Value: A large French hire boat in high season will cost several thousand pounds a week. A boatshare’s running costs will be about 10% of that – hundreds of pounds rather than thousands! Of course, as with any shared ownership, you need to take into account the capital cost, but even assuming a generous 5% interest rate, this adds very little to the overall cost. A one week share in high season will cost typically around £3,000 – a financing cost of only about another £150 per annum. In other words, for something like £600 per annum per week, you too can be a proud boat owner. You can’t hire a Gite for that!
Pride: Taking over your own boat for your shared weeks is very different from picking up a hire boat. You know what to expect; it fits like a glove. And you experience all the pride of ownership; you feel like you belong to the waterways of France rather than just a holidaymaker – part of a cosmopolitan waterways community.
Sociability: You will find a large, international fraternity of boat owners on French waterways – not just French and British owners, or even other European nationalities. Many people from the rest of the world choose this as a way of escaping their winters and enjoying the French way of life. Over time you run into old acquaintances; everyone wants to help and get to know you and admire your boat. There is nothing quite like taking a glass of wine with new found friends on their boat deck and being able to reciprocate.