Realistic Costs

[Lady Muck]

If you plan on cruising quite a bit, then a leisure mooring might be fine BUT I would only advise a boater to do this if being asked to leave your mooring at short notice would not be an issue. Things can change, I know of people who were moved or evicted through no fault of their own for all kinds of reasons.

 

Costs can vary wildy. When we reblacked four years ago we had change from £400 (we always DIY), but we drydocked for blacking again this June and spent closer to £3000. That was for blacking, repainting inside, revarnishing floor, new bss compliant bottom draining locker welding, cost of a hotel to stay in whilst boat was uninhabitable and a dogsitter. Then we spent £1000 on solar panels and controller. There does seem to be something every year we have the boat that costs about £1000, can't seem to avoid it. So if I wass budgeting I'd add on £1000 a year for random repairs/expensive boat purchases.

[Grace and Favour]

That's for all the responses so far. Just to clarify some common responses:

 

I am based in the midlands and the morning cost is based on a figure I got from the marina for a residential morning and this wasn't the cheapest residential morning I was quoted but the marina is in a good location for me.

 

We do plan on having solid fuel as well as diesel heating so do need to factor in that cost. Main reason we want alternative to just solid fuel is due to the baby as others with children on a liveaboard have recommended this

24/7 solid fuel heating circa £20 per week (through winter)

24/7 diesel heating will be 6 to 8 times dearer (with a system such as Webasto/Eberspacher)

[kevinl]

 

 

Funny you should say that. I needed to buy a club hammer yesterday. Cheapest I could find was £7.99 in Screwfix. I'm SURE they used to be cheap!

 

MtB

P.S. Cheapest in B&Q is £10.48, so your chandler club hammer for £7 is a screaming bargain!

Here you go

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/thursday-4-september/product-detail/ps/p/club-hammer-1/

K

[David Mack]

 

Lump hammer on special offer at Aldi this week (if you can mix with the great unwashed for a few minutes)

Why is it that everybody talks about a "lump hammer" but whenever you see it in print its a "club hammer"?

[MtB]

Why is it that everybody talks about a "lump hammer" but whenever you see it in print its a "club hammer"?

 

I dunno. I've always known them as a club hammer. My dad says lump hammer though so maybe it's an old person thing...

 

 

MtB

[Athy]

Funny you should say that. I needed to buy a club hammer yesterday. Cheapest I could find was £7.99 in Screwfix. I'm SURE they used to be cheap!

 

MtB

 

P.S. Cheapest in B&Q is £10.48, so your chandler club hammer for £7 is a screaming bargain!

We bought one at the Canal Shop run by a friendly old Northern chap in his garden shed in Amington during our visit to Alvecote. It was £4.95. he also had on sale a selection of windlassses, all at £5.95 each. I believe that the Willows bought one of these and were pleased with their bargain.

I dunno. Maybe it's an old person thing.

 

MtB

Not so. Mrs. Athy, several years my and your junior, calls it a lump hammer.

Actually she calls it a lump 'ammer.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

I dunno. I've always known them as a club hammer. My dad says lump hammer though so maybe it's an old person thing...

 

 

MtB

 

I resemble that remark !!!

[Troyboy]

Lump hammer on special offer at Aldi this week (if you can mix with the great unwashed for a few minutes)

[/

I parked in Aldi car park Kings Lynn a couple of weeks ago and parked alongside me was a nearly new Maserati. quote]

[MtB]

 

I parked in Aldi car park Kings Lynn a couple of weeks ago and parked alongside me was a nearly new Maserati.

 

 

Broken down, probably...

 

 

MtB

[Naughty Cal]

 

I dunno. I've always known them as a club hammer. My dad says lump hammer though so maybe it's an old person thing...

 

 

MtB

 

The OH calls it a lump hammer and he isnt that old!

[bottle]

That's for all the responses so far. Just to clarify some common responses:

 

I am based in the midlands and the morning cost is based on a figure I got from the marina for a residential morning and this wasn't the cheapest residential morning I was quoted but the marina is in a good location for me.

 

We do plan on having solid fuel as well as diesel heating so do need to factor in that cost. Main reason we want alternative to just solid fuel is due to the baby as others with children on a liveaboard have recommended this

 

 

24/7 solid fuel heating circa £20 per week (through winter)

24/7 diesel heating will be 6 to 8 times dearer (with a system such as Webasto/Eberspacher)

 

We have both and in five years of CCing, the number of hours that the diesel heating has been used is countable on two hands and possibly a few toes.

 

We use approximately two and a third bags (25Kg) per week in the winter, cost per bag is variable on type and supplier.

 

I would raise G&R figure of £20 to £30 as cost is rising all the time and it is now almost £12 a bag (see previous sentence)

 

Diesel heater uses between approximately 0.75 to 1.5 ltr per hour, depending on where it is on its cycle, at today's prices about £1 to £1.50 per hour.

[Emerald Fox]

"I often power curse when things get bad"

 

So u will have to add the Swear Box to the costs total...

[Sabcat]

 

The OH calls it a lump hammer and he isnt that old!

 

Until I read it on this thread I'd never heard of a club hammer. I'm depressingly close to 40, not sure if that's old or not.

