How much do boats cost to run?

[canals are us?]

Hi everyone, I am thinking of buying a narrow boat to live on permanently but only at the thinking stage.

 

I am a single male 33 and have a budget of up to £25,000. I have no children and no debt. I have seen boats on the net for less than this but am more interested in the costs of running a boat and all fees.

 

I see that the British waterways fees are on length of boat and I dont think I would want one longer than 40ft A 40 ft boat fee seems to be £580 for the year.

 

Would boat insurance be around £2-300?

 

I see you need a safety certificate? How much does this cost, I see it lasts every 4 years?

 

How often do you need the boat out of the water and blacked? I'm very handy myself and could do the work myself if you can hire space to have the boat lifted to do this?

 

How much is an engine rebuild?

 

I see it's not illegal to continuously cruise so no permanent mooring is needed but have to move on. This is fair enough and I would like to see the full length of the canal and all it's interests.

 

Do you have to pay council tax while CC?

 

I am an unemployed plumber at the moment and will be signing on to jobseekers allowance once I move back to the UK. Is it possible to claim benefits while on a canal or isn't this an option?

 

I think myself it may be a non starter especially with no job. The other issue I see is to find work you really need to be in one fixed place and have a permanent mooring to be able to have acess to my car/van.

 

I think it would be a lovely way of meeting people. My relatives live around Birmingham, but myself I'm more of a rural person and like the quiet rural life. I see a boat as my possible way of affording a rural area without the unaffordable cost of buying a house.

 

If you can think of anything else, that would be great. Trying to work out how much a boat is going to cost to run.

 

Many thanks.

 

James.

Edited February 24, 2012 by canals are us?

[mrsmelly]

Hi everyone, I am thinking of buying a narrow boat to live on permanently but only at the thinking stage.

 

I am a single male 33 and have a budget of up to £25,000. I have no children and no debt. I have seen boats on the net for less than this but am more interested in the costs of running a boat and all fees.

 

I see that the British waterways fees are on length of boat and I dont think I would want one longer than 40ft A 40 ft boat fee seems to be £580 for the year.

 

Would boat insurance be around £2-300?

 

I see you need a safety certificate? How much does this cost, I see it lasts every 4 years?

 

How often do you need the boat out of the water and blacked? I'm very handy myself and could do the work myself if you can hire space to have the boat lifted to do this?

 

How much is an engine rebuild?

 

I see it's not illegal to continuously cruise so no permanent mooring is needed but have to move on. This is fair enough and I would like to see the full length of the canal and all it's interests.

 

Do you have to pay council tax while CC?

 

I am an unemployed plumber at the moment and will be signing on to jobseekers allowance once I move back to the UK. Is it possible to claim benefits while on a canal or isn't this an option?

 

I think myself it may be a non starter especially with no job. The other issue I see is to find work you really need to be in one fixed place and have a permanent mooring to be able to have acess to my car/van.

 

I think it would be a lovely way of meeting people. My relatives live around Birmingham, but myself I'm more of a rural person and like the quiet rural life. I see a boat as my possible way of affording a rural area without the unaffordable cost of buying a house.

 

If you can think of anything else, that would be great. Trying to work out how much a boat is going to cost to run.

 

Many thanks.

 

James.

 

 

There are lots of questions there but I can sum it up in one word for you.

 

BOAT

 

Bring

Out

Another

Thousand

 

[Chalky]

There are lots of questions there but I can sum it up in one word for you.

 

BOAT

 

Bring

Out

Another

Thousand

 

 

A friend of mine goes off shore racing. He describes it as like standing under the cold shower ripping up £50 notes.

[Ray T]

Hi and welcome.

 

These sites may help:

 

http://livingonanarrowboat.co.uk/

 

http://www.ukcanals.net/buying-a-owning-a-boat

 

http://www.tb-training.co.uk/index.htm

 

http://www.narrowboatsurveys.co.uk/

 

http://www.canaljunc....com/index.html

 

http://www.jim-shead...rways/index.php

 

A few to be going on with.

Edited February 24, 2012 by Ray T

[Machpoint005]

The budget 4 - 5 years ago was about fifty squid a week - so that would be £2500 a year - once you had bought the boat (and before you put any fuel in it).

 

The cost of licensing is length related, so are mooring fees, so is blacking.

Our 48 footer costs something over 2 grand to moor, £700 to licence, £125 insure, and £350 to black every 2 - 3 years (that's cheap, though).

 

My guess would be £3500 a year overall for a 50 to 55 footer - in the northern half of the country.

[Chalky]

The budget 4 - 5 years ago was about fifty squid a week - so that would be £2500 a year - once you had bought the boat (and before you put any fuel in it).

 

The cost of licensing is length related, so are mooring fees, so is blacking.

