Does this sound realistic

[Ange]

And please treat the advice of those that advocate copious amounts of money being built into the budget for painting as being a necessity with caution. You don't have to keep your boat smart. It's nice if you can but it's not an essential cost.I promise you (voice of experience with a boat that was probably last painted 20 years ago) you might get some snobs looking down their noses at you but as long as you do your blacking it ain't going to sink because it's no longer pretty

 

Or maybe they look down their noses because of the roof furniture (that can be quite amusing when I'm chatting to smart boaty wife beside a double lock when our boats rise up the chamber. Their lovely flower pots and immaculate roof appear at the same time as our bicycle, car tyre for the Shroppie, wheelbarrow, bags of wood plus copious other items that Dave thinks will come in handy one day. I have had times when the lady has walked away from me, all friendliness evaporating once she's decided I'm "one of them".

 

Do I look like I care - the people who matter to me don't judge on appearances.

Edited November 15, 2014 by Ange

[Dave_P]

there are boatyards who will dry dock and black a 57' boat for around £450.

Edited November 15, 2014 by Dave_P

[Bod]

there are boatyards who will dry dock and black a 57' boat for around £450.

 

How many coats of blacking do you get for that?

 

Bod

[Kendal]

Geenie for that Ange. There's a place on the cut everyone, vive la difference!

[MtB]

 

How many coats of blacking do you get for that?

 

Bod

 

Just the one, and only on the bits that remain visible after the boat has been put back in the water two hours later, I reckon. I maintain 3 coats of blacking and the boat out of the water for the six days necessary for proper drying needs to cost about £1k no matter what length the boat is, as the dock is tied up for a week.

 

And on the painting front, my boat is 21 years old and has never been re-painted or even polished (except for the scumbling which cost about £200) and STILL I get people accusing me of being a shiny boater

 

MtB

 

 

 

(Spellin' edit)

Edited November 15, 2014 by Mike the Boilerman

[Neil Coker]

Useful post for me as a new boat owner and going through same issues as the OP. To put some perspective on the matter. I've scheduled some work and the breakdown is as follows:

Docking the boat: £300

Pressure wash/Descale & Remove minor rust ares:£260

Blacking: £367.20

Service on engine (BMC 1500): £180

Supply & Fit new starter battery: £90

Check & pack stern gland: £20

Supply & fit 4 anodes: £180

 

This is with a recommended boatyard who have been very helpful with their advice and sequencing the works. I got a number of quotes and this is pretty competetive considering the other yards would require moving my boat a substantial distance with the associated costs and time considerations.

Also I just managed to get a insurance quote for Her at £150 pa which I thought was pretty good. The OP can PM me if he needs contact details or we can compare notes and the vagaries of divorce settlements!

[Lady Muck]

I'll be impressed if you can black the boat every three years for your budget of £450. It will usually cost more than that just to have the boat docked for a week without the cost of the blacking, anodes etc.

 

MtB

We do but we DIY. Depends where you go. Although our last dry docking came in at £2700 once you'd added on the welding, interior paint and varnish, cost of a hotel and a dog sitter.

[b0atman]

boat blacking can be done cheaply

erewash canal dry dock will take 2 narrowboats so share the cost

blacking buying larger amount for 2 boats is cheaper

DIY that's the big saver.

Anodes new and welding on price is usually about same .

Boat servicing Yes one proper service can cost if you cannot do it yourself.

But in between services changing filters and oil is a cheapish DIY job don't know how then watch main service and learn.

Breakdown RCR silver £165 gives upto £1000 of cover for major jobs.

I have monitored my winter fuel purchases for last 3 winters coal and wood max was £265 find a source of free wood and it becomes less.

Painting nothing wrong with dulux garage door paint it does the job and I have had it last 5 years + all paint scratches and fades .

[b0atman]

Greenie given to Ange post 26

The canals are not a rich boys toy but are for Boaters something that a lot of people forget .

The by product of the canals is for fishermen walkers and sensible cyclists to enjoy the beauty and history of them.

[Zig Zag]

I would gladly pay a tenner a pint for TT's Landlord, best beer in the world IMO (sorry, a bit off topic but I couldn't resist)

Why do people keep saying this about this beer. Just why.

 

 

Why

 

 

 

Why?

 

It's just ....... Ok. If that.

[MtB]

Why do people keep saying this about this beer. Just why.

