Budgeting the Cost of Boat Ownership

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BandB

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For those who budget other aspects of their lives, this is pretty straight forward. For those who don't budget anything, this may be like a foreign language. Regardless, I shall tread into these dangerous waters.

Some aspects are easy and others far more difficult. Step one is just to make sure one is considering all aspects of ownership and not overlooking an item that could shock them. I budget for one simple reason, I don't like surprises.

Purchase Price

The biggest thing here is to add in all the costs anticipated in the first year to get the boat to where you want it. More than any other boating costs, these tend to be drastically underestimated. Don't assume more DIY than possible. Look at yard rates too.

Depreciation, Interest, Mortgage
Mortgage and interest on a financed boat are easy to calculate. One pitfall is many are sold on financing based on the interest being tax deductible. Careful, as it is deductible but only by itemizing and benefits you only by the amount it increases your deduction. Fewer and fewer people each year are able to benefit.

Transport
This is typically a one time expenditure at purchase for getting the boat home. However, some boaters do want to shift cruising grounds later and that incurs a cost.

Dockage
There are two components here. First is your home dock. Second, is docking while cruising. In both cases don't overlook electric, water, cable, trash, pump out and any other costs. Also consider size of boat. Not only does a bigger boat give more linear feet but often the price per foot increases as the size does. If you intend to anchor while cruising, don't overlook places you might use mooring and the occasional marina.

Fuel
Base it on anticipated and desired usage. Don't assume you will always run at the most economical speed, use a balance. And, don't assume today's fuel prices will stay. Here like everywhere else in budgeting you need to allow for inflation. Also, don't overlook fuel for your generator or for your dinghy.

Routine Engine Maintenance
This may vary widely based on location, brand of engine, number of engines and what work you will DIY vs. using yards. Start with the owners manual and recommended maintenance schedule. Talk to some mechanics or yards about prices. Don't overlook the prices of filters, impellers, and fluids. Engines should include your generator.

Contingency Engine Maintenance
Things will break. Talk to other owners about major expenditures they've had. While you may not need a rebuild, you will at some point have some unexpected service requirements. As to a rebuild, at least know worse case and have a contingency plan if it ever comes to that.

Other Equipment Maintenance
Every piece of equipment will at some point require maintenance. Repair of shafts and propellers can be very expensive. Don't overlook electronics repairs, stabilizers, thrusters, toilets, holding tanks and pumps, watermakers, refrigerators, laundry equipment, oven, dishwasher. If it can break, it will. Your best source is crowd sourcing owners of similar boats, but be specific in what you're asking so it's comprehensive.

Electronics
Consider the likelihood of upgrades and the costs as well as the costs of updating charts and software. Electronics have shorter lives in general than most other boat equipment. Much has built in planned obsolescence.

Deck, interior, hull and superstructure routine maintenanceThis would be cleaning, diving, including supplies if you do it yourself. If teak or other wood, the maintenance of it. Include bottom painting at whatever frequency is required. Do not underestimate the cost of any haul outs.

Major on deck, interior, hull and superstructure
Know the costs of replacing the teak deck or painting the entire boat, the cost of redecorating the interior if there's the possibility of that need arising.

Dinghy and toys
These items have initial costs but then often have limited lives. If the outboard is old, what is the cost to replace? Will you be satisfied with what comes with the boat or want something new? What about kayaks, bicycles?

Communications and equipment
Satellite tv? Internet? Subscriptions and equipment. Cellular phones with additional phones for different areas? Cost of data. New televisions, tablets, computers.

Insurance
Find out what others are paying but also what it includes. What will be your cruising ground? Will there be surcharges?

Taxes and Licenses
This starts with purchase and sales tax, but I consider that a cost of the boat. Property taxes vary significantly on location. Consider your present location but also future plans. Add in registration and documentation, then include cruising fees and customs fees for places you might go. This would include canal permits too from the NY Canal system to the Panama Canal. Many are shocked at the charge in the Bahamas, so don't overlook it.

Shipping, postal, etc.
If you're cruising, there will be a cost for handling your mail.

Travel and lodging
These are the costs of traveling to and from your boat if any. Some leave their boat away from home periodically. Also, costs of lodging while boat is on the hard.

Ordinary Costs of Living
There is a tendency to say that this will be the same as if on land. Only if you maintain the exact same lifestyle. Some find it much less expensive as they eat for less and don't incur auto expenses as much. However, if you check out all the fine restaurants in San Francisco or New York, go to the opera or a Broadway musical, it will be more. Don't overlook entertainment costs. It's a shame if you go to great places but don't enjoy them because you didn't anticipate the cost. Also, anticipate guests and any arrangements there. Perhaps it will be less than when you're home on land, or perhaps more.

