Rising Costs

[seaandland]

Without getting to personal with costs ect,, with the rising costs of boating, whether it be living aboard or just leisure, seriously how much more can you take before you chuck the hat in.

 

 

Out of 10, what is the mark you would give boating/living on the cut nowadays.

[Paul Evans]

It's still 11.5!

[Nightwatch]

We are seriously looking at the possibility of selling 't boat and doing summat different.

 

The cost increases are everywhere. Moorings,license,BSC,fuel,repairs,travel too and fro etc.

 

What a shame,what a shame.

 

Mind you I still enjoy boating. Maybe a caravan...............

 

martyn

Edited October 3, 2009 by Nightwatch1

[alan_fincher]

Mind you I still enjoy boating. Maybe a caravan...............

Do some people who sell their boat and replace it with a caravan still reserve the right to still go as slowly as they can, and expect everybody else to stay in file behind them ?

 

(This comment not aimed at you, BTW!).

[Guest]

Do some people who sell their boat and replace it with a caravan still reserve the right to still go as slowly as they can, and expect everybody else to stay in file behind them ?

 

(This comment not aimed at you, BTW!).

Speaking as a caravanner of 25 years (up until 5 years ago) of course they do.....

[Doorman]

It's still 11.5!

 

 

Ditto!

[carlt]

I've done it already.

 

My moorings are half the price they were, inland.

 

My "licence" is 1/20th the cost.

 

The savings more than cover the drive to the coast and the extra diesel in driving 256hp, rather than 33hp.

 

I'm about to move the boat to better moorings, more accessible by road and with more sea access....oh and halved the cost, again!

 

I believe the expression is...."Kerching!" (smug smiley)

[Gordon Chesterman]

In today's economy, it is definitely worth shopping around for moorings - I have halved the cost of my annual mooring fee by simply asking an adjacent marina what they charged per annum - I wasn't driving any hard bargain or beating poor marina owners down in price, but just accepted this better quoted price and moved the boat three hundred yards.

Gordon in Ely

[Lady Muck]

In today's economy, it is definitely worth shopping around for moorings - I have halved the cost of my annual mooring fee by simply asking an adjacent marina what they charged per annum - I wasn't driving any hard bargain or beating poor marina owners down in price, but just accepted this better quoted price and moved the boat three hundred yards.

Gordon in Ely

 

I can *just* afford it at the moment. We are lucky enough to be coming into some money next year, so we will pay off the marine mortgage, which will ease things alot.

[Nightwatch]

Alan, wouldn't have a caravan no matter what. Dormobile perhaps if it was quick and able to get to the front on the traffic.

 

We are on 'Farm' moorings and we still pay more than £1600.00 pa. We don't want to go into a marina and all the rules that go with them. However all we get here is a water tap if you move your boat and occasional lighting if it works.

 

If someone knows of a cheaper option, I'm all ears so to speak. We live near the South coast and have 'done' the K&A to death, There isn't much more to choose from.

 

Carl, I like your idea. I would go on the lumpy stuff if er in doors would allow. I'm sure I could cope with the qualifications if required.

 

Went off topic there,sorry.

 

Martyn

[n.b.Goldie]

Without getting to personal with costs ect,, with the rising costs of boating, whether it be living aboard or just leisure, seriously how much more can you take before you chuck the hat in.

 

 

Out of 10, what is the mark you would give boating/living on the cut nowadays.

I can sympathise with your concerns, I and the Memsahib lived on a 60ft boat until in 2006 rising costs and declining circumstances more or less persuaded us to move off. However I still need a boat (boating is in the blood!!!) so bought a 36ft to keep my hand in so to speak.

 

Interestingly, the license cost of the 60ft boat at the time I bought her in 2000 is now almost exactly the same as the 36ft boat today. I am not sure what I have got for the incessant increase in license and mooring fees apart from a smaller boat.

 

Still, I will enjoy it while I can afford it and am healthy enough so I reckon in another six years or so I will be down to a dinghy.

 

Ditchdabbler

[Guest]

I've done it already.

 

My moorings are half the price they were, inland.

 

My "licence" is 1/20th the cost.

 

The savings more than cover the drive to the coast and the extra diesel in driving 256hp, rather than 33hp.

 

I'm about to move the boat to better moorings, more accessible by road and with more sea access....oh and halved the cost, again!

 

I believe the expression is...."Kerching!" (smug smiley)

Carl - pray tell a bit more - where's your boating done now??

 

We'd looked at offshore (being only about 20 mins from Whitby but an hour and 15 minutes to our nearest IW marina) _ but dismissed this as an option due to what we perceived as considerable additional expense.

[carlt]

Carl - pray tell a bit more - where's your boating done now??

 

We'd looked at offshore (being only about 20 mins from Whitby but an hour and 15 minutes to our nearest IW marina) _ but dismissed this as an option due to what we perceived as considerable additional expense.

At the moment I've got a 1932 51' ex-RNLI lifeboat, in a boatyard mooring, in Essex, for £1100 pounds a year, with water to the boat, hook-up.

 

My licence (well, Harbour Dues) are £39 a year.

 

I'm contemplating a move because access to the sea is not as good as I want.

 

I have offers of moorings at Maldon, Rye, Shoreham, The Solent, Aberystwyth and Barmouth all cheaper than where I am now, with better sea access but, in some cases, less facilities (which doesn't trouble me).

 

The cheapest is £240 pa plus £68 harbour dues, less than a tenth of my BW bill and with more miles sheltered estuary boating than most canal boaters can do in a year, if you don't want to go out to sea.

 

I looked at Whitby but there was a waiting list, exacerbated by the size of my boat. I really fancy Staithes but you've got to be a resident of the town, to get a mooring.

