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How much does Hotel Boat Insurance cost?


Quaysider

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So - it occurred to me when thinking of How I can afford to chuck in my IT job and become a full-time live aboard, why not set up a hotel boat for a few years to put some money in the bank whilst the tenant pays off the mortgage...

 

I don't really want to "Run" it as a hotel as such - more of a "come and spend a week living on-board to enjoy the lifestyle..share tea with me" kind of thing, rather than the gourmet 5 course dinner and plush towel kind of offering that is becoming common place.

 

Trying to put together some kind of costing/ business plan is proving difficult as even the simple things like boat insurance is proving hard to get a proper figure for... insurers wont quote or even give me a ball park figure without a boat . Crt are a bit more helpful with their "business license" costs (which seem blooming steep compared to a leisure license) but I don't want to do anything doggy that could land me in prison should a punter get injured.

 

I've tried searching for hotel related topics on here but either there aren't any or my search function doesn't work.

 

Could anyone with hotel experience give me some pointers please?

 

Ideally I'd rather not run it as a full-time business but maybe have guests every 3rd week or so depending on how finances work out... could this generate enough income not to have to use savings to live or am I being naive?

 

any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

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Hello Quaysider,

 

Why not contact the broker for these

http://www.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=296336

 

The owners will doubtless have told them insurance costs and turnover, if it's anything like the land based hotel trade.

 

The latter figure may only be released if you become a "serious" buyer however!

 

Cheers

Sas :-)

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So - it occurred to me when thinking of How I can afford to chuck in my IT job and become a full-time live aboard, why not set up a hotel boat for a few years to put some money in the bank whilst the tenant pays off the mortgage...

 

I don't really want to "Run" it as a hotel as such - more of a "come and spend a week living on-board to enjoy the lifestyle..share tea with me" kind of thing, rather than the gourmet 5 course dinner and plush towel kind of offering that is becoming common place.

 

Why would someone want to share a boat with a total stranger when they can hire their own boat and do there own thing?

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Possibly people who love canals but may be old/infirm/ find locks etc too challenging physically? :-)

Then would you become their carer? I wouldn't like to look after old people on a boat while doing locks obviously there would be a higher chance of injury with these people being old and infirm as you say.

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Then would you become their carer? I wouldn't like to look after old people on a boat while doing locks obviously there would be a higher chance of injury with these people being old and infirm as you say.

 

I guess that's why the hotel trade generally is known as " hospitality"! Hoteliers should "care" surely? Some guests need more assistance than others, it's all part of the job :-)

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Why would someone want to share a boat with a total stranger when they can hire their own boat and do there own thing?

Don't quite understand your reasoning my cousin and his wife from South Africa spent a week on a hotel boat and loved it cost them about £1000 and they had all the benefits without the hard work
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I am quite caring... so helping out an old infirm couple or whatever isn't against my nature - in fact, it was the inlaws that made me think of it... father in laww loves boating... motherinlaw isn't up to it ergo they don't go.

 

I know most hotel boats charge somewhere in the range of 600 per person, per week but i'l like to be a bit more flexible than that and try a B&B approach I suppose - with a chug in between.

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I am quite caring... so helping out an old infirm couple or whatever isn't against my nature - in fact, it was the inlaws that made me think of it... father in laww loves boating... motherinlaw isn't up to it ergo they don't go.

 

I know most hotel boats charge somewhere in the range of 600 per person, per week but i'l like to be a bit more flexible than that and try a B&B approach I suppose - with a chug in between.

Just don't underestimate the workload (!) Why not approach the owners of the boats I linked to earlier and ask about the chance of working with them for a day or so? You can't beat first hand experience if you are considering a change of career! :-)

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I guess that's why the hotel trade generally is known as " hospitality"! Hoteliers should "care" surely? Some guests need more assistance than others, it's all part of the job :-)

Then do you get a boat that will cater for everyone? do you get one built with full disable access hand rails for the old/infirm, wider corridor's/Toilets for wheelchair users and as the poster states he will only be using it as a business every 3rd week, do you just cater for the able bodied? there's a lot more to think about with a venture like this especially if your going to be going out on the canals. Do you want the responsibility of looking after frail/old people and work the locks or do you get extra crew in to manage which intern will eat into you profits?

