Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[SaucySailoress]

We're preparing to sell up and sail - and one of the preparations we're trying is to reduce our food bill to $300 per month for the two of us. This has worked fairly well, so long as:

1- I only buy in staples we really need, such as bulk buying budget pasta packs every few months
2 - I buy fresh veg from the local grocer, and in small amounts
3 - I stick to wafer thin ham in my sandwiches rather than the crabsticks (I know there's no crab in them) I so adore
4 - Marc keeps to a litre of ice-cream a month, rather than his desired half a litre a day
5 - I pad out meals with rice, pasta and veg
6 - I keep the receipts
7 - I avoid the chocolate aisle
8 - I avoid the tuck shop (this is starting to sound like my weightwatchers program)
9 - Some months we keep seperate accounts to see who costs the most (him, although he won't admit it despite the evidence)

As I say, it's been working fine, except for the weekly trip to the sushi restaurant which is $60 a night but TOTALLY worth it!

[capt_douglas]

There's a fine line between cruising and camping. To me, camping get's old far sooner than cruising.

The cost of cruising is directly proportional to the size of your vessel, your comfort level, and your lifestyle. Whatever you can do while you're still working to get the boat prepared will affect the cost of cruising. And your peace of mind. Replacing the rigging or buying a new to you slightly used sail may pay off with little maintenance over a significant period.

What you carry aboard will affect how much it costs to cruise. It should come as no surprise that engineless, refrigeratorless, vessels with simple sail plans cost less to maintain.

Add fans to the boat to move the air. Add an awning to help control the heat that enters the cabin. Add a wind scoop to suck up every breath of air out there. Add LED lighting to reduce battery consumption, prolong battery life, and reduce the need for a genset, second wind generator or third solar panel. Consider solar and wind power over that genset.

But we want to cruise, not camp. [Spoiler: My answer is in the last paragraph.]

In the "old" days, cruisers took everything they might need when they left the dock. Today, many places stock the basics, abet at different, and some say extortion, prices. What's a cruiser to do?

Prepare smartly. Take only the items you sure won't exist elsewhere or whose quality precludes buying. They sell toilet paper, paper towels, and coffee most places. Finding zip lock bags, Crystal Light lemonaide, Starbucks, and mango chutney, may be more difficult. There are a lot of resources out there, but many of them aren't that current. Organizations like SSCA, CCA, cruising blogs, and this site can give you a reasonably current idea of what to buy and where. There are ports where provisioning has historically been reasonable and available, so plan to stop there, not at the most expensive spots. Please do as I say on this, not as I seem to do.

Waste nothing. That means good portion control and keeping waste to a minimum. You can keep many condiments unrefrigerated after opening if you are scrupulous about preventing anything foreign from getting into the contents. Buying that gallon jar of mayonnaise because it's cheaper than 4 qt containers, or that 1000 packet box may not be the best way to go. Know how to store items so that their life can be maximized. I've had a few memorable meals simply by cleaning out the leftovers from the fridge and making a one pot meal (I call it gruel but some call it burgoo). It can lead to some interesting discussions, and laughs, over sundowners.

Enjoy the challenge of eating simply or what the locals eat. A 20# bag of rice costs far less than the same quantity of potatoes; and lasts longer. Legumes are inexpensive, have lots of nutritional value and can stretch the much more expensive meats. The locals have the same problem as you do - unless it's subsidized by the state, chances are they're avoiding or stretching it too. Growing sprouts can add a fresh taste and crunch to that salad or sandwich. Tarot root is an acquired taste. Kava, to me, has no chance of being tasty - but it has other endearing points.

If you see it, buy it. Now. Chances are the item may not be there tomorrow, or even later today. Buy smartly. Can you get your produce, eggs, and fruits from a family cheaper than at the local market? Can you live with 3rd world meat, not the brand you get back home? Know when the supply boat comes in. Buying when the items are freshest will reduce spoilage and save you money.

Take as little money ashore as possible. What you don't have you can't spend. And lock the credit card(s) away except for cash advances and bit ticket items. Learn the happy hours of the places you frequent. That $3 beer can be offset by munching you dinner at the appetizer table.

Gang up. Rent a car with other boaters for that long excursion to the store, point of interest, or airport. Try group buying of produce, eggs, milk, diesel. All the locals can say is no.

Keep on top of repairs. Finding out that that impeller was half the price and available off the shelf in the _last_ port can be a real eyeopener. By knowing what you'll be needing soon, you may be able to find a better bargain in the next port rather than the one you left.

