Cruising on $500 / Month

[Talbot]

never really taken any great notice of how much people claim they are budgeting per month for sailing. It is so dependent on how you like to lead your life, what sort of cuisine you like, how much alcohol you and friends consume, how much entertainement, happy at anchor, or prefer marinas, what sort of toys you have, where in the world, exchange rates, condition and required maintenance/repairs to boat, life's little surprises, whether you are a $499 spender on $500, or happy to spend $501.

etc etc etc.

I look at what others are claiming, and then believe I can manage, but the proof will be in the first six month's profit and loss.

[AtomicPhil]

After reading many posts in this site i am beginning to think that to have a sail boat one must have money. now i see this as a stereo type of people such as a old retired white haired male with those short pants and boat shoes with alot of wealth that are able to own and sail a yacht. you have to deal with maintenance, tax sales, brokers, pay for letting it sit on a dock and etc etc.

I think this is a luxury i really do not see any one from poor or lower middle class people doing such cruising. to me i find it sad that not alot of people may experience the world as some do. what do most of you think? am i wrong or dont see it a different way?

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by AtomicPhil

I think this is a luxury i really do not see any one from poor or lower middle class people doing such cruising. to me i find it sad that not alot of people may experience the world as some do. what do most of you think? am i wrong or dont see it a different way?

It all depends on how and where you are willing to live, what skills you have and whether you can get together a small lump sum ($4k-10k) to get a minimal boat to start with.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by AtomicPhil

that to have a sail boat one must have money.

i really do not see any one from poor or lower middle class people doing such cruising.

Yes, you do need money to have a sialboat and more money to go cruising.
However I can absolutly assure you there are many people out here who originated from 'poor' or 'lower middle class'.

But they have worked their butt off to be able to go cruising and say: "Anyone can do it --- as long as you work your butt off!"

As I look around this anchorage with about 50 boats (all the rich buggers are in the marina) I see wonderful, hard working folks, the salt of the earth. I don't think theres more than 2 or 3 boats here that are lickerty-split. They are mostly unpretentious boats owned by people who have had to pull their finger out and save hard to afford it.
Together as a group we can do anything, solve any problem and pitch in to help when needed.

The pitcher-inners, the helpers and the solvers are all here and its no difference to how much money they have tinkeling in their pocket. they're all hard workers.





Mark
PS One of the 'richer' boats is having one of the 'poorer' boats do some work on his covers. So theres even some money being kept in the circle Its another way of helping out.

[zeehag]

i didnt get this boat until my income dropped.. but i had boats while i made bank...now i get to repair and cruise with low income-- is a different world- i am glad i have known both sides of the coin-- has been interesting. i didnt start really cruising until my income dropped..LOL.. and after the scam and my son got my ladt savings--- so no safety net--just go out and make sure there is someone nearby who knows that which i donot-- and do all repairs down and dirty....invention and fabrication--and knowing where the best place for inexpensive bits and pieces...making stuff out of nothing----learning which kind of scrap stainless is good and which isnt when going to a metal mart/commercial fab center..where to have heat exchangers fabbed and fixed...learning which bits of wood to use for what uses... and where to find them....boats do not have to be expensive-- the industry encourages the expenses--i encourage donations-- i donot refuse a usable item that can prove to be of 2 or more uses. my stuff is not mix n match, nor do i dress that way-- but i do downplay my boat's outward appearance deliberately. i do not need to be mistaken for filthy rich in any way shape or form. i paid 10k for an equipped-- yes--electronix and autopilot on the quadrant equipped-yes, radar, too..LOL....41 ft heavy displacement cruiser knowing there were some problems. the problems worked out to be less of a n issue than originally thought so i can sail this year. i will leave san diego with 4 people, provisions for month and aim at guadalupe island. if no onee feels like cruising sea of cortez, we will head south and land in mazatlan then manzanillo and points south.
native mexicans have reassured me i am able to buy veggies at family owned and run corner/yard stands, just like i could before--c uts down majorly on the expenses. and the tortillerias are still cheap and awesome. i dont shop in th e americanized stores-- too pricey. the cost of cruising in htis manner is still around 385usd per month. i dont do marinas and i dont do many other pricey things-- so i have plenty of money for ewmergencies. and fuel. and eating out--i like small, casual native places that most folks dont know about.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by AtomicPhil

After reading many posts in this site i am beginning to think that to have a sail boat one must have money. now i see this as a stereo type of people such as a old retired white haired male with those short pants and boat shoes with alot of wealth that are able to own and sail a yacht. you have to deal with maintenance, tax sales, brokers, pay for letting it sit on a dock and etc etc.

