Cruising on $5,000 / Month

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

But they INSIST that they aren't and call me ME a liar if I question them on it.

Don

The 10% of the cost of the boat as maintenance is not altogether a bad number. Sure, You can delay a lot of maintenance, but eventually it will catch up with you. Some things, sheets halyards, sails etc must be replaced. You can find used sails and probably some used rope, but they won't last long.

Servicing the engine (assuming they one) has costs: oil, filters, fuel filters, water separators, V-belts etc.

Don't worry about them.

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

But they INSIST that they aren't and call me ME a liar if I question them on it.

Liar, lair, pants on fire...

Gee I don't know anyone spending only $50 a year on maintenance. Me, most years I'm about $400 ish on maintenance. Last years engine rebuild blew the budget for sure. Luckily some kind souls provided financial assistance, otherwise I would have turned my 3gm30 into a 2gm20 running on 2 cylinders. (its been done before). Its a sweet running engine. Gee I saved about $10K maybe $15k right there. Not at all hard to do either...

Some years I haul the boat and paint the bottom. That's a $800 job for sure. But the last time I did that was getting on 4 year now. With luck I'll be another year before I haul. Still no hard growth on the hull, which is my mark to haul. Mind you it looks like I have 20 years of bottom paint on the boat so that might help a bit. I move about enough to keep the soft stuff off. Then just have to scrub the water line once in a while.

I have a hard kayak for a dinghy so no patched require, or gas or maintenance either. I use paint on the exterior bright work other then three hatches that is. Varnish is just too much work and I'm just not that anal. $30 dollar for a gallon O paint and it lasts years and years. Going for that pink work boat look . I made a Bimini several years ago for $200, including sunbrella (Pink of course) and all hardware.

Just changed the oil and filter btw. That was $14 right there. Off today to the waste oil place to dump the oil for free. I have to do that about 3-4 times a year too. So no deferred maintenance on my boat. Its my only home, so I have to keep it right. Being a low budget, some might say no budget cruiser, well I just have to be creative with my maintenance costs...

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Don

The 10% of the cost of the boat as maintenance is not altogether a bad number. Sure, You can delay a lot of maintenance, but eventually it will catch up with you. Some things, sheets halyards, sails etc must be replaced. You can find used sails and probably some used rope, but they won't last long.

Servicing the engine (assuming they one) has costs: oil, filters, fuel filters, water separators, V-belts etc.

Don't worry about them.

Your exactly right, I purchased a used mainsail for my boat for $300 that was in very good condition, Though it was a mizzen sail on the boat it came off of. Rope I buy on sale by the spool (53 cents/foot last time I did that) and do my own eye splices. Still have several hundred feet of new line too. Same goes for the standing rigging. I've all stalock fittings on the rigging also.

When I rebuilt my engine last year, I took my three old coolant hoses to the auto parts place and found one for $12 that could be cut to use for all three. Oil and filter change is $14 for my yanmar. Belts are $4-$5 each. Yes I have new spares for that too. No I don't use yanmar belts or filters. But then yanmar is not a OEM of belts and filters either.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Don

The 10% of the cost of the boat as maintenance is not altogether a bad number. Sure, You can delay a lot of maintenance, but eventually it will catch up with you. Some things, sheets halyards, sails etc must be replaced. You can find used sails and probably some used rope, but they won't last long.

Servicing the engine (assuming they one) has costs: oil, filters, fuel filters, water separators, V-belts etc.

Don't worry about them.

The last line is real wisdom. There may well be some few ascetics that can live on an ultra low number like $500/mo and good on them. But so what? Most of us want more than water to drink and beans and rice to eat.

l tip my Tilley hat to the low budget captain with a seaworthy, legal, and shipshape vessel. With liability insurance. Without all four of those elements ... not so much.

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

The last line is real wisdom. There may well be some few ascetics that can live on an ultra low number like $500/mo and good on them. But so what? Most of us want more than water to drink and beans and rice to eat.

l tip my Tilley hat to the low budget captain with a seaworthy, legal, and shipshape vessel. With liability insurance. Without all four of those elements ... not so much.

LOL, Lordy, ya'll have a preconceived notion of the low budget cruiser. While its true I have beans and rice on board, I rarely use them. Not that partial to beans. Me mostly curries, pasta's, pizza's, even hotdogs and hamburgers. But then I can cook too.

Ok I don't drink beer or wine and don't smoke so that saves a $500 right there. Full insurance for my boat costs $40 a month. Mind you the boat is not worth that much, but its solid fiberglass, hull and deck and its long been paid for. May just go to liability and save another $20 a month.

But then, I might not be the typical low budget cruiser either.

[CatInHand]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Your exactly right, I purchased a used mainsail for my boat for $300 that was in very good condition, Though it was a mizzen sail on the boat it came off of. Rope I buy on sale by the spool (53 cents/foot last time I did that) and do my own eye splices. Still have several hundred feet of new line too. Same goes for the standing rigging. I've all stalock fittings on the rigging also.

When I rebuilt my engine last year, I took my three old coolant hoses to the auto parts place and found one for $12 that could be cut to use for all three. Oil and filter change is $14 for my yanmar. Belts are $4-$5 each. Yes I have new spares for that too. No I don't use yanmar belts or filters. But then yanmar is not a OEM of belts and filters either.

I think careful shopping and ingenuity go a long way towards reducing the budget. We replace 100 feet of chain for less than $100 because it was slightly used. Sold the rusty, disintegrating old chain for about $50 to a guy that sells old rusty metal as decorative pieces. So nearly new chain at ~50 cents a foot.

