Canal + River Boat Purchase Costs
Of course, what you spend depends a lot on who you are, what you like, and what you've got available to spend . . . but here we give some outline guidance:
To state the obvious, boats come in different sizes, of different ages and at different levels of quality and equipment. The bigger and heavier the boat, the greater the fuel consumption. There is a wide variety available, so the following is necessarily 'broad-brush'.
Ex-Hire Boats - say 60,000€
These can provide excellent value and a reputable company, like Crown Blue Line, will make sure they are properly prepared and serviced before sale. They are designed and made for fairly 'hard use' from inexperienced skippers and families living aboard for weeks not months, and they're also designed for warm seasons and may be cold during the winter unless some work is carried out.
In 2008 we reluctantly sold our Southerly 115 lift-keel sailing yacht (as perfect as a yacht could be for cruising the French waterways, but nevertheless carrying 15m of mast horizontal perhaps a little less than perfect fit) . . and bought an ex-hire boat somewhat similar to the one on the right. For the full 2009 re-fit story, click here.
Motor Cruisers - between 50,000€ and 100,000€
Hull materials can be glassfibre (GRP) or steel (timber boats are for those that enjoy lots of maintenance work). Glassfibre is relatively maintenance-free. Steel is stronger but requires more attention - less so in inland fresh water than the salty sea. The best examples are Dutch made - the best, largest and most luxurious will cost more than 100,000€. Many cruisers will be tough vessels, comfortable in all seasons and conditions.
Barges (Peniches) - between 50,000€ and 250,000€
The lower budget would be for a barge in only fair condition, requiring full-scale refurbishment and conversion. It is not unusual to buy steel barges and other traditional vessels (one of our friends had an old tug) that are 100 years old. At the top end, some large 'Luxemotor' type barges can consitute very luxurious floating homes of considerable sophistication. Note that larger boats like barges, although surprisingly easy to control once one is familiar with them, also need some tuition at the outset.
- Other Options
Boats in fair condition have reasonable resale values - asset value depreciation can be modest, or even in the right circumstances, positive.
There are also opportunities for shared-ownership and also for shared profit schemes. These latter schemes give hire companies use of the boat (it has to be of a recognised and approved type) for most of the year, the owner for a set number of weeks or months each year, and a share of the hire profit returned to the owner.
See also: Living Aboard and Cruising Expenditure - International Cost of Living Comparisons ('Big Mac Index')
This is an information guide - it is not a substitute for a waterways pilot book, nor is it meant to be. We strongly recommend obtaining a pilot book for each river or canal you travel. The information here results from direct personal experience cruising the waterways from north to south and east to west; and/or has also been gleaned from a number of sources and accounts. Photographs by Grehan; some other photographs by permission, or in the public domain; if we have inadvertently breached any copyrights, please contact us. Grehan's own photographs may be available for re-use, please contact us for permission.