I think this is a luxury i really do not see any one from poor or lower middle class people doing such cruising. to me i find it sad that not alot of people may experience the world as some do. what do most of you think? am i wrong or dont see it a different way?

Well Phil,

Here I am, a retired white haired male, wearing short pants (but barefoot), and I have been out cruising for a long time, and I, along with Mark J think that you are dead wrong.

I will reiterate what Mark has said: there are lots of folks out cruising who stem from lower socio-economic strata. How can this be? They did what most of the rest of us long term cruisers did -- worked their butts off, lived WAY below their means, saved, invested, worked up from small to bigger and more competent boats and then pulled the plug and went cruising. Some of us (not me) have to stop and work along the way, just to make ends meet, but they are still out there cruising. In every anchorage you will find folks in modest boats, living very modest lifestyles, avoiding all those money pits that you were describing... just cruising as best they can, and having just as good a time as the more affluent sorts.

I too think that it is sad that not everyone can experience the world as Ann and I have done. I also think it sad that those folks are not willing to make the sacrifices that most cruisers have made to be where they are. There are surely some who simply have too many things against them to make the getaway, but we see daily those who have. It CAN be done, but it ain't always easy. And, truth be known, cruising isn't for everyone. For many the downsides, be they financial, familial, emotional or social outweigh the pluses, and they linger in their homeport dreaming.

YMMV.

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Bluff Point, Hinchinbrook channel, Qld, Oz

[Searanger50]

Originally Posted by SURV69

oops

I didn't realize that location or destination was a defacto difference in cruising and day-sailing.

Now I more understand the absoluteness of the $500 cruisers(day-sailors?) and $2000 or so cruisers.

For me, I have almost no interest whatsoever to cruise or day-sail into foreign water. Manly because I think American(and Canadian) territories offer a lifetime of cruising opportunities for anyone who wants to investigate them.

I venture to say a person could spend a good number of years sailing the Great Lakes and enjoying the cruising life immensly.

I don't need to eat Conch(sp) in Bahamas when I can eat shrimp in Mississippi or Blue Crab from the Chesepeake.

My plan is to eventualy "cruise" the Great Lakes during the warm months and sojourn to the intercoastal fo the winter.

Maybe a cruise to the Key West, Tortogas or Bahamas wouldn't be out of the question, but I don't think I have it in me to sail to the South Pacific or across either of the great oceans.

I'm pretty certain that, for me, sailing is in and of itself, enough enjoyment for me.

As far as what is evidently accepted as "cruising" as opposed to maybe, what might be called long-term day-sailing, too would have to admit that tight budgeted cruising would be a foolish venture.

BUT . . . in all fairness, there should be an absolute, definitive distinction between the two types of cruising just to ensure that we're not talking apples and oranges without realizing it.

I would not consider a 3-4 month cruise, for the sake of argument, on the Great Lakes to be "day-sailing". It would most definatly be something more than a "day-sail".

I've always considered day-sailing to be, basically a "day's" sail . . . something akin to a "one-tank-trip".

That's a great plan if you're a US citizen. The rest of us have to cruise as our stay time is limited.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by AtomicPhil

After reading many posts in this site i am beginning to think that to have a sail boat one must have money.. . . am i wrong or dont see it a different way?

