cost per foot

[bellefonte]

I have been reading to prepare for buying my cruising boat. So, I'm reading all the posts you salts put up here about the best cruising boats etc. and I hear a reoccuring theme. The longer the boat, the more the maintenance costs. I have also read some GREAT posts on how to keep mainenance costs down and those have been a big help.

As for me, I want to cruise blue water once I have enough experience and want an easy to sail, steady boat. I am smitten with the idea of navigating the ocean and traveling to destinations world wide. I have I have read the article about 36-39' boats and I'm still unclear about what to set my sights on. From my layman's perspective, the more boat the better because my wife will want space and some ammeneties like a fridge and hot water, but i fear getting too much boat too. I do plan to install a composting toilet and make good use of battery banks, solar and wind. Ideally, it will be my wife, me and our young son.

I know that maintenance costs depend on how a boat is rigged, etc. But does anyone have any examples of exactly what I can expect if I buy a 36' versus a 41' or some such comparison?

An example would be, "I have a Islander 36 and for the last 8 years, I have spent as little as $500 and as much as $5000 in a given year. I have averaged about $2,100 per year."

Thanks for any examples of actual costs and advice!

[tommays]

I dont think this can really be answered as people have vastly different ideas about what GOOD condition means and you can slack on things a long time before it bites you

The costs do go UP much like the Richter magnitude scale in every part of the boat from sails to motor as everything gets much bigger and more complex

[bellefonte]

Well, I will have to take that into consideration. Surely someone who cruises full time has kept record of what they spent/spend to keep her afloat and in "good" condition.

The point being that I hear all the time that the longer the boat, the greater the cost. I'm just trying to put some meat on that bone as I make a buying decision. Perhaps someone could give the example of painting the bottom of a 34 versus a 41...just an idea

[sailingdog]

Maintenance costs also will vary quite a bit depending on who does the work. If you do the work yourself, you will save a considerable amount on the cost... since most boatyards are charging $85+ per hour for work done.

Another major variable is how complicated the systems on your boat are...the more systems, the more maintenance... smaller simpler boats are far less expensive.

As a good rule of thumb, a boat's maintenance costs will double for every 10' feet of LOA. A 30' boat will cost twice as much as a 20' boat, and half as much as a 40' boat.

Some costs are linear, like haulouts, marina slip fees, bottom painting, which are often charged per foot of boat length. Other costs are not—like sails, replacing equipment, etc. Sails are more expensive for larger boats, since the sails require more material, more labor and often heavier material. A sail for a 35' mast is going to be significantly less than one for a 45' mast—since the area of the sail is almost doubled on the latter.

Given that you haven't done a whole lot of sailing, at least from your OP, I would highly recommend that you spend some time sailing and look at boats that are not pure bluewater cruisers. Most bluewater cruisers have less space than comparable LOA coastal cruisers.

Also, getting your wife and son on different boats will give you a better idea of what you need in a boat. My friends, who are in a similar situation to you, bought a Gemini 105Mc catamaran to cruise on, since it gave a good mix of space, stowage, comfort, performance, and cost. They're currently cruising the Bahamas.

BTW, I'm not a real big fan of composting toilets, especially for boats that are going to be cruising longer term.

[tommays]

s/v Pelican - Following A Dream

Sailnet menber labatt just spent a year on a boat that was in pretty good shape and had a suprising amount of issues which you can read about on the blog

[bellefonte]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

BTW, I'm not a real big fan of composting toilets, especially for boats that are going to be cruising longer term.

I would think that composting would be better in long term situations. A conventional head will need to be pumped...gross. Where the composting one simply composts, virtually indefinatley as long as you have a bag of peat moss and some enzymes. Do you have a negative experience with one you can share?

BTW, thanks for the formula on boat costs.

[bellefonte]

Here's another idea. What do you guys budget annually to maintain your boats? (or is this too personal of a question?)

[LandLocked66c]

Here are some costs from some cruisers.

http://www.bumfuzzle.com/Pages/Main%20Pages/Cost.php

[chuck53]

We know what you are looking for, but the answers can be many and often vague.
Everyone is different with different wants and needs.
What is acceptable to me, may not be acceptable to you and vice versa.
I may only haul my boat every other year for paint and bottom maintenence where you may do it every year.
I may be happy with my 15 year old sails where you may want to replace your sails every 5 years.
Maybe, when my boat is out of the water every other year, I clean and wax it myself. Maybe when you pull yours every year, you might want the boatyard to totally detail your boat.
You might want a boat with all the bells and whistles and every electronic gadget you can find. Maybe all I want is a good GPS. I may only replace my GPS every 5 years and you don't want any electronic gadget more than 3 years.
There are just so many variables, maybe's and what if's, we can't give you a definitive answer.

[tommays]

Well

My J24s 35' mast needed paint(not painting would have caused failure) and wire (lights no longer worked)

It ended up about at over 700 dollars in parts and material NO LABOR to take it up and down and a FREE place to work