Bru wrote: >> If the boats are not on British canals, that may suggest that there is >> no demand in Britain for cheap boats. Apollo Duck lists 76 motor boats >> costing less than GBP5000 in the UK; the cheapest is a Dawncraft Dandy >> (in need of restoration) for GBP550. > > Only 76? There used to be *thousands*! > > Maybe there is no demand, I really don't know > > I do know things ain't what they used to be
One of the things about boating is that the fixed costs have become so high. Licenses have shot up, way beyond inflation year on year. The BSS is an apparently random tax to be paid at 3 yearly intervals. There are very few "farmer's field" moorings any more. Insurance is about the only thing that's in the same ball-park as it was when be bought Mintball 20+ years ago. So you're committing to spending a few thousand a year just to keep a boat. That's far more off-putting than buying one for two or three times that. If you can afford the yearly costs, you can almost certainly afford or fund a higher capital payment as well.
