Costs of living on a boat

[David t]

could anyone give me a rough idea of the cost of living on a 30ft boat things like council tax insurance  owt else that's i would need thanks.

[Tracy D'arth]

Oh for heavens sake, just do a search on here, there are a multitude of the same questions and the answers. The wheel was invented long ago...................................

[Alan de Enfield]

16 minutes ago, David t said:

rough idea of the cost of living on a 30ft boat

Far too many variables.

 

The oft quoted figure is £5000+ per annum + Mooring costs.

 

Are you going to keep it well maintained, or, "run it into the ground" and just mend it when it breaks ?

 

Some years it may be £3,000, odd years it will be £10,000 (engines and gear boxes need replacing, bottom need blacking every 2 years, boat may need painting  every 5-7 years)

Annual mooring costs between £2,000 - £3,000 (North / Midlands) and £15,000 London

Edited April 11, 2020 by Alan de Enfield

[Momac]

20 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Oh for heavens sake, just do a search on here, there are a multitude of the same questions and the answers. The wheel was invented long ago...................................

Are you having  a bad day?

Calm down , have cup of tea .

[mrsmelly]

35 minutes ago, David t said:

could anyone give me a rough idea of the cost of living on a 30ft boat things like council tax insurance  owt else that's i would need thanks.

To do it quickly just realise it will cost more than living in a small house or flat. This is assuming you have ownership. My house always cost me less than my boats have. Remember heating etc is much cheaper in a house.

[MtB]

39 minutes ago, David t said:

could anyone give me a rough idea of the cost of living on a 30ft boat things like council tax insurance  owt else that's i would need thanks.

 

It cost £5,000 a year to live on a boat. 

 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

Just now, MartynG said:

Are you having  a bad day?

Calm down , have cup of tea .

Quite calm, its lunch time and we still have food!

 

Its lazy just to post and not seek the past posts on a popular topic. Not annoyed at all but I felt that a small rebuke was in order. After all, we all have better things to do don't we? Er, perhaps not then.

 

Expenses list.

 

Licence, 

Insurance,

Boat Safety Certificate,

Council Tax,

Engine etc. Maintenance,

Blacking,

Painting,

Depreciation,

Mooring fees, 

WiFi,

Heating,

Fuels, diesel, gas,

Pump out, waste disposal,

Water,

Electricity,

TV licence,

 

And so on, its not cheap living any more.

 

[Momac]

Just now, Tracy D'arth said:

Its lazy just to post and not seek the past posts on a popular topic. Not annoyed at all but I felt that a small rebuke was in order. After all, we all have better things to do don't we? Er, perhaps not then.

The OP is new to the forum

Your response was not at all welcoming and could have been much more helpful.

[Tracy D'arth]

So?

 

Lets start them off with the right advice then, always do a search first.

 

You post was uncalled for, are you Forum Police? Or just an attention seeker with nothing better to do? I have been helpful to the OP.

 

TD'

[David t]

13 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

It cost £5,000 a year to live on a boat. 

 

 

Thanks

 

[dmr]

You can get away without paying a licence (and BSS and Insurance) for about 2 years before the CRT legal system catches up with you. You can nick coal and diesel off your neighboring boats and cut down (somebody else's) trees. No need for any maintenance as eventually your boat is going to get confiscated, so you can live almost for free,  just need food, alcohol and drugs. If this does not appeal the between 5 and 7 thousand. ?

 

................Dave

[Tony Brooks]

Unless you have proper live aboard mooring there should be no council tax. Sometimes when council tax is due its paid by the mooring operator so its included in your mooring fees.

 

Just saying £5000 a year to live on a boat may not be particularly helpful, a live aboard mooring in London may cost over five times that but up north maybe a fifth of that. To get a realistic idea you need to be far more specific about your plans and your DIY/mechanical ability.

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

Unless you have proper live aboard mooring there should be no council tax. Sometimes when council tax is due its paid by the mooring operator so its included in your mooring fees.

 

Just saying £5000 a year to live on a boat may not be particularly helpful, a live aboard mooring in London may cost over five times that but up north maybe a fifth of that. To get a realistic idea you need to be far more specific about your plans and your DIY/mechanical ability.