 

 

Why

 

 

 

Why?

 

It's just ....... Ok. If that.

 

Seconded. TT is a pretty pedestrian beer in my opinion. Not a patch on Hobgoblin, Old Hooky, Abbot Ale, or best of all, well cellared London Pride!

 

Same goes for the microbrewery products. Eminently forgettable, most of them.

 

 

MtB

[dmr]

Why do people keep saying this about this beer. Just why.

 

 

Why

 

 

 

Why?

 

It's just ....... Ok. If that.

 

Different people like different beers, it would be sad any other way.

If you like a strong pale ale then for many years TT landlord was the holy grail, and is still amongst the best.

However this style of beer is very popular with many of the micro brewers some of whom give TT a good run for their money. Look out for the strangely named "Wiper and True" from Bristol.

If you prefer a more traditional brown beer then TT is not for you, but you will enjoy a visit to Ma Pardoes even more than I do.

If, god forbid, you like lager the Bath Ales do a very nice handpump lager.

And what's better, all these places are on the interconnected waterways., best up the estimate for money spent on diesel!.

 

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

 

.

 

.........Dave.

[John V]

And to that list Mike, I would add Adnams "Southwold"

[alan_fincher]

Useful post for me as a new boat owner and going through same issues as the OP. To put some perspective on the matter. I've scheduled some work and the breakdown is as follows:

Docking the boat: £300

Pressure wash/Descale & Remove minor rust ares:£260

Blacking: £367.20

Service on engine (BMC 1500): £180

Supply & Fit new starter battery: £90

Check & pack stern gland: £20

Supply & fit 4 anodes: £180

 

This is with a recommended boatyard who have been very helpful with their advice and sequencing the works. I got a number of quotes and this is pretty competetive considering the other yards would require moving my boat a substantial distance with the associated costs and time considerations.

Also I just managed to get a insurance quote for Her at £150 pa which I thought was pretty good. The OP can PM me if he needs contact details or we can compare notes and the vagaries of divorce settlements!

If the only reason it is being pulled out, (other than anodes), is to black it, then that amounts to £927 for what is normally just termed "blacking"

 

You don't say how long the boat is, but even if I assume (say) 60 feet, that still works out at well over £15 per foot. That really is very expensive indeed.

 

I hope you are getting at least 3 coats of something top quality for that money, and, as MTB suggests, it will be out of water at least a week to allow all the manufacturer's specified drying times.

[MtB]

If the only reason it is being pulled out, (other than anodes), is to black it, then that amounts to £927 for what is normally just termed "blacking"

 

You don't say how long the boat is, but even if I assume (say) 60 feet, that still works out at well over £15 per foot. That really is very expensive indeed.

 

I hope you are getting at least 3 coats of something top quality for that money, and, as MTB suggests, it will be out of water at least a week to allow all the manufacturer's specified drying times.

 

 

Had I invested say £100k in a dry dock, I'd be wanting/needing it to generate at least £1k in gross income for a week blacking a boat. I doubt if even £500 of that would stick to me in net profit.

 

I'd be highly suspicious that any firm charging much less than £1k for blacking can afford to be doing it right.

 

 

MtB

[dmr]

If the only reason it is being pulled out, (other than anodes), is to black it, then that amounts to £927 for what is normally just termed "blacking"

 

You don't say how long the boat is, but even if I assume (say) 60 feet, that still works out at well over £15 per foot. That really is very expensive indeed.

 

I hope you are getting at least 3 coats of something top quality for that money, and, as MTB suggests, it will be out of water at least a week to allow all the manufacturer's specified drying times.

 

To put that in perspective, we paid £1600 (I think) for drydocking, shot blasting and two coats of Epoxy on a 70 foot boat, with the epoxy itself accounting for over £400 of that.

 

.........Dave

[SamKingfisher]

Blacking my 60' boat costs me £320 every two years.

[dmr]

 

 

Had I invested say £100k in a dry dock, I'd be wanting/needing it to generate at least £1k in gross income for a week blacking a boat. I doubt if even £500 of that would stick to me in net profit.

 

I'd be highly suspicious that any firm charging much less than £1k for blacking can afford to be doing it right.

 

 

MtB

 

The dock we used is a listed building so I guess it paid back the capital investment many many years ago.

