Quick poll

[bristol321]

When it comes to a weekly budget cruising bahamas etc how much is enough. This of course does not include emergencies, repairs, but should include fuel water entertainment and beer

100$/week
200$/week
300$/week

More?

[AjariBonten]

$1000 ? $10,000? $10?

It really depends upon what it is you want to do, isn't it?

A better question might be "how little can you get by on?

[sailingdog]

What kind of boat do you have, how is it equipped, are you staying at anchor or in the marina most of the time, etc.,

You can spend as much as you can imagine—just stay in the nicest marinas with a really big boat and eat out every night and buy drinks for everyone in the bar once in a while.

Or you could get a small, well-equipped, self-sufficient boat—that has wind/solar for electrical generation, a watermaker, and a decent-size propane tank—living out on the hook for pennies a day instead.

If you need a resort-type atmosphere or the boat isn't self-sufficient, your costs are going to go up considerably. This question really depends on what you're comfortable with, what you can afford, and what you will accept.

IMHO, it a pretty poor question to ask, since, it can't really be answered without giving any specifics. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND you read the POST in my signature.

Originally Posted by bristol321

When it comes to a weekly budget cruising bahamas etc how much is enough. This of course does not include emergencies, repairs, but should include fuel water entertainment and beer

100$/week
200$/week
300$/week

More?

[ebs001]

This is a pole so each individual sets his own parameters. The heading "Quick Pole" is important part of the post. There is no need to complicate the question as the previous two posters did.
My answer is $300.

[sasfish]

If on a boat larger then 40 $500-$1000 per week easy
$100-$300 per week if your eating rice, anchoring,using a water maker and patching your own shorts oh and you speand zero on the boat.
Remember your boat costs money too.

[camaraderie]

Well the beers are $3.50 each at the grocery...so that becomes the limiting factor.
On the hook we lived just fine there on $150/week but that did NOT include beer since neither of us particularly like it and RUM is cheaper!

[danielgoldberg]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Well the beers are $3.50 each at the grocery...so that becomes the limiting factor.
On the hook we lived just fine there on $150/week but that did NOT include beer since neither of us particularly like it and RUM is cheaper!

$150/week!!!! Wow. That surprises me.

So, what all were you able to do on that princely sum? Serious question. Fuel, water, food (which is what surprises me, because the markets are not cheap), booze, entertainment (bars, movies, etc.)?

[camaraderie]

We didn't use much fuel at all while there Dan though if you motored around a lot it would be costly. Food is expensive there but we would eat fairly simply and not spend a lot on the things that are really outrageous like chips etc.
You can also catch fish and lobster to reduce the costs. This was Abacos BTW.
You can easily spend a LOT more by eating out, staying in marinas or taking mooring balls, drinking.
When I say we lived fine on $150 a week...I mean there were LOTS and LOTS of weeks when that was our average even on a big boat and we could quite comfortably do that if we had a budget of that amount for extended times.
We DID however spend a lot more than that sometimes and by choice or by "force" when things broke or we needed to stay at marinas for various reasons or when we felt like getting some restaurant meals.
We didn't do much that cost $$, and yet we never felt deprived. The beauty of living on the hook in the Abacos is enjoying the waters and cays and hanging out with fellow cruisers, none of which costs anything. We would have movie nights with friends sharing DVD's, play Boggle and other games and snorkle on the reefs and hunt lobster and conch. A different lifestyle.
I would emphasize that you can't budget $150 a week for TOTAL expense since maintenance, insurance, medical and passagemaking costs are all significant. Just meant to say that DAILY living expenses can be pretty minimal without needing to feel deprived in any way!

[imagine2frolic]

When we sail to the Bahamas. We leave with the freezer stuffed. The pantry loaded to the gills. 120 gallons of deisel, and 30 gallons of gas. We take lots, and lots of beer & wine.

We spend money on a few bottles of rum, and eating out a couple of times a week. I would think about $50 a week wil do us for 2 months....i2f

[joeybkcmo]

Cam: very good answer, can see where establishing a "pat" response would not be possible, due to the many variables. So if I may phrase the question a different way. For a four week stay, taking into account the normal restock items, and boat requirements, how much? So a monthly amount, taking in account that the day to day maintenance is handled "in house", and keeping in mind that I like you, don't really like beer and prefer to have dinner and movie on the boat or reading a book verses going out for a night on the town.