Recommendation
My recommendation is to take one's best shot at all these things and then add some level of contingency, 10-20% perhaps. Budgets are just projections, but by having one at least you'll know where your initial estimates are high or low. The biggest purpose of all this is to be able to enjoy whatever boat you buy without feeling financially stressed. If one boat is stretching your tolerance and resources, then enjoy a boat that will not.

The best time to get a feel for costs is prior to purchase. To me, boating pleasure is greatly enhanced by knowing, even the surprises, I planned for. I build reserves for major items, either on paper, or actually in a bank account.

I'm sure I've overlooked some items others consider important and I hope they'll be added. Also, I hope some will note the areas that have cost them far more or far less than they anticipated.
 
“No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.”
—Helmuth von Moltke

but

“Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
—General Dwight D Eisenhower
 
We don't budget. Don't even think about it. If I have to add it up I can't afford it.

I think there is a problem with boat buyers though. I think they often buy a boat they can afford to buy, but not afford to maintain
 
We don't budget. Don't even think about it. If I have to add it up I can't afford it. ...................

My feelings as well. If the cost of owning and operating a boat is going to have a serious impact on your income or wealth, you can't afford it.

When we head out on a cruise, I do keep track of fuel and marina costs but I don't use these as a basis for where we go or how long we stay out. It's just a summary to go along with the cruising story. I can go for months on my own boat for less than a week on a cruise ship. ;)
 
Aren't there lower-income full-time liveaboards like in the RV and sailing world that chose the lifestyle, cheaper than renting or owning/maintaining a sticks 'n bricks home?
 
BandB,

A good start.
 
Greetings,
Mr. BB. HAH! Who keeps track?

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If you have never owned a boat then it can be quite difficult to figure future costs. After owning boats for quite a few years the budgeting can be very close to the future reality. Since we collect all costs in quicken they are easy to review and update for whatever we were doing over that time period providing a good basis for future budgets.
 
Aren't there lower-income full-time liveaboards like in the RV and sailing world that chose the lifestyle, cheaper than renting or owning/maintaining a sticks 'n bricks home?

Yes, but do they use pump out facilities or just dump their sewage overboard? ;)
 
I just helped a friend locate and buy a boat. During the initial planning stages I mentioned the cost of the survey.

He said he could not believe that he would spend almost $1500 only to potentially walk away from the boat if the survey was bad. I told him if he couldn't afford to walk away from $1500 then he had no business buying a boat of that size. It sank in and he got a great boat.

I have always figured that the boat will cost me 10% of the purchase price per year to keep and maintain. I added it up once and told my wife that if I ever did that again I would sell the boat.

In the end you can make memories or you can make excuses.
 
I know this will piss off a bunch of people but I remember something from Clark Howard's personal finance radio show probably fifteen years ago that stuck with me - about vehicles - "If you can't afford to pay for it in two or three years, you can't afford it". Rapidly depreciating assets should not be leveraged heavily. It is absolutely insane to me folks who spend 10-20% of of their nest egg on something like a boat (or RV)

Also:

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" - Mike Tyson.
 
Unless it becomes your home, and you would otherwise be spending more on the land-based version.

Most people spend 30+% of their income on housing, add in utilities, likely tax savings, not needing a car, probably adds up pretty quickly to making sense for many financially, if it's also the lifestyle you want.
 
I find no joy in knowing where every penny went, so I don't keep track. If I kept track of what I spent on my boat, I would likely realize I couldn't afford it :rolleyes: . So I'm probably a lot happier not knowing......I know my wife is. ;)

Ted
 
I find no joy in knowing where every penny went, so I don't keep track. If I kept track of what I spent on my boat, I would likely realize I couldn't afford it :rolleyes: . So I'm probably a lot happier not knowing......I know my wife is. ;)

Ted

Ain't that the truth,..all of it.. And my wife does not ever ask for any receipt either, except for something that may have a warranty attached to it. Then it goes in a dedicated envelope with the manual, if applicable.

While I will never own a boat bigger than probably 28 to 30 ft, I don't float a loan on a hole in the water . ;) This also applies to any and all power for it if the need arises . We have done big boat traveling until we had our fill of it, and have been beat up cause we had to more than we would like to talk about. Now its just purely pleasure,,,

Oh and with every boat its the same ole song, "Its our last one". Dang drugs are addicting you know.:lol:
 
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B&B
Great point and start for the budget check list.
My point on a related thread...this is a much better approach than asking for a % of purchase price for estimating annual cost.
For those that don't wanr to know costs thats ok ypu are likely within whats acceptable for you. For those considering getting into serious boating good to go with eyes wide open and to hsve an idea what it will really cost vs just purchase price.
 
Sadly, I have just about every receipt I've spent on this boat in the past 11 years, scanned to a series of PDF files, as well as a Quickbooks full accounting of every dime. I don't even want to know the total.
 
