Boat Running Cost Spreadsheet

Who this is for

What the boat cost to keep this year. Each cost heading has a planned and an actual figure, and the sheet sets the total against the days you used the boat and the hours the engine ran, and splits fixed costs from the rest.

Boat owners setting a budget for the year ahead or looking back at the one just gone, partners in a shared boat, and anyone weighing up whether to keep, sell or change boats.

What this helps you track

• Planned and actual spend under each cost heading
• Where the year went over or under the plan
• The whole year's cost in one figure
• Cost per day used and per engine hour
• How much is fixed, whatever the boat does, and how much depends on use

How to use it

1. Write the boat and the year, then the days you used it and the engine hours run; fill these in at the end of the season if you are planning ahead.
2. Put a planned figure against each heading from last year's bills, quotes or renewals, and add any heading of your own in the blank rows.
3. Mark each heading fixed or variable; the suggestions given can be changed to suit the way your boat is kept.
4. Enter the actual cost as bills are paid. The difference and the totals are worked out in the browser and the workbook.
5. At the end of the year read the summary for cost per day and per engine hour, and use the actual column to plan next year.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What counts as a fixed cost?

One you pay whether or not the boat leaves its berth, such as mooring, insurance and licence. Fuel and repairs usually rise with use. Change the type on any line to match how your costs actually behave.

Why cost per day used?

Because it is the figure that answers whether the boat is worth keeping. A high annual total spread over many days out can be good value; the same total over a handful of days may not be.

Should I include the loan or the purchase price?

This sheet is for running costs. Add a line for loan payments if you want the full outgoing, but keep the purchase price and any change in the boat's value out, or the per-day figure stops meaning running cost.

Where do fuel figures come from?

From your receipts, or from the season total on the boat fuel and passage log, which also gives the engine hours this sheet uses.