Talk it up. Meet with other cruisers to gather as much info as you can. We're all cruising and sharing info can be a real cost saver. In some cases, having someone speak the language can reduce the cost, or at least the anxiety, significantly.

Yeah, but what about the money?

Buy in bulk, repackage (those vacuum bagger gizmos seem to keep things much longer than other methods) and store properly. Consider group buying.

Make your own bread. It's remarkably easy (even for a male singlehander), costs far less than buying, seems to last longer, and fills the boat with a mouth watering aroma. Yeah, it uses gas, but you can cook that lasagna in the same oven as the bread or fill the oven with bread tins.

Do the maintenance yourself - or get some assistance from another boater. It may cost you a lunch or cold adult beverage, but it'll be cheaper than having it done, you'll get it done right, and make a friend. Plan on spending some time every day doing the regular maintenance. Consider group buying of oil, gas, diesel, filters, etc.

Learn to wash clothes yourself. You can wash using a 5-gallon bucket but for $100-150 you can buy the items to do it faster, use less water, and better. True, these items require manual labor and a couple hours time, but getting all your clothes back and knowing you've saved yourself $20-50 can be a real treat.

Treat yourself - carefully. Hey, it's cruising, not detention. Besides, a treat now and then helps reinforce the idea of enjoying the experience.

Yeah, but what about the money?!

OK.

There are 5 areas I budget for:

1. The vessel - general repairs, general maintenance, annual inspections, bottom paint, sail repair, insurance.
- Insurance will probably be the biggest hit. I don't carry insurance, I'm the insurance but if you're boat's owned by the bank you've got to pay for the privilege and I have no idea what that is for your vessel.
- Do you want to carry 4 gallons of bottom paint for two years before using it? I'd rather buy it down island. It's usually fresher, sometimes better, and buying the paint may offset the cost of the haul. $50/mo
- You might consider carrying some spare sail material and a sail repair kit though.
- If it costs you $1200 for a weekend haul, then put $100/month into the cruising account expense side.
- If you've got a tendency to motorsail, then consider the additional cost of fuel and oil filters, oil changes, zincs, and impellers into the cruising expense over the daily 2hr run to charge the batteries and fridge. I do the latter, run the engine about 2hr/day and probably accumulate 500-600 hrs/year. That's 3 changes @ about $80 each, a new raw water impeller and belt each year, so I budget $30/mo
- Rigging should be changed, or seriously looked at, about every 10 years; unless you've suffered through a serious blow, then you might want to look sooner. Carrying some spare rigging gear can save you time and money. $20/mo
- Things wear out so I carry some spare line, a couple blocks, a repair kit for the winch and windlass, and a spare control for the windlass. Anchors get lost, rode chafes through and things go bump in the night (and sometimes day). I carry 2 primary anchors, a kedge, and a dinghy anchor. I don't carry any spare chain.
- Tools are a sore subject with me. I seem to leave metal souvenirs in most anchorages where I do maintenance, loan that sweet stuffing box wrench to a boater that scoots in the middle of the night, or just don't have that smoke shifter for the inverted flange bolt cap. And neither does anyone else in the anchorage 'cuz my engine's an '00 model - that'd be 1900, not 2000. $20/mo
TOTAL: $220/mo

2. The crew - medical, sanity, diversions, treats. What are the ratio's of expense to income on: movies, TV, internet, books, magazines, medical insurance, medications, travel, treats?
- Some meds that require a script in the US are over the counter elsewhere. Some you can't get. If you're in the last group then you need to budget not only for the meds, but the cost of getting them to you. In some drastic cases, I've heard of family personally delivering the meds. And don't forget that the heat of the tropics can reduce the potency of meds quickly. If you're healthy then $25/mo/person is a good number. I go through that much in bandaids, but I'm a clumsy oaf.
- Sanity is relative. Most landlubbers think that cruisers are a couple of pickles short of a sandwich. Me, I know how sweet this alternative, alternative lifestyle is. I get my sanity by listening to music, the local radio stations, snorkeling, diving, fishing, beach combing, writing (duh!), photography, and reading. Books down island are very expensive so I'm always looking at the book swaps for something new to read. I can be very easily amused, it appears. $50/mo
- But I lose things, things break, I want that ... so $20/mo if the wifi's free or $30/mo if not.
- I'm reasonably healthy but have a emergency flight policy that'll take me from where I am to a US hospital should I need it. $40/mo
- I use ointments, preventatives (swimmers ear), suntan lotion, Advil, and bandaids so I budget $20/mo for that. Most times it's $0 but you gotta cover the bases you think of.
- I have frequent (I should say infrequent) flyer miles and a credit card with $0 balance in case I need medical service now, or need to be sick in bed with a nurse.
TOTAL: $100/mo

