Once the boat is yours, the costs that come round every year begin. Knowing them in advance also tells you what length and equipment to look at. The amounts vary widely from boat to boat, but the headings are much the same on all of them.
The berth
In Turkey a boat's summer base and winter base are often different places. It spends the summer in the Aegean or on the south coast, moored stern-to or on a laid mooring (a block on the seabed with a line led up), and usually sits out the winter somewhere else. You cost the two places separately.
The berthing fee is worked out on the length stated on the boat's registration document. The marina's location, the season and its services move the price. The contract can be annual, seasonal or daily. Some marinas bill electricity and water separately. Other marinas you call at while cruising are a separate item. If the winter base is in another region, add the fuel and the captain's fee for taking the boat down every spring and back every autumn.
Wintering and haul-out
For the winter most boats are hauled out and stand ashore on hardstanding, while some stay afloat. A haul-out has its own charges: the lift, the cradle, the hardstanding and the relaunch. Hardstanding is also charged on the registered length, by the day. Storage under cover is possible too. The boat is better protected from the sun and the winter, and the fee reflects that. The underwater maintenance is done while the boat is ashore: the hull is cleaned, the antifouling renewed and the anodes changed.
Maintenance
Maintenance is the most regular item. Servicing of the engines and the generator depends on both running hours and the calendar, so some of it is done every year even if you hardly use the boat. The drive system, the batteries, the air conditioning and water systems, the teak deck, the upholstery and the polish make up the rest. The liferaft, the fire extinguishers and the flares are checked or renewed at set intervals.
Putting maintenance off for a year lowers that year's bill and makes next year's job bigger. Setting a sum aside for unexpected repairs makes life easier.
Insurance and official costs
The insurance premium varies with the boat's value, its age, the cruising area and the scope of the cover. Then there are annual official costs such as registry fees and the radio licence. If the boat is registered to a company, the company's accounting and renewal costs belong in the budget too. Which obligations fall to you depends on the flag and on your personal circumstances, and you settle that with your tax adviser.
Fuel, running costs and the captain
Fuel depends on how far you go and how fast. The same boat burns little on a gentle cruise and far more on a fast passage. A boat with a fouled bottom also uses more fuel over the same distance, so renewing the antifouling on time shows up in the fuel bill as well. If you run the boat with a captain, the captain's pay and the legal obligations that come with it are among the largest items. Whether the captain works all year or only in the season changes this item from the outset. Even if you run the boat yourself, you will usually need someone at the marina to check and clean it regularly. Consumables and the internet connection on board are small costs, but they never stop.
An estimate for a particular boat
Annual cost is decided mostly by the boat's length, age, equipment and how much it is used. Stabilisers, a generator, air conditioning and a watermaker add comfort, and they add to the maintenance load. For a particular boat, the soundest estimate comes from the maintenance and marina invoices of the last few years, and for the boats on your shortlist we ask the seller's broker for them.
You pay the purchase price once, and these items come round every year.
