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Month 2 Expenses & Costs of Cruising

9K views 74 replies 23 participants last post by  RegisteredUser 
#1 · (Edited)
So it doesn't take all that much to go off the rails on expenses. For our second month out cruising we replaced the boat batteries and the autopilot drive twice. This also resulted in a couple of unplanned stays in marinas, which greatly increased our marina costs from the lowly $40 last month to the amount this month (having power is nice ). We are also weak and a marina stay also results in more dining out and access to movies and other entertainment. So these are our expenses for month 2 of our live on the boat and cruise (traveled from Yorktown VA to Beaufort SC):

Food/beer/soda/sundries/clothing/personal care - $657.56

Boat maintenance and repairs - $3,497.63

Marina costs - $855.6

Entertainment and sightseeing - $303.89

Transportation - $234.16

Diesel - $188.85

Dining out - $1,174.82

Storage and communication -$481.11

That's $7,159.46, which is way over our budget of $3,000/mo and much more than the roughly $2,500 last month.

Your results will vary, but this was the real world of month 2 for us.
 
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#4 ·
Storage locker back at home that we spilt with our daughter. Also includes cell phone costs, which last month included a replacement phone after my wife's phone went for a swim and didn't come back. There was also some costs involving mail and shipping in the amount.
 
#7 ·
Food/beer/soda/sundries/clothing/personal care - $657.56
I'll bet those sub-categories aren't evenly divided, and I'll bet Don himself didn't contribute to at least one of them…

Don't worry Don, cruising goes like this whether you get whacked in your first year or your 8th. We are taking a whacking this year also. Our first year was dirt cheap, but we lost half our money in the economic crash!

Mark
 
#8 ·
I'll bet those sub-categories aren't evenly divided, and I'll bet Don himself didn't contribute to at least one of them…
What you mean Willis :frown

I'm sure I got at least 1 item from each of those sub-categories for my own personal use. BTW I don't acturally keep track of how much I spend in each category. All I do is go through the credit card statement each month and assign amounts to them, so the totals are correct but some amounts may be off a little.
 
#10 ·
First new one shaft bearing seized up after 2 hours operation. I will send it in to be repaired under warranty, but wasn't going to wait somewhere or be without for 2 weeks while raymarine fixed and sent it back. My plan is to sell it on eBay etc after I get it back to get some of the cost back.
 
#13 ·
WOW -- we have been out 9 years and for the last 7 have accounted for every penny we spend -- and I mean every penny - including trips back to see family, food there - but we do not carry health insurance as it is cheaper to pay out of pocket -- we have averaged $3,100 a month and we have been on the east coast of the USA, Western and Eastern Caribbean, Med and Black Sea
$81,000 is like oh my gosh --
 
#15 · (Edited)
RI to Hampton.
Food for crew including passage $400
Top tanks $200
SDR fee $250
Hampton slip fees $210
Extra spares ( filters etc) $80
Hampton to North Sound
Fuel $410
Crew tore out tack but he paid for repair ($460)
Fuel for dinghy contaminated resulting in clogged carb. No carb cleaner on boat (can empty) so needed to pay local to clean $200
Dining out/drinks/sdr party fees $300
Still eating passage food so no boat food expense.
No sun/wind so need to run genset for batteries and water maker. 5g so far at $4.25/g =$ 21.25
Parmalate/O.J/ bakery ~$25
Mooring fees zero for now but will start next month as we move to park in usvi ( have budgeted $300/m) as have guests wanting to do the circuit and won't ask they to pay ( family and close friends) after them moving to Dominica then move up gradually to St. Martin so will have clearing fees.
Local chip and service $110
Within expected expenses as budgeted from prior year this was done. Smarter about communications so that expense actually less. Think you get better at this as time goes on. Was pretty stupid about expenses initially.
 
#18 · (Edited)
$26000 in maintenance and $7000 in insurance is epic. I've had my current boat about 4 years and still haven't spent $26000 on maintenance, including the initial purchase of the boat and I lived aboard it for a couple of years with my wife and son.

It just goes to show, people will adapt to their situation, you will spend what you have, but you won't spend what you don't have.

Rice, lentils and oatmeal will keep you healthy for less $40 or $50 a month, but the prices I am seeing do not reflect a diet of rice and lentils.

Really, cruising I think will cost what you have.

This reminds me of the father and son that canoed from Winnipeg Canada up the Amazon River. Was their journey any less fulfilling and rewarding than a high 5 or 6 figure annual cruising budget?
 
