Live aboard costs?

[mathewsaunders]

In the next couple of years I plan on traveling across the world on my own sailboat. I've read several posts of what people say it should cost per month, and I just need to know how it's so inexpensive? Obviously there are people who will do it on 5 thousand a month, then there are those that say they do it on 800 a month. Now I'm a minimalist when it comes to material possessions and extravagant spending so I know how to be frugal. If I were as frugal as possible, sailing on a boat that just required regular monthly maintenance, and wanted to travel the world what would you say is a realistic budget to have in mind? (excluding the cost of food).

[sawingknots]

i doubt anyone can answer your question,theres just too many varbles "all things being equal" theres no such animal

[CaptainForce]

I have an easy answer. It will cost you the same amount as it cost people to live on land! This will also vary as much as people require to live on land.

[mathewsaunders]

Originally Posted by CaptainForce

I have an easy answer. It will cost you the same amount as it cost people to live on land! This will also vary as much as people require to live on land.

Could you explain? That's very vague. What I'm looking for is a more detailed answer. What you said really tells me nothing. If someone pays 1800 a month for rent in a house, where is that going to be spent living on a boat? If someone makes over 600 a month in car payments, where will that be spent on a boat? Say I have no car, or those kind of monthly payments, how would I be spending the same amount?

[Squidd]

Originally Posted by mathewsaunders

... Say I have no car, or those kind of monthly payments, how would I be spending the same amount?

That's the point ...you wouldn't ...either on land...or at sea...

So if your living on $800 a month on land... you should be able to "get by" with that at sea...

[Siamese]

You've already gotten a couple of good answers. You want it nailed down on the scant information you've given, and that can't be done. For instance, do you plan on having health insurance? Do you plan on needing medical attention in Portugal? Did you know that your keel bolts are shot and need to be replaced? What kind of boat...you didn't say. That's going to make a huge difference. Do you want refrigeration? Liferaft? Radar? What is the cost for a new genoa for your boat....yours just ripped to pieces.

[sawingknots]

food will be more expencive,its hard to run down to the a&p and buy food in bulk that needs to be refrigirated,boats break down and boat parts and boat yards and labor ain't cheap,you almost have to spend atleast sometime at a marina[not cheap]the only one i know of who can live on $800 per month on land is either homeless or lives with relatives

[mathewsaunders]

Yeah, these posts are helping huge. In a sense, I'm trying to get a ballpark figure. I don't need to know where every single dime is going, but I would like to know how much regular maintenance on a boat, I don't have one yet so for the sake of discussion we'll say it's 26'. I know next to nothing about boating, so give me a break in terms of brand or type. Now, when I said 800 a month, that was an article I read about someone living on board their sailboat, and I meant it to be 1800 a month, my bad.

[yoyomau]

We are just beginning the same adventure of living aboard our boat. Our homes and vehicles are either sold, paid for, or rented out, so we have no land expenses. All of the personal belongings we have are aboard our 31' Dufour sail boat, which by the way, we paid cash for. Everything else has either been sold or given away. We too are minimalists and have a strict budget to adhere to. Since the boat was just recently purchased, we are docked in a marina while making the necessary upgrades for off shore sailing. Your initial start up costs will vary greatly depending on the condition and amenities on your boat. Ours needs a $1200 refrigeration installation, but most everything else has already been done luckily. The marina is $400/mo. and includes electricity, water, wifi, and holding tank pumping. Other than the refrigeration, we have no other expenses except for liability insurance ($500/yr.), food, and a little change for the coin laundry here at the marina. We will also be getting towing insurance from Boat.us (unsure of the cost at this point). By January 1st we will be underway. If you'd like to keep in contact we would be more than happy to respond.

[TQA]

KEY THING IS WHERE YOU PLAN TO LIVE and WHERE AND HOW YOU MAINTAIN YOUR BOAT.

Anchor out somewhere with a Walmart in dinghy/walk distance and do minimal diy. $600/month

Marina in Italy $1200/month Shop in the marina market and eat steak/lobster/fresh organic strawberries and eat out well once a week $3000 I have no idea about yard prices in the Med but it is gonna be expensive.