'Average' maintenance costs on a small family boat
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: General Forums
Forum Name: The Boat Shed
Forum Description: Discuss all things boating.
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72802
Printed Date: 15 Jun 2026 at 1:45pm
Topic: 'Average' maintenance costs on a small family boat
Posted By: EditB
Subject: 'Average' maintenance costs on a small family boat
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 10:36am
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hi all, I'm investigating getting a small family boat to fish and play primarily in and around the hauraki, currently looking at somehing like a sea nymph gullwing 14.6. They seem to be fairly well regarded and fit into the affordable first boat budget  .Apart from the initial cost of the boat, coastgaurd courses, fuel and expendables etc, what are the sort of onoing costs that I'll need to budget for? outboard service trailer warranty & reg general maintenance coastgaurd membership ???? If you can give me rough figures that'd be great  cheers guys B ------------- I do not lie about fishing, I willingly participate in a campaign of misinformation. |
Replies:
Posted By: Raging Bull
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 11:35am
| Work on 10% of the boats value give or take a bit. So a 30k boat =3k |
Posted By: Bounty Hunter
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 1:05pm
there are several fixed costs which dont vary much from boat to boat. coastguard is about $100 per annum and trailer rego is about the same. you might allow $500pa for boat insurance. trailer COFs are about $50 a pop. general maintenance and outboard servicing could be variable depending on the existing condition of hull, trailer and outboard. outboard servicing is probably an annual event for most people, and you might allow $1000pa. trailer might be a few hundred per year and perhaps another grand spent on the hull itself annually. what you probably cant budget for are 'big unexpected's' - that might include serious repairs to a rotten hull or trailer, right up to complete replacement of the outboard - which is a real possibility considering that many v146's are approaching 30years old and some of the motors are pretty old too. if your boat budget means youre looking at 30year old 14ftrs, i suspect that upkeep will cost you every spare dollar youve got. ------------- No disintegrations! |
EditB wrote:Posted By: Falco
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 1:19pm
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About $3.40 an hour for me based on what i have spent maintaining my boat,including a $400 dollar bill for a gasket I wanted replaced and a new seal kit for some braid.... ------------- as dead as dead is |
Posted By: Black Max
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 2:54pm
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I reckon something like this. Based on 14’6” fiberglass boat with a 3 / 4 cylinder outboard on the back, total rig value $10,000ish. Coastguard Membership $100 Outboard service $400 Insurance $350 Trailer WOF $50 Trailer Registration $35 Plus an annual allowance for service items / general maintenance / upkeep, such as replacement start battery, new flares every 3 or so years, work on upholstery, rust on the trailer, or a repair to the outboard as needed etc… Say another $500 per year So maybe budget for $125 per month. Note – this doesn’t include any allowance for new toys for the boat, like the latest GPS/ Sounder or replacing the outboard with a new Four Stroke! J |
Posted By: EditB
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 5:08pm
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Cheers for the input guys That's all good info.
------------- I do not lie about fishing, I willingly participate in a campaign of misinformation. |
Posted By: Catchelot
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 5:43pm
Nah bro what ever the boat cost you, double that cos you will want all the electronic toys and live bait tanks and then you will get a taste of gamefishing and will have to buy a full set of blingy gold reels and standup rods plus the harnesses and then outriggers and tuna tubes then about a thousand lures and and and then your budget will keep going up and then you will buy a bigger boat and and...I better shutup  ------------- "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Cousteau |
Posted By: Rockstar from Mars
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 5:52pm
Ain't that the truth.........
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Posted By: letsgetem
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 6:03pm
| Dont forget initial safety things - including - life jackets, VHF radio, ELB (locator beacon), flares, riding light, nav lights, spotlight |
Posted By: EditB
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 7:26pm
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Nope not forgetting the safety things, just interested in the ongoing associated coasts of owning a small boat
------------- I do not lie about fishing, I willingly participate in a campaign of misinformation. |
Posted By: green guy
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 8:11pm
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Heaps of glue bro heaps ------------- http://www.facebook.com/hauraki.hillbillys |
Posted By: nodamboat
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 8:47pm
I reckon that's right on the mark. Insurance can be from $275 from club marine - which is what I pay for $25k insured or anything less is still the same (don't get the magazine!), but to be honest, for a 5k boat I wouldn't bother with it, as long as your car covered what your towing - damage to third party's only obviously. Keep that extra $500 / year in a seperate account and forget about it till you need it to replace something - not buy something new! Also depending on where you live and launch you may need / want to join a Boat club. MBBC is roughly 230 per year but the kicker is the $450 joining fee.