3. Feeding the crew - what you eat on land is probably a good idea of what you'll eat on the boat. So, what's the ratio of food to income you have at home?
- I'm doing this again so I've got a better idea of what it's like. I have engine driven refrigeration and a rebuilt, and far more energy efficient, fridge/freezer. It's not large but it does store the basics, doesn't make ice or keep ice cream, but will keep leftovers good for a couple days.
- I tend to eat a lot of rice and black/pinto beans, black bean soup, tortillas, and pasta with some meat thrown in to even things out. I buy rice and beans in big bags, repackage, and forgo things that'll spoil before I can cook them. $50/mo
- I use a pressure cooker most of the time as it cuts down on the fuel used and takes less time thereby keeping the cabin cooler. The cooker's a 6-qt commercial one that'll probably be around after the next ice age. Some folks can what they buy and my pressure cookers large enough for 4 qt bottles in case I find that truckload of strawberries for $1.
- I go through 20# of propane about every 4-5 months. I've got one of those pushpit external propane grills for cooking. $5/mo
- I make my own bread. $20/mo for 10 loaves.
- Protein is a big expense for me. It seems that even that slow running geezer rooster with freezer burn's way more expensive than prime chicken here, but I'm there, not here. I tend to buy canned meat and what fresh/once fresh I can if the price's right. I dislike _having_ to buy because I'm out. $100/mo
- I enjoy fishing. Whomever said fishing wasn't catching was right. And I always seemed to lose that new $25 lure on the first get-go, so now I roll my own. I also carry spare hooks, line, leader, and some cheap lures as barter material. Line wears out, lures get lost, hooks get taken, and the rod and reel wear out so I figure $10/mo for that pleasure(?). Anybody got a good way of testing barracuda for ciguatera let me know - I seem to catch them 80% of the time and they always seem to swallow the hook and 6' of leader too.
- I buy bulk cheese, canned butter, UHT milk, and hot sauces about every 2 months. I've found and tested a number of recipes for making simple, nutritious, and tasty meals. I waste as little as possible. I like sun tea and go through about 2 gallons/week. $70/mo
- After a long passage I splurge for veggies, fruit, and a reasonable meal, letting someone else cook. $20/mo
- Paper and plastic products are replaced when I can. I use a lot of zip lock bags to portion control and reduce spoilage. I buy the trash compactor rated garbage bags as they seem to hold the waste and smell better than other plastic bags. $20/mo
- I have an inflatable dingy with a small outboard. It's probably my one creature comfort. I can run errands, go exploring, or beat it back to the boat before the rains starts and the open hatches catch all that free rain right into my mattress. $20/mo
- In port I fill the diesel, fill the outboard tank with gas, and dump the garbage. If I need water and it's not free, then I try to fill that tank too. I do the high priority items first in case I have to scoot. With diesel at $4-6/gallon, filling up can be a big hit, so before I do, I try to chat up the other cruisers to find the best deal. Diesel $5/gal. Gas $5/gal 2-cycle oil $2/qt Water $0.50/gal Figure $100/mo if there's wind _not_ on the nose.
TOTAL: $415

4. Getting there - unless you're a pro at celestial (and even we pro's look at the GPS first) you're going to need to know where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there. Can you navigate with charts, cruising guides, sailing directions, and guides gleaned from the internet? Do you know you need a chart plotter? And if electronic charts give you a better comfort factor, you're going to need electronic charts. While they've come down in price, I recommend buying charts only when you need them. In my experience, buying them too soon guarantees an update before I install them and most places won't take the chips back.
- As much as I hate to waste the space, I tend to carry a lot of charts. I've got a GPS, not a chart plotter/navcomp. That said, with the price of electronic charts coming down, buying electronically is getting hard to resist. I buy charts and area related books near the next section of my journey. Sometimes I can do a swap, but a lot of the times I seem to be going in the same direction as the other 200 boats in the anchorage. $20/mo
- I invariably need to get the latest, greatest, bestest cruising info in print form and since I don't carry a printer, pay someone to print it out for me. $20/mo
- Then there's Customs, Immigration, Port Captain, Police, taxi fees, Agent fees, and carbon paper. And those foreign language crew forms that need to be in sextuplet form the 10 copies of your ships papers, and the deforestation of the planet. Not to mention the "gifts" or overtime payments that magically appear when checking in or out. $100/port/person
TOTAL: $140/mo

