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$3000/mo cruising budget

117K views 627 replies 88 participants last post by  colemj 
#1 ·
Determining a cruising budget and trying to find out if it will work seems like one of the most important parts of cruising, yet is one of the hardest to find any answers on. Before I got into sailing I spent 2 years researching the cost issues and in the end kind of just gave up and placed myself on a path to cruising anyway.

The question frequently becomes all jammed up with "it depends" and "it costs whatever you can afford to spend" answers. Which are true, but of little value for planning. Planning becomes even more important for those not so young when the decision to stop working and go cruising equals an end to a career and little chance of returning to work at anywhere near the level they were when they sailed off. The goal becomes balancing leaving while young enough to get the most of of cruising, while working long enough to not run out of money.

But I'm becoming more and more job burnt out and more and more caught in the dream, so find myself looking for the answer. To do it I spend lots of time reading though blogs looking for what people are spending and comparing it to what they are doing. I read things like the "Interview with a Cruiser Project", waste my time on the various forums, and just plain taking a guess based on what it costs me to live on land and maintain my boat now and have a budget in mind.

The budget I'm currently planning for is $3000/mo, which has to cover basically everything. Now this isn't a down and dirty budget, and it isn't a live high budget. But it is expected to be a comfortable budget that allows sightseeing and not eating out of a can budget. And as an average amount is one that I could cruise on till I no longer an able (that $3000/mo, $36,000/yr budget becomes $52,500 when I'm 75 at 2% inflation).

If you are in the cruise for $500/mo group this isn't a thread for you. But if you are in a similar position for cruising on $3000/mo I would love to see comments on what you expect this to mean far as your cruising plans.
 
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#167 ·
15 days is one marina stop a month, or a tad over. That seems very low to me. How are you making your water last a month at a time? Watermaker? Seems there are a lot of places i would not run that. What about showers? You need hot water for showers. Generator or main? How are you keeping up with your power?

There are workarounds to these things. We have not been in a marina since The end of October. But we have also invested in the systems to make it work outside of one: generator, 780 watts solar, good tender, etc. I also prefer to keep a clean boat (wash it once a week or so), we prefer to shower aboard, etc. Others may not care about that stuff.

I am not here to tell anyone "this is how you should cruise". Instead, it is how we do it and make it work. I suspect that most of those in the 500 crowd will be in for some real surprises when reality kicks in, or they will be forced to live in a level of comfort most of us would not consider. I suspect that will lead to a very short cruise.

Understand, if I was taking a 6 month hiatus then i would just deal with a lot more lack of comfort. But we have been doing this a long, long time and the reason we have made it work (for us) was that we saw the boat as our home and we were determined to make our home comfortable to our level of standards. Others have a different level. But most of the folks which we have run across cruising on the cheap have generally had a very short timeline in which they would be on the boat and were willing to do without many creature comforts. We have no end, per se.

Another point about marinas, they allow you to run air conditioning. How are you going to get around ac unless you sail pretty far north for the summer? You have to be pretty hardcore down here to go without air conditioning in the summer. I suspect that Chesapeake south would be very, very uncomfortable. And while we could sail north, we actually prefer the keys in the summer so that is not an option for us right now. So the summer months land us in a marina full-time.
 
#162 ·
In the last 6 years I've NEVER stayed at a slip. There are $55/night mooring balls up here that already cuts into the beer budget too much.

But I believe last I looked it up that moorings were around $300/mo in Key West.
 
#168 ·
Are you a fulltime cruiser and you never stayed at a slip in 6 years? Have you ever spent any time on those balls in Key West? They SUCK in the winter as they are wide open to the north, and in the summer, when our winds are light and the lows (LOWS) hit about 85, they are miserable. And have i mentioned the no-seeums that can fit through your screens? The typical screens do not stop No-seeums and while you can get the screens that do, they are so tight they shut down the air flow. If you sleep out in the cockpit as many try, you will wake up the next morning looking like you have measles and will be a piny low of blood. You will wake up soaking wet with sweat.

