Nick Burnham: Wintertime, and the spending is easy
Although Summertime, and the livin’ is easy would be a pretty good boat anthem, surely Wintertime, and the spendin’ is easy would be more appropriate right now. It’s wryly amusing that my original Smuggler’s Blues adventures started almost a decade ago because Torbay Council introduced a cheap, tide-restricted marina in Torquay Harbour and I thought I could go budget boating. The first Smuggler’s Blues was a tatty but sound Skibsplast 660D with a small diesel engine. It cost about £6,000. The invoice I’ve just paid for the admittedly considerably upscale Noss on Dart marina for 2023 is not that far short of the cost of that old Skibsplast. And that’s the beginning of the spending, not the end.
A thorough service by Darthaven included the biennial full outdrive service. You can’t skimp on this stuff because you rely so heavily on it plus, in my experience, cutting corners on servicing will only cost you more in the long run. And although I’ve no plans (at least not ones I can actually fund) to sell and move up, a solid service history from a main dealer does pay some dividends come resale.
The guys from Coastal Marine have worked their magic, too. A full polish and wax on top, a new coat or two of antifoul underneath. I could do this myself, but when? Plus, I prefer the majority of the antifoul paint to be firmly affixed to the bottom of my boat rather than in my hair.
And then finally, there are the winter upgrades I have made. A new polished stainless steel Ultra Marine anchor looks absolutely fantastic, sat proudly on the stemhead roller, but more importantly is reckoned to be one of the most effective anchors on the market. Certainly, whenever I see one at a boat show, i
