Diving from your own boat vs. a charter

Jeff Dykes · Sep 24, 2018

My very first post here. :happywave:

I'm in a unique position right now in that in a few months I should be in a position to get my own boat if I wish. I've always had an interest in diving, and now that I have three young children, I thought I could combine pleasure boating (for them) and scuba diving (for me). I know that chartering a boat to go out far enough offshore to dive can be expensive; prohibitively so for many, including me. It would seem that having your own boat would really bring those expenses down (unless fuel costs chew up the savings). And you could dive every weekend if you wanted, and stay out as long as you wanted as well. I know there's a lot to be learned yet, but do many of you out there dive from your personal boat? Has it saved money in the long run over chartering a boat through someone else?

Seaweed Doc · Sep 24, 2018

Jeff Dykes:
My very first post here. I'm in a unique position right now in that in a few months I should be in a position to get my own boat if I wish. I've always had an interest in diving, and now that I have three young children, I thought I could combine pleasure boating (for them) and scuba diving (for me). I know that chartering a boat to go out far enough offshore to dive can be expensive; prohibitively so for many, including me. It would seem that having your own boat would really bring those expenses down (unless fuel costs chew up the savings). And you could dive every weekend if you wanted, and stay out as long as you wanted as well. I know there's a lot to be learned yet, but do many of you out there dive from your personal boat? Has it saved money in the long run over chartering a boat through someone else?

I traded in my boat for our first child since we could only afford one baby at a time. On costs: I doubt you'll find it's cost-effective when you consider the total operating cost of the boat. Some of that may depend on details of the boat and moorage vs. trailering. If you're going to own a boat anyway, a lot of that cost is already covered. I can't imagine diving from it will speed wear and tear and depreciation much, so all your talking about is fuel and perhaps slightly shorter maintenance intervals.

In sum: If you would have the boat anyway, cheaper to boat yourself. If you're thinking of getting a boat to save money diving, well, :popcorn:

Wookie · Sep 24, 2018

Hahahahahahah!!! Buying a boat saves you money. Hahahahahahahaha!!

OK, now that I got the dickhead comments out of the way, let me tell you. I have owned a liveaboard for the past 20 years, sold it 2 years ago. I used to dive 2 or 3 times a day then. That's what we did, we went diving, and the boat was properly maintan=ined etc. as a diving liveaboard charter boat.

When I sold the boat I bought a new boat for diving. Not chartering, just diving. It was a working, ready to go, boat. So far we've spent 2 weekends on her, none of them diving. Just owning it has been upwards of 5 grand a month for repairs and upgrades and although I have bought the compressor and dive ladder, they aren't installed yet.

Owning your own boat means you are guaranteed never to be able to use it. Unless you're going to use it for other things, like weekend cruising every weekend, you're going to be spending the vast vast majority of your time fixing it.

If it flies, floats, or another f-word, rent it.

rhwestfall · Sep 24, 2018

Break
Out
Another
Thousand

Wookie · Sep 24, 2018

rhwestfall:
Break
Out
Another
Thousand

We call them "Boat units" because it doesn't hurt so much. Like, "Honey, the new radar will only cost $5,000 for the radar and display" vs. "Wow, it was only 5 boat units"

See?

CuzzA · Sep 24, 2018

Jeff Dykes:
My very first post here. I'm in a unique position right now in that in a few months I should be in a position to get my own boat if I wish. I've always had an interest in diving, and now that I have three young children, I thought I could combine pleasure boating (for them) and scuba diving (for me). I know that chartering a boat to go out far enough offshore to dive can be expensive; prohibitively so for many, including me. It would seem that having your own boat would really bring those expenses down (unless fuel costs chew up the savings). And you could dive every weekend if you wanted, and stay out as long as you wanted as well. I know there's a lot to be learned yet, but do many of you out there dive from your personal boat? Has it saved money in the long run over chartering a boat through someone else?

I don't charter because I want to have fun my way, on my schedule; however, there is simply no way to make the numbers work by owning your own boat. Consider how many two tank trips you could buy for the cost of that offshore boat? Plus insurance, plus repairs, plus fuel, etc.

That said, if you want to have fun your way, on your schedule, buy a boat.

CuzzA · Sep 24, 2018

Wookie:
We call them "Boat units" because it doesn't hurt so much. Like, "Honey, the new radar will only cost $5,000 for the radar and display" vs. "Wow, it was only 5 boat units"

See?

Better to just not tell her at all...

Clayton122 · Sep 24, 2018

The best 2 days of a boat owners life?

The day he buys his boat.

And the day he sells his boat.

Jeff Dykes · Sep 24, 2018

Yes, I would have the boat anyway, if nothing else than for pleasure-boating with my kids (before they grow up and leave the nest). I want them to have happy memories and to get them interested in fishing, skiing and maybe diving in the future. I know boats can be expensive, but I think the enjoyment for them will override the cost. Happiness isn't always measured in dollars. I would get greater enjoyment by spending time with my kids on the water than by sitting at home watching the NFL on TV with a larger bank account. No one takes their money with them in the end. I'll probably wind up selling it when my kids move out.

MaxBottomtime · Sep 24, 2018

I feel extremely fortunate to own a boat that runs well. We've had it for eight years and do most of the work on it ourselves. We recently hauled it out and had a mechanic go over everything for a 900 hour service on the motors, bottom paint, custom dive ladder and a new hydraulic steering pump. That cost a lot, but with insurance, slip fees, fuel costs and maintenance we average about $200 per trip. We don't save much money versus diving from a commercial boat but we can dive when we want and where we want. Our gear stays on the boat so the only hauling we do is to fill tanks at the shop a block from the marina and our cameras.

Owning a dive boat is much more expensive than a car but the rewards have been worth it. I have seen animals I would have never seen on a beach dive and am able to reach wrecks and reefs that commercial boats wouldn't go to for various reasons. Some of the reefs are too small to support more than a few divers at a time.

The initial cost of a boat varies depending on how comfortable you want to be while out on the water and how long you want it to last. We didn't want a yacht with wine racks and air conditioned salons but we also wanted to be out of the elements. A pilot house is perfect for diving, as is the catamaran hull. We don't get rocked around while gearing up in rough seas. Sitting in the sun and wind takes a lot out of you, as does shivering on a windy boat on cold days. Merry insisted on a marine head rather than a port-o-potty. We also have a small refrigerator, stove/heater, queen size V-berth and hot fresh water shower. Those few luxuries make a day of diving much more enjoyable. I added tank racks, dive ladder, stainless anchor which can be seen quite a distance underwater and over 400 feet of chain so I don't have to re-splice the rode every six months. It also holds the boat closer to the dive sites so we don't have to swim as we drop. Other expenses include GPS/Sonar/RADAR and two VHS radios, one handheld. We also carry flares, life jackets, O2 and a first aid kit.

My last boat cost about 20% of the price of our current boat but repair costs were much higher. Buying as nice a boat as we could afford saved us money in the long run.