If that is ok with you, as it is with some, no problem. But I am curious how long that will last?
 
#163 ·
Another point is listening to someone talk about how much air conditioning, or a macerator, can costs to repair, like every sailboat out there has air conditioning and electric heads. :D

I have a friend who could point out how much it cost to keep his two jet skis running when he was cruising and how it would be a disaster if someone didn't budget those kinds of repairs into their cruising budget. :D
 
#177 · (Edited)
Originally Posted by Cruisingdad
Just so ya know, a macerator is the pump which empties your black water holding tank. It has NOTHING to do with a electric head.
Well, there you go. We obviously have differently designed systems. My electric head has a built in macerator. I also have a macerator on the pump out for the holding tank, as well as for the pump out for the holding tank of the aft manual head (which does not have an integral macerator).

Once you take a few of these things apart, you learn that kind of thing. :D

And, I grew up in Mississippi and we're probably a little more heat and humidity tolerant that people from farther up north. I've got an air conditioner, and I've had them on other boats, too, but the boat I have now, is the first boat I ever had with one I could run anywhere but at the dock.

Believe me, if you don't have AC you learn pretty quick how to anchor to get the breeze and to avoid the no-see-ums. :D
 
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#183 ·
Yeah right. For some reason, I thought this thread was about reality instead of theory. Brother, boating and cruising is all i have done my adult life and had kids aboard damn near birth over thirteen years ago!

When a boater mentions a macerator pump, it is generally assumed the pump which dumps the crap out of your holding tank. My electric heads also have a macerator, but not all electric heads do (or did you know that???). It was the macerator on the black water tank which failed. The seal between the motor and the pump broke and was leaking crap water into the boat. That is an immediate break-fix unless you don't mind your boat smelling like an outhouse. If you are ok with that, fine.

I grew up in East Texas where 90 plus days over 100 were common and the asphalt melts and throws up on your car. I understand heat too. But i have zero interest in surviving on my boat. This is supposed to be fun, right? So when it is not fun we find a way and place to fix it. Even the die-hards down here that grew up down here have a problem with the heat. You want to come down here and sleep in your sweat and anchored out to save a buck... Fine. Maybe you should consider going back to the 500 thread? This is supposed to be about reality and fun. Come spend a decade down here anchored out and then you or anyone else can lecture me about not needing ac. I am 14 years cruising this coast and running and giving you guys reality instead of bs. You want BS, go read another thread.

I would also love to hear your wives comments about sleeping in your sweat for time on end. Lets see how that works out for ya. And my kids probably have more time offshore and cruising on a boat than everyone on the thread added up.

I thought this thread was about reality???? I have been up front that what i do and the costs and that may not be what everyone does, that is fine. I have no problem with that. But if you would rather me blow smoke and give you the party-line from the magazines, brokers, or those whose cruising has been in summed into months versus years, i can do that too. My point was to give you real costs and instead of a shred of appreciation, i get crap about not knowing what the hell i am doing when my kids know more about boating than probably everyone on this thread.

In fact, the more i think about it, all you rich guys cruising on more than $500 a month are unrealistic and need to read my newest fiction novel. It is called, "rich guys suck and you can cruise the world like a king on $500 if you know how to anchor out in the wind."

Best seller that. May not get a lot of buyers for the second edition though.
 
#178 ·
Brian
most cruisers cruise. You might try getting out once in a while.

we do not use a watermaker. When we stop for fuel, the fuel docks always provide free water. In most of the harbors up north there is free access to a town dock with free water. We carry about 110 gallons of water and never come close to running out. We always shower aboard every 2 to 3 days.
Plenty of electricity from engine alternator, solar panels, wind gen and honda 2k when necessary. And we run a very large refrig.
we never use our aircon, no need to up north at anchor.
 
