Published Costs of Cruising

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

I would love to cruise on $5000 a month. Alas For me anyway cruising on $500 is actually far more doable. I do agree that its much easier to do that in the US.

I've been pondering heading south, but I'm not sure I can live in mexico for $500 a month. When I add up the 6 month visa issues, Getting to the border, etc. it really jumps the price up. Seems I'll not qualify for a temporary resident visa, not on $500 a month anyway. Which is a major bummer... Maybe once SS kicks in. Sad when I can cruise northern Cali on $500 ish a month and not mexico.

You might want to consider Panama then....they have a 3 mo tourist visa....after 3 month you just have to leave (for not set amount of time) and turn around and come back.

[Sailor_Hutch]

Originally Posted by wolfenzee

You might want to consider Panama then....they have a 3 mo tourist visa....after 3 month you just have to leave (for not set amount of time) and turn around and come back.

You have the same situation relative to visiting Costa Rica (but CR may be a little more American friendly. That idea comes only from the random hearsay that happened to reach my ear)

[sailorchic34]

Oh I know that the visa issue applies to each country, but its a lot easier to get to the border of CR or panama. From Baja in mexico its a problem. I'm leaning toward just wandering about if I head south.

[NorthPacific]

SC34 not to make light of your problems, and I really admire your moxi, my Mrs is Thai, us whities will never understand the road blocks that the world puts up to "off white people"

[Clamdigger]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Well as best I understand it the new temporary resident visa (old FM3) requires that the visa be applied for in the country of origin. You need proof of $1900ish a month income. I think with a boat that drops to about $1000 a month, but have not had that confirmed yet. Which is still twice what I can even get close too.

So I would need to renew the 6 month tourist visa at the border. The costs for traveling to the border, staying for 48 hours and then traveling back to the boat could easily add $50 to $75 a month to a 6 month budget, could be more). Oh I might be able to grab a ride to the border, But its not cheap. For the $500 ish a month cruiser it starts looking not so nice.


Of course, I'm pondering just cruising further south and avoid the whole mexican visa dance thing. Still pondering that..

This is what I refer to.....some folks are under the (mistaken) belief that it is much cheaper to cruise/liveaboard outside the USA/Canada waters but it's really a fallacy. It's just different cruising grounds is all. Some things may be cheaper....until something goes wrong, either with the boat or someone's health, then it gets really costly in a fast way.

I lived on my earlier boats and cruised in the 1970's-1990's, halfway around the World from the East Coast of the USA. I would expect things to be much different in all ways today than when I encountered them back in those days. Economics have changed in all Countries as populations have grown = more expensive living for everyone locals and visitors.

After my cruises I always told people to get onboard with just the clothes they are wearing as THEN there would be room for all the 'trinkets' they would pickup along the way! Heck, someone could buy themselves different kinds of clothes on their cruise in every port and return home with a fascinating wardrobe and recollection of their cruise just from putting on the clothes!

[Clamdigger]

Originally Posted by Sailor_Hutch

Well, I don't think we'll ever see those days again. From the food perspective, I'd have the low budget cruise quite nicely in the bag. Heck - I get by on around $150 per month for food as a landlubber. That's not necessarily because I have to, but because I just have a penchant for simple, inexpensive food. I can eat beans (you name the variety, I'll eat em) every day and still look forward to having them the next day. Yum!

Essentially, my wife does not appreciate my fondness for the simple cuisine, and she'd be the budget buster. I guess it's the old Venus/Mars thing. In any case, if it takes a busted budget to get her onto the boat - then bon 'appetit

I'm with you I tend to prepare and eat simple healthy meals aboard, than go ashore for dinners which are the budget killers. It's understandable if one is entertaining others and goes shoreside for a few meals per cruise but I'm not one to do so on a nightly basis.....I'm a pretty decent cook it's been said....

[zboss]

I took 'Simmers' reported expenses and inflated them to 2012 costs. They note at the bottom of the page what was included.

They spent a little less that 17K per year to cruise plus the items included in their notes.

[wolfenzee]

As far as costs relating to "if something goes wrong".....that too varies alot, depending on how many techie gadgets and gizmos you have and/or how competent you are at fixing things yourself. In a book written by David Parker in 1967 "Ocean Voyaging" in the beginning he said something along the lines of "Every system on a boat will at sometime fail, a cruising sailor should know how to, have the tools to and parts to be able to fix that system without any help from the outside." This is something I was taught and have followed long before I discoverd the book...but then again I am old school and was brought up to be as self-sufficient as possible, I am a strong believer in the KISS principle. As far as medical problems.....the costs of medical in the US are so out of control it silly.

[NorthPacific]

I have techi gizmos, but also have Sails. When they break they break. Almost all are second hand and well used. I have paper and electronic charts. gps.

[boatsail]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Or someone who logically analyzed the potential costs and risks and made an informed decision. Insurance is just a way to cover your bets. You hope you never need it but if you do it pays off.

So what is your plan if say your steering jams and you ram someone's boat in a marina?

Maybe there are some boaters that are so skilled and experienced and with a boat in such perfect condition that nothing could ever possibly go wrong but then there's the rest of us.

Another example, a few years ago my wife had a heart attack. Spent ONE day in a hospital but was given every test you can imagine. Her bill was $42,000, just for that one day. The follow ups added a few more thousand. If we had not had medical insurance I probably would not own a boat today.

By the way, my father had a law degree and handled insurance claims so I know exactly how the system works.

