KellysEye
regular
Reged: 23/07/2006
Posts: 759
Loc: Bonaire
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It is a piece of string question and one isue is how much you intend to sail (i.e. wear and tear) and where you go. We use kit on our boat 24x7x365. It's said that an atlantic crossing puts the same wear on a boat that an average boat will get in 5 years doing summmer weekends and a few weeks holiday p.a. Also sailing in the sun degrades everything - paintwork, canvas, fenders etc
From that perspective I'd say maintenance is in the region of 10 to 15% with some large extras on top e.g we've had our engine rebuilt, replaced a crappy 3,000 rpm generator, fitted new wind instruments, fitted new autopilot, repainted the boat.
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mixmaster
regular
Reged: 19/02/2007
Posts: 159
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Also, percentage may not be the way to look at it. If 2 guys both heve a 45 foot yacht but one was bought new and top spec for £300k and another guy bought an older and say run down one for £80, then obviously the 80k guy is going to be spending a higher percentage and perphaps more even in absolute terms.
We're personally at some point in between. For example I'm going to have the bite the bullet at some point and replace the teak decks but I was aware of this pending expense at the time of purchase.
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roly_voya
regular
Reged: 05/02/2004
Posts: 1049
Loc: Pembrokeshire Wales
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There is a definate relationship between boat quality and maintainance. Cheaper lighter wt boats have minimal speck rigs and kit which is consiquently working near its limit and will fail sooner, but of course is cheaper to buy/replace. Buying a quality old boat can be a bargin but can mean all that very expensive heavy kit is near the end of its life. You need to get a feel about where in the life cycle it is, is most of the kit good for another 5 years of 10 years at your expected leavel of use. Is it actually good enough (dont expect lightweight stuff desinged for weekend sailing to do a circumnavigation). A quality old boat where everything is either missing ofr definatly shot can also be a bargin because you can get here for hull value and one you replace stuff you have a boat as good as new but it has to be the sort of boat where the hull and interior develope an attractive patterna with age, you will never see MFI in an anteques sale room!
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KellysEye
regular
Reged: 23/07/2006
Posts: 759
Loc: Bonaire
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>(dont expect lightweight stuff desinged for weekend sailing to do a circumnavigation).
That's precisely the nub of the problems we have.
Just about everything marine is designed for weekend sailors. Which is why we spend two days a week (sometimes more) fixing the broken overpriced rubbish sold by chandlers.
Or, put another way, you know what's going to break in short order if you are full time sailing by looking at the service packs on display in chandlers - for just about everything.
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TigaWave
regular
Reged: 17/12/2004
Posts: 1923
Loc: Buckland Monachorum
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It will vary quite a bit depending on how hard you push the boat and how many miles you sail. I'd put a figure of 5-6% but add £0.50 per nm. An ocean passage puts quite a bit of wear on steering, gooseneck, blocks, halyards sheets and sails. Living aboard also lets you keep on top of maintenance if you do it yourself.
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www.H4Marine.com
www.sailonline.org www.sailport.se
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CodStewart
regular
Reged: 11/01/2005
Posts: 823
Loc: Tashkent
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My boat cost 15k sterling and in the first year I put um, about 6k into it, which included new rigging and a tonne of new engine parts like raw water pump, starter, alternator.
I'm hoping that 'normal' years will be a lot less; am thinking I'll need money for spares only; hoping;praying.
I think that once you have a boat, that is when you start to prioritorise and realise that many things can be put on List D and other things can be done with the help of friends, which helps to keep costs down.
Before I moved to my boat, I had huge lists of things I thought I should do. But once on the boat, I was less paranoid and only focused on what it would take to keep the boat afloat.
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www.ihaveaboat.blogspot.com "Only The Educated Is Free"
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CodStewart
regular
Reged: 11/01/2005
Posts: 823
Loc: Tashkent
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...which is probably why I'm gonna sink one day.
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www.ihaveaboat.blogspot.com "Only The Educated Is Free"
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SirSnoozalot
regular
Reged: 25/05/2008
Posts: 862
Loc: East Coast UK
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OK. I'll add a salvage pump to my list - just in case we are moored nearby.
Seriously though, since I started doing calculations and did a spreadsheet on what income I needed, it has kinda made me feel that a smaller boat might be more sensible.
While I love the sense of hanging on the hook off a nice beach somewhere, the sense of security all snug in a marina berth also has an appeal sometimes. But the downside is cost. This appears to be a big factor.
Also, communications. I need Sat-Phone/Broadband to be able to work, and earn enough to be where I wanna be. Jeez! It's a Catch-22 situation again. Be just like paying the mortgage...
Naive I suppose, but all my life I've had visions of it being like the Eric Hiscock books I read as a youngster. The reality now seems very different. Much more commercialised. Gosh, have I really not noticed the changes taking place in the world in which I live?
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Tranona
regular
Reged: 10/11/2007
Posts: 1549
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No, there are still people that live the Hiscock way. What you have to remember is that they were almost unique in their time and their lifestyle was not particularly far removed from the general lifestyle. The difference now is that mainstream lifestyle is so different now that it accentuates the gulf to the basics!
From my perspective, my rule of thumb is that, although my boat is almost at the centre of my universe for this stage in my life, it should never represent more than 10% of my net assets - therefore it can all go wrong and I can walk away without worrying too much. This of course means that I can never abandon the rest of my existence to indulge my sailing fantasies! It also means that I am there for my grandchildren, cruise the Dorset lanes in our Morgan and even mow the lawn from time to time!
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SirSnoozalot
regular
Reged: 25/05/2008
Posts: 862
Loc: East Coast UK
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Yes. The more I think of it, you make a very good point about lifestyle change. Introspection finds me guilty of confusing my own mind. There is me semi-grumbling about one thing, while working out how I can mount a small dishwasher in the bulkhead, while removing a seating unit in order to fit my settee from home in the saloon.
I don't have the volume of assets to account my boat as 10% of total however. It will more effectively represent everything I have, as I am selling everything to go for the lifestyle change, while leaving a bit for the kids. But I am happy with that.
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