Don't know & don't care to budget.

Paid cash for the boat and never looked back.

Considering how much money I used to waste on alcohol and cigarettes (with their negative impacts on myself and my family) I can honestly say we are light years ahead despite the monetary costs of having a boat.

Quality of life improvement and memories made have more 'value' than money anyway, and our daughter now knows in her bones what an amazing place we live in :thumb: :thumb:
 
It is absolutely insane to me folks who spend 10-20% of of their nest egg on something like a boat (or RV)

Why not???

Simple fact is that we are all going to grow old, and we are all going to die.

If you have plenty put away for a nice retirement, why not spend the rest?

We all get this one shot at life, and the old saying is true... You cant take it with you.

So why not put the excess in a boat, or a RV, or spend it on good whiskey, or whatever else you want...
 
Regardless, don't believe borrowing money for toys is a wise thing, unless the toy will be your only residence. (By the way, California's governor Brown is proposing the elimination of tax deductions for a second home, which for some, is their boat.)

Still, enjoy life.

 
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My education and early background was financial so certainly that plays a huge role in how I look at things. I ran companies with budgets and with plans.

We don't obsess over home or boat expenditures, but we do like having an idea of how much we'll probably spend. Nothing stops us from spending more or less. It has nothing to do with what we can afford, just liking to know where money is going, how we're using it. Some aspects are interesting. We've spent less on maintenance than we anticipated and definitely spent less the first few years on fuel. I remember budgeting $4/gallon.

My wife's introduction to accounting all came from me, but she understands financial statements of our business and she likes being able to see where we're spending money personally.

While I personally don't like the idea of assuming debt for recreation (don't really like debt period), I will not go so far as to say one shouldn't. For many that's the only way to get into boating. I will just say they need to look carefully at the total costs and not put themselves into a position that the boat becomes a key part of stress in their lives.

Budgeting and tracking also allows us to make smarter future decisions or to change things positively. Must we budget? No. It's just something we like doing. Staying within a budget isn't critical for us. However, it is for many, especially first time buyers, and I've seen too many people sour quickly on boating over the shock of dollars going out. When purchasing too there are many areas that one can directly impact by decisions they make up front.
 
Why not???

Simple fact is that we are all going to grow old, and we are all going to die.

If you have plenty put away for a nice retirement, why not spend the rest?

We all get this one shot at life, and the old saying is true... You cant take it with you.

So why not put the excess in a boat, or a RV, or spend it on good whiskey, or whatever else you want...

Exactly! :thumb:
That's why they call it discretionary spending!

I think the point is we all have to somehow figure when we have enough tucked away and how we want to spend the rest on our passions.
We don't need to count every nickel - just have an idea of our comfort level for the discretionary things
 
I know this will piss off a bunch of people but I remember something from Clark Howard's personal finance radio show probably fifteen years ago that stuck with me - about vehicles - "If you can't afford to pay for it in two or three years, you can't afford it". Rapidly depreciating assets should not be leveraged heavily. It is absolutely insane to me folks who spend 10-20% of of their nest egg on something like a boat (or RV)

While I personally don't like the idea of assuming debt for recreation (don't really like debt period), I will not go so far as to say one shouldn't. For many that's the only way to get into boating. I will just say they need to look carefully at the total costs and not put themselves into a position that the boat becomes a key part of stress in their lives.


Following is heavily influenced by several life events.

Life's too short, and then you die.

We could have saved for maybe 20 years or so, retired, bought the boat, and died the next year.

Financing isn't for everyone, and the eventual over-all cost of a financed boat is... well, I don't wanna look at that number....

But then we didn't want to retire and die the next day, either.

Borrowing to buy a boat isn't financially sound, for many.

But then many retire and die, boatless. Not only boatless, but without several boating years under their belt.

I can't recommend the trade-off; I can only suggest that trade-offs exist, situations differ, and the decision ends up being unique and personal...

-Chris
 
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There are so many possibilities for people owning boats that any one set of views is nearsighted.

Buying and living aboard a boat allowed me to keep and make my then current job easier.

It allowed me to stay near where my son lived....

And it allowed me to build back my finances after a terrible stretch and live a great lifestyle. All my rich friends kept telling me I was living the dream while they toiled at work....despite my toiling of reviving a pretty beat up boat....but capable of going to Florida every winter thankfully.

That worked for me in my situation...certainly not for others. If you followed some posters logic...you can see that thinking outside the box isnt there.

But the premise that it needs to be thought through, and many more angles covered that it appears to newbies is certainly valid. How it is accomplished is where even some experienced boaters who have never done it don't get it.
 
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My education and early background was financial so certainly that plays a huge role in how I look at things. I ran companies with budgets and with plans.