The only reason a hospital can charge rates like that is because of insurance. If you and others did not have the insurance, the hospitals could only charge what people coulkd pay or they would be out of business.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by boatsail

The only reason a hospital can charge rates like that is because of insurance. If you and others did not have the insurance, the hospitals could only charge what people coulkd pay or they would be out of business.

Not sure how it might impact the medical care costs if no one had insurance but I just went in for a colonoscopy. Before the procedure I was required to discuss costs and payment with the business manager at the clinic. She showed me a bill for a total of $3200, the next section showed my obligation which was zero since I have insurance that will pay. There was another figure at the bottom of the bill about $800 which she didn't mention. I asked and she informed me that that was the amount the insurance company negotiated with the doctor and how much they actually received in total. Turns out if I didn't have insurance I would have to pay the $3200 amount but the insurance company forces them to take about 25% of that.

The $42,000 bill my wife was given for her hospital stay, the insurance company paid that off at a similar discount but again, if we had not had insurance we would have been billed for the full amount.

The whole system is totally insane.

[sailorboy1]

For the time I spend in the hospital couple of months ago for my heart attack, including the surgery, the hospital sent me a bill for $54k.

The insurance paid $22k and I paid $632.

[zeehag]

funny how yáll say isnt easy to cruise mexico on under 500 dollars per month. i am doing this exactly.
as my fm3 was issued during last administration here in mexico, i didnt have to even think of returning to usa for visa issues.
if i have to return anywhere to renew, i will exit mexico, head more south and then write why i didnt keep my tourista dollars in mexico. i dont renew until october so i have time, yet.
cruising in usa is prohibitively pricey -- cannot do it on ssi or sdi income. you CAN cruise mexico on ssi and ssdi incomes, or any other form of underpaid income. this is precisely why i would not try to cruise kali--over rated, way overpriced. mexico rocks.

as regards healthcare here--is cheap in the red cross hospitals, and reasonable in private sector. we had a severely dehydrated friend needing immediate fluid replacement therapy--was most reasonable.

as for boat repairs--as i am always having to repair each stop--i found a perfectly good derelict sailor/boatwright who came with excellent recommendations to do my work for me--he is super reasonable, and i can pimp him ut for others needing work also...

.love this lifestyle.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by boatsail

The only reason a hospital can charge rates like that is because of insurance. If you and others did not have the insurance, the hospitals could only charge what people coulkd pay or they would be out of business.

Yea, then we would have a system like Kenya where you have to travel 300 miles to get to something resembles a hospital but really has no real ability to treat your heart attacks or strokes, or anything like that. Oh, and forget getting to the hospital in the first place unless you are prepared to pay the ambulance cash on the spot when it gets to you.

Also, forget about finding matching blood donors, a functioning transplant system, a near 100% chance that you will get the actual drugs you are paying for, etc.

Yes.. the US Hospital system is expensive but I wouldn't want it to be faced with the other option.

Originally Posted by skipmac

Turns out if I didn't have insurance I would have to pay the $3200 amount but the insurance company forces them to take about 25% of that.

The $42,000 bill my wife was given for her hospital stay, the insurance company paid that off at a similar discount but again, if we had not had insurance we would have been billed for the full amount.

Wholesale discount. You wouldn't expect to pay 100% cost for services if you were paying billions of dollars a year vs. $3200 would you?

Don't get me wrong, healthcare is expensive but when you need to go to the hospital for something like a heart attack, I am not giving a rats buttocks what it's gonna cost me.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by zboss

Yea, then we would have a system like Kenya where you have to travel 300 miles to get to something resembles a hospital but really has no real ability to treat your heart attacks or strokes, or anything like that. Oh, and forget getting to the hospital in the first place unless you are prepared to pay the ambulance cash on the spot when it gets to you.

Also, forget about finding matching blood donors, a functioning transplant system, a near 100% chance that you will get the actual drugs you are paying for, etc.

Yes.. the US Hospital system is expensive but I wouldn't want it to be faced with the other option.



Wholesale discount. You wouldn't expect to pay 100% cost for services if you were paying billions of dollars a year vs. $3200 would you?

Don't get me wrong, healthcare is expensive but when you need to go to the hospital for something like a heart attack, I am not giving a rats buttocks what it's gonna cost me.

First of all, I need to remind members that this can not and will not become a political discussion. There are other forums for that.

As a Canadian, who grew up with the universal healthcare system, I understand that there are other options other than the current one that exists in the USA. In short, Canada spends 1/3 less as a percentage of GDP on healthcare, life expectancy is longer, and most taxes are arguably lower (depending on which province or state one resides in).

I had the misfortune of spending 3.5 months, most of it in an intensive care situation 8 years ago. I did not pay anything out of pocket other than an ambulance bill of $185, and certainly I am no in danger of getting cut off of insurance or having my premiums increase. In fact, in our province we no longer pay premiums, although we used to pay about $52 for a single if I remember correctly.

I got first rate care at a world class facility with acknowledged world class specialists. I had my choice of doctors and specialists, and there was no wait time when I needed critical care.

There are different healthcare systems throughout the world. Most involve some type of universal coverage that is not dependent on private insurers or private hospitals. Most of those systems (as in Canada) rely on private practitioners who run their own clinics, hire their own staff, and use privately owned and run labs to do the tests.

The major difference to the USA is who they send their bill too.

As in the USA, Canada does have some challenges with its healthcare system, as do most others. It may not be perfect, but virtually all Canadians feel that their system is one of the institutions that are sacrosanct, and do not want to see it changed to a privately insured one. BTW, prescriptions or dental work is not covered, and there is private insurance available for those areas.

Again, please do not make this a political discussion, but understand that there are different systems that exist that provide care as good as or even better than in the USA. None of them are perfect.