i'm spending so much money it hurts

[sloopygirl]

I would install the SSB, you'll need it for weather, local information nets, etc. I sailed without one for a couple years, then got one - what a difference it makes! Safety reasons also, if something happens, you can get on 14300, Maritime Mobile Net - even if you're not a ham, they'll help you out in an emergency.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

wow


I got my boat for $1000 cruised in and out of san diego and all over new zealand now I'm in wellington and I never burned any fuel. Not even for cooking. I cook on electric and wood stove which I build for free out of an empty lpg bottle. I got a free electric motor which powers my boat off solar panels 2knts without any battery drain, or I can go all night if needed from battery. Talking about tanks.. I dont have any. I left mexico with 2 5 gallon jugs and still had a full one when I got to american samoa. Yes I catch rainfall. I live on < $200 a month. I made my chainplates for free, re-rigged completely for $500, 9 shrouds, 1/2" bronze turnbuckles with 7mmspectra and got 12 sails for $300 total. Most sails are $50 but sometimes I get a good one for $20. Found my anchor chain in a dumpster, and I anchor in 60 knots... really its enough that my bow goes under the swells and still holds but I dragged a little last storm. I even salvaged parts of sunken boats in san diego when I was there but I can tell you one thing for sure:

san diego was the absolute worst place I have ever been. The rules are unreasonable and dont exist anywhere else in the world! they required a permit just for anchoring!! Whoever made that rule should be jailed. Leave that place as soon as possible and don't ever look back.

with a cheap or free boat this is definitly the way to go,as the boat intrinsicly will have very little resale value.

however with a $100,000 dollar boat, bodge jobs are seriously going to detract from its resale value.
replacing stainless with mild steel rigging is not really an option,unless as a temporary emergency fix.

[SmartMove]

He haven't left the dock yet, but we have left our former life behind to become cruisers. We are currently in Puerto Rico outfitting for bluewater cruising. By the time you throw in the dink and motor I expect we will have spent close to 40k: replace rigging, haul out, replace thru-hulls, bottom paint, new dodger/bimini/shading, new prop, new arch with davits for dink/mounts for antenna/wind generators, new solar panels on bimini. We have (what seems like) a lot of new electronics that we will be installing ourselves, but all these were already purchased before arriving here. We thought we could get it all done in two months, but it is looking more like it will be closer to three. We knew we would be dropping a lot of money at this point and planned for it, but it is really a shock to the system to spend that much so quickly!

Have a great time RH!

[colemj]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

I can't pull cables and heat exchangers out of my ass

You need more iron in your diet.

You are doing the correct thing focusing on basic ship soundness. Replacing what you are now in Central America will cost twice as much and take twice as long. The bleeding never really stops, but it does staunch a bit after you cast off. Or at least it is spread out over more time.

Mark

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by atoll

with a cheap or free boat this is definitly the way to go,as the boat intrinsicly will have very little resale value.

however with a $100,000 dollar boat, bodge jobs are seriously going to detract from its resale value.
replacing stainless with mild steel rigging is not really an option,unless as a temporary emergency fix.

I am using spectra rigging which is cheaper and 2x stronger than stainless. It does not rust and does not work harden. You can splice it with a pencil and a marker. You can make your own hanks out of it instead of bronze hanks. Galvanized is superior to stainless in virtually every respect, I laugh at people who use stainless rigs as it really is not the correct material to be using in that application, as it can fail without warning.

Anyone who spends $100,000 on a boat should seriously consider how greedy of a person they are and how much they are taking away from the less fortunate people of the world by doing so. Maybe you should give $99,000 to charity and get a $1000 boat and you would have already started cruising 3 years ago.

[Coops]

Insulting a good many folks on here on your fifth post is not a good way to ingratiate yourself to the forum. Many people worked long and hard to afford their boat, and not everyone has the desire or need to rely on scrounging/opportunism to fulfil their dream, and would not have faith or piece of mind in the equipment that they obtained that way. It works for you, and good luck to you, but do not decry others who have other ideas of cruising. I cannot afford a $100,000 boat at the moment, but if i had the money, i would spend it with pleasure on a yacht, and feel no guilt whatsoever.

Coops.

[gettinthere]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

Anyone who spends $100,000 on a boat should seriously consider how greedy of a person they are and how much they are taking away from the less fortunate people of the world by doing so. Maybe you should give $99,000 to charity and get a $1000 boat and you would have already started cruising 3 years ago.

