Quote:
Originally Posted by goprisko
Inflatables are not the dink of choice for the micro-budget cruiser. They do not last long, are expensive, must be propelled by an outboard in all but the calmest of conditions, do not tow well, cannot be sailed, and are stolen regularly and often.
Kevin, the Pardeys, Hiscocks, and myself all use or used hard dinks.
INDY
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You forgot to mention James Cook and Christopher Columbus...and they did not use
outboard engines either.
My point is, that in between James Cook and the Hiscocks is not a bigger gap in development than in between the Hiscocks and our days. The pace of development is still accelarating and propagating their outdated ideas from 50 years ago is like recommending horse carriages over cars.
The good ol' days are over and I definetely don't see the point why we should add the disadvantages of that time to the ones of ours. The cruising community has grown easily by a factor of 1000 since Hiscocks days. The boats on the market have changed as well and there are much more interesting boats and designs to the low budget cruiser on the market than tiny, heavy and slow long keelers with expensive conventional riggings...
INDY, I'm well aware that you've started this thread but you stated this one as well:
"Your comments and suggestions are welcome....."
But then you're coming up with this:
"This forum is for the practicalities of micro-budget cruising. Micro-budget cruising is defined here as that in boats less than 34 ft
LOA. While we concede that frugality is possible in larger boats there are certain irrefutables that prevail."
Since I consider a budget of 500$/month as rather luxurious and managed myself to come down to 2500$/year I think I have something to contribute, even if my opinions differ from yours.
Of course you are right, if you absolutely refuse to make some money underway. Then you have to be one of the fortunate ones, who have the amount of 500$ as a steady income through assets or a pension and still have to lead a rather frugal lifestyle.
Since I started cruising at the age of 30, I'm not one of these fortunate ones. After
purchasing Freedom Fargo I had about 40,000$ left, from which I used 30,000 up in the following 6 years, having the best time of my life.
In the beginning I used about 800$ a month, using less and less over the years with growing experience how to avoid costs and making easy bucks on the side. The last year of my cruising life, sailing from
Brisbane to Thailand I managed the before mentioned 2500$/year budget. This was still a failiure, since my goal for that year was a budget of zero bucks, or in other words: Zero bucks vanishing from my bank account.
The 2500$ were the bill from Rolly Tusker in Phuket for my new
sails. Apart from this I managed a
0$ budget just by hanging up ads "looking for crew" which I printed on the printer coming with my lap top and being reachable via e-mail and mostly via mobile
phone.
(Please note, all the costs for lap top, mobile,
Pactor modem, sailmail fee etc. were included in those 30,000$ for 6 years).
The Hiscocks had the huge advantage of unspoiled cruising grounds and their achievement of circumnavigating in those days cannot be questioned
but they didn't have the slightest chance supporting themselves underway without giving up the cruising lifestyle.
We've
lost the unspoiled cruising grounds by growing populations and as well by the huge armada of yachts cruising around the planet (since you need only half the guts for doing so because affordable and reliable
GPS systems are available since far more than 10 years).
But we have the chance to make the best out of it - there are always two sides to a coin.
I don't imply, that you need the funds I've had for a start, or a boat as big as Freedom Fargo. That's only important if you're a lazy bastard like I am
but you have to open your eyes and ears to the opportunities the modern cruising times are offering.
And you won't see or hear them if you're listening to such great
advice:
"My entertainment allowance is based upon potlucks.. inviting guests aboard for tea..
limiting drinks severely." or
"Virtually NO ELECTRONICS"
It's all about communication. If you don't mingle with the guys who can spend some bucks, how should they know that they can give them to you?
A few beers in the yacht club are well spent money, as long you connect with the right people. Let the hermit with the rowing dink count his pennies - it's good, less competition.
I don't want to say it's all easy, building up a reputation as a good and reliable worker needs time, but once achieved, this reputation will even travel with you...maintenance
work on boats is IMHO the most reliable money bringer for people who do not want to take passengers or whose boats are too small to do so.
So, I hope I didn't offend too many people - just tell me if it's inappropriate what I'm
posting - then perhaps I open a thread:
long term low budget cruising in the 21st century
Cheers
Alf