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Posted By: welshfisher
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 9:31pm
| i have a nice first boat for sale on the forum if your interested, would even deliver it to aucks for you. |
Posted By: EditB
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 10:07pm
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Cheers welshfisher but while I may be investigating, SWMBO needs some more negotiating, hence finding out some ongoing costs etc ------------- I do not lie about fishing, I willingly participate in a campaign of misinformation. |
Posted By: NZfrnd
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011 at 11:38pm
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SWMBO lolol..who asks them? :P just buy one and say merry xmas to me! (like i did..and no, i didnt sleep on the couch). On a serious note, on one of the earlier posts, i have a check list that might be useful in looking for a used boat. i gave that to the guy who did the pre purchase inspection (absolute must). i have my cars insured with state, so they insured the boat for me (just today) based on the pre purchase inspection. Like most companies they did ask for a surveyors report if the boat is 20 + years, but when i told them i did the pre purchase inspection, they went with that.
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Posted By: Huggybear
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 3:51am
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If you get a good Sea Nymph 14.6 you won't be disappointed. Best boat you can get in that size. Don't worry about the age. There's plenty of good examples out there. Just get one with a modern outboard.
Black Max's run-down of costs is pretty spot on.
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Posted By: Moki Marko
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 7:44am
agree - the hulls are good, but everything else will need to be replaced - the trailer will be shot, every fuel line, all the wiring, controls etc - and don't even think about trying to get a 40 year old outboard running reliably! I know it sounds a bit depressing . If you can find one that has been updated, go for it, but if it's a 40 year old lawn ornament, I'd leave it. |
Posted By: Titahi
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 8:34am
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i have seen a few Sea Nymphs with originl trailers in mint condition......They are excellent hulls and represent good value for money, I have had one 50 kilometers of Cape Karikari chasing broadbill at night, No worries. If you find one with an ETECH expect your maintence costs to go up!!! ------------- "I love standing by the ocean and just knowing what its for" |
Posted By: CanadianJohn
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 10:23am
| some of the ones i saw when looking for mine were on the original trailers and ot too bad. very few had the original motors. most hulls have been updated. a couple were updated so much as they wouldn't likely need much done at all, but they were asking over ten grand. the cheaper ones all needed something fixed or replaced. |
Posted By: EditB
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 10:47am
yeah that's what I've been seeing on TM. anything over 8k has had some work done recently, most things under will need some work. Just need to get the $$$ & missus to align and I can stop invesitgating and start looking  ------------- I do not lie about fishing, I willingly participate in a campaign of misinformation. |
Posted By: CanadianJohn
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 11:03am
| theres a one out east auckland thats looks like its just out of the factory, new interior, new canopy, electronics etc. even has a very newish yamaha 90hp on it. trailer is mint too. but the guy was asking $14,000 and wasn't keen on offers. too be honest a lot of guys would spend more then that fixing their boat up after buying so it likely represents decent value. but hard to bring yourself to spend that sort of money on a sea nymph. |
Posted By: GrizzlyKiwi
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 2:05pm
| Ive got an original trailer on my '74 Sea Nymph and its mint! no rust or anything. I did have to replace the axle and the hubs and stubs but that was due to not being able to get parts and not because it was in need of repair. |
Posted By: letsgetem
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 5:36pm
| Buying an old boat, sounds like a nightmare to me. |
Posted By: family affair
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 8:04pm
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i just brought a 14,6 gota 1990 60hp on it runs mint (itl do till it dies ill keep it serviced but nething else and ill use it as a anchor) but anyway i paid 4600 has the orgi trailer still mint as iv riped all the wiring out etc as it was old and nasty has a 20yr old sounder (bind it) new upolstery etc im about to spend some cash on it when im done i reckon itl owe me around 7-8k but shell be a lil beut man u can buy 1 already done for say 8-10k or get a cheaper 1 and if your handy do it all urself man i reckon u all ways have more pride in something urv rebuilt then something you buy and use etc and u know how its been done etc ------------- mv maui |
Posted By: CanadianJohn
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 8:28pm
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theres enough of us on here with 14'6"s we might have to start a club!