Folks think that "money" is that paper stuff that comes in different colors with pictures and has numbers on it. What they don't realize is that experience, knowledge and the ability to learn to D-I-Y also equals significant money. Learning and/or knowing how to do the many different jobs and tasks needed to keep a boat running and repaired can virtually cut the cost of cruising by 50% or two thirds.
- - A new potable water pump I needed was US$500 in the boat parts store while the rebuild kit was only US$100. But I had to be willing to take the old pump apart and rebuild it. Hiring a "professional" to get and replace the pump would have probably cost near to US$1K (pump and labor/time).
- - Then there is varnishing, engine servicing and repairs, bottom cleaning, and a hundred or two other tasks that you can D-I-Y. I would suggest that a major amount of full time cruisers are folks who can and do most of their own boat work. So for them that US$500/mo gets equated to US$1500/mo or more when compared to somebody who is unwilling or unable to D-I-Y.
- - Finally, add in the savings by having a partner on board who can cook from "scratch" good meals, bread, and can sew up bimini's, sail bags, flags, keep the boat clean and organized and another hundred jobs. That doubles or more the previously mentioned virtual $1500/mo to US$2k to $3K when compared to a partner that just sits there in a tiny bikini and looks pretty but can't "do anything" or doesn't want to ruin her nails with work.
- - If you are agile, talented with tools and machines, like to get your hands dirty fixing things and willing to learn what makes them work and then keep them working, build, sew, repair and innovate you can cut in half or two-thirds the amount needed of those little pieces paper with pretty colors, pictures of dead politicians and numbers in the corners. In actual reality, it is the - sort of - reverse. Whatever you have available to support your cruising life can be effectively tripled if you take charge of your life and D-I-Y.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Folks think that "money" is that paper stuff that comes in different colors with pictures and has numbers on it. What they don't realize is that experience, knowledge and the ability to learn to D-I-Y also equals significant money. Learning and/or knowing how to do the many different jobs and tasks needed to keep a boat running and repaired can virtually cut the cost of cruising by 50% or two thirds.
- - A new potable water pump I needed was US$500 in the boat parts store while the rebuild kit was only US$100. But I had to be willing to take the old pump apart and rebuild it. Hiring a "professional" to get and replace the pump would have probably cost near to US$1K (pump and labor/time).
- - Then there is varnishing, engine servicing and repairs, bottom cleaning, and a hundred or two other tasks that you can D-I-Y. I would suggest that a major amount of full time cruisers are folks who can and do most of their own boat work. So for them that US$500/mo gets equated to US$1500/mo or more when compared to somebody who is unwilling or unable to D-I-Y.
- - Finally, add in the savings by having a partner on board who can cook from "scratch" good meals, bread, and can sew up bimini's, sail bags, flags, keep the boat clean and organized and another hundred jobs. That doubles or more the previously mentioned virtual $1500/mo to US$2k to $3K when compared to a partner that just sits there in a tiny bikini and looks pretty but can't "do anything" or doesn't want to ruin her nails with work.
- - If you are agile, talented with tools and machines, like to get your hands dirty fixing things and willing to learn what makes them work and then keep them working, build, sew, repair and innovate you can cut in half or two-thirds the amount needed of those little pieces paper with pretty colors, pictures of dead politicians and numbers in the corners. In actual reality, it is the - sort of - reverse. Whatever you have available to support your cruising life can be effectively tripled if you take charge of your life and D-I-Y.

Excellent post Osiris.... loadsa truth in there mate

[Springbok]

Thanks Osirissail it took 278 post replies to get here No-one has said that $500/mnth is not going to be tight, but with a well equipped boat pre sailing and reasonable DIY skills or the willingness to help and learn, even when in one's 60's cruising can become a reality and not just the dream of the rich. We also sail with Faith and were never let down. 1995-2002 in Caribbean 6 hurricanes, damage in 3, yet we came thru. Best years of my life.
Clyde

[Peter-Jan]

Originally Posted by AtomicPhil

After reading many posts in this site i am beginning to think that to have a sail boat one must have money. now i see this as a stereo type of people such as a old retired white haired male with those short pants and boat shoes with alot of wealth that are able to own and sail a yacht. you have to deal with maintenance, tax sales, brokers, pay for letting it sit on a dock and etc etc.

I think this is a luxury i really do not see any one from poor or lower middle class people doing such cruising. to me i find it sad that not alot of people may experience the world as some do. what do most of you think? am i wrong or dont see it a different way?

Why you think so? Pensions in most Western countries are 1000 euro per month easily, go as a couple and you are at about 5 times the figure in this thread ($500/month).

Myself I'm only 24 and don't plan to rely on a government pension ever, but I find the cruising lifestyle a huge motivator. I only need to create a couple thousand a month in online income... surely that's not too hard if one puts their mind to it.