 

I thought £5k was a pretty good stab at it, given the amount of detail in the OP!

 

 

 

[mrsmelly]

1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I thought £5k was a pretty good stab at it, given the amount of detail in the OP!

 

 

 

Its a good guesstimate to be fair. 1k licence 3k moorings and 1k bits and bobs during the year. Of course it costs much more if we include periodic painting and batteries etc. I dont think the ops question can realy be answered as there are far too many variables but 5k is a good starter.

[Tracy D'arth]

I noticed that David asked for costS,  not  the historical cost that Mike posted which is why I listed the costs.

 

Most of the costs will be affected greatly by where you moor or if you continually cruise.

Many will depend on the size, age and condition of your boat.

Maintenance costs will depend on your ability to do your own repairs.

 

I missed off the list surveyors fees for the hull insurance on an older boat, and possible RCR  membership for breakdowns. Periodic blacking will  involve taking the boat out of the water, i.e. docking.

 

Post details of the boat, age, condition etc,  how you intend to use the boat, whether you live onboard and what you can fix yourself and you will get a better idea.

 

You will eventually have to work out your own costs based on the above, then add £1000 a year at least for contingencies.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, David t said:

could anyone give me a rough idea of the cost of living on a 30ft boat

 

Singular, in the body of the OP.

 

I think it is the most casual of enquiries, and David's advice to use the search facility and look up the hundreds of times this question has already been discussed in detail, would help the OP form a view that fits his own circumstances.

 

[Alan de Enfield]

49 minutes ago, David t said:

Thanks

 

I take it you decided to ignore post Number 3.

[MtB]

Just now, Alan de Enfield said:

I take it you decided to ignore post Number 3.

 

I suspect he has gone for Post 11 instead!

 

 

[David t]

47 minutes ago, dmr said:

You can get away without paying a licence (and BSS and Insurance) for about 2 years before the CRT legal system catches up with you. You can nick coal and diesel off your neighboring boats and cut down (somebody else's) trees. No need for any maintenance as eventually your boat is going to get confiscated, so you can live almost for free,  just need food, alcohol and drugs. If this does not appeal the between 5 and 7 thousand. ?

 

................Dave

Well that all sounds interesting  but I will do it above board well mostly lol. Thanks for the tips

[Tracy D'arth]

35 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Singular, in the body of the OP.

 

I think it is the most casual of enquiries, and David's advice to use the search facility and look up the hundreds of times this question has already been discussed in detail, would help the OP form a view that fits his own circumstances.

 

Title was COSTS Mike.

[Graham Davis]

1 hour ago, David t said:

Thanks

 

2nd rule for being a member of this forum, don't believe everything that you read!

To get an honest answer you need to give a LOT more information about you, your circumstances, the boat, how you are going to use it, and where you intend being based.

[David t]

Thanks that helps a lot I've been looking but some info I've seen or been told on here doesn't marry up . Thanks for the advice.

[dmr]

My wife has a cruel saying "There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path" I think she nicked it from The Matrix.

You can sit down for ages with a spreadsheet working this stuff out, but when you live on a boat it all changes,    maintenance ?

 

.............Dave

[robtheplod]

1 hour ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Quite calm, its lunch time and we still have food!

 

Its lazy just to post and not seek the past posts on a popular topic. Not annoyed at all but I felt that a small rebuke was in order. After all, we all have better things to do don't we? Er, perhaps not then.

 

Expenses list.

 

Licence, 

Insurance,

Boat Safety Certificate,

Council Tax,

Engine etc. Maintenance,

Blacking,

Painting,

Depreciation,

Mooring fees, 

WiFi,

Heating,

Fuels, diesel, gas,

Pump out, waste disposal,

Water,

Electricity,

TV licence,

 

And so on, its not cheap living any more.

 

I'm always interested when someone has a TV licence on a boat. To my mind, 'boat life' is all about being free from schedules and enjoying life more. If you're not watching scheduled live TV then you don't need a licence (*other restrictions apply), so that's a saving.  

[MtB]

4 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

I'm always interested when someone has a TV licence on a boat.

 

As I understand it from past threads on the subject, you can't buy one for a boat specifically. If you have one on your boat, it will actually be for your mooring postcode, or your house rather than the boat specifically.