#185 ·
We have 4 aboard, not 2 as you well know. And as you well know from fb, we are sitting still in marathon because we have finally met a large group of kids and the boys love it here. Can i move on? Absolutely. Will I? Not yet. My kids love it here.

I have been very upfront about our circumstances. However, i dont agree with you on the water usage. But we will leave it at that. I gave this thread our reality which was quickly crapped on. So my newest line is that anyone who cannot cruise on $500/month has issues.
 
#179 ·
Huh? Many people in the Keys and southern parts of the South along with many Caribbean islands have no air conditioning... many have survived and are thriving to the dismay of those of us living in our little air conditioned/sit on our rear end watching TV worlds... they don't even think about it... I'm sure many before air conditioning was invented lived and cruised just fine and they continue to do so today... for those that have it great... for those that don't it's just one less worry... :rolleyes:
 
#190 ·
Hey Minne,

I love kw. The butterfly consortium is fabulous. I could walk the fort for hours. Incredible history (but not as good as the Tortugas). Hemingway, a stroll down the historic distric, and quite frankly, we have met some of tje nicest and most traveled cruisers in our life there. However, kw has a night life not conducive to kids. So it is not for us. If the schools didnt suck, we would buy a house there and base there. But... They are not great and we would have to private which we might anyways.

Kw by boat is a completely different experience. Hope you at least try it one day. A lot of fun. When you do, let me know. I will but the first round at Kevins.
 
#191 · (Edited)
Brian- I for one really appreciate hearing your experience and slant on reality. You go man!!!. Still, wonder about the energy budget. I now know I can get by with no fuel use running everything including the entertainment systems without ever turning on an engine ( genset or other). I envisioned turning on the AC for 1-2h just before bed most days. Is this realistic in the Florida/Bahama/Caribe region? There's just two of us with occasional four aboard so figure water making will be limited to rarely occurring when outside U.S. waters. Don't mind slips but like not having neighbors at least most of the tme. Do you think its necessary to have more than one unit in a 40-50' boat for your region? How many BTUs of cooling make things livable?
 
#192 ·
CD, the thing I disliked the most was going for a walk in the morning. We're early risers and like to head out for a walk, find coffee, whatever. I found it almost impossible not to stumble over beer bottles and drunks still sleeping it off on the street. Same both times I was there. Is that normal?

The night life was as you describe. Fun the first time, got old quickly the second time, no need to repeat.
 
#195 · (Edited)
I love hearing about and learning from the experiences of guys who are out there doing it. For those of you posting real experience, do not think for a minute that I am critical of some detail or opinion. That pales in comparison, same thing with the quibbling. Its usually a misunderstanding. Know that I ( and I am sure many others) truly appreciate the sharing of information.

I have been to key west many times by land and I like it but my wife usualy has a melt down after a day or two because of all the tourist traffic and drunks. So we end up back at Lorelei in Islamorada. I think if we were on a boat she would get enough time for decompression. we could stay on the hook once in a while but I am thinking a marina slip would be best for her.

We will have somewhere between 3 - 4 k/ month to spend when we go. We will have to spend less then $100k for the boat. Probably closer to $50k. Cash. Depends on if we sell the house back here or keep it.

We will have free health insurance. With the boat paid for and $3k +/ month budget will I have to avoid and worry about such attractive tourist traps? If I have to get too stressed out about the money it won't be worth it.
 
#199 ·
I definately agree with the awnings! I use tarps when anchored on my boat and it really helps. Texas summers are really hot and getting in the water with some shade over you helps too. I look at those big catamarans and think to myself 'man, it would sure be nice to be floating under that bridge deck with a cool drink' at anchor. LOL

Kevin.
 
#206 · (Edited)
Maybe we need to define cruising again.