Our 48 footer costs something over 2 grand to moor, £700 to licence, £125 insure, and £350 to black every 2 - 3 years (that's cheap, though).

 

My guess would be £3500 a year overall for a 50 to 55 footer - in the northern half of the country.

 

A lot depends on the mooring. A bottom of the garden mooring (where we are) is half the price of the tow path and that's lower than a marina. If you're going to continuously cruise then diesel costs may be significant. The rest of the figures look about right (we're 40'), though we've got epoxy blacking and although it costs more it lasts longer. Some of the live aboard can probably give you a good feel for their costs which will be different from ours.

[Arthur Brown]

Remember that the terms of JSA ands all the related benefits require you to look for work and have proof of your job search, I find it hard to understand that you you can effectively job search while ccing. ALL the benefits agencies will absolutely require an address at which to write to you, so you will need to clear a post box (real not e-mail!) daily. All rather points away from a boat cc'ing.

 

As a new boater you may not see all the pitfalls in your first boat -just when you have no work and no income.

 

It's a great lifestyle if and when you can afford it. Remember that a boat is a hole in the water into which you throw money.

[bag 'o' bones]

Around 500 sheets a year cheaper on average than a static caravan in my experience

Edited February 25, 2012 by bag 'o' bones

[DaveP]

Remember that the terms of JSA ands all the related benefits require you to look for work and have proof of your job search, I find it hard to understand that you you can effectively job search while ccing. ALL the benefits agencies will absolutely require an address at which to write to you, so you will need to clear a post box (real not e-mail!) daily. All rather points away from a boat cc'ing.

 

As a new boater you may not see all the pitfalls in your first boat -just when you have no work and no income.

 

It's a great lifestyle if and when you can afford it. Remember that a boat is a hole in the water into which you throw money.

 

JSA - most offices are happy for you to use their address for correspondence whilst your claim is being made through them. But some (I had this issue with Congleton) won't recognise the difference between 'no fixed abode' and 'no permanent residence' forcing daily attendence which really harms attempts to a) job-seek because of the six hour round trip to the office and cc because of the six hour round trip.

 

Other benefits - difficult to establish a local link for the council to assist when you're moving through many of them.

 

It's very possible to job-seek whilst cc'ing - although it's going to be very dependent on the skillset you've got (are the jobs available in multiple areas or is your specialism rare) and the length of time that you're looking. As long as you can utilise the internet then the seek with acceptable proofs is not a problem. Once you've got a job that requires attendence at a specified location - that's when cc'ing becomes a lot more problematic!

[DaveP]

ETD - double posting

Edited February 25, 2012 by DaveP

[sueb]

Waterscape & Rboa.org.uk are useful sites

[NB Alnwick]

We had a real shock when we bought our boat in 2005 - we can now say that much of our initial annual expenditure could have been trimmed but we lacked experience and anyone coming in to this new will be metaphorically in the same boat. We did think that we could live happily on the boat with my pension as our only income - we were wrong and within a couple of years we were both working again! Nevertheless we still have our boat and think that it is worth working for.

 

Unless you are prepared to see your investment boat/home rot away to nothing and live a meagre existence, living aboard/owning a boat is an expensive luxury that will absorb a lot of time, effort and money! Which, in our case is all OK but it wouldn't suit everyone.

[canals are us?]

Hi, thanks everyone for their valuable input . I think the best thing for me would be to stay in a marina for at least the first 6 months to get used to everything. Possibly even staying permanently in a marina, but just going cruising as and when.

 

I have been looking at all the links and marinas with waste, water, electricity facilities etc seem to quote/charge around £0.80 per foot after a fixed term depending on area?

Are there differences to marinas with facilities and residential marinas? Can you stay at any marina or has it got to say residential?

 

I have budgeted £60 a week for boat basics and marina fees. Would 1000-1500 cover marina fees per year? I ideally would like to be out of Birmingham towards the Cotswolds.

Do you have to pay Council Tax in a marina?

 

The main reason for choosing a marina is that I could work and travel in that area. I am a very handy person and can do most building and property repair work, ideally self employed. Plumbing is my main activity. I think if I can earn just enough to cover my outgoings and could earn £150 a week I think I could have a basic life. I personaly think I would find CC and trying to work would be quite hard.

 

I was reading up on the waterways licence and it says to get a licence you need a mooring? Is this true? I notice on some boat adverts it says the expiry of a BW licence. Is the time remaining transferable and included in the sale of the boat? Is it exactly like buying a car? Tax/mot.

 

Anyone recommend any marinas in the Cotswolds, in my budget?

 

I'm not a lavish person and don't have any vices and like the quiet country life.

 

Many Thanks. James .

Edited February 25, 2012 by canals are us?