#22 ·
I decided to go through my Quicken expense report and take a look at how much I spent on cruising, which I know is a lot less than any of the above posts in this thread. Now, keeping in mind that I was sailing single handed, I spent a lot of nights in marinas, but more often, I anchored out. I caught some of my meals, though I did manage to eat about once a week in a waterside restaurant. I had some repair expenses, water pump, packing gland, fuel system, and had a custom cockpit enclosure constructed. Bottom line, during the entire year of 2013, which included a trip from Perryville, MD at the top of Chesapeake Bay to Marathon Key, Florida, I managed to piss away less than $4,156 in direct boat expenses, just under $1,000 on food and a bit over $5,00 on booze. (I buy the cheap stuff.) :) This translates to $466 a month boys and girls. Now, I'm confident that if I would have had my wife along on the trip the expenses for eating would have increased, but she rarely drinks more than a small glass of wine, which is fairly inexpensive, so the overall cost would have increased by a tiny bit, but not by much. She enjoys my culinary creations, especially the fresh caught seafood that I prepare on the boat's gas grill.

Obviously, I'm in the Elcheapo category when it comes to cruising, and if my health allows me to make one more trip south, from what I learned on the previous trip, I should be able to cut those expenses by a substantial margin. Though the way my health problems are progressing, there just may be a great buy for a Morgan 33 Out Island in the next few months.

Getting old sucks,

Gary :cool:
 
#23 ·
From the 2 months or so that I have been out and in all the conversions I've had with other cruisers I just don't feel this $500/mo thing is real unless: you aren't really cruising and instead are more in the "living on a boat" catergory. Hell a 1 night stop in a marina for a 33' boat like Gary's is going to cost $50, so his "spent a lot of nights in a marina" are hard to do on $466/mo. I'm currently on a $165/mo mooring, which works out to $5.50/day and is almost worth almost every penny, and I know we will spend way more than $500 this month. We went to the store yesterday and got a 4 pack of toilet paper, a dozen eggs, a packet of bacon, a 12 pack of coke, a small box of wine, and that was $36. Look at what things aren't included in Gary's costs. He didn't buy any insurance, no clothes, no communication, no entertainment, no other traveling or sightseeing, no books or movies, hardly any food or sundries, and apparently only 1 beer at a bar. Hell all he did was get the boat somewhere and sit in the cockpit fishing apparently (naked).

The point of my intended monthly costs isn't to have a contest and it isn't for people to try to"help" me. It's to put out what my costs really were as this is a common question and the "it takes whatever you can spend" answer that forums loves to spit out is useless for the planners and dreamers.
 
#25 ·
I also question the $500/month club and believe they are comparing apples to oranges as far as the definition of "cruising" goes.

No doubt someone could set off on a 9 month ICW cruise and claim a very inexpensive life. However, take off for 8 years working the boat hard over 10-20,000 mostly open sea miles and see what just boat maintenance alone averages out to be.

Cruising full time and longer ranges, there are periods of almost free living followed by periods of frightful expenses. About the only people we have ever met doing full time cruising living on $500/month are either in a short-term fun camping mode (think young couple whipping about on a work hiatus) or a long-term sad, pitiful mode (think drunks on derelict boats).

The very few people we have seen who appear to live long-term on $500/month we typically avoid anchoring around because they are the ones with crappy equipment and gear that will have them banging into you in winds >10kts and they have no insurance.

But outside that, there is a very big reasonable range that people spend, as shown by Gonecruisin and Chuck5499. We are much closer to Chuck than Gone ourselves.

Don's data, while very informative for new cruisers setting out, is only reflecting his initial teething cruise and not necessarily representative of what he will spend on average over a few years. We were also close to his numbers setting out, but those changed later on to be more in line with Chuck's. I suspect his will also as his diet of eggs, bacon, coke and wine causes his toilet paper costs to plummet.

Mark
 
#26 · (Edited)
Even at $2 a foot, once a week in a marina for a 30 ft boat is $240 dollars.
"Cruising the intercostal" on even a fill up a week for a 20 gallon tank is another $240.
Eating out, with a couple of beers, once a week? That has to get you to $120
$40-$50 a week at a grocery store for something, anything? Are we eating solid foods out there? Drinking chicory with powdered milk?
Does anyone change the oil, filters, and pop in a new impeller?
Does anyone tip the pump out person?
Toss in some sail repair of canvas work?
Is there some deal with Satan going on?
For the love of the baby gesus stop tearing up that WestMarine catalog and buy some effing toilet paper!

I can be frugal, however, don't get the $500 a month claim.





