Most arguments about money do not arise because someone pays too little, but because it is not settled what the calculation follows. Three pots are enough.
Pot 1: fixed costs — by share
Everything that arises whether anyone sails or not:
- Berth
- Insurance (hull, third party)
- Winter storage, lift-out, unstepping and stepping the mast
- Antifouling, sacrificial anodes, annual service
- Club subscription, radio licence fees, flag certificate
These are borne according to share. Whoever sails little pays them in full — that is the heart of co-ownership and belongs at the start of every agreement, so that it is not felt as an imposition later.
Pot 2: consumption — by use
Everything caused by whoever is aboard:
- Diesel and gas
- Harbour dues and lock fees along the way
- Consumables, small stores, replacements for what was used up
This is not settled by the co-ownership but by whoever sailed. The simplest rule: take over full tanks, hand back full tanks. That spares you every calculation by the litre.
Pot 3: upkeep — by share, but by resolution
Repairs and improvements are the delicate area, because the amounts jump. A threshold works well:
- Up to a set amount — often 300 to 500 € — whoever is currently responsible decides alone. Otherwise the boat stands still until everyone has answered.
- Above it, a resolution is needed. Which majority, the agreement lays down.
- Improvements are not upkeep. A new bimini is something other than a failed alternator. Whoever wants one should propose it, not order it.
Why what you used on your own week is nobody else’s business
There are co-ownerships that split every bottle of washing-up liquid. Nobody keeps that up for long, and it achieves nothing: over a season it evens out, and the effort bears no relation to the amount.
The clean separation is: what benefits the boat goes into the common fund. What benefits the trip stays with whoever sailed it.
Own labour: record it, value it only by resolution
Whoever antifouls for two weekends brings in something that appears on no invoice. That belongs on the record — if only to make it visible.
Whether it turns into a sum of money is a separate decision. If it does, you need a resolved hourly rate and an annual ceiling; otherwise recognition becomes a new point of contention. Many co-ownerships record the hours and forgo the valuation — making it visible is usually enough.
In short. Fixed costs by share, consumption with whoever sails, upkeep by share with a threshold for decisions taken alone. Always record own labour, value it only by resolution.