My Main Man rebuilt the riser on his engine for less than $100 using pipe from the building store, a local welder and a lot of creativity. It probably won't last as long as the $400 new one, but it should do for many years.

He just "built" a radiator hose for my truck using two sizes of hose, a pipe connector and some radiator clamps for about $4. A new 'molded' hose from the auto parts store is $16 plus tax.

http://www.infobarrel.com/Replacing_...er_on_a_Budget

All the little things add up.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

... But then, I might not be the typical low budget cruiser either.

Goes without sayin' kid!

[Hudson Force]

The 10% purchase cost of the boat per year seems to be about double what I spend. This is partially due to my DIY activity, but also due to the fact that I've kept the same boat for 29 years. You would think that with inflation over the 29 years my cost of maintenance as a percent of purchase price would be up higher; but then, I bought a boat that had cosmetic problems and an oil line had broken and spewed about the engine room. I bought an ugly duckling that had potential. Even cleaned up, mine is far from a classic beauty, but it's very functional and well maintained.

[Reach]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

For a back of a fag packet calculation (until own numbers are available from own experience) - figure on 10% of boat value per year out cruising (costs will be incurred in chunks and not on a nice even monthly basis)....if you start off with a boat fund ($5 / 10k) to cover expenses arriving before the saving for them! then likely will be less stressful.

Other costs will depend on starting boat condition, usage and location and personal lifestyle - if "you" don't know what those are (will be), no one else will........but a bit of effort with a Spreadsheet and Mr Google should get "you" into own ballpark.

Is $5k a month enough? Very likely - but depends on your boat, your plans and your abilities (to control costs and to manage finances).

I haven't had a chance to read this whole thread, but thought it would be a good place to reference our expenses after 5 years cruising: Cruising Expenses | East of the Equator | M&M

We do find the 10% boat value per year a good estimate of average boat expenses and this does come in variable chunks. Even as I speak, we've gone for some major refits since moving aboard full time.

An interesting fact for this thread ~ we did hit an average $5k/month cost the year we got struck by lightning, but as intended insurance covered the boat repair portion that year!

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

SNIP

Ok I don't drink beer or wine and don't smoke so that saves a $500 right there.

A while back there were some posts about how sailorchic bought her tops at the local Goodwill for $US4 to which I responded I was not able to afford that much and went to the local Goodwill Good Cents store and bought my clothing for $US1.79 a pound. To some folks $US40 for a blouse is a cheap one and to others a blouse costs $US400.

There have also been posts about buying used sails, discount rope, and the like. When my accumulator went out I bought one at Home Depot for $US37, about half the price at West Marine and installed it myself. I could see it costing $US500 to pay someone to do it.

After a year my expenses have been much less than I budgeted for. But I do know some folks who spend much more. I also wonder about how much budget is the result of 'normal wear and tear' and 'bad luck or bad seamanship'. While a main sail may last ten years (put in your own number) a brand new one can blow out the first week if you get caught in the wrong weather. Same for a brand new engine being destroyed if you run it in shallow water and mud/sand fouls the water intake.

Boats are expensive, no question about it; and they need to be maintained which can be more expensive if delayed. But if it cost me $US500 a month I would simply go on a cruise ship or stay at Club Med.

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by tomfl

and went to the local Goodwill Good Cents store and bought my clothing for $US1.79 a pound.

Alas, I can't go that low, I still have a fashion sense to deal with. So tops, etc. have to fit and be the right color AND style. Actually it takes a bit O hunting even at the upscale goodwill's.... I'm cheap, but not that cheap

Mind you most of my fenders now were floaters, IE found floating in the water. I've also found some nice cookware at the better marina dumpsters, OK it was beside the dumpster, Looked brand new... Hum....Maybe I am that cheap... As they say beggars can't be choosers...

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Alas, I can't go that low, I still have a fashion sense to deal with. So tops, etc. have to fit and be the right color AND style. Actually it takes a bit O hunting even at the upscale goodwill's.... I'm cheap, but not that cheap

Mind you most of my fenders now were floaters, IE found floating in the water. I've also found some nice cookware at the better marina dumpsters, OK it was beside the dumpster, Looked brand new... Hum....Maybe I am that cheap... As they say beggars can't be choosers...

What folks don't get about Goodwill, and other thrift stores, is that it always takes hunting. They color code tag their items and after some time period take them off the shelves and put them in bins in the Good Cents store with lower prices. I have found Colombia shirts, Bates shirts, and the like there.

Also agree about finding fenders and the like floating in the mangroves or dumpster diving. Not really diving as you said, just looking beside them. I have found plenty of Sunbrella for my projects as well as cookware and once found an inflatable.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

even at the upscale goodwill's.... I'm cheap, but not that cheap

Hey aren't there any standards in the Bay area? They let rip rap into the upscale Goodwills?????

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Hey aren't there any standards in the Bay area? They let rip rap into the upscale Goodwills?????

Hey I resemble that remark... Luckily the north and east bay area have lower er looser (or is it loser) standards. Plus it helps to sneak in the back door.. Hey yoos guys, I is a classy Broad.. said in my best Brooklyn accent.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Because they are misrepresenting their costs to you.

and self?

Albeit to be fair, deluded Accounting practices are pretty much the norm (and compulsory?!) when owning a boat - on any budget.


And of course folks will be talking of budget in cash terms only - when you can contribute time (and skills and knowledge) then the cash part can shrink radically........not just on the fixing, but in the sourcing (for boat and self).............for some using own time / wits instead of cash (and the need to generate some!) is priceless, for others a living nightmare! - no "right"answer for everyone.