5. Safety Gear - This is important to me. I carry an EPIRB, handheld VHF, flares, PFDs, harness, MOB gear, and an abandon ship bag. I don't carry a life raft yet but I'm saving for one. I cobbled together a power inflater for my dingy than can inflate it in about 20 seconds. That'll have to do until I can find the money. A life raft equates to about 6 months cruising and I'm not convinced that buying anything other than new is the wise thing to do. Most of the safety gear'll last for a number of years but the EPRIB'll probably need a new battery in 3 years and the life raft needs an annual inspection so I'd add $40/mo to the budget for safety items. If I were to charter, I'd bump that up some and buy the raft before leaving the dock.

So, where are we? I get $975 for a slightly enhanced upper 30's, early 1980's sailboat with one crew most of the time. That sounds a bit low, but it's not far off. If you're sailing with others then you've got to bump the costs of food and port fees up some. Some ports require you to come to the dock (at a fee) or grab a mooring (at a fee) or pay their tender driver (at a fee) to get checked in.

Some popular anchorages are going to all mooring and I've not added that fee in either (generally $15/night), nor have I budgeted for sundowner drinks, beach pot-lucks, happy hours, or a lot of items.

I go to the dock only long enough to fill the diesel and if I can get a free overnight I'll do that too. I anchor out 95% of the time because the breeze's better, the bugs fewer, the noise pollution less, and the water's cleaner. Being on the hook is probably the cheapest way there is short of grabbing a free mooring.

I've not included flights home because I'm working on having friends and family come see me, since I'm in that exotic spot, have a boat, and are willing to let them charter it free - as long as I can go along. Cheap bastard, eh?

Nor have I budgeted for one of my vices - t-shirts and mola's. But then I'm weak in a couple areas.

So that's my estimate. $1000/mo for a high and probably $700 for the low. The actual's may be lower but I know this is a fairly good number. Your lifestyle, basic requirements, wishes, dreams, and luck of the draw will affect your actual's. So will where you go, when you go, and how you get there.

[solarbri]

WOW!
Nice work Capt. Doug!!!

[s/v Breakaway]

In this month's edition of Cruising World magazine, Capt Fatty Goodlander's column is about the cost of cruising. He has lived on boats all his life and he and his wife are in the midst of their second circumnavigation. They liveaboard a 1970's Hughes 38 that they salvaged. They don't drink alcoholic beverages, do all their own maintenance and eat modestly. Fatty says that $18,000 a year works well for the 2 of them, but $12,000 is very tough to do.

[goprisko]

Bucket Heads

While I can certainly see the mirth in defecating into a free standing bucket in the main cabin, as the yacht heaves and rolls at sea, the humble bucket head, which has been with us for centuries, need not be that crude.
Normally a ply or GRP square box is constructed with radiused inside corners using filled epoxy in a manner identical to stitch and glue construction. This box has a plate parallel to it’s bottom and about 2/3 of it’s height above the bottom, which has a circular hole that fits the bucket snugly when the bucket rests on the bottom. The top has an oval hole of the usual size that is centered over the bucket, and generally has a standard toilet seat and lid fixed to it. All surfaces are painted to present an easily cleaned finish. The depth of the box is generally only a fraction of an inch taller than the bucket, so the bucket is “locked” into place when the top is closed. Both the top and plate are removable to facilitate cleaning. The box is generally fixed to the accommodation in a permanent manner.
Traditionally, the bucket is filled a third full with sea water and after use, all and sundry is dumped overboard. However, this may not be feasible in some places. In that case, I recommend filling the bucket a third full with cat litter. If a bucket of fresh cat litter and a scoop is handy and near, the user can cover his deposit with a layer of fresh litter, each time the head is used. When the bucket is getting full, the litter may be rejuvenated by pouring it onto a tray fixed on deck in the sun. The desiccated feces can be scooped out with the traditional litter rake and either dumped over the side or into a plastic rubbish bag for shore side disposal. Once the cleaned litter has dried in the sun, it can be returned to the bucket of the head, or to the bucket of fresh litter, as desired.
Used this way, the bucket head becomes an attractive alternative to the WC - holding tank combo for folks who use their boats evenings, weekends, and the occasional vacation. Between cruises, the head can be cleaned and left empty with a bucket of fresh litter nearby. Since this head has no pumps, plumbing lines, seacocks, etc. there is very little to maintain, and expense is minimal.


