How much difference in price to own a 38-39 ft vs a 42-44 foot?

[Todd_A]

Is there a lot of difference in price to own and operate a boat under 40 feet vs over 40 feet?
I get that there will be slightly higher cost to replace sails with the additional square footage... and that bottom paint will be more because of the square footage area of hull that will be done...
But do marinas charge a lot more for that difference?
and are haul outs astronomically higher because of adding 5 feet because of crossing some magic 40 foot length?

[PaulCrawhorn]

Not astronomically.

No magic involved.

The answer you want is clear, but the specific question is not. How long is a piece of string.

Yes it will cost you more overall.

Somewhere between 10% and 30% more.

Your choices along other lines will make a greater difference. DIY more, anchor out more, defer replacements and maintenance longer...

But these have their own consequences.

If you feel strongly about going bigger, go for it!

[Coquina]

Originally Posted by Todd_A

Is there a lot of difference in price to own and operate a boat under 40 feet vs over 40 feet?
I get that there will be slightly higher cost to replace sails with the additional square footage... and that bottom paint will be more because of the square footage area of hull that will be done...
But do marinas charge a lot more for that difference?
and are haul outs astronomically higher because of adding 5 feet because of crossing some magic 40 foot length?

This is a huge YMMV.
My marina charges by the size of the slip, not the size of the boat. The same size slip for me fits anything up to about 48 feet, so for me no difference there. Other marinas may charge by the foot.
Things that will cost more for sure:
Bottom cleaning is by the foot.
Bottom painting is charged by the foot, if you do it you might be buying more paint.
Haul, launch, and storage may be by the foot.
Transient slips are by the foot.
Topside paint, barrier coats, and so on is by the foot.
Running and standing rigging is by the foot, longer boats usually have longer lines.
Sails will be more.
A replacement engine might be a size up and cost more.
Winches, blocks, shackles, turnbuckles, backstay insulators, and 101 other things might all be a size up.
Ground tackle might be a size up.

[dougweibel]

There is no magic about 40'. A few marinas may charge by slip length versus boat length and so you may get a break there. Otherwise most costs just scale with size. Slip space for a 41' boat is usually 5% higher than for a 39' boat as 41 is 5% larger than 39. For some costs it won't be a function of the boat length. For example some 41' boat might have smaller sails than some 39' boat, so sail replacement costs would be less for the "bigger" boat. Insurance costs generally scale with hull value and not size.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Todd_A

Is there a lot of difference in price to own and operate a boat under 40 feet vs over 40 feet?
I get that there will be slightly higher cost to replace sails with the additional square footage... and that bottom paint will be more because of the square footage area of hull that will be done...
But do marinas charge a lot more for that difference?
and are haul outs astronomically higher because of adding 5 feet because of crossing some magic 40 foot length?

Depends on how you look at it. Yes the boat costs will be more. But not as much more as people like to throw around. Below is an older thread where I answer this with real numbers as I acturally keep record. Since then I can say that last year a 31' boat instead of my 41' would have saved $528, which is hardly anything in my total costs. I hauled out and bottom painted last month and a 10' shorter boat would have saved $340. None of these extra costs for a bigger boat are anywhere enough to give up all the benefits of the larger boat.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...at-238318.html

[Cheechako]

It does start to get exponential increase in cost, but really depends on certain jumps in pricing and size.
One example is: As mentioned, some marinas charge by slip size. So a 40 ft boat in a 45 foot slip will be the same price.
Things like turning blocks, sails etc are extremely expensive now days. There again, blocks are only sold in certain sizes. So if a 3" block is marginal for your 45 footer but good for a 40 footer, moving up to a 4" block may be a lot more $.

I think more important is condition of the boat and what may need to be done in the time of your ownership.
I have heard a cost of '10% a year maintenance cost' while cruising being repeated many times . (or another number etc)
I have often refuted that, and it certainly was never the case for me with 30-47 foot boats.

BUT IT'S A FALSE COMPARISON!
WHY? Because I pretty much rebuilt my boats before going cruising. (hoses lines, blocks, valve, pumps, sails, rigging, anchors, rodes, windlasses etc etc etc)
So I absorbed huge costs prior to cruising. That way, I spent near nothing while cruising or living aboard.

Buy a boat that needs almost nothing, because that "nothing" will become something even if you do!