I guess this is why its hard to set up a new facility (in any industry) when you are competing with people who don't have a debt to repay. Quite a few docks are leased of CaRT. Everytime I go past Semington I see they have more docks so it can be done.

 

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

[SamKingfisher]

Oh, and why would you replace the anodes unless they were worn out? Pitted is not worn out. They last for ages.

[Alan de Enfield]

We paid £450 for a 45 footer. all inclusive. at Trevithics in Nottingham

Day 1 - into dry dock, jet wash and report on boat, hull, anodes, stern gear etc condition. Grind any badly adhered old blacking

Day 2 - hand paint all nooks and crevices, weedhatch and strakes, Paint Hull 1st coat

Day 3 - allowed to dry and harden

Day 4 - as per day 2. Second coat

Day 5 - as per day 3

Day 6 - as per day 4 , 3rd coat

Day 7 - final touch up of any places needing extra (ie waterline) allowed to dry and harden.

Day 8 - 8:00am, dry dock refilled, boat floated out and next boat floated in.

 

You can stay aboard, free use of toilets and water. £2 per week electric.

[alan_fincher]

Had I invested say £100k in a dry dock, I'd be wanting/needing it to generate at least £1k in gross income for a week blacking a boat. I doubt if even £500 of that would stick to me in net profit.

 

I'd be highly suspicious that any firm charging much less than £1k for blacking can afford to be doing it right.

That's fine, if for what they are charging it really will be out a week or more, and be done very very thoroughly.

 

But just charging up to a 4 figure sum doesn't in any way guarantee that, does it?

 

Hence my comments.

[MtB]

That's fine, if for what they are charging it really will be out a week or more, and be done very very thoroughly.

 

But just charging up to a 4 figure sum doesn't in any way guarantee that, does it?

 

Hence my comments.

 

 

Nope, absolutely not. but a price of £450 more or less guarantees a bad job IMO.

 

MtB

[alan_fincher]

To put that in perspective, we paid £1600 (I think) for drydocking, shot blasting and two coats of Epoxy on a 70 foot boat, with the epoxy itself accounting for over £400 of that.

 

.........Dave

But I suspect we are not talking about either shot=blasting or epoxy in this case are we?

 

(.....which, I acknowledge, is maybe is what you are assuming when you make a comparison?.....)

[Ange]

We paid £450 for a 45 footer. all inclusive. at Trevithics in Nottingham

Day 1 - into dry dock, jet wash and report on boat, hull, anodes, stern gear etc condition. Grind any badly adhered old blacking

Day 2 - hand paint all nooks and crevices, weedhatch and strakes, Paint Hull 1st coat

Day 3 - allowed to dry and harden

Day 4 - as per day 2. Second coat

Day 5 - as per day 3

Day 6 - as per day 4 , 3rd coat

Day 7 - final touch up of any places needing extra (ie waterline) allowed to dry and harden.

Day 8 - 8:00am, dry dock refilled, boat floated out and next boat floated in.

 

You can stay aboard, free use of toilets and water. £2 per week electric.

Just checking I'm reading that right - was that to have it done for you rather than a DIY job? If so that's seriously good value - we're due to do ours again this year and that's definitely one for consideration.

 

Last time we did ours we had the boat pulled out of the water at Redhill Marina. It cost us between £400 and £500 to have the boat taken out of the water and put back in and have a bit of hard standing for a week, plus the materials that we bought ourselves for our DIY job. They had no problem with us living there (great fun climbing a step ladder to reach my home!) but no such luxuries as leccy

 

ETA can't seem to get the wording right - that money included the materials

Edited November 15, 2014 by Ange

[Neil Coker]

If the only reason it is being pulled out, (other than anodes), is to black it, then that amounts to £927 for what is normally just termed "blacking"You don't say how long the boat is, but even if I assume (say) 60 feet, that still works out at well over £15 per foot. That really is very expensive indeed.I hope you are getting at least 3 coats of something top quality for that money, and, as MTB suggests, it will be out of water at least a week to allow all the manufacturer's specified drying times.

My boat is 53' and the price was pretty much inline with other quotes I got. What decided it for me was that if I took it to any of the other yards then I would also have to factor in the costs getting it there (can't do it myself as I'm working away from home at the moment). The yard I'm using is literally on the doorstep of my mooring so it represented reasonable value. No doubt if I shopped around I could get more competitive rates but the yard I'm using has proved to be very helpful and communicative, all valuable in my eyes.