 

See link below for one on the Leeds and Liverpool

http://www.ladyteal.co.uk/

Edited by Northernboater
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Then do you get a boat that will cater for everyone? do you get one built with full disable access hand rails for the old/infirm, wider corridor's/Toilets for wheelchair users and as the poster states he will only be using it as a business every 3rd week, do you just cater for the able bodied? there's a lot more to think about with a venture like this especially if your going to be going out on the canals. Do you want the responsibility of looking after frail/old people and work the locks or do you get extra crew in to manage which intern will eat into you profits?

 

In an ideal world you would hope to have provision for most needs, but in "real life" this may not always be possible! Surely we can't generalise that all "old" will be "frail"? :-)

 

One would also assume that unless the boat was stationary,one other crew member would be required? I should imagine this would be an insurance requirement?

 

If, as the OP suggests, it will be on an occasional B and B basis, that may attract a particular clientele, eg long distance towpath walkers, who just require a one night stay, or weekenders who may stay 2 nights and may not mind being stationary. Alternatively there's always the lovely Lancaster Canal , mainly lock free!!! :-)

 

Now, whether or not occasional B&B will raise sufficient revenue is another story.....

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Just don't underestimate the workload (!) Why not approach the owners of the boats I linked to earlier and ask about the chance of working with them for a day or so? You can't beat first hand experience if you are considering a change of career! :-)

 

sorry - I didn't make it clear it won't just be me ... the other half is fully on board (no pun) and having both run a b&b in a former life, know we're capable of dealing with people... like has already been stated though, it would be difficult to cater for access for all. I was hoping for a way of avoiding too much red-tape/formality... for us it will be a lifestyle choice /change so desperately needed as I can't keep up with IT... every day, something happens that my brain struggles to keep up with so the thought of another 20 years of this has served to focus on a change. Like I said, we don't WANT to make a fortune of a living out of it, just enough to tick over, live and not eat into whatever is left of the savings after the boat is paid for. The house (apart from periods of un occupancy) will just about pay for itself in rent but we do need to factor in a contingency of income to cover the mortgage in full should we lose tenants.

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sorry - I didn't make it clear it won't just be me ... the other half is fully on board (no pun) and having both run a b&b in a former life, know we're capable of dealing with people... like has already been stated though, it would be difficult to cater for access for all. I was hoping for a way of avoiding too much red-tape/formality... for us it will be a lifestyle choice /change so desperately needed as I can't keep up with IT... every day, something happens that my brain struggles to keep up with so the thought of another 20 years of this has served to focus on a change. Like I said, we don't WANT to make a fortune of a living out of it, just enough to tick over, live and not eat into whatever is left of the savings after the boat is paid for. The house (apart from periods of un occupancy) will just about pay for itself in rent but we do need to factor in a contingency of income to cover the mortgage in full should we lose tenants.

Great! If there are 2 of you, and you've run B&B before, you'll have a good idea re: workload !!!

 

Guessing you could probably do some short term contracting, I.T. wise should the need arise financially?

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My IT days are very numbered... I'm just not clever enough... at the moment I'm "bluffing my way" through each week - I'm only a few clicks on google ahead of most of puntershelp.gif I have no intention of working in computers for a single day longer than is absolutely necessary. I would rather wash pots in a local pub (again) or mow folks lawns/wash cars to earn some pocket money.

 

I've dropped an inquiry to applo duck to ask the venders of the hotel boats to contact me in the hope they'll share some info. I did phone one a short while back that I saw down in Nottingham (when at a clients and taking a walk by the canal to hide from a problem I couldn't solve) ..... I won't name the boat but to be frank they were a bit off with me ... something which surprised me... I suppose they might have been scared of "competition" but it was the first time I've come across an unhelpful boater.

