Message in a bottle

[Valiente]

Good advice. Beth Leonard's The Voyager's Handbook Amazon.com: The Voyager's Handbook: Books: Beth A. Leonard has "real-life" scenarios that show the costs of running different boats on different budgets, on the hook vs. at the marina, etc. It's a very good general information book that dovetails nicely between technical guides like Nigel Calder's compendia and Rousmaniere's Annapolis Book of Sailing. Throw in Brion Toss's "Riggers" book and you've got in four large format volumes the nucleus of a great onboard reference library.

Of course, I personally am unlikely to stop there...heh...

[sailingdog]

Valiente-

Just be aware that Beth Leonard's book has just been released in a 2nd edition... I'd add the Boater's Bowditch to that group of books, as it is a version of Bowditch's written specifically for the small craft navigator.

[camaraderie]

Billabong...welcome aboard! Nice to have some Pacific cruising experience here as we are a bit short of that. Hope to hear more from you about your experiences.
*************
BTW...anyone planning on cruising should read their 100's of tips link......some great stuff there!

[Valiente]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Valiente-

Just be aware that Beth Leonard's book has just been released in a 2nd edition... I'd add the Boater's Bowditch to that group of books, as it is a version of Bowditch's written specifically for the small craft navigator.

Yes, that's the (new) one I have...good reading! I second the Bowditch, although there's good stuff even in yard sale Dutton's and Chapman's of years past, if you ignore the latest electronics marvel, the breadbox sized RDF!

[Freesail99]

The Boater's Boditch can be had on Amazon used for under 4 bucks.

[svbillabong]

Originally Posted by southerncross31

is there anyone who knows a foolproof plan that would convince her?

I'm not sure that anything is fool proof but make a list of all the things you currently spend money on and then mark off the expenses that will go away when you are gone (it's a huge list). Then make a list of the extra stuff you'll spend while cruising; flights home (including boat storage while gone), higher communication costs, souvenirs etc. The good thing about about cruising is that you have a lot of say in what you chose to spend your money on, assuming your boat is in good shape. At the pure minimum you've got to eat and occasionally you need to pay port fees etc but it can be incredibly cheap, the wind is free. We did a massive re-fit while we were still working and filled the boat with spares, so most of the boat maintenance expenses are still low going into our fourth season (we've had to haul and paint the bottom after three years which was less than $1000 and we had Fijian laborers do most of the sanding because it was so cheep). One season we used 55 gallons of fuel the entire season, and in Kiribati we didn't spend a dime for three months.

Our biggest expenses occur when we return to the "land of stuff"; New Zealand or Australia for cyclone season or back to the states for a visit (once so far). We like to land travel, but we usually do it on the cheap; like a van with a bed in the back (it sure makes the boat feel huge when we return). $$ flies out the window and our budget of $1000 a month usually doubles. In NZ pile moorings were $200 a month so we traveled around by van as much as we could and saw the entire country (9000 miles of driving). In Australia slips are $600 a month, so we cruised for three months before heading off on our land based trip for a only five weeks. In Majuro in the Marshall Islands we left the boat on a mooring ball that cost us $60 a month and flew home.

Yes food can be a little more expensive in the islands but you can also go native and eat like the locals. They make $6 a day and manage to survive!! In some places eating out can be very expensive so we usually eat on the boat.. We LOVE to fish so food costs go down when we are catching lots of fish. We know people who spent 3 or 4 times out budget eating out and having coffee out every chance they got.. We also know people who get by with half that!! You'll amaze yourself on how little you can get by on once you really get into the lifestyle. You shift for "stuff" to experiences; and trust me everyday is an experience out here and most of them are free!!

Even though I say we have a budget we try not to be too strict. We have a fun fund we dip into whenever we feel like it but we know it's a balance between everything now, and a shorter trip; or a little bit of self control (while still having "everything" we really want) and a longer trip.

