Average cost to Maintain your Boat, Please..

[Superpickle]

Didnt see one. although im sure its Somewhere

A thread on the Yearly cost of Maint to a boat, say, 35 ft

Well, actualy, because i Dont have a Boat yet

I would like to know , in a Ballpark figure, What the average cosy per year is to Maintain your boat ?
Please give Length please and IF you have a Lot of Wood and What it is you spend the Most $$ maintaining..

Thank you..

[dinodino]

Jeez...that's such an open-ended question. In my case, for a modern 31-foot glass boat with minimal brightwork, it's slip fees + $90/month for diver and zincs. Insurance is an additional $1200/annum. I can't estimate maintenance because I can't ever predict what's going to break.

[skipmac]

The question is really too open ended to answer exactly. By "maintain" do you mean only repairs and upkeep or do you also want to include dockage, power, etc? Will you do ALL the labor yourself or hire someone? A brand new boat or one 40 years old?

IF, nothing breaks, just the cost to maintain is next to nothing. It's like asking how much it costs to maintain your car. Not much at all until you have to replace the transmission. Same for a boat. Have to replace the transmission or the engine, buy new sails, replace something expensive then the cost for that month will be giant. Otherwise the monthly cost is nothing (unless you include dock rent).

For LOTS of woodwork it will be a couple hundred dollars a year in sandpaper, varnish and brushes. Engine maintenance a hundred a year for oil and filters. Rebuild or replace the engine, $!5,000. Buy a new main sail, $5,000. Monthly rental for a dock to tie up, $200/month for a marina in an out of the way spot in the southeast or $1000-$2000 per month in New England or California. Electricity, fuel, etc about what you pay at home or less.

[btrayfors]

Depends how you do it.

Maintenance only (no dockage, insurance, fees, etc.):

1. Absolute minimal....just fix what breaks and let boat deteriorate (sadly, lots of boats are like this)....figure 2-5% of boat's value per year

2. Decent maintenance, occasional upgrades....figure 5-10% of boat's value per year

3. Really good maintenance and continual upgrades....figure 10-15% of boat's value per year.

Like all other estimates, these are seat-of-the-pants estimates, but based on long sailing experience.

Bill

[Architeuthis]

Once you have dockage covered, it is whatever you want it to be.

I know of 1/4 million dollar boats that have less than a grand a year spent on them, year after year after year. You wouldn't want to buy them after one of those owners but the owners never see the problems, they usually think the boat has gone up in value.

I would suggest for budget purposes to use the +15% of boats value number, newer boat higher number, older boat higher number a boat that has been sailed a few years will be best as it should have everything and not need everything replaced, maybe then use 10%, do all the work yourself and maybe even less.

Try to do as much or all of the work yourself or oversee all work. Many of the "professionals" out there are not.

Either way buying the boat is the hard part.

[Tempest]

34 foot boat in New York Area

$3808 summer slip
$ 275 electric
$1837 Winter storage, cradle, pump out
$ 100 paint

Then: zinks, oil filters, fuel filters, Oil, Anti-freeze, RV winterizing fluids, Sandpaper, Cetol, waxed, polishes, etc etc....toss another $500 in there..

What's that...$6520....

That's if nothing breaks, and I haven't left my slip.....or had a beer.

NOW.....I need a Drink!!..

[Superpickle]

OK, thanks.. You DID help..

How do they Calculate cost for a Haul out and clean and paint bottom.. Good stuff not cheep..
I do intend to NOT allow things to Rust/carrode or otherwise Deterierate..Boy, your makeing me use Big words :-0

[Hudsonian]

I keep accurate records of my boating expenditures and have found maintenance, equipment replacement, and insurance expense for my 30' sloop to be $2,800 - $3,000 per year exclusive of sail replacement. I do all my own work including diving to clean the bottom. Its not a cream puff but its clean and everything works. The boat has a market value of about $20K so my maintenance cost is 14-15% per annum plus my labor.
These expenditures do not include dockage, club fees, operating expenses, or depreciation. They do incude replacement of mooring tackle wear items.

[Tempest]

Oh....thanks...hudsonian...I forgot to include insurance...

Add $800. to above...annual costs..

In Addition!!! ...in the last 5 years...on my now 25 year old boat...I have:

Replaced both mainsail and headsail...roughly $ 5m
Added GPS...$1,000...plus installation materials..
replaced both batteries...approx $ 70 apiece
replaced Heat exchanger $400 plus related hoses
replaced all hoses and clamps to thru hulls
re-built head ...this kit was actually reasonable...at about $60. with great results
replaced all the running rigging...halyards, sheets, reefing lines, control lines.
Re-finished the cabin sole...using " Ultimate Sole"
stepped the mast and replaced sheives up top and on the boom
Replaced the anchor light with a Tri-colored LED light..with a solar cell for anchor lt.
Replaced Steaming light and deck light
spreader boots,
Replaced all the cushions throughout the cabin
added two stainless steel fishing rod holders
Inflatable dinghy purchase
Outboard motor purchase
rebuilt conditioned and lubed all lewmar winches...lewmar kit.
Added Wind Speed
Added Fuse block to remove all direct connections to the batteries.
replaced the stereo
purchased a Gale Sail
Added a Spade anchor and new rode...to my collection of Danforths

I Love my Boat.....lol...

[Fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Superpickle

How do they Calculate cost for a Haul out and clean and paint bottom.. Good stuff not cheep..

Yards have a formula to figure an estimate for a bottom job, based on boat size. In the Bay Area, figure about $2300-$2500 for a bottom job with two coats of Petit Trinidad for a 35-footer.