I GOT IT!; A week not working in paradise = month in the real world. Whew, I was afraid someone was sacrificing virgins or something.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Actually, my budget includes all the goodies, shoes and clothing, dining out once in a while, repairs, etc... As for movies, I watched them on my laptop, which provided me with free communication via Email when I encountered open routers, which was almost nightly. My cellular telephone expenses were very inexpensive as well, prepay at .10 cents a minute through T-Mobile and no monthly fees.

As for entertainment other than watching movies, I provided my own and made a pretty good income while doing so. I carried all my music gear with me on the boat, a Yamaha PSR-3000 arranger keyboard, Bose L1 Compact amp, keyboard stand, keyboard seat, vocal processor, lights, etc... I performed at marina bars and restaurants, tiki bars, and yacht clubs while cruising south. The performances not only provided me with great entertainment, but additionally, the remuneration frequently included free slip rent for the night and a free meal at the location. Some of the places I performed didn't want me to leave and asked if I could spend the winter there.

Now, I got to eat as well, or maybe better, than most cruisers. But, I'm a damned good cook, and know how to make a great meal out of chicken, fresh caught fish, and various sausages. I got to eat lobster, and and steak, just as frequently as I did at home.

When it came to repairs, I did 99 percent of them myself, but there were a few that I could not perform, mainly because I'm too old, fat and claustrophobic to attempt to climb into a space that a ferret would have difficulty acccessing.

Now, lets talk about insurance expenses. My budget did include insurance for the boat, while old codgers like me are on medicare and have supplemental plans for health, dental and eyewear. My boat insurance is much less than my homeowners policy, less than $500 a year for great coverage through Erie Insurance Exchange.

My point is, if your boat is in reasonably good condition and you keep up a good preventative maintenance schedule, don't spend a lot of time at marinas, and cook most of your own meals onboard, then there is no reason to spend huge sums while cruising. I met hundreds of cruisers on my trip to the Florida Keys, many of which were long term cruisers. The vast majority of them lived pretty much the same as I did and spent about the same or less than I did. I was the only professional entertainer in this group, but most of the others had some skill that provided them with some supplemental income. Several had sewing machines and made sails and did canvas work. Some were diesel mechanics and had all the work they could handle. There were a couple guys that were doing great fiberglass repairs, divers that did bottom cleaning, you name it and there was always someone that specialized in that skill available among the cruisers.

Of course, there were boat bums as well. They were usually single males that lived aboard their boats, vessels that were akin to unkept apartments in an inner city slum. I saw some dismasted sailboats that were covered with marine growth and bird droppings anchored at various locations, many appeared to be derelict, but an equal number with someone living aboard. But, you really couldn't consider these individuals as cruisers as they just lived aboard in a warm climate. I suspect that many of them were living on the public dole when it came to income sources.

I guess my point is, why would I spend more money to live per month while cruising than I would while living on dry land? When I'm at home the cost of living includes all the same expenses while being afloat, however, those expenses on dry land tend to be much higher on average. Additionally, many of the expenses on land do not exist on the boat. Real estate tax, water and sewage charges, heating oil, electric cost, driveway sealing, snow removal, etc... are far more than any boat expenses I know of.

Sorry for the rant,

Gary :cool:
 
#34 ·
As for entertainment other than watching movies, I provided my own and made a pretty good income while doing so. I carried all my music gear with me on the boat, a Yamaha PSR-3000 arranger keyboard, Bose L1 Compact amp, keyboard stand, keyboard seat, vocal processor, lights, etc... I performed at marina bars and restaurants, tiki bars, and yacht clubs while cruising south. The performances not only provided me with great entertainment, but additionally, the remuneration frequently included free slip rent for the night and a free meal at the location.

Gary :cool:
Glad to hear you can do that Gary. However, free meals and slips at the marina, that may come with water, shower, power, maybe even a washer and dryer, while you are working should count towards your $500 a month budget. The vast majority of cruisers are not out there to work. Some may, but getting out of the rat race is the idea for most of us.

Traveling the country in an RV might be retirement for most. Traveling the country in an RV going from gig to gig would be a job for many, even if the boss throws in a hotel room, drinks and meals.
 
#29 ·
i don't have diesel, but gasoline expenses for the trip during the entire period was just under $1,000. The total trip mileage was just over 4,000 miles, so only about 1,500 miles was under sail, most of which were offshore of Georgia and Florida.