After you've done all the math, throw it all away and realize that it is a once in a lifetime experience that really is PRICELESS. Oh, the final thing that convinced my finance (who had minimal sailing experience when we left) was that she wouldn't have to work while we were cruising.. that took about a second of thought before she was in!!

Good luck and get out here.. you'll kick yourself for every minute you "wasted" at home once you realize what it's like.

[sailingdog]

welll said chris.

[Valiente]

Budgeting has to be averaged out over the life of the voyage. Several cruiser blogs highlight this variability in monthly outlay, and it seems for many to fall into spending more in the first six months as gear you thought was up to scratch in fact isn't, and until you get far enough away from your home country to avoid the temptation of marinas, visits back to your home town, and nights ashore in restaurants.

The pattern then shows a general decline as people become more able to exist on the hook and/or go to places where money is simply harder to spend.

There's usually a spending spree at 18-24 months as sails are replaced or repaired, and stuff like cooling pumps, heat exchangers and injectors require service. There's also an interesting point where you finally run out of "spares from home" and realize that 20 Racor and spin-on oil filters did not in fact constitute a lifetime supply.

After that, and barring major mishaps, the spending gets more predictable and regular, it seems.

I estimate we can cruise comfortably on $25,000 Canadian/year, which is about $21,000 U.S. or 16,000 Euros. This factors in one haul-out and winter storage in five years, plus a more or less complete boat repaint (it's steel), and a potential rigging refreshing. This doesn't include the approximately $30,000 in upgrades we'll be putting into the boat before we leave.

While there are more variables than on land, I've run my own business for years now and am used to budgeting. Also, while I tend to buy the best gear I can afford, I am otherwise parsimonious with money...I'd rather sail longer and cheaper!

Now, if my plan for renting out the house works out, we'll break even if I can write about six articles per year...

[donrr1]

Our goal is to be on the water at least half of the year. Here's the way we're going about it....

I have work experience in Restaurant and Auto sales. Both of these jobs are relatively easy to find anywhere in the states when we are on the hard. My partner retires in 2 years from government service providing us with benefits and substantial income.

We decided to get an older boat with a sound hull and rig and simply replace EVERY system. We bought a 1969 Morgan 41' C/B Ketch with staysail stay in December 2006 for $17k. It's a full keeled boat which in its day was a CCA racer/cruiser. The hull and rigging were inspected by a surveyor named Jack Horner (whom I recommend highly). He was very impressed with the condition of the hull and made many recomendations about the rigging upgrades. I wanted to know that I had a stable platform to build on, I do. I am now living on the boat and performing a total refit as I do so. I have 3 years to git er done. The funding for the refit is being provided by my full time salary and some savings. I still have a garage with stuff that I am in the process of distributing until it is gone. My current expenses for living are 266.00 per month slip fees (no extra for land storage in winter), approx 40.00 per mo in electricity, 139.00 for the garage, 43.00 cell phone, 66.00 for liability on boat, 230.00 car and insurance. A grand total of 784.00 per month.

I am figuring about $60k will be needed to refurbish and upgrade the boat. There will be no borrowing for any of the work and I am performing most, if not all, of the labor. After my partner retires in 2 years, we plan on cruising the Chesapeake for one season to gain a firm footing and shakedown the boat. At which time we will have no debt, enough savings to purchase a house after cruising and enough income (about 2800.00 per mo) to comfortably cruise on. The only issue is our medical benefits will be limited to US territories. If we decide to venture away, we will cross that bridge as best we can.

My background includes being a Machinist Mate in the USN, 3 years of tech school for carpentry and four years experience as a builder, 2 yr computer science degree (I'm hip on electronics). So for me, I have the ability to refit the boat and hopefully do it right. I have no fear of it because I have all of you friends here on Sailnet to help me ( as well as all of the wonderful books I have collected )

Don

[sailingdog]

Don, sounds like you've got a good start on being your own boatyard...