[Alan de Enfield]

I think your Marina cost estimate is on the low side - I dont know the area you are looking at but generally you'd be looking at £3000 in the North, Diglis Basin (Worcestershire) is £4000, and, as a Southern' example the Packet Boat (Middlesex) is over £7000.

 

 

It will depend on what facilities you are looking for - security, showers, shop etc etc.

 

Google up 'Boat Moorings' or 'Marina' for the area that you are looking at and give them a call.

[Giggetty]

We had a real shock when we bought our boat in 2005 - we can now say that much of our initial annual expenditure could have been trimmed but we lacked experience and anyone coming in to this new will be metaphorically in the same boat. We did think that we could live happily on the boat with my pension as our only income - we were wrong and within a couple of years we were both working again! Nevertheless we still have our boat and think that it is worth working for.

 

Unless you are prepared to see your investment boat/home rot away to nothing and live a meagre existence, living aboard/owning a boat is an expensive luxury that will absorb a lot of time, effort and money! Which, in our case is all OK but it wouldn't suit everyone.

I

Edited April 28, 2012 by Giggetty

[Giggetty]

I acquired Giggetty, a 1986 cruiser stern Grainger n/b in decent hull and internal shape in September 2009. The rebuilt engine (1985 Bukh) has run 480h so far.

 

Since then my attributable costs (annualised) to April 2012 have been £24172 of which percentages:

 

fitting out parts & labour 7

engine fuel & lubricant 1

hardware & tools 21

chandlery 14

marina mooring fees 9

electrical parts & labour 11

licence & insurance 5

engine spares & labour 32

___

 

100%

 

This analysis ignores the opportunity costs of using some of the hardware & tools on the house and allotment and the pleasures of acquiring new skills and experience. Much of the work has been DIY.

 

Most engines account in second-hand purchases for about 50% of total value, I guess. So the figure for the engine is high, also as a rebuild post-immersion was required at the outset. The annualised figure will drop, of course, as no major work will be required for some time. .

 

I have no exact figure for depreciation. However, my original broker has suggested that the price in cash terms will hold for some time.

[Boat&Bikes]

I acquired Giggetty, a 1986 cruiser stern Grainger n/b in decent hull and internal shape in September 2009. The rebuilt engine (1985 Bukh) has run 480h so far.

 

Since then my attributable costs (annualised) to April 2012 have been £24172 of which percentages:

 

fitting out parts & labour 7

engine fuel & lubricant 1

hardware & tools 21

chandlery 14

marina mooring fees 9

electrical parts & labour 11

licence & insurance 5

engine spares & labour 32

___

 

100%

 

This analysis ignores the opportunity costs of using some of the hardware & tools on the house and allotment and the pleasures of acquiring new skills and experience. Much of the work has been DIY.

 

Most engines account in second-hand purchases for about 50% of total value, I guess. So the figure for the engine is high, also as a rebuild post-immersion was required at the outset. The annualised figure will drop, of course, as no major work will be required for some time. .

 

I have no exact figure for depreciation. However, my original broker has suggested that the price in cash terms will hold for some time.

 

Thats a lot of money and £8000 on your engine alone,id have thought you could have brought a new one for that ?

 

 

Ian

[carlt]

Waterscape & Rboa.org.uk are useful sites

 

Not as useful as this one.

[Mandy]

Marinas aren't your only option. Check out BW's auctioned moorings (search Waterscape). Some are a lot cheaper than any marina and if you can cope without shore power, there are plenty about. I started in a marina but found it very claustrophobic with boats on either side of me, lots of fences and rules - especially about my dog. Two and a half years ago I got an online (on the canal) mooring through the auction site. I have boats either end of me but only fields to look out at and a great little community to belong to. I have loved every minute of it. It is more work as you don't have facilities on the doorstep, but I manage it on my own and still fit in 4 days work a week. Good Luck to you. The only other advice I would give is whatever figure you come up with as a budget - double it and you won't be far off!

[canals are us?]

Marinas aren't your only option. Check out BW's auctioned moorings (search Waterscape). Some are a lot cheaper than any marina and if you can cope without shore power, there are plenty about. I started in a marina but found it very claustrophobic with boats on either side of me, lots of fences and rules - especially about my dog. Two and a half years ago I got an online (on the canal) mooring through the auction site. I have boats either end of me but only fields to look out at and a great little community to belong to. I have loved every minute of it. It is more work as you don't have facilities on the doorstep, but I manage it on my own and still fit in 4 days work a week. Good Luck to you. The only other advice I would give is whatever figure you come up with as a budget - double it and you won't be far off!

 

Hi I have been checking that site but unfortunately there aren't many residential BW moorings within 90 minutes West of Birmingham. I haven't bought my boat yet as we have to sell the house.