Now, everyone tells me that diesel is far more efficient and provides better fuel economy, so fuel expenses would not necessarily be a big expense with a diesel powered sailboat. I do have a friend who spent upwards of $5,000 running his 47-foot trawler down to Key West and back to Chesapeake Beach and he never ventured offshore. Now, that's a heavy hit. Of course, he made the trip in just two weeks and his engines (2) are GM 1271s.

Gary :cool:
 
#30 ·
The mercury 9.9 died. No where to get a new carb. It rests in the forpeak. I'll sell it when I get back to the states. In meantime can't be boat bound. Got a 2 cycle 9.8hp tohatsu from Budget for $2250. It's awesome. Great holeshot, more noticeable power when loaded down with stores and slips gas.
Averages offered above don't reflect where and style of cruising. Nor do they reflect outfitting. Many expenses are one time expenses for years to come. Things like dinghy engines, watermakers, gen sets etc.
Costs for equipment and food in BVIs are higher than the states but lower than the Bahamas. From what I hear way lower than Europe. Wear doing passages is multiples of coastal. I carry full tools and three spares or more for just about everything. When I was coastal one or two would serve. Mail, shipping and communications are an issue once out of the states. Have two phones. The one from home and another with a local prepaid chip which changes Island to island.
When thinking about budget need to consider:
On the grid or off.
Home country or multiple foreign countries
Passages or short jumps.
Needs so you are living not existing. ? AC, Heat, generator, watermaker, weather service and router, satphone, ssb.
Sightseeing expenses and entertainment are another level. ?dives, cab service, tours, eating out, sporting events, plays and cultural events.
For most of us it's YOLO. You will spend what you can afford.
Suggest those looking at any budget first look at what boat, how equipped and traveling where. If it's congruent with your plans it might have some merit. Otherwise not so much.
 
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#31 ·
...I have heard the argument that a good outboard is mandatory equipment for a serious cruiser, but I don't buy it...
Depends on how one defines the manner of their cruising. I like to spearfish, and will often be miles out on a seamount in open water or on a reef off an entirely different island than the boat. We have often needed to go many miles over rougher water to get food, parts, etc. We have been caught out in places with rapidly increasing bad weather conditions where getting back to the mothership quickly means safely - or even at all.

Can all of this be done in a rowboat? Sure. Will you catch most people doing it that way? Not any I have met. I have met a few with rowing dinghies, but none that use them like we use our larger powered dinghy.

The Pardys never bought the argument that an engine is mandatory for a cruising boat, but we have yet to meet a cruiser without one (outside the Pardys, that is).

The same argument can be made for any piece of gear - winches, windlass, radio, etc.

...My point is if people cut down on systems, complexity and size they can seriously reduce costs, if they wish.
Sure, absolutely. This is universally true for houses, cars - anything and everything. The most common evolution of a cruiser from beginner to old salt is to ratchet down the complexity and systems over time, and thus costs. But down to $500/month isn't in that ballpark.

No doubt one can cruise inexpensively indefinitely on a small boat with no equipment, eating beans and rice, visiting only those areas that do not charge customs/immigration fees, and no marinas or visits off the boat.

We haven't met any of those people anywhere we have been cruising, but they do seem to exist in large numbers on web forums.

Mark
 
#33 · (Edited)
Thanks for sharing the thread Mike. I'm in no way suggesting voyaging on >$500 a month is bad or wrong either, I spend more than $500/month just on chips, salami and beer. I actually think Don190s figures seem pretty logical.

I just wanted to make the point to the casual reader/dreamer that voyaging doesn't have to be an expensive sport unless you want it to be.

There is an entire movement of guys in Britain that cruise around UK and France in small engineless boats. Kind of an anti-yacht cruising crowd (kind of like Slocum, Moitissier and the Pardeys) . I follow a couple of them on YouTube. It looks like a blast. They sleep in the bilges of their open boats and cook under the sky on their Origo stoves and use buckets for- everything...
 
#49 ·
Thanks for sharing the thread Mike. I'm in no way suggesting voyaging on >$500 a month is bad or wrong either, I spend more than $500/month just on chips, salami and beer. I actually think Don190s figures seem pretty logical.

I just wanted to make the point to the casual reader/dreamer that voyaging doesn't have to be an expensive sport unless you want it to be.

There is an entire movement of guys in Britain that cruise around UK and France in small engineless boats. Kind of an anti-yacht cruising crowd (kind of like Slocum, Moitissier and the Pardeys) . I follow a couple of them on YouTube. It looks like a blast. They sleep in the bilges of their open boats and cook under the sky on their Origo stoves and use buckets for- everything...
I'm interested in this. Got a link or a group name on Youtube?
 