Maybe you think that because most cruisers don't work for a living, neither should you. Would taking a location-free job (home office job, online business, ...) be possible for you? You can start moonlighting if needed.

All in all, if anything I think reading forums such as cruisersforum.com shows that your mentality is all that is stopping you from living the lifestyle. I wouldn't have thought it could be done so cheap before finding this place...

[Funsail29]

Vikings Wake
What if the spell of a place falls upon a youthful heart,
and the bright horizon calls.
Many a thing will keep till the worlds work is done,
and youth is only a memory.
When the old enchanter came to my door,
laden with dreams, I reached out with both hands.
For I knew that he would not be lured with the gold
that I might later offer, when age had come upon me.
Richard J. MacCullaugh

You can stand on the shore and
worry and writhe about how much it will cost.
Or you can go.
Your choice.

Funsail29

[AtomicPhil]

@peter-jan reading this forum is not stopping me from sailing at all. and to many thanks for the reply, i still havent met alot of people to be saying this and that, but as far as ive seen maybe "i could be wrong not alot of people think of sailing" but just reading many posts about maintenance, taxes, brokers such and such makes me think at the end i might end up broke also by stopping in other countries. but once again like many of you said, if you know how to take care of your own boat know how to budget your money as in food buying in native stores can save you alot. i just wanted to know is not different from a car really with those rip off mechanics. and cruising the world with having 2 - 3 jobs to survive its just a dream, just like how many dont even take vacations, but its only motivation that well let one sail.

[zeehag]

allegedly knowledgeable boat folks--lol--self proclaimed experts-- told me that this formosa i bought for 10,000 dollars would take me 150,000 and 5 yrs to fix. so far, i have spent 720 plus a drillmaster tool--was stolen from me, and a light and a fan--also taken by the alleged worker. so that isnt 150k yet?? ok ho9w 'bout the fact the wet rot turnhed out to be a mere backing plate--LOl--saving me thousands of dollars--i havent the use of m y hands but i know how to repair my boat. i am able to hold on to tools just long enough to drop them in water..is a good thing sailing doesnt take thumbs!!! i trade their work for sailing to somewhere in my boat. so far i have received 2 real answers and i WILL be out of this place this year!!! so, 5 yrs and 150k--- get REAL! does not take a lot of money to get stuff done- it doesnt take MONEY to find suitable materials that withstand the wear and tear of the sea and the elements of nature. is all what you WANT to have as opposed to what you WILL have. i wanted a heavy displacement cruiser. i knew formosas are in th e "bad rap" section of boating, although they are sooo awesome in motion. i got one for a decent price, after searching the market for one i found one next door--abandoned!!!--newly so, and only for 3-4 yrs. LOL.. not terminal yet. so i bagged her up and left a bit of an opening and dried out the wet rot only to find was easy fix. is a good thing--- find a boat you LOVE. MARRY THE BOAT.. fix it to be what you LIKE. then---GO. GO GO.....
my 10k "yacht"( a yacht is a thing on which you can land and keep a helo) plus less than 5k, i will be out and about under sail. dont listen to the naysayers who tell you boating is all money. LOL.
is all cretivity. a reallygood friend of mine used to save old dead boats-- he saved a cal 30 in san diego about 10 yrs ago-- that cal 30 is this year sailing the haha. i believe he paid 1000 or less for the boat, the current owner bought it for 4k, and finished fixing her into her current condition- a rally cruiser.
anything is possible. keep at the goal and it will be achieved. as i told my momma-- you can do anything you set your mind to doing.
go for it.
oh, yes--the 385 i quoted as being the amount of money needed for provisioning -- is for 2 peoples. i did this already. LOL...so i figger that 500 /month is a breeze.

[SaucySailoress]

When I was a little girl, one of my 'aunts' once asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up. I answered, truthfully, a gypsy. My step-mum was horrified, and chided me about gypsies being dirty, and told me I should want to be a nurse or a ballet dancer, just like all the other girls.

SO the next time I was asked, I said (diplomatically, I thought, for a 6 year old) ballet dancer. This time I was chided because I'd need to try to be more graceful and ladylike. SO then I started saying 'Nurse'.

The morals of the story:
1 - Kids will start to lie about their identities if you chide and shame them enough.
2 - Who give a sh!t, I'm going to be a sailing gypsy now I'm all grown up!