How freaking narrow minded.
That $1000 boat started out at a large multiple of that. if nobody buys the new, expensive boats, you'd never have a source for your cheap junk.

Buying "expensive" boats keeps hundreds of thousands of people employed around the world. Perhaps those people should just go back to cutting down the rain forest for firewood.

Thanks for insulting most of the people on this forum and insulting the millions who earn a living from building boats

[mbianka]

Rebel Heart:

Sounds like your biggest worry is with the engine and it probably should be. But, remember you will be on a sailboat. You can always use your dingy and outboard as a tug to move you in and out of harbors etc... when/if the iron pig goes belly up! It does get better. I'm happily running out of things to buy in part because my electric propulsion system requires so much less maintenance and much of recurruing expenses are gone (oil, filters, impellers, zincs etc...). I did buy new chain this year but, it replaced one that was on board since 1986 so it was time. A sailor once told me if you leave the dock with 80% of the things you want to get done you are ahead of the game. Fix the others underway or at the next anchorage.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

Anyone who spends $100,000 on a boat should seriously consider how greedy of a person they are and how much they are taking away from the less fortunate people of the world by doing so. Maybe you should give $99,000 to charity and get a $1000 boat and you would have already started cruising 3 years ago.

I think you may have posted before as Gecko Senator???

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

... I've already hemorrhaged serious dough, but the bleeding continues......

Been there done that -- a couple of times.

Good news is that typically after that first big prep for going cruising the bleeding does tend to slow down.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Been there done that -- a couple of times.

Good news is that typically after that first big prep for going cruising the bleeding does tend to slow down.

Unless you make the mistake we did....and take off with older equipment. The autopilot died, the dinghy died, the transmission died. I'll tell you, the transmission was the easy one, forging documents to get it into Guatemala!!!

[witzgall]

Boat Alexandra,

You may be used to other internet destinations, where disrespect and ridicule is encouraged, and everyone hides behind a user name. This is not such a place. Disagreement is fine, contrary opinions too, but if you want to get along with your fellow forum members, you may want to re-word your posts to be a more respectful.

These are the same boaters that you may be dingying up to asking for help with your XYZ fitting that broke, and "do you have a spare"?

I shake my heads when I see a big Hummer driving down the road with a soccer mom at the wheel, but I don't go on the soccer mom forum and start calling her out!

Somebody bought that boat that you sail now, for much more than $1000. And they used it - I am sure that it passed hands many times before you got ahold of her, and served all of those prior owners before you bought her. Are you the only owner in that line who is due respect?

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

I am using spectra rigging which is cheaper and 2x stronger than stainless. It does not rust and does not work harden. You can splice it with a pencil and a marker. You can make your own hanks out of it instead of bronze hanks. Galvanized is superior to stainless in virtually every respect, I laugh at people who use stainless rigs as it really is not the correct material to be using in that application, as it can fail without warning.

Anyone who spends $100,000 on a boat should seriously consider how greedy of a person they are and how much they are taking away from the less fortunate people of the world by doing so. Maybe you should give $99,000 to charity and get a $1000 boat and you would have already started cruising 3 years ago.

[ksanders]

As others have said, the bloodletting will stop the minute you cast off.

I know what you're going through.

All last winter my boat was getting a refit and repower. The bills just kept adding up but I think I did the right thing. No compromise, everything is now perfect, nothing to catch up on.

You'll be happy when its all done and you can leave the dock knowing that while bad things can and do happen you are prepared as best you can.

[ksanders]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

Anyone who spends $100,000 on a boat should seriously consider how greedy of a person they are and how much they are taking away from the less fortunate people of the world by doing so. Maybe you should give $99,000 to charity and get a $1000 boat and you would have already started cruising 3 years ago.

If greedy means working long hours so I can own a nice boat, and if greedy means not ever taking a dime of "charity" or handouts, or if greedy means keeping what I've worked hard for, then I'm sorry missy, but I'm in the greedy camp.

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by minaret

have the grandparents coming to stay so I can work 24/7 and they can look after the kids, etc. etc. It's going to be an epic project, I'm planning on documenting it well and posting it here...

I'm so disillusioned..... For some reason I thought you were in your late 60s early 70s

The budget sure goes out the window right when you leave. We spent around 30k before we left (documented on our site), but apparently that wasn't enough. Things keep breaking that were working perfect when we were just weekend sailors. I did just redo the entire standing rigging from Secco South out of Florida for $729! They shipped all the new 316 stainless rigging to the Erie Canal for us to install when our mast was getting stepped. They were by far the cheapest option for all Norseman fittings.