#36 ·
No. but if you worked as a free lance mechanic in exchange for slip rental and meals then I would say you are suplimenting your cruising budget.

Id be happy for you, but I'd also second guess your $500 a month budget if you did it regularly.

I'm not flaming Gary.
 
#37 ·
Rob has a point: those of us who don't have marketable skills (at least on the ICW) to barter for meals, drinks, slips, etc., and were tagging along with Gary on our own boat, would not be able to do it for $500/mo.

Gotta admit I'm jealous of Gary's ability to sing for his supper. Besides, he'd be eating out a lot more between gigs if he had my cooking skills, so that is worth something, too.http://www.sailnet.com/forums/images/SailNet_Toucan/smilies/tango_face_wink.png
 
#39 ·
Don!! What are you doing? You didn't take my cost-cutting advice DID YOU?

Did you plant potatos in the cockpit like I TOLD you to? No?
Herbs in the holes in the tops of winches? No??
Hydroponic lettuce in the aft head? NO???

You are not taking cruising SERIOUSLY!

And why waste money on repairs when you could have enough to buy a new small *Organic* harvester?

You suck.

I hope you learn before next months Spreadsheet.


Mark
PS I doubt you will.
 
#40 ·
traveled from Yorktown VA to Beaufort SC

Food/beer/soda/sundries/clothing/personal care - $657.56
* I would like to see a break up of that. If it was $600 for beer and $50 the rest its OK. Food takes more than 1 month to rationalise depending on the use of hard provisions.

Boat maintenance and repairs - $3,497.63
*Some months are like this. you can never predict which months so you gotta have money up yar sleeve to cover it.

Marina costs - $855.6
*When you are in Real cruising areas, i.e. Bahamas, Caribbean, the marina time drops because the anchorages are nicer than the marinas. But its still nice to book 2 nights a month for provisions, laundry, LHS (looong hoooot shower), deck washing etc.

Entertainment and sightseeing - $303.89
*This is quite OK. The whole purpose of cruising is to see stuff, so money spent on tourism is never wasted.

Transportation - $234.16
*Rend a cars? or thats 234 bus rides in the Caribbean. (The .16 was when you were chucked off.

Diesel - $188.85
* Very good boy!! Remember that would be double when you are paying reall fuel prices, outside the USA

Dining out - $1,174.82
*Diet, tubby? ;)
Actually thats alright for 2 people. can be contracted when the keel falls off
I think it takes quite a while for budgets to even themselves out. Certainly the first few months are the most expensive; the first year is the most expensive year.
Don't be afraid to spend the money, especially when you are in the USA because most things are cheaper there, except attitudes and beer.

When I say 'attitudes' I mean things like Outboard motors where Americans think its some kind of sacrilege to buy anything but a 4 stroke, which are much heavier and much more expensive than a 2 stroke.

Also, in general, I don't think cruising starts till you are outside the USA, or, for Australians, north of say, Fraser Island.

Did someone ever say: "Money, you can't take it with you"? Well, there no use being 95 and rich either.
 
#41 ·
Also, in general, I don't think cruising starts till you are outside the USA, or, for Australians, north of say, Fraser Island.
Wow! That is the most structured set of rules defining cruising I have seen yet. Exactly why I give cruising a wide birth and self identify as a sailor, traveller by water and some times live aboard. Too many rules in the cruising game for me.
 
#46 ·
Concerning the comments about tallying Gary's expenses to include what he trades for providing entertainment. Do you guys work for the Internal Revenue Service? Cost should be tallied from what you spend out of pocket. I could never even get a cracker crumb using my musical ability but I do have a lot of mechanical abilities that folks would be willing to trade something for if they were in need of the services. I make a very good living but I do all of my own vehicle maintenance, home maintenance, and grow a very productive garden every year, which allows me to cut my annual living expenses considerably. I am not able to take some of the expense as a tax deduction because I do them myself but my bank account is considerably larger because I am not handing cash to someone else for these items. I am not going to weigh in on the $500 a month controversy because I cannot report from experience what an accurate minimal cost is, as the cruising I have done costs considerably more...... but I do know that it is a condition of mind over matter; if you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
 
#48 ·
Concerning the comments about tallying Gary's expenses to include what he trades for providing entertainment. Do you guys work for the Internal Revenue Service? Cost should be tallied from what you spend out of pocket.
I believe the idea is it is disingenuous to not count his work as money spent. It would be like telling people you travel 50 states per year for free because you work for a company who pays your expenses while you do sales calls.
 
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