I have read this thread and the 500USD/month thread quite thoroughly. On this one the rule seems to be find an expensive spot (whether it is a mooring or a slip) stay a month and pay for expensive bar tabs, restaurant food, perhaps pay for the dinghy dock, pump out, pay through the nose for gas for your 2kw gensets, for their plasma tv's Then whine about it. You may as well buy an Airstream trailer, hook up to your F250 and hang out at a KOA

The other guys, may spend 2-3 days somewhere where they restock on local food, meet local people, see things close to the boat and just relax. They cruise cruise perhaps 30-50 miles and do it again. WTH is a gen set anyway? Almost no diesel used because they actually sail. May not be as fast or convenient but if the wind is not blowing they hang out a bit longer, doing those sailing chores such as whipping line, sewing sails, lugging empty water containers to the dinghy so you can refill the main tanks on the boat.

At the end of the month the 3000usd/month guys will have run gallons of fuel through the lines, may or may not have taken the sail covers off and have seen the latest movies on blue ray.

The 500usd/month guys have perhaps torn a stitch on the sails, went over the side to clean the prop, made a lot of friends on shore, and tried some new foods and beer. Not to mention better cruising/sailing stories. (its all about the stories)

Just a matter of priorities eh?

Jerry
 
#236 ·
Maybe we need to define cruising again.

I have read this thread and the 500USD/month thread quite thoroughly. On this one the rule seems to be find an expensive spot (whether it is a mooring or a slip) stay a month and pay for expensive bar tabs, restaurant food, perhaps pay for the dinghy dock, pump out, pay through the nose for gas for your 2kw gensets, for their plasma tv's Then whine about it. You may as well buy an Airstream trailer, hook up to your F250 and hang out at a KOA

The other guys, may spend 2-3 days somewhere where they restock on local food, meet local people, see things close to the boat and just relax. They cruise cruise perhaps 30-50 miles and do it again. WTH is a gen set anyway? Almost no diesel used because they actually sail. May not be as fast or convenient but if the wind is not blowing they hang out a bit longer, doing those sailing chores such as whipping line, sewing sails, lugging empty water containers to the dinghy so you can refill the main tanks on the boat.

At the end of the month the 3000usd/month guys will have run gallons of fuel through the lines, may or may not have taken the sail covers off and have seen the latest movies on blue ray.

The 500usd/month guys have perhaps torn a stitch on the sails, went over the side to clean the prop, made a lot of friends on shore, and tried some new foods and beer. Not to mention better cruising/sailing stories. (its all about the stories)

Just a matter of priorities eh?

Jerry
Uh, no.

The difference is that this thread has at least some basis in reality. Food costs money. The days of no insurance are coming to a close. You are required by law not to pumpout within 7 miles of the keys, and the typical boat simply does not have a large enough holding tank for really long waits between. Things break on a boat and can be very expensive to repair, even if you do it yourself. The problem is that people don't want to hear that because it does not fit their perception of what reality 'should be' versus what it really is.

I have been sitting on a ball since October, only had a one day marina trip last Saturday. I haul my own water. I make power from solar, but even with 780 watts i run the generator periodically to supplement. I have not rented a movie since before Christmas because the closest Redbox is too far to ride that next morning. I do not own a car and ride my bicycle everywhere. Yet, I will tell you this post is more in line with reality than 500. I would rather people prepare for 3000/month and try to make 500 work, than prepare for 500/month and scramble trying to realize it is closer to 3000.

Brian
 
#209 · (Edited)
Enjoying the thread. Some musing to share...

We are on the boat all summer, but it's much farther north. We have a 12v fan over each berth, which does the trick. As everyone knows, when on a hook, the boat is always pointed into the wind. There is nothing like a cool breese from a hatch that's open 45 degrees, deflecting the clean fresh wind onto your face. I have a cord going up to the hatch to pull it closed if it rains. Just got a stick for re-opening it, but haven't used it yet. Now that's good sleeping.

If I get A/C, it will be to keep the boat dryer and the humidity lower. No need to be much cooler here. And I'll take the big air space over the headliner boards and put some "next generation" insulation up there. I'm a huge believer in insulation. Insulation gives you options.

