Cost of owning my E26 for the first year.

The travel lift and hardstand fees are certainly good value. Could you have used your own pressure washer?

Its a very nice price point you are in. When you take into account deterioration of a trailer, keel boat ownership can be quite competitive to trailer sailing.

The biggest unexpected costs for me were keeping all the safety gear up to date for racing.

A

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Andrew68 said..
Its a very nice price point you are in. When you take into account deterioration of a trailer, keel boat ownership can be quite competitive to trailer sailing.

The biggest unexpected costs for me were keeping all the safety gear up to date for racing.

A

Yeah. I was thinking around $2k for a year. Glad it hasn't gone over that in maintenance and fees. Sure i have bought a few things for it as a one off.

The bloke on the hardstend next to me spent over $3k just on his at the time. His was a 32ft. A lot dearer to rent the hardstand and twice the money on Antifoul.

There was one big wooden schooner up on the hardstand at, from memory, $190 per day.

I'm thinking I got the right boat for just day sailing around the lake. Reasonably cheap to maintain and hopefully cheap to fix when need be. With me doing all the work when on annual leave.

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sydchris said..

valo said..
I thought this could be useful for someone reading this forum and wanting to know how much it costs to own a boat.

Interesting and comprehensive costings there. Good to know - and share - what can be done for the $$ for that size vessel. It might entice others into boat ownership. Thanks for sharing!

As a cost saving tip: that boat acid (presumably for hull wash?) is available from Bunnings in 5L containers for $15.

Thanks sydchris
Good to know about the boat acid. It wasn't till I read the label that I realised it was just 15% Hydrochloric Acid. I have 20L at home.
It must also have some kind of detergent as it bubbled up when I washed out the bucket.

I thought the acid to use was oxalic acid. Available in powdered form "Diggers 2kg rust and stain remover"

Good luck with the boat. Having an outboard saves heaps on maintenance costs.

Ed

Hey Valo,
Where in NSW are you? I'd love to do my own work on my boat when out of the water but every marina I ask says they no longer allow you to work on your own boat due to insurance costs.

Now Valo,

This is one subject we do not really discuss!
Imagine the drama if, She Who Must Be Obeyed, found out the real cost of our indulgences.
We would be grounded and forever mowing lawns to earn brownie points.

While its nice to know how much we spend its not appropriate.
I once did as you have done some years ago and quickly stop when I realised what I was exposing

Prices for individual things for sure, but please no totals for everything!!

That is very cheap boating and a good example of small yacht ownership but to be fair it doesn't include the irregular big expenditures.

I have kept accurate records of all expenditure on MB since I bought her 12 years ago. I have spent an average of $526.29 a month, about $6,300 a year.

The total includes all general maintenance, insurance, registration, moorings (including relocating to the harbour), new sails, two total rerigs (11 years apart), new stove, install fridge (and one service), raft services, new instruments and various bits and pieces. It also includes a shaft and shaft tube rebuild to fix a poor build design from the previous owner, which wasn't cheap.

Anti fouls started at about $1500 in 2005 and are now $2100, including prop speed. I get about 18 months between, that may change now she is in the harbour not Pittwater.

I do nearly all engine maintenance myself (I had one engine service done by a marina and won't do that again) and most general rig, electrical and system etc maintenance.

Future costs will be much lower as there is very little to be done to keep her in her current state. I estimate $4,000 a year all up.

For comparisons sake MB is a full offshore capable yacht, probably has a larger inventory and has been kept in a seaworthy state for open ocean passages.

I paid $37,000 in August 2005, then a good price for an S&S34. On top of the purchase price, upgrades and modifications I have made mean MB owes me $77,000 in her current state. I would expect a considerable loss on sale.

Yacht ownership isn't cheap but the rewards I have experienced in 12 years of sailing MB have made it most worthwhile.

Yeah, MB, you are closer to the truth than anyone l know, would admit!

NSWSailor, I do not share your fear from any obstreperous virago.

Valo, get ready to spend big time when the time comes!
There is no way out of it, not in out beloved ****hole called Sydney anyway.
This place is becoming more and more unliveable by the minute.

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valo said..
I understand that there will be some big expenditure in the future.
But owning a simple E26 with nothing inside will be a lot cheaper than something like MB's S&S34.
I would expect at least half the cost.

P
That's right, I reckon there is a huge difference between the life cycle costs of owning a costal day sailor and an offshore blue water cruiser. In the 30-40' range a lot these costs are not $/m related.
ggh
Better to have a boat at the beginning of the deterioration cycle thanat the end, but it catches up very quickly.

A

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Andrew68 said..

valo said..
I understand that there will be some big expenditure in the future.
But owning a simple E26 with nothing inside will be a lot cheaper than something like MB's S&S34.
I would expect at least half the cost.

That's right, I reckon there is a huge difference between the life cycle costs of owning a costal day sailor and an offshore blue water cruiser. In the 30-40' range a lot these costs are not $/m related.

Better to have a boat at the beginning of the deterioration cycle thanat the end, but it catches up very quickly.

A

I wouldn't call MB a blue water cruiser in the context of her being a large comfortable yacht.

Those who have sailed in her, I think sirgallivant who came out for a day sail a few months back and cisco who did Lord Howe in 2015 might be the only current Seabreezers who have, will attest she is nothing grand. MB is just a well found smallish offshore yacht that is kept in sound condition for offshore sailing.

Taken over a full operating/maintenance cycle of 10-12 years I suspect my expenditure might be about normal for a basic 34 ft yacht.

Now that all yacht prices have plummeted at least recent new owners won't suffer the depreciation those who bought over 10 years ago will. Having said that, when I bought MB I had other S&S34 owners criticise me for paying so little for her. Many owners had paid well over $70,000 for an S&S34 even a couple of years earlier. I know of one who paid $110,000 for one that was really only $20,000 better than MB. He sold that boat, Morning Gold from memory, after about 4 years for maybe half what he had paid.