Our Born Again Boater tells us all about his new toy
Do we need to justify our spending? Must we account for every chunk of money? Sadly, for those of us of limited means, the answer has to be yes. It’s a responsible attitude to finances that helps put us in a position to buy boats in the first place after all. But of course, there’s always room for a little man-maths in the spreadsheet.
For me, several reasons came into play to justify this move to a (much) larger and more expensive boat. On a practical level, after three very successful years with my Skibsplast 660D, a 21-year-old 21ft cuddy cabin boat fitted with a single TAMD 22P 106hp diesel engine, we were just starting to butt up against its limitations a little too often. Something bigger, faster and newer would broaden our horizons, metaphorically and literally, giving us the ability to cruise further faster, and stay on board when we got there.
On a financial level, due to the coarse jumps between berth sizes in my marina, I’m already paying for an 8m berth. A larger single diesel shouldn’t cost much more to service, and it’ll require a bit more antifoul. We’re not talking quantum leaps in costs here. I figured that an 8m diesel cruiser would only cost 10-15% more to run yet offer 100% more ability. There may be some man-maths at play here… The final push was the drop in the interest base rate to 0.25%, swiftly followed by a drop in savings rates. Suddenly I was getting 0.35% interest on my ISA. £40,000 (my potential new boat fund) was earning me a frankly insulting £140 a year. What’s the point?
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Lofoten or Bust- Part 4- Grandezza owner Per Harrtoft heads back to Sweden after an epic 3500nm adventure deep into the Arctic Circle to visit the mythical Lofoten islands
After ten memorable days in the Lofoten Islands in the far north of Norway, we are on our way back south towards Sweden. We have already made it as far as Trondheim, a charming place even if it was raining so hard we had to cycle round the city centre clutching umbrellas. But now we are back on board Deamare, our Grandezza 40 Fly, eating up the miles at a steady 31 knots.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YACHT TRANSPORT
As the name suggests it's a means of having your boat moved professionally from one location to another. It might be as simple as hiring someone to tow your RIB a few miles down the road or as complex as shipping a superyacht halfway around the world.
HANDLE A SINGLE SHAFTDRIVE BOAT PART 1
Single shaftdrive boats are relatively rare these days but the reduced costs of buying, servicing and fuelling such a simple but reliable drivetrain does mean they are making a bit of a comeback.
COCKWELLS MOTOR LAUNCH
There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time.
INSTALLING AN AUTOPILOT
Rick Channon makes solo boating simple with a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot
GOOD AS NEW
Why fit a brand new engine when Volvo Penta's remanufacturing service can rebuild you an old one to the same standard for a fraction of the price?
BENETEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 54
Alex Smith heads to France's Beneteau HQ for a UK exclusive on what might just be the best Swift Trawler yet
ΧΟ EXPLR 44
Can XO's all-new aluminium flagship really make it big in the Med?
BUYING OUR FIRST CLASSIC
Instead of whiling away their retirement playing bowls, Rob and Shona Adams decided to invest their time and money in a classic Silver gentleman's yacht. Would the gamble pay off?
PRINCESS S65
Torn between the V and F Class flagships? The new S65 might be the boat you've been waiting for...