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Posted By: family affair
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 8:45pm
------------- mv maui |
Posted By: NZfrnd
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 9:57pm
| amen to that...i have a wasp, and i measured it is exactly 14.6 foot as well..so do i qualify to be a member of the gullwing club? :) or is it just sea nymph club? mine has a tag that says sea nymph, 9 akatea road, auckland 8 new zealand. google maps says the road is in Glendene. anyone living that side? i was going to make a trip out there to find out more about my boat. |
Posted By: NZfrnd
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2011 at 10:01pm
| and i was under the impression that these boats with their trailers would be around 400-500 kg..guess my shock when i weighed at a rubbish tip..820 Kg!! i thought their reading was wrong, so unhooked from my car and had it on the jockey wheel and still read the same! and i did remove petrol tanks, anchor etc ! has anyone weighed their gullwings on trailer? |
Posted By: Huggybear
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2011 at 1:11am
letsgetem: nothing wrong with old boats me old son! The Sea Nymph 14'6" is an absolute classic and would waste most modern contraptions by a LONG way. But you'd have to go out in one to completely understand what I mean 
NZfrnd: Yes, the 14'6"s are not light. My Wasp was heavy. But that was how they built them back in the day eh? To confirm: your Wasp IS a Sea Nymph 14'6" GULL WING. Same hull as the open cockpit Sea Nymph 14'6" but just has the cabin instead, which does increase the weight a fraction ... but offers room to sleep and shelter for children and electronics from adverse weather conditions!
 They were built as you say in Glendene. Sounds like you have a darn good boat there mate! |
Posted By: NZfrnd
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2011 at 6:14am
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thanks huggy, cant wait to take her out..cabin is handy...when u dont get any fish, just eat and sleep had a few days off next week, but weather doesnt look pretty..hmm..need to ask about electric winches, will ask in a new thread
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Posted By: GrizzlyKiwi
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2011 at 8:32am
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sounds like a good idea guys! it would be pretty cool so see a heap of 14.6"'s heading out for the day
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Posted By: family affair
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2011 at 2:14pm
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i think we should do it for sure. 1 day soon all meet up the firth or were ever keep to the east coast though lol ------------- mv maui |
Posted By: NZfrnd
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2011 at 11:35am
| only if NZ weather was not like a woman's mind !! never know when it bloody changes!! and its almost always raining on my days off...bummer ! |
Posted By: letsgetem
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2011 at 5:45pm
| I accept that the old sea nympths are bl..dy good - I am amazed that they are not still made. Manufacturers often seem to replace good things with not so good things. |
Posted By: Brooook
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2011 at 7:05am
Always more then you think or have budgeted for. Then add costs to maintain tow vehicle (or buy bigger tow vehicle), trailer, boat electrics, steering, inevitable breakdowns (eg waterpump, solenoids, etc), auxillary, battery ($300 for a deep cycle battery!!!). PETROL, PETROL, PETROL - boats are not as economic as cars. No point having a boat if you can't afford to take it out. Marine oil (if you have a two stroke) is $60-70 for a 4L. Bait and burley bombs add up too! I think the initial cost of the boat is the cheapest part. If you added it up, going out on a charter boat several times a year is a much cheaper option. ------------- Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.............Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer, |
Posted By: Brooook
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2011 at 7:07am
SO that you can buy more "not so good" things.  ------------- Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.............Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer, |
Posted By: NZfrnd
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2011 at 4:57am
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also, i was advised to put in 95 octane petrol in my mercury, which adds up too..but the feeling of driving your own boat on water..cant put a value to it and certainly wont get it when u go on a charter boat. :) end of the day, i believe that life is not about how many breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away :)
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Posted By: family affair
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2011 at 7:49am
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end of the day, i believe that life is not about how many breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away :) [/QUOTE
haha i like that one man------------- mv maui |
Posted By: NZfrnd
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2011 at 10:55pm
| :) quote borrowed from some wise person obviously! nevertheless i think it is true for most boaties out here else they will all be going on charter boats! |