[Naughty Cal]

 

Until I read it on this thread I'd never heard of a club hammer. I'm depressingly close to 40, not sure if that's old or not.

About the same age as the OH.

[Psycloud]

We captured the entire costs for one year for Licence, mooring, gas, electric, fuel and coal. This was for Dec 12 - Dec 13 and includes having it out for blacking (we paid crane and jetwash but I blacked myself) and 4 new anodes.

 

All in, £6k (£5k without all the maintenance and parts)

 

[dmr]

If you plan on cruising quite a bit, then a leisure mooring might be fine BUT I would only advise a boater to do this if being asked to leave your mooring at short notice would not be an issue. Things can change, I know of people who were moved or evicted through no fault of their own for all kinds of reasons.

 

Costs can vary wildy. When we reblacked four years ago we had change from £400 (we always DIY), but we drydocked for blacking again this June and spent closer to £3000. That was for blacking, repainting inside, revarnishing floor, new bss compliant bottom draining locker welding, cost of a hotel to stay in whilst boat was uninhabitable and a dogsitter. Then we spent £1000 on solar panels and controller. There does seem to be something every year we have the boat that costs about £1000, can't seem to avoid it. So if I wass budgeting I'd add on £1000 a year for random repairs/expensive boat purchases.

 

This is very true. I do almost everything myself so the sudden big bills come in lumps of £500 rather than £1000, but then some years we get two of them. And if its a major engine failure its much more than £1000.

 

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

[David Mack]

Here's a proper lump hammer:

 

[Felshampo]

24/7 solid fuel heating circa £20 per week (through winter)

24/7 diesel heating will be 6 to 8 times dearer (with a system such as Webasto/Eberspacher)

Looking at getting a boat but still not sure about what form of heating to use.

I feel a daft question coming on....

Do you need to have the heating on 24/7?

In our (old) house the central heating is off at ten and on again half an hour before I get up no matter what the temp. outside. Do narrow boats lose so much heat that it has to be on all night or you freeze?

[Naughty Cal]

Depends how well insulated the boat is.

[Southern Star]

 

In our (old) house the central heating is off at ten and on again half an hour before I get up no matter what the temp. outside. Do narrow boats lose so much heat that it has to be on all night or you freeze?

I haven't yet had a Winter aboard a boat, but for the last 26 years I've spent an average of 4-5 nights a week in the sleeper cab of an articulated lorry, and I never run the auxiliary heater at night, the most I do is to set it on the timer to come on 15 minutes before I get up. The cab of the truck is far less well insulated than any narrowboat.

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

My Webesto is programmed for 1 hr on 2 hrs off throughout the day if I'm on board, then switch Silent low wattage electrical heating throughout the boat at night (via Battery/inverter topped up via Solar & Wind power.)at a guess approx 0.85 litre per hr, for 6 hrs that it's on. so am guessing around the £5 a day mark on diesel if on board during the day, Probably £3 a day if not. So yes probably more expensive than solid fuel, (don't know haw much a sack is ?, or how long it lasts on ave now). And obviously it hardly costs anything at all when I'm cruising. So it's hard to actually put a cost on heating in my case,

All I know is ,I spent approximately an average of £1700 in fuel (In total) per year, costs taken over 3 years, For all my Propulsion, Generator, Hot water & Heating needs. All of which are Diesel fed unit's, as a Livaboard CCr.

 

So about £5 a day on average I suppose.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Paul's Nulife4-2

[bottle]

Looking at getting a boat but still not sure about what form of heating to use. Get at least two

I feel a daft question coming on....

Do you need to have the heating on 24/7? No but if you ahve a soild fuel heater it is just as easy and cost wise to keep it going 24 hrs

In our (old) house the central heating is off at ten and on again half an hour before I get up no matter what the temp. outside. Do narrow boats lose so much heat that it has to be on all night or you freeze? You will not freeze, boats probably loose less heat than many houses, as they are usually better insulated

[Felshampo]

 

Looking at getting a boat but still not sure about what form of heating to use. Get at least two

I feel a daft question coming on....

Do you need to have the heating on 24/7? No but if you ahve a soild fuel heater it is just as easy and cost wise to keep it going 24 hrs

In our (old) house the central heating is off at ten and on again half an hour before I get up no matter what the temp. outside. Do narrow boats lose so much heat that it has to be on all night or you freeze? You will not freeze, boats probably loose less heat than many houses, as they are usually better insulated

 

That's a great help...thanks

[Alan Saunders]

I cannot verify your running costs, but you must not exclude depreciation and loss of interest on capital versus interest on a loan.

 

£2,000 may be an adequate contingency fund but a major engine repair/replacement may cost £5K, £6K or much more.

 

 

Alan

[Ange]

Just to add - if the costs of painting are a deciding factor it's worth bearing in mind it's not essential. Scruffy boats are allowed on the canals

 

ETA speaking as someone whose boat's paintwork is decidedly tired and has never had the time/money combination to do anything about it but has thoroughly enjoyed over 5 years living aboard and exploring a great amount of our wonderful canal network. To do it ourselves would have limited our cruising, when we do have a bit of down time there's been far more important jobs and we've never had the money to have it professionally done.

Edited September 7, 2014 by Ange