Greetings fellow mariners.
I mentioned earlier in the blog about boat clubs when I introduced you to Powerboat Club UK and Freedom Boat Club. I was at the Southampton Boatshow last week and came across two more boat clubs to add to the list. I thought it time to investigate a little deeper to see if it really did represent value for money.
The 1st question I asked was, how many times does the average owner take their boat out for fun over a year. Having looked at several surveys and talked with many owners in the local marina, I ended up with a range of figures between 20 and 40 days depending on the boats location.
Let us look at the actual cost of owning a boat As an example, let us say your boat costs around £15,000
Annual fees to consider (these are best guess based on local marina prices, I expect it will vary depending on where you are in the UK).
Marina fees up to 6.5m £3650 6.6 - 8m £4600
If looking for a prime location marina it could go up to over £6000 a year for an 8m vessel.
Maintenance £400 - possibly more as your boat ages
Insurance £550 - will go up if you make a claim
Training and support £350 - assuming you do one or two days a year skill development (PB L2 course, VHF course, day skipper, sea survival to name but a few)
Depreciation (10%) £1500
Cost of the Capital ?
Annual Total £ 6400 - £7050 ish
If you are not keeping it on the water, or drystack you will need a secure storage and a trailer lock, ball hitch, plus a cover, trailer maintenance, a vehicle man enough to tow, launch and recover it - many launch sites require a 4WD vehicle and the added fuel because you are towing, don’t forget to add the trailer to your vehicle recovery organisation and the added costs all those will bring. Don’t forget to add a coastal flare pack to your list £140.00 or an electronic flare/strobe anywhere between £85 - £140 depending on what you go for.
Does your driving licence allow you to tow? If not, you will need to take another test.
Plus the initial outlay, plus the considerable time spent organising all of the above and then there is the relentless cleaning and making sure she is ok throughout the year. These costs could make a significant difference to your decision making process.
What does that mean in real terms? Let us look at a comparison between owning and belonging.
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Your boat
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Boat club member
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You arrange
The servicing
Fuelling of the boat
Boat cleaning
Repairs
Boat launching
Insurance
Misc boat works
Training support you sort on your own
Discovering the local area - on your own
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Boat club
They service her
They fuel her
They clean her
They repair her
They launch her
They insure her
They sort it
They give it to you
They take you on a guided tour
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Now let's look at belonging to a boat club. Some are listed below, in no particular order. All these clubs run on a 12 month contract.
Pure Latitude, 2 main bases at Hamble and Lymington with some additional locations such as Windsor and Plymouth. The initial joining fee is £959 the annual membership is £7500. With access to sail and power vessels. Fuel is included for sail and riverboats but charged at cost for motorboats, there is a charge for running engines - see their website for more details. Like many boat clubs, there is a social calendar as well as training to enjoy. Membership buys you points to use as you see fit. Typically 15 to 20 days depending on the vessel and time of year you wish to use it. Their website explains it in much more detail purelatitude
Freedom Boat Club, UK bases, Hythe Marina Village, Swanwick on the Hamble River, Chertsey on the River Thames, Loch Lomond, Windermere and Torquay.
They have Weekday (£350) or full membership (£450) options per month with a one off joining fee of £4500 with a reciprocal worldwide access offers, their website gives more detail. freedom boat club
Boat Club Trafalgar based in Portsmouth. No joining fee just a monthly fee, top of the range vessels £710 per month or their best value plan £435 per month.
Plus any fuel you use.
Operating area is the Solent plus Chichester and Langstone harbours.
They offer social evenings, and navigation events along with passage planning help. They have a range of vessels in their fleet between 6 - 8m. If you use the enquiry voucher, you get 1 month free. Like many boat clubs, there is a social calendar as well as training to enjoy. There is a twist to this club over the others, in as much as they ask for no initial joining fee, you get unlimited booking, guided trips, club events, no extra costs (other than the fuel you use), along with the usual instruction available to enhance your skills. Boat Club Trafalgar
Power Boat Club UK
Based out of Poole Harbour
Two membership levels, One to use Jet Skis only the other offers their whole fleet along with the schooling and social events similar to the other clubs listed here.
Jet skis - Joining fee £300 plus £210 per month plus a refundable damage deposit of £500
Whole fleet - Joining fee £1600 plus £750 per month Damage deposit of £1500
Membership of the clubs breakdown in alphabetical order
Does it represent value for money? Having an asset you could sell if needed, using it for however many days you can get it out, or access to a top of the line fleet of boats when you want it with no surprise costs. That is only a question you can answer for yourself. Whatever you decide, keep safe and have a great time out on the water.