It cost me less to fly my wife and I to Lord Howe Island for 6 nights than sailing over with mates for 5 nights.
But I went out in Havefun today to prepare for a trip next month up to Broughton Is. This cruise will cost victuals and a bit of a marina fee. Sailing in other people's boats is going to be great.
So true your title (opening) line.
It's the journey that matters, not the destination.
Owning a house / having a mortgage / renting / working for the man is a more expensive way to get nowhere.................................
Owning your home from the 1970's onwards has been the way that 'baby boomers' have become wealthy relative to all others.
'Old money' and entrepreneurs excepted.
Select to expand quoteJolene said..
Not too sure I agree
I find a week away in our boat costs next to nothing
You are doing very well then. In the 15 years I owned Morning Bird she cost me $91,269, not including purchase costs.
Some breakdowns over the 15 years, I kept records to the cent;
Anti fouling $17,130.41
Insurance $14,516.54
Prop and shaft $10,836.80 (a build defect I couldn't live with offshore that I should have done right the first time, but I didn't know what was right at the time. Should have been $5,000)
Sails and rig $14,676.52 (Two rerigs and one set of new sails. The 1st rerig I put against the cost of buying her budget as I knew it would be needed but include here)
Engine repairs and service $3,743.92
Mooring services $4,065.98
Mooring fee (RMS) $6,588.52 (in Pittwater and the harbour west of the bridge, I get a military veterans discount)
I did nearly all maintenance and services myself.
I paid $37,000 for her and sold her for $42,500.
It was worth every penny, but it did cost.
$120/week ...or $6000/week MorningBird. Not too bad. Equivalent to owning a sports bike or car....
Select to expand quoteMorningBird said..Jolene said..
Not too sure I agree
I find a week away in our boat costs next to nothing
You are doing very well then. In the 15 years I owned Morning Bird she cost me $91,269, not including purchase costs.
Some breakdowns over the 15 years, I kept records to the cent;
Anti fouling $17,130.41
Insurance $14,516.54
Prop and shaft $10,836.80 (a build defect I couldn't live with offshore that I should have done right the first time, but I didn't know what was right at the time. Should have been $5,000)
Sails and rig $14,676.52 (Two rerigs and one set of new sails. The 1st rerig I put against the cost of buying her budget as I knew it would be needed but include here)
Engine repairs and service $3,743.92
Mooring services $4,065.98
Mooring fee (RMS) $6,588.52 (in Pittwater and the harbour west of the bridge, I get a military veterans discount)
I did nearly all maintenance and services myself.
I paid $37,000 for her and sold her for $42,500.
It was worth every penny, but it did cost.
Those figures are mind blowing , the light has been turned on and we see the truth 
Many years ago the NRMA put out a "Guide to Boating" and in the preface it said that before continuing to read everybody should understand that no private individual has a logical reason to own a boat.
I think it still holds true. 
Others say that sailing is equivalent to standing in a cold shower with a rain coat on while tearing up $100 bills.
Select to expand quotesimmrr said..
$120/week ...or $6000/week MorningBird. Not too bad. Equivalent to owning a sports bike or car....
I can give an authoritative answer to that question too, owning 3 classic sportcars.
Triumph TR2 1954, bought Feb 76. paid $4,000 (a lot then, they saw me coming), now worth about $32-35,000. Average maintenance costs $60/month. This car is my daily driver, has been for 45 years.
Triumph TR6 1970, bought 2016, paid $30,000 now worth $40-42,000. Spent $6,900 on various bits and pieces to fix and improve it.
Average maintenance costs $60/month.
Triumph TR2 1954, bought 2017, paid $13,000, spent $56,000 (and about 5,000 of my hours) restoring it to concours standard. Now owes me $69,000 and worth $80-120,000 (higher if sold overseas). No maintenance costs yet as it is a new car.
In the last 12 months I have spent exactly $4,423.05 on maintenance, registration and insurance for all 3 cars. Two cars are on Historic registration $45 pa each.
This includes the daily driver, if I didn't use it I'd have to have another car.
Classic car ownership is cheap if you do the work yourself, a labour of love for me. Boat ownership is expensive both in ongoing expenditure and that they aren't appreciating. I got a bit more for MB than I paid, but it was a much better boat I sold than I bought.
Like Morning Bird, the pleasure and experiences they have given me (and with the cars my wife) are priceless.
To the thread title: " and almost the slowest way to get anywhere bar walking".
Thanks MB for the long term cost breakdown, this information is such gold, hats off to you for your meticulous record keeping.
Yep, sailing and boating in general where never cheap past times. It helps when you can do all the work yourself. Paying people to do work on your boat is a fantastic way to loose mass money in a short period of time. I prefer to not calculate how much money i have spent on boats, but when i think back to all the memories, i think i can justify it all.
Select to expand quoteDrogueOne said..
To the thread title: " and almost the slowest way to get anywhere bar walking".
Thanks MB for the long term cost breakdown, this information is such gold, hats off to you for your meticulous record keeping.
Its all on an Excel spreadsheet. I've always been anal about finances.
the trick is ( not that i'm doing it now) is living on the boat then that $120 looks like next to free Morning Bird! and you get to swap lawn mowing and gutter cleaning for boat maintenance!
other than that hard to justify with anything but "i just want one" not that there's anything wrong with that.
Select to expand quoteMorningBird said..Jolene said..
Not too sure I agree
I find a week away in our boat costs next to nothing
You are doing very well then. In the 15 years I owned Morning Bird she cost me $91,269, not including purchase costs.
Some breakdowns over the 15 years, I kept records to the cent;
Anti fouling $17,130.41
Insurance $14,516.54
Prop and shaft $10,836.80 (a build defect I couldn't live with offshore that I should have done right the first time, but I didn't know what was right at the time. Should have been $5,000)
Sails and rig $14,676.52 (Two rerigs and one set of new sails. The 1st rerig I put against the cost of buying her budget as I knew it would be needed but include here)
Engine repairs and service $3,743.92
Mooring services $4,065.98
Mooring fee (RMS) $6,588.52 (in Pittwater and the harbour west of the bridge, I get a military veterans discount)
I did nearly all maintenance and services myself.
I paid $37,000 for her and sold her for $42,500.
It was worth every penny, but it did cost.
Just over a hundred a week , cheap for a hobby, or cheap for a home .
So is the thread about the cost of a boat or the cost of sailing your boat...??
Driving your car down to the corner store to get milk cost you 60c a km or is it $25000.60 because that's what you have spent on your car.
Select to expand quoteJolene said..
So is the thread about the cost of a boat or the cost of sailing your boat...??
Driving your car down to the corner store to get milk cost you 60c a km or is it $25000.60 because that's what you have spent on your car.
You can't sail the boat without having it and having it ready for your type of sailing. That you didn't spend any money while onboard for a sail isn't particularly relevant.
But for $100 and a bit a week I have gained new skills, have achieved life goals, made good mates, visited places I wouldn't have otherwise. Not a penny was wasted, but numerous pennies were spent.
I reckon half of my expenditure was because I was sailing outside the range of help. If I had stayed coastal I could halve the costs. Less on the rig, less on gear to go offshore, less on windvane steering, less on the hull and drivetrain etc.
