caught and repaired them as small problems), etc that really helps.

Insurance and mooring fees etc will be costs to consider.

Fitting it out to how you want it also. Is the safety gear up to date? Do you need a radio? Have you got good life jackets (and if gas-fired ones, check the canisters frequently and replace when necessary? Is there a fire extinguisher on board?

And more general outfitting, like anything needed for the galley (kitchen), comfortable cushions or replacing torn curtains etc, sheets and bedding if you plan on sleeping there (or decent sleeping bags), any other creature comforts etc. And some tools to handle repairs when onboard and something happens.

These don't need to be expensive, often camping gear works well (especially as it's often light weight and less/non-breakable) but water is a harsh environment so you may need to replace some things over time.