--- In [email protected], Adrian Stott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Will Chapman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > >The net result of this is that existing boats will spend more > >time on the water (presumably increasing the cost of maintaining > >and monitoring to BW) without producing any significant > >additional direct income. > > As it turns out, that presumption seems to be incorrect. > > I was strongly in favour of a usage element in navigation charges, > based on it. However, BW did some research, and came to the > conclusion that the marginal cost to it of a vessel navigating is so > small that it can be ignored. > > It (and I) have therefore concluded that usage-based charging can't be > justified. > > However, another conclusion is that "boats spending more time on the > water" (surely they were on the water anyway? But I assume you mean > 'navigating on the water') would *not* increase maintenance or other > operating costs of BW significantly. > > In other words, for BW it is fixed costs that count the most, indeed > almost entirely. > > Adrian > > > Adrian Stott > 07956-299966 >
My fixed boating costs are now almost zero, having day boats kept at home, I only pay £32 per year insurance for all three, plus a bit of maintainance (paint etc) and an annual service on my now one 4hp engine. My boating is now pay as you go plus I can choose where I go. It costs me the petrol in the car to get there plus slipway fees and parking plus any licence required (the sea is still free, as are many slipways). As BW have imposed a 500% increase in the cost of day licences, (now £9.66 a day, used to be £2), they have made themselves very expensive compared to say Windermere where the cost of licence is only £5 per year and £2 for the slipway (or £10 if you use the posh one). Most slipways are about £10 in and out for the day, but as I said above, some (even on BW waters!!) are still free, but Windermere costs me about £10 in petrol to get there and back as well, whereas Garstang on The Lancaster costs about £5 and my local free slipway about 50p (however the nearest BW office that sells day licences is miles away). A day's boating, therefore costs about £20 which ever way I go, but as BW are getting increasingly expensive, and in the day boat market they have a LOT of competition round here (North West England), then beautiful Windermere (and other lakes, some of which are cheaper) becomes a cheaper option and I can use the mast and sails then so need not spend money on boat petrol either!! They have ignored the trailboat market for many years, actively discouraging it by closing slipways and increasing licence and slipway costs, presumabley with a view to forcing permenantly floating boats, but they don't realises that this is how people (includingme) discover the canals and then go on to buy floating (permenantly) boats, so as the current boaters drift off and are forced off (like me) due to the spiralling costs, suddenly there will be a decline in boaters, maybe not so marked in the midlands wher there is little competition, but certainly up here in the North West or other areas where there are cheaper viable alternatives.