I do wonder if there's a way to do A/C on the hook. Maybe that big wonderful awning (as mentioned above) could be a big flexible solar panel. Then just run the A/C during the day. I'm pretty sure cycling the batteries every night to run an A/C would quickly turn them into bricks. I just bought a household de-humidifier for the boat, that runs at about 268 watts. With 500 watts of solar, I could run that for a while each day.

One of the major costs of our "fine dining" is aluminum foil. It's amazing how much you use when cooking for family and friends over the coals of a beach fire. For potatos, wrap them like a tootsie-roll. First wrap one end then put a handful of clean seawater in, then close the other side. They end up perfectly salted.

Burgers are easy. Open the foil to add cheese, but watch for igniting the bit of captured grease. We call these burgers "Falcon burgers" since we started doing it when we met up with Falcon Riley (of "Education of a Falcon" fame). It is (and he is) everyone's favorite.

Not sure we could get away with these cookouts at an anchorage down in the keys, on those skinny beaches. I'm thinking it's one of the reasons why it costs more to anchor where there are a lot of people, where others park their cars. ...and that cruising on a bigger budget lets you be closer to 1st world civilization, with A/C, hospitals, stores, professional entertainment.

It's winter. Can't wait 'til summer.

Regards,
Brad
 
#210 · (Edited)
This thread is sort of inching towards a point I wanted to make;

Rather than ask " How much does it cost to cruise?" Ask-

What does $3000/ month look like where I want to go? What does this budget get me?

Then a local or someone with experience could fill you in. For instance, where I am on the Hudson we get a lot of cruising boats, almost all of them well off middle class to super rich.

For $3000/month in the summer you could stay in a marina with showers, a pool, restaurant --a true full service country club with picnic tables... ect..plus you could eat out twice a week, and take the train into NYC once or twice a month for sight seeing and have money left over for beer. You would find friendly people barbecuing and drinking in the evenings and bands playing. And a laundry right there for you. You could sail in the "bays" which are the wider parts of the river, about 1-2 miles across. There are usually racing clubs you could probably crew with. You could rent a car to get up into the mountains to hike or just see the countryside and shop for cheap food and supplies. There are lots of farm stands . But you'd spend every penny of that $3k doing it.

For $500 a month, you'd probably be anchored on the river some place you could hitch hike or walk down the railroad tracks to a convenience store to get overpriced groceries and maybe a case of cheap beer. Some locals might look upon you suspiciously if you anchor too often in front of their property. In my younger days we'd anchor anywhere and I remember one little wooded beach where a homeowner had his German Sheppard chase us off. If you come ashore in one of those odd places you had better be smiling and cheerful and try to make friends. People are shallow so it would really help if you looked good in a bikini. And because you anchored out a lot, the 57 varieties of local cops plus the CG would all get to know you - one at a time, one way or another. If you were legal, most of them would be polite about it. The jokes about how your boat smelled or how you flushed your toilet would influence how you were treated. Laundry would be sketchy. Its possible at a few marinas to base your dingy cheaply and moor the boat but that might cost you more than you can afford.

Did I paint you two different pictures of the same place? Which one feels like your thing?
 
#218 · (Edited)
This thread is sort of inching towards a point I wanted to make;

Rather than ask " How much does it cost to cruise?" Ask-

What does $3000/ month look like where I want to go? What does this budget get me?

Then a local or someone with experience could fill you in. For instance, where I am on the Hudson we get a lot of cruising boats, almost all of them well off middle class to super rich.