INDY

[goprisko]

Thank you Capt Doug for sharing your views with us... There are many nuggets in your post..
I agree that with your larger boat, your budget must be larger, and of course, motor sailing raises costs too.

INDY

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by Aaza Dana

We're preparing to sell up and sail - and one of the preparations we're trying is to reduce our food bill to $300 per month for the two of us. This has worked fairly well, so long as:

1- I only buy in staples we really need, such as bulk buying budget pasta packs every few months
2 - I buy fresh veg from the local grocer, and in small amounts
3 - I stick to wafer thin ham in my sandwiches rather than the crabsticks (I know there's no crab in them) I so adore
4 - Marc keeps to a litre of ice-cream a month, rather than his desired half a litre a day
5 - I pad out meals with rice, pasta and veg
6 - I keep the receipts
7 - I avoid the chocolate aisle
8 - I avoid the tuck shop (this is starting to sound like my weightwatchers program)
9 - Some months we keep seperate accounts to see who costs the most (him, although he won't admit it despite the evidence)

As I say, it's been working fine, except for the weekly trip to the sushi restaurant which is $60 a night but TOTALLY worth it!

Have you tried Hummus with flat bread as an alternative to ham sandwiches?
I have a recipe for Lentil chili that is delicious...

Visit the chocolate aisle but purchase cocoa... make those things you love with cocoa... fudge... brownies... chocolate cake..

Learn to make your own sushi... chinese and japanese dishes..

INDY

[boatman61]

INDY
Excellent suggestion/design for the smaller(under 25ft)European sailboat which usually has the loo under the v-berth... not nice when sleeping... not nice period.
The odours are not condusive to 'steady belly' in sea's and, if a chemical loo, its even worse... which is why I bucket and chuck-it.
This design however I can fit at the foot of the hatchway if I remove the bottom/only step and use the lid instead... plus I've only got to fit a face and lid as the other three sides are already there...
Why didn't I think of that before... Duhhh
Nice one INDY... been scratching my head for ages trying to figure out redesign of the interior... and I can get rid of two holes in the hull...
and.. if I sell the toilet I make on it....

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by goprisko

Bucket Heads

Used this way, the bucket head becomes an attractive alternative to the WC - holding tank combo for folks who use their boats evenings, weekends, and the occasional vacation. Between cruises, the head can be cleaned and left empty with a bucket of fresh litter nearby. Since this head has no pumps, plumbing lines, seacocks, etc. there is very little to maintain, and expense is minimal.

INDY

There's an old saying that if it looks like a rose, and smells like a rose, chances are its a rose..
A bucket to crap in, decorated, installed in a box, or disguised with cat litter, is still a bucket to crap in and is in NO way attractive ...
This post you started was for full time cruisers opperating on 500 per month,so you can leave out the "evenings, weekends, and the occasional vacation" terms..
If you are going to criticize others for straying from the "origional post" you would be expected to keep the same criteria..

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Truer words were never spoken. Your theoretical list of costs is just that "theoretical." There are a 100 little things that will cause your budget to double, triple, even quadruple when you get out into the real world.
- - For instance, anchoring is not free. In may places there are "harbor fees" (for the privilege of anchoring in their waters) that run from $15/month in the D.R. to $TT50 in Trinidad and EC$75 in Grenada to $140 for a week in St Martin (Dutch side). Galapagos reportedly averages about $500 for a couple of weeks. More and more island/countries have caught on that there is revenue floating out there in their harbors and bays.
- - Thinking you can eat on $100 or less per person per month is okay if you are an anorexic and can live on 2 carrots a day. Food costs throughout the whole world are generally much higher than what you are spending at home unless you are willing to eat cow heel soup; handgrenade chicken; pig tail soup; breadfruit and pigeon peas. Almost all of the Caribbean islands import their food from producers in South America and elsewhere countries import from huge agri-business corporations located in 3rd world and 1st world countries. The freight costs make up 2/3 of the wholesale price of the food with the retail price being multiples of that. Locally grown food is very rare or non-existent. So plan on spending more than what you spend at home - not less.

Having cruised the world over a period of 15 years, I have found food prices to be highest in the West Indies of any place I've cruised. I am aware that many North Americans go to the West Indies and no where else, but why? Central America is very nice and much cheaper, Cuba welcomes visitors and is much cheaper, the Azores beckon, Portugal beckons, Morocco Beckons, Panama is a lovely place, Cartegena is historic, and much less expensive too.