We don't obsess over home or boat expenditures, but we do like having an idea of how much we'll probably spend. Nothing stops us from spending more or less. It has nothing to do with what we can afford, just liking to know where money is going, how we're using it. Some aspects are interesting. We've spent less on maintenance than we anticipated and definitely spent less the first few years on fuel. I remember budgeting $4/gallon.

My wife's introduction to accounting all came from me, but she understands financial statements of our business and she likes being able to see where we're spending money personally.

While I personally don't like the idea of assuming debt for recreation (don't really like debt period), I will not go so far as to say one shouldn't. For many that's the only way to get into boating. I will just say they need to look carefully at the total costs and not put themselves into a position that the boat becomes a key part of stress in their lives.

Budgeting and tracking also allows us to make smarter future decisions or to change things positively. Must we budget? No. It's just something we like doing. Staying within a budget isn't critical for us. However, it is for many, especially first time buyers, and I've seen too many people sour quickly on boating over the shock of dollars going out. When purchasing too there are many areas that one can directly impact by decisions they make up front.

:thumb:here the same education and working life had a big turnkey projects where the budget is always the responsibility, first to calculate the offer, then build and control the schedule and budget of each and every battle, that the budget to keep. I think the same life in general, and boating. I have never bought on credit cars, boats, etc. toys, rather saved up and bought the money to buy. This strategy worked as well through my life.

I have a boat and the annual budget, it must have been pretty well as long as I can remember (over 10):rolleyes: For several years, the budget remained unused and transfer it for future years, for this reason I can buy new if someone breaks down and I can stay in my budget;)
 
There are so many possibilities for people owning boats that any one set of views is nearsighted.

Buying and living aboard a boat allowed me to keep and make my then current job easier.

It allowed me to stay near where my son lived....

And it allowed me to build back my finances after a terrible stretch and live a great lifestyle. All my rich friends kept telling me I was living the dream while they toiled at work....despite my toiling of reviving a pretty beat up boat....but capable of going to Florida every winter thankfully.

That worked for me in my situation...certainly not for others. If you followed some posters logic...you can see that thinking outside the box isnt there.

But the premise that it needs to be thought through, and many more angles covered that it appears to newbies is certainly valid. How it is accomplished is where even some experienced boaters who have never done it don't get it.
:thumb: nicely stated.
 
Many of us budget for the important things in life: our house, our retirement, our kids education, our vehicles, so why not our boats?

With a low interest rate, there is nothing wrong with financing. The key is to never be underwater on the loan, so that you can sell the item if your situation changes. Bought my last vehicle (RAM 1500) four years ago for 24% off the MSRP. With 1.9% financing, I stretched out the loan for six years. Could have gone with a shorter loan, but with a kid in college made more sense to bank the money for her college expenses.

I get a kick out of financial advisors who say in order to maximize your retirement income, you should work until you turn 70. What bupkis. You should retire when you are financially comfortable to do so. Personally while I'm eligible to retire now, I'll reach that comfort point when I turn 62.

With our last house payment coming up this year and our daughter graduating for college next month, I'm beginning to plan for our new (to us) boat. Estimating all the boating costs, will help decide how much money we can spend up front for the boat.

In 1988, my Dad bought a very nice 2 year old sailboat. We guess the boat was used about six times and then the owner defaulted on the loan and the boat went back to the bank. We believe that the boat went back to the bank because the owner could not afford to keep her. Likely scenario was that the owner went to the boat show, was smitten by the boat and believed the salesmen when he told them the boat would cost x dollars a month. While it did cost x dollars per month for the boat, it also cost y dollars per month to keep her.

Jim
 
Thanks BandB, you've reminded me to add a few items to my spreadsheet. For my wife and I, budgeting the Capex and 1 year Opex is critical since we're not financing and we don't like being ignorant of our savings and cash flow.
 
Have never budgeted for any boats I have owned, and probably never will. I went thru your list as it pertains to my newly purchased boat and stopped at $80k outside of purchase price :ermm: If I had numbers like that in front of me before I thought about doing what I'm doing. . .I wouldn't have done what I have done :thumb:

To be fair though, some of that list is "budget" and some of it strikes me as "crap hitting the fan" expensive stuff breaking.

When I went boat shopping, I had an idea of what some of the major maintenance items were, some upgrades I wanted to do, and had the costs in the back of my head of a couple expensive items that might need to be replaced. I'm used to spending on dockage and insurance for my sailboat, so that's basically factored in since it is a minor increase. But that's it :popcorn:

But on the other hand, since I live on my boat, I don't have to split my boat money out of housing/mortgage/rent money for a land based dwelling. There is more discretionary spending available at the end of the month for me, so it doesn't hurt as much if if something comes up :angel:
 
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