Edited October 4, 2009 by carlt

[denboy]

go for the Aberystwyth one ,excellent fishing great coast line not to many ferries and tankers roaming around

[Michele]

Without getting to personal with costs ect,, with the rising costs of boating, whether it be living aboard or just leisure, seriously how much more can you take before you chuck the hat in.

 

Is it really so expensive to live aboard these days that people are coming ashore?

[Guest]

I looked at Whitby but there was a waiting list, exacerbated by the size of my boat. I really fancy Staithes but you've got to be a resident of the town, to get a mooring.

 

I live even closer to Staithes (locally known as 'Steers') but haven't been there in decades - pass though it though many times. I didn't even know there was moorings there though as you say town residence needed.

 

I guess the other problem with Whitby is that it is the sea/offshore or nothing, little if any at all access to estuary cruising like some of the areas you are looking at can offer. (except nipping up to the Tees maybe - lovely!)

[charles123]

At the moment I've got a 1932 51' ex-RNLI lifeboat, in a boatyard mooring, in Essex, for £1100 pounds a year, with water to the boat, hook-up.

 

My licence (well, Harbour Dues) are £39 a year.

 

I'm contemplating a move because access to the sea is not as good as I want.

 

I have offers of moorings at Maldon, Rye, Shoreham, The Solent, Aberystwyth and Barmouth all cheaper than where I am now, with better sea access but, in some cases, less facilities (which doesn't trouble me).

 

The cheapest is £240 pa plus £68 harbour dues, less than a tenth of my BW bill and with more miles sheltered estuary boating than most canal boaters can do in a year, if you don't want to go out to sea.

 

I looked at Whitby but there was a waiting list, exacerbated by the size of my boat. I really fancy Staithes but you've got to be a resident of the town, to get a mooring.

 

Carl

 

off topic but speaking of lifeboats, this is a good watch and listen

 

 

 

 

Charles

[Chris J W]

I looked at Whitby but there was a waiting list, exacerbated by the size of my boat. I really fancy Staithes but you've got to be a resident of the town, to get a mooring.

 

There is? Blimey - you'ld not know from the two dozen or so empty pontoons below the new bridge.

[Naughty Cal]

Without getting to personal with costs ect,, with the rising costs of boating, whether it be living aboard or just leisure, seriously how much more can you take before you chuck the hat in.

 

 

Out of 10, what is the mark you would give boating/living on the cut nowadays.

 

10 out of 10

 

Personally costs could rise a fair bit (or maybe double) yet before we would be forced to quit. However we do own a small boat so moorings and fees are relatively cheap when compared to some of yours.

[magpie patrick]

Time to admit that ownership of Ripple, or even a boat at all, is under constant review in the Moss household because of cost. That said, it's about £3000 to keep her afloat (£2k moorings, £700 licence and £150 insurance) and the cost of a hire boat for two weeks in june is over £1500, if you are stuck with school holidays (which we are not but we might be in future) that doubles.

 

Ripple isn't our biggest outgoing, that's the overall cost of our house by a country mile, but Ripple is the biggest "optional" cost we've got. We could move onto the boat but we find a two bedroom terrace cramped enough!

[FadeToScarlet]

Out of 10, what is the mark you would give boating/living on the cut nowadays.

 

[Water Rat.]

I think there are a lot of advantages to having a smaller boat - as long as it is not to live on permenantly. Jade is 34ft, pretty snug but enough for holidays, sleeps 2 - 4, admit 4 is very 'snug' but fine for 2. The differance it costs between this and say a 60 footer is huge in all areas, licence. mooring et al. Even the Thames licence in the summer was only £66. I see a lot of folk with larger narrow boats and I wonder why they need all that space when most of the time is spent outside when travelling. But, maybe this post is aimed at live aboards.

[Chris Pink]

It is one of the saddest things that people whose passion fed the restoration of the canals are increasingly being priced out of their use.

 

Day by day on this forum people rail against the rise of liveaboards.

 

but look at the reality.

 

if you liveaboard it's cheap.

 

if you leisure boat it's very very expensive.

 

Given Robin's job i would make licences for any boat less than 30' completely free and I would ramp up wide-beams to 4 times (square law) and create a liveaboard licence fairly expensive but not prohibitively - say twice what it is at present - given Smelly's recent post, this does not discriminate.

 

but the most important thing (I'm going to shout, cover your ears)

 

GIVE THE CANALS BACK TO THE PEOPLE WHO USE THEM FOR FUN.

[NB Alnwick]

Is it really so expensive to live aboard these days that people are coming ashore?

 

We know pople who are selling their boat and moving to land based accommodation - though the reasons may not be entirely financial, the cost difference is no longer sufficiently significant to influence that choice.

[alan_fincher]

I don't always agree with you Chris, but I do here.

 

The biggest difference I can see between boating now, and when I had a boat in the 1970s is the sheer increase in costs to actually be on the water (and legal).

 

Quite simply if I were now in the situation I was when I owned my first boat, I would be unable to own one, (or at least not without joining the ranks that people rail against....)

 

I know there is no automatic right to be there, but I find it very sad that increasingly the need to have a boat worth £50K, (and ideally more ), is considered the passport to be becoming part of the club.

 

As you imply, had it not been for people with a long history of campaigning for, and actually using the canals, (and I do not claim to be one of them, only having relatively recently returned to the water), then we would not have what we have today, in many cases.

 

Unfortunately it's hard to see how you reverse the decline of it being either a rich persons hobby, (or floating homes for those with no interest in the cut), but the canals and rivers are a poorer place as a result of these changes, (in my view).