As mentioned earlier, you can to to St. Martin on the French side for a fraction of what you quote.. You do not need to go to the expensive harbors full of moorings, for there is another close by that is empty.. including Grenada...

I agree that I left out expense allocation for many small things like fishing rods and reels, but a yoyo gets fish too, at a fraction of the price.

However, in covering the major items, costs came in at $850 per year which leaves $ 350 for contingencies, and contingencies means all the small costs you mention.

What I see happening here, is the thread becoming dominated by cruisers on much larger boats, who never cruised on boats of this size, and are having a difficult time down sizing mentally.

The response is denial.... But why? No one, certainly not I is demanding you change your arrangements. Certainly this thread is not demanding you change your arrangements. Yet, it seems, that rather than contribute as I, the man in Portugal, and Capt Doug have, to provide the person with limited means ideas useful to him as he struggles to organize his boat, it is easier to criticize...

You apparently are based in Grenada, why not write about how anyone can take a public bus to the north tip of the island and hike up to the waterfalls there for next to nothing? Why not write about the meat shop next to the ACE Hardware where you can get cheap spices, and cheap turkey wings and legs? Why not write about the little markets where you can get 5 kg bags of beans cheap? The roadside stands where you can get local fruits cheap?

INDY

[goprisko]

Why not write about Barbuda?? A lovely place... virtually empty... miles of beaches.. with no one
living on them....

How about Friendship Bay?

The east coast of Grenada and Carriacou? All empty...

INDY

[boatman61]

Randy... true... for you..
but for the likes of myself who've 'fallen from grace' due to sub prime.. down to sub... the other bastards got the 'Prime'...
and have 'downsized' rather than quit and run back to shore to get entangled again, its a great little nugget...
I don't have to move my sink from midships opposite the cooker to create the space for the head thus losing a quarter berth and storage space... unless I cut a hole in a cockpit seat to create a cockpit locker... man I'll be in pocket... lol
Keep em coming INDY...

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

There's an old saying that if it looks like a rose, and smells like a rose, chances are its a rose..
A bucket to crap in, decorated, installed in a box, or disguised with cat litter, is still a bucket to crap in and is in NO way attractive ...
This post you started was for full time cruisers opperating on 500 per month,so you can leave out the "evenings, weekends, and the occasional vacation" terms..
If you are going to criticize others for straying from the "origional post" you would be expected to keep the same criteria..

I am sorry, but those who begin cruising evenings.. graduate to weekends.. those who cruise weekends graduate to cruising on week long vacations, those who cruise on week long vacations graduate tu cruising summer long, and those who cruise summer long graduate to multi-year circumnavigations.

The thread is "Cruising on $500 per month" I believe anyone posting here should be contributing by providing information to enable that kind of cruising. And those of you who prefer to cruise on larger sums should create threads devoted to whatever sum you prefer.. I guarantee that I will not mind in the least...

INDY

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by boatman61

INDY
Excellent suggestion/design for the smaller(under 25ft)European sailboat which usually has the loo under the v-berth... not nice when sleeping... not nice period.
The odours are not condusive to 'steady belly' in sea's and, if a chemical loo, its even worse... which is why I bucket and chuck-it.
This design however I can fit at the foot of the hatchway if I remove the bottom/only step and use the lid instead... plus I've only got to fit a face and lid as the other three sides are already there...
Why didn't I think of that before... Duhhh
Nice one INDY... been scratching my head for ages trying to figure out redesign of the interior... and I can get rid of two holes in the hull...
and.. if I sell the toilet I make on it....

Glad to help...

While you are at it... fix a toilet seat from a LAVAC instead of a household seat. The LAVAC seat has seals which will keep the odors inside the box much better.

Regarding your current straits... My impetus for starting this thread, came from my personal experience losing the endowment in the dotcom crash. I was stranded in NZ by that and had to organize a job there to make it to HongKong... Then we got stranded in Namibia when the Govt reneged on paying us our travel money.

So I know full well how bad things can get...

Having sailed in smaller boats before this one... I remember a few wrinkles from those days.. whatever I can share, I'll do...

INDY

INDY

[boatman61]

Naah... the lavac seat will cost any profit and more from the redundant loo..
I've figured a folding ply seat with appropriate sized hole over the bucket... then the lid/step with near flush fit to the seat with draught excluder all round to seal, just have to mix some anti slip powder in the varnish when I do the seat... and possibly grab rails for guests....