For $3000/month in the summer you could stay in a marina with showers, a pool, restaurant --a true full service country club with picnic tables... ect..plus you could eat out twice a week, and take the train into NYC once or twice a month for sight seeing and have money left over for beer. You would find friendly people barbecuing and drinking in the evenings and bands playing. And a laundry right there for you. You could sail in the "bays" which are the wider parts of the river, about 1-2 miles across. There are usually racing clubs you could probably crew with. You could rent a car to get up into the mountains to hike or just see the countryside and shop for cheap food and supplies. There are lots of farm stands . But you'd spend every penny of that $3k doing it.

For $500 a month, you'd probably be anchored on the river some place you could hitch hike or walk down the railroad tracks to a convenience store to get overpriced groceries and maybe a case of cheap beer. Some locals might look upon you suspiciously if you anchor too often in front of their property. In my younger days we'd anchor anywhere and I remember one little wooded beach where a homeowner had his German Sheppard chase us off. If you come ashore in one of those odd places you had better be smiling and cheerful and try to make friends. People are shallow so it would really help if you looked good in a bikini. And because you anchored out a lot, the 57 varieties of local cops plus the CG would all get to know you - one at a time, one way or another. If you were legal, most of them would be polite about it. The jokes about how your boat smelled or how you flushed your toilet would influence how you were treated. Laundry would be sketchy. Its possible at a few marinas to base your dingy cheaply and moor the boat but that might cost you more than you can afford.

Did I paint you two different pictures of the same place? Which one feels like your thing?
So with your $3000/month budget on your C22... that should go a long way right? It's good you stay on this thread rather than the $500/month thread since on your small yacht you'll be welcomed anywhere you go... right?
 
#211 · (Edited)
I can't see that the city fathers would allow drunks on the streets after daylight. I mean, pretty damn near every day of every month there are cruise ships unloading 2,000-10,000 of your new best friends into the streets and shops of KW. Day in and day out, damn near every day of every month, as on the official city calendar from this month. (Sorry, the HTML mangles a bit.)

February 2014

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1
Disney Wonder (B) 1130-1800
Nieuw Amsterdam (OM) 0730-1700
2
Constellation (B) 0700-1730

3
Freedom (B) 0730-1600
Riviera (OM) 0800-1700
4
Ecstasy (OM) 0730-1330
Sunshine (B) 1000-1800
5
Grandeur (OM) 0900-1700
6
Majesty (B) 0930-1800 Norwegian Pear (OM) 1200-2000
7
Constellation (B) 0700-1700
8
Eurodam (B) 0800-1700
Maasdam (M) 0900-1700

9
Constellation (B) 0900-1700
10
Serenade (B) 1100-1700
Ryndam (M) 1230-1800
11
12
SS Navigator (M) 0800-1600
13
14
Victory (OM) 0715-1400 Carnival Magic (B) 0930-1700
15
Disney Magic (B) 0830-1700


16
Constellation (B) 0900-1700

17
Ryndam (M) 1230-1800
Freedom (B) 0800-1700

18
Ecstasy (B) 0730-1330
19
Fascination (B) 0700-1500
20
Majesty (B) 0930-1800
21
Constellation (B) 0800-1700
22
Eurodam (B) 0800-1700



Updated 2/13/2014
23
Constellation (B) 0900-1700

24
Serenade(B) 1100-1700
Fascination (OM) 0700-1500
SS Navigator (M) 0800-1600
25
Ecstasy (OM) 0730-1330
Brilliance (B) 1130-1730
26


27
Majesty (B) 0930-1800
28
Victory (B) 0730-0200
Westerdam (OM) 0800-1700
 
#216 · (Edited)
I can't see that the city fathers would allow drunks on the streets after daylight. I mean, pretty damn near every day of every month there are cruise ships unloading 2,000-10,000 of your new best friends into the streets and shops of KW. Day in and day out, damn near every day of every month, as on the official city calendar from this month. (Sorry, the HTML mangles a bit.)