 

I would much rather be out of a marina like yourself to get more space and a much nicer outlook Residential marina moorings where I like I have found are about £3,000pa. Plus Council Tax. The cheapest marina was £1,800 in Leicstershire.

When I'm in the UK I have a lot of research and looking to do, but doing what I can online.

 

I'm rapidly learning living on a boat isn't a very cheap option, but I love being in a rural area with countryside around you rather than a large city, so well worth the expense. I'm very DIY capable so can do the majority of the work myself. I would hate a flat!!

 

Thanks. James

[Mandy]

 

Hi I have been checking that site but unfortunately there aren't many residential BW moorings within 90 minutes West of Birmingham. I haven't bought my boat yet as we have to sell the house.

 

I would much rather be out of a marina like yourself to get more space and a much nicer outlook Residential marina moorings where I like I have found are about £3,000pa. Plus Council Tax. The cheapest marina was £1,800 in Leicstershire.

When I'm in the UK I have a lot of research and looking to do, but doing what I can online.

 

I'm rapidly learning living on a boat isn't a very cheap option, but I love being in a rural area with countryside around you rather than a large city, so well worth the expense. I'm very DIY capable so can do the majority of the work myself. I would hate a flat!!

 

Thanks. James

Check out the difference between residential moorings where you have all the facilities and pay council tax and live aboard moorings where you don't!

[Arthur Brown]

Every post ofn the cost of boat life puts it higher than the cost of my little house, so don't buy a boat because you think it's cheap -it isn't. HOWEVER life on a boat is very different from life in a house, and you are a lot closer to nature and open spaces, so you get a small boat and a great lifestyle BUT you pay a premium for it.

 

Also boats tend to fluctuate in price according to people's willingness to buy expensive luxuries, and may not keep pace with the cost of getting back into the housing market if you ever need.

 

If you want the way of life then you have to afford it, if you want to live cheaply then a boat is not for you.

[canals are us?]

Every post ofn the cost of boat life puts it higher than the cost of my little house, so don't buy a boat because you think it's cheap -it isn't. HOWEVER life on a boat is very different from life in a house, and you are a lot closer to nature and open spaces, so you get a small boat and a great lifestyle BUT you pay a premium for it.

 

Also boats tend to fluctuate in price according to people's willingness to buy expensive luxuries, and may not keep pace with the cost of getting back into the housing market if you ever need.

 

If you want the way of life then you have to afford it, if you want to live cheaply then a boat is not for you.

 

Hi Mandy,

 

I'll look into it more

 

Hi Arthur, Im currently living with my Grandparents and they want to return to the UK and are going to give me enough to buy a budget boat at around £15,000. I have never owned a house and it looks like I never will as I like houses in rural countryside that are totally out of reach. I plan to set up self employment as I'm a plumber by trade and hope to do property maintenance and all things home repair related. I plan to live aboard and work during the week.

My Grandparents said they will help me out the first year.

I worked out I would need to earn at least £150-175 clear a week not allowing for unexpected outgoings.

 

I thought of a narrowboat as this gives me the rural outlook that I so love and I will hopefully like the lifestyle. I'm not a spendthrift and if I can manage to live a modest life then thats fine by me.

 

James

Edited April 29, 2012 by canals are us?

[tillergirl]

Do it the other way round and work out how much it costs you to live on land for a year and factor in rising annual costs:

 

Mortgage/Rent

Buildings and/or contents insurance

Council Tax

Gas/Oil and Electric

Water Rates

Sewerage Rates

Loans/Credit/Stores Cards/Finance - none hopefully if you live afloat

Car (if owned) including running costs including insurance and any associated loans or finance if not bought outright

Travel costs is not a car owner

Telephone and internet

Sky? if you cant live without it in a house

Holidays

Christmas and Birthday expenditure

Food

And finally any other associated costs with living on land where you feel you have to spend in order to "conform to the norm"

 

A conservative estimate here brought about a figure of £21k and that's without any emergency costs for house or car or anything else that life may throw at us. And some of you may think thats cheap and to some it might be but we live in the depressed North.

 

Be interesting to see a comparison from a liveaboard marina based and a cc'er

 

 

 

 

 

[Giggetty]

Thats a lot of money and £8000 on your engine alone,id have thought you could have brought a new one for that ?

 

 

Ian

True-but once started on a project like this I felt committed. To have abandoned halfway might have led to greater losses long-term.

 

Uncounted, of course, is the enjoyment I've had in modernising and improving the boat. In combining this with the pleasures of travelling the canals and meeting up with other boaters, I feel the money has not been wasted.

 

For purchasers of such a boat who do not feels the need to rebuild engines, refit internally or tool up, the annual costs would have fallen to 15% of the original figure i.e. about £3600. But there can't be many second-hand boats which would not need such attention in the first two or three years.

Edited April 29, 2012 by Giggetty