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Years ago whe I ran my hotel boats( be no good quoting cost as it was back in the late 60"s early 70"s) there was a company called Hostel Craft sort of youth hostel on water, not the plush set up of others, but maybe worth a look into if you are not inclined to go the whole hog. Half way between camping boats & the full care set up.

Edited by X Alan W
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My IT days are very numbered... I'm just not clever enough... at the moment I'm "bluffing my way" through each week - I'm only a few clicks on google ahead of most of puntershelp.gif I have no intention of working in computers for a single day longer than is absolutely necessary. I would rather wash pots in a local pub (again) or mow folks lawns/wash cars to earn some pocket money.

 

I've dropped an inquiry to applo duck to ask the venders of the hotel boats to contact me in the hope they'll share some info. I did phone one a short while back that I saw down in Nottingham (when at a clients and taking a walk by the canal to hide from a problem I couldn't solve) ..... I won't name the boat but to be frank they were a bit off with me ... something which surprised me... I suppose they might have been scared of "competition" but it was the first time I've come across an unhelpful boater.

How awful - you clearly need to make a break!!!

 

Think you've more chance of a positive response for advice / assistance from the vendors of the boats on Apollo Duck ( although I don't know them) as they are clearly keen to sell!

 

Good luck - hope you'll keep us informed, as I'd be interested to know how it goes.

 

Cheers

 

Sas :-)

 

ETA : Great idea X Alan W!!!

Edited by Sas
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See link below for one on the Leeds and Liverpool

http://www.ladyteal.co.uk/

I've emailed Lady teal to ask if they might share some info with me - that looks a smashing set up and far grander than we'll be doing but they must already have gone through the red-tape side ... I do hope they'll help me with some info.

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Quaysider: I feel your pain... I've been in IT since 1977, and have been slowly falling behind the technology for years, not least because I've been on the same contract for 8 years, part-time since Nov. 2012. However at least I'm confident I have the knowledge to go on doing the job I'm in, and I'm happy enough doing it because it's for a small company with nice people. So for the time being I carry on, but at some point in the next few years, depending on various factors, the idea of being semi-retired on the canals instead of semi-retired in bricks and mortar sounds very attractive.

 

Although I don't know the figures you need, my gut feeling is that your idea is good and you should go for it, especially as you're so unhappy doing your current job and you've got the relevant experience of running a B&B. There should be a market, or should I say a down-market?, for a hotel boat which provides the basics but not the luxuries. There will be some fixed annual costs to meet all the licensing and safety requirements, so I think you'll find that there's a minimum occupancy you have to achieve over the year to break even, and that this will be a greater percentage for you charging lower prices than at the luxury end of the market. Then of course there are the one-off start-up costs, buying the boat and adapting it as needed, and you might need a formal qualification as skipper?

 

I can't see why you'd need to have any other crew apart from yourself and your other half, provided that you're both fit and willing to put in a long day on the days you're booked. But the busier you get, the more you can afford to hire extra help, such as a student over the summer, and I don't think someone hired to work the locks and assist in the galley would expect to be paid much of a rate. On this theme, Northernboater's pun in post #13 may have been a spelling accident, or intended, but either way it's a good one:

"do you get extra crew in to manage which intern will eat into you profits?"

 

As to the target market, I guess as a compromise you try to get a boat that's easier than most to get into, e.g. with steps that are wider than usual and have handrails, so that a lot of elderly or infirm people can manage, but without going to the much greater expense of catering for wheelchairs?

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cheers - Peter... I've only been in computing since 2000 but it feels like a whole lot longer... luckily "most" of my clients are ok but they are getting cloud obsessed and ignoring the fact they'll still need local IT to connect in the first place... "thinking" they can ditch most of what we do for cloud based products... by the time they realize, it'll be too late and all their eggs will be in the on-line basket.

 

As for qualifications, I was surprised to find out that so long as you don't have more than 12 people on board, you only need the rya Helmsnans cert... I couldn't believe that was true but apparently it is... which is good.

 

 

 

Might be worth sounding out these people: www.missmollycruises.com/

Thanks for that - "about the skipper" confirms that you only need the Helmsmans - the rest of his quals are not really relavent . I'll ask him about his costs too.

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