February 2014

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1
Disney Wonder (B) 1130-1800
Nieuw Amsterdam (OM) 0730-1700
2
Constellation (B) 0700-1730

3
Freedom (B) 0730-1600
Riviera (OM) 0800-1700
4
Ecstasy (OM) 0730-1330
Sunshine (B) 1000-1800
5
Grandeur (OM) 0900-1700
6
Majesty (B) 0930-1800 Norwegian Pear (OM) 1200-2000
7
Constellation (B) 0700-1700
8
Eurodam (B) 0800-1700
Maasdam (M) 0900-1700

9
Constellation (B) 0900-1700
10
Serenade (B) 1100-1700
Ryndam (M) 1230-1800
11
12
SS Navigator (M) 0800-1600
13
14
Victory (OM) 0715-1400 Carnival Magic (B) 0930-1700
15
Disney Magic (B) 0830-1700

16
Constellation (B) 0900-1700

17
Ryndam (M) 1230-1800
Freedom (B) 0800-1700

18
Ecstasy (B) 0730-1330
19
Fascination (B) 0700-1500
20
Majesty (B) 0930-1800
21
Constellation (B) 0800-1700
22
Eurodam (B) 0800-1700

Updated 2/13/2014
23
Constellation (B) 0900-1700

24
Serenade(B) 1100-1700
Fascination (OM) 0700-1500
SS Navigator (M) 0800-1600
25
Ecstasy (OM) 0730-1330
Brilliance (B) 1130-1730
26

27
Majesty (B) 0930-1800
28
Victory (B) 0730-0200
Westerdam (OM) 0800-1700
USATODAY.com - Four Cuban coast guardsmen defect in Key West

I was in Miami when this happened (and, ironically, I was in Cuba myself a week later). The really humorous part of this story is how far they had to walk before they even found a police officer. Now it was early in the morning. But, I always use this story to point out how laid back Key West is. Four Cubans, in Cuban military uniforms, one with a pistol on, who dock a patrol boat flying Cuban flags, can walk all over town, and they have to initiate contact with the police. :D

If that doesn't tell the story of what it takes to get in trouble in Key West, I don't know what does.
 
#212 ·
Re airconditioning on the hook with solar...

When I was a kid fish shops had water flowing down the glass of the front window keeping the interior cool.

Reticulating water via a small pump through a bladder on deck (say the coach roof) might be able to work in a similar way, couldn't it?

Sea water is always cooler in summer than the ambient temperature.

Would only consume 4 amps/hour when the sun is up.
 
#213 ·
Mark-
Seawater problems, intake pump clogging, salt buildup, but evaporative cooling is still used when AC isn't feasible. You'd probably do better using mist nozzles and getting more evaporation than simply pumping water over the deck, but I think salt is still going to be the big problem.
 
#215 ·
Bladder? Bladders aren't good conductors. What you want is, after all, a normal "radiator". Thta's old tech too, folks used to run cold water through yards of copper pipe as a cooler, pre-air-conditioning. Again, it works fine with fresh water but your salt water pump may clog, and critters will grow inside whatever (pipe, bladder) you are using for the heat exchanger. Aside from monel pipe being unaffordable these days and copper being almost as pricey...If you drop an intake pipe below the thermocline (10-20 feet typically) and filter the intake water, you should be able to get good cooling, until you have some kind of scaling or clogging. Might even be able to get acceptable results with the cheaper PEX tubing that is used for in-floor heating and cooling as well.

Only one way to find out, right? (G)
 
#217 ·
Remember in 82 they declared independence from America as the conch republic the USCG was involved and the us government backed down I don't know if they ever officially rejoined the USA you can still get a conch republic passport and it is actually accepted by some central american countries that don't like america a year or so ago someone posted on here in the piracy threads that they were left alone because they had those commemerative passports showing they were not Americans.
 
#219 ·
The Cuban defection was in early 2003, more than a decade ago. Doesn't say much about conditions today. Let's put it in perspective, KW hasn't been a big cruise ship destination for all that long, either.

Of course, they could have been CIA sleeper agents returning home to the US, too. (VBG)
 
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