What Does It Cost To Own a Boat?

Yacht brokers get this question all the time, what will it cost to own this boat? Although this will change depending on where you will keeping the boat, lets briefly go over the 4 cost of boat ownership.

 

While some will pay cash for a boat, others will finance though a marine lender. Lets assume you’re purchasing a new or less than a 5 year old boat; prepare to put 20%-25% down on a 20 year loan with today’s rates being around 5.5% (don’t forget about sales tax). Monthly loan payments work out to be around $700/month per $100k borrowed. This means on a $215,000 loan amount (what an Oceanis 35.1 would be), you will be paying roughly $1,500 a month including sales tax financing. 

 

Rates will change depending on the marine and size of slip but roughly $22 a foot per month is the going rate in San Diego. Rates will also very depending on location and amenities like a work out facility, pool, spa, restaurant, age of marina, etc. 

 

Insurance rates will go up or down depending on how and where you will use the boat, type of boat, and your loss history. That said, privately sailed boats pay roughly .75% of the hull value in annual premiums. Boats placed into charter are charged roughly doubled because of the increased liability. The owner of a new Oceanis 35.1 in charter can expect to pay roughly $315 a month in insurance and half that for privately owned boats. 

 

The cost of maintaining a boat is going to depend on the age of the boat. Older boats are going to require more maintenance as systems, sails, and rigging are ready for replacement. Lets take a newer boat as an example and take the length of the boat and multiply it by $10. This says a 35′ sailboat will cost an average of $350 month in maintenance. This formula takes into account larger projects like wood work, buff/wax as well as small projects like monthly bottom clean.

This means it cost roughly $1,275 a month to operate a new Beneteau Oceanis 35.1 plus a mortgage payment of about $1,500 for a total cost of around $2,800 a month. Placed into charter at Harbor Sailboats, this boat would cost an owner less than $1,200 a month because of the revenue generated from charters.

 

For a complete pro forma on all available charter programs, contact our yacht sales department today!