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by Todd_A

Is there a lot of difference in price to own and operate a boat under 40 feet vs over 40 feet?
I get that there will be slightly higher cost to replace sails with the additional square footage... and that bottom paint will be more because of the square footage area of hull that will be done...
But do marinas charge a lot more for that difference?
and are haul outs astronomically higher because of adding 5 feet because of crossing some magic 40 foot length?

Some marinas have pay scales that slide.

e.g.

<34 ft: $5.00/ft
34-49ft: $6.00/ft
50-69ft: $6.50/ft
>70ft: $7.00/ft

I mostly see this on transient slips. Seasonal slips usually charge a flat rate by the foot with a minimum number of feet. Same for hauling.

NOTE: I have not been to every marina. I'm sure there are some out there that have sliding scales for seasonal, winter/land storage, and hauling.

On average, if you buy a boat 20% larger, estimate at least 20% more. This tends to apply to maintenance, where parts on a larger boat are simply larger. My 13 foot boat uses significantly smaller lines than my 39 foot boat. It also uses less wax, less fuel, less oil, etc.

[boatman61]

In Europe that can be anything between €1,000 and €4,000/year depending on location/marina.. and thats the annual fee's. Berths go 8-10 metres, 10-12 metres, 12-14 metres etc..
So basically an 8.1 metre boat will pay the same as a 9.99 metre boat..
Swings and roundabouts.

[Coquina]

Another thing:
A 38 foot racing boat with a tall triple-spreader rig using rod rigging and expensive carbon sails painted with bottom paint that needs monthly cleaning and yearly replacement by a proffesional spraying it on will cost a LOT more to keep in shape than a 45 foot cruiser with a basic rig and a few layers of ablative paint that gets replaced every 3 or 4 years
A solid glass boat with bottom blisters can just be ignored 95% of the time, this will almost never damage the boat structurally. A balsa-core boat CANNOT be let go like this and recovered later, once the water gets into the core you have a first-class mess on your hands.
Think about a 39 foot boat with two air conditioners, a watermaker, a fridge, and a generator. There is about a mile of wiring and plumbing to keep after vs. say a basic 42 foot boat with one engine and two batteries. The variables are endless. You also might stay on a mooring where the cost is per year for whatever boat you stick on there.

[alctel]

Originally Posted by Shrew

Some marinas have pay scales that slide.

e.g.

<34 ft: $5.00/ft
34-49ft: $6.00/ft
50-69ft: $6.50/ft
>70ft: $7.00/ft

I mostly see this on transient slips. Seasonal slips usually charge a flat rate by the foot with a minimum number of feet. Same for hauling.

This is how it is in a lot of west coast Canada - and also for haulouts and yard space.

The brackets usually go from ~30 to 39, and then 40 and over so you tend to pay a bunch more for that extra foot.

[Renegde_Sailor]

Stop worrying about the length of the boat, start worrying about the quality of the boats construction and upkeep.



a cheaply built 35' boat will cost you more in maintenance than a well built 45.



Many of the best boats were built in the 60's, and still show better and are in better condition than boats built in the 90's.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by boatman61

In Europe that can be anything between €1,000 and €4,000/year depending on location/marina.. and thats the annual fee's. Berths go 8-10 metres, 10-12 metres, 12-14 metres etc..

So basically an 8.1 metre boat will pay the same as a 9.99 metre boat..

Swings and roundabouts.

Most marinas in the med now charge in 1metre bands , either centred on the metre or the half metre. Some are charging by the square area

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Renegde_Sailor

Stop worrying about the length of the boat, start worrying about the quality of the boats construction and upkeep.



a cheaply built 35' boat will cost you more in maintenance than a well built 45.



Many of the best boats were built in the 60's, and still show better and are in better condition than boats built in the 90's.

That is not simply true. , old boats are just that , old , deck gear fails , old engines needs lot of work. A 50 year old boat unless fastidiously maintained will be a money pit.

With newer you know there’s life in the key gear

[Rumrace]

Current models I’d say 75,000 base between 38-40 150,000 38-45. The option list grows with footage also.

[Coquina]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

That is not simply true. , old boats are just that , old , deck gear fails , old engines needs lot of work. A 50 year old boat unless fastidiously maintained will be a money pit.

With newer you know there’s life in the key gear

Obviously a boat totally neglected for 50 years will have issues. That said, the gear on my 49 year-old boat has certainly outlasted the gear on much newer boats.
My hatches are *totally original* and do not leak. Original plexiglass and original gaskets. I have had to run sealant over the screws around the perimeter, but that is it. I would not be surprised to find 10 year-old boats with Lewmar hatches that leak.