Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by Doodles

For $25K, I'd put my money in this and have a better platform for living aboard, especially in the tropics.
Tikaroa - For Sale

I get the feeling that this thread is under attack by flamers who are trying to destroy any rational discussion of the subject of minimalist budget cruising. Especially since such statements like the above come from a mono-hull owner who does not own a multi-hull by their own admission. I believe that does a serious disservice to folks who are honestly considering how to move from their current land life into a life-style of adventure as a cruiser.
- - As I said before folks have crossed oceans in literally anything that floats and even one guy named "Bricka" walked across the Atlantic Ocean on two skinny pontoons (sort of a multi-hull) one on each foot from France to Antigua with a harness attached to a raft of his supplies. You can look it up under the title "One Bricka Short of a Full Load."
- - But the idea of anybody spending US$25K (18K Euro) for a boat built from plywood of any sort, mono or multi for serious minimalist budget cruising falls in the same category as those I would like to sell a certain bridge in Brooklyn to . . .
- - As a real cruiser you are going to hit things and make gouges in your hull(s). Flexing and bashing into seas such as is normal on the Thorny Path to the Caribbean will quickly take a toll on a plywood boat that will not occur in a FRG or even better yet a metal boat. Such gouges from contact with rocks, reefs, and other of Neptune's hazards to mariners will quickly compromise the integrity of the wood and allow all sorts of little critters who love to eat wood infest the boat's hull. I have seen grown men cry in boatyards when their absolutely gorgeous wooden boats are smashed into pieces to fit into the dempsy dumpster because of worm infestations.
- - The minimalist budget cruiser, IMHO, 99 times out of a 100 is going to go mainstream with FRG and if they are lucky and can afford or find a metal boat in good condition really join the mainstream world cruiser community.
- - Time after time in real life I have seen minimalist budget cruiser have to terminate their dream as the cost of repairing their boat exceeds their budget. The boatyards in Trinidad and many other places are full of such boats along with bays and backwater harbors all over the world.
- - So maybe it is time to close this thread . . .

[boatman61]

Nope... its not under attack by 'Flamers'... only seems that way coz some of us disagree with you... the 'so called 'Thorny Path' and the Caribbean/US coastlines are not the only cruising grounds in the World and folks successfully cruise thousands of miles of Northern Europe and the Atlantic coastline/Med in these so called 'flimsy wood/ply death traps'... all I'm trying to point out is that there are other paths than Goprisko's way or the Highway....
If this thread is designed solely for the US market please say so and I'll keep my nose out... if its supposed to be for the general boating world then you should know there's no Teredo Worm over here... we have something called Gribble... not as voracious but given a free rein can be pretty destructive.. thats why I love epoxy... coz they hate it..
If you look at my albums you'll see I've worked my way through a variety of boats from 100K down to as little as 1K... depending on the rise and fall of my finances... and not all are posted
I'm not the guy who stands crying as his boat disappears... **** happens... if you can't accept that stay in bed, I just go out and start again..
its what happens when you 'Budget Cruise'.. you can't fight 'Murphys Law'.
At the moment I'm at the bottom again... a 1500euro boat thats got me non stop from the UK to Portugal and when its refurbished.. another 1500euro and a lotta sweat.. she'll be good enough to take me anywhere I want to go...
I'd love to be a 'Budget Cruiser' on a Pegasus 45ftr or a Gulfstar 53ftr... but then again I'm just as happy with my Corribee21... its not whatya got its how ya use it...
Must admit... my cruising grounds fairly small compared to some... Nth Atlantic/Med/Caribbean.. but everyones gotta start somewhere.....

[David_Old_Jersey]

Shane Acton ("Shrimpy") went RTW in one of these:-





Plywood and 19 foot (Caprice)........not a Boatman style 21 foot mega yacht

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Nope... its not under attack by 'Flamers'... only seems that way coz some of us disagree with you... the 'so called 'Thorny Path' and the Caribbean/US coastlines are not the only cruising grounds in the World and folks successfully cruise thousands of miles of Northern Europe and the Atlantic coastline/Med in these so called 'flimsy wood/ply death traps'... all I'm trying to point out is that there are other paths than Goprisko's way or the Highway..... . .

And with that I would thoroughly agree - there are many, many different ways to join the community of cruising folks. As I said, cruising to me is just using a vessel to get from one great adventure to another while taking your home with you be it a weekend, a month, or years.
- - Yet the initial premise of this thread has long since matured and now we are getting into petty bickering and injections of - IMHO - way off the mainstream topic of how a person without advanced sailing knowledge or experience can join the community of cruisers when their financial resources are extremely limited. Limited so much that living in a first world country is really depressing while the opportunity to live elsewhere in a much more satisfying and personally comfortable style can happen by cruising.
- - The mainstream of today's cruisers are more in the $5K/month realities than $500/month and the initial premise I remember was how can somebody do it on a minimalist budget. Your own experiences seem to indicate a successful - with an occasional disaster here and there mixed in for spice - ability to cruise the dream.
- - Still you are in a way right about the actual audience for this thread is by and large North American since the desire to escape the lunacy is stronger than experienced by a more mature society on your side of the ocean.
- - And to others, remember "almost" only counts when playing horseshoes. The vessels we do actually get as "newbies" are by and very largely solidly in the mainstream of available boats currently being produced. We dream of metal but we end up with plastic. Those boats are available now and can get the newbie going with minimal additional resource requirements. As others have mentioned, waiting 5 or 10 years to get out there is not what the initial questions about minimalist cruising were directed to - it was how can it be done now.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by osirissail

As others have mentioned, waiting 5 or 10 years to get out there is not what the initial questions about minimalist cruising were directed to - it was how can it be done now.

And thats how I started in 1985... with a shattered left leg in grp cast for 18mths.... went out and bought an abandoned wooden boat for 600quid and slowly fixed her up to stop myself going crazy with boredom and self pity...
speed increased when the cast came off....
Called her 'Double B'.... 'Broke and Brainless'...
Lived on Social Security during this time... it took 7yrs for the insurance to be sorted...
I'm not talking IMHO.... its fact not opinion and I've never regret ed a day since...
So yes... I think I've got some valid points to make for the truly financially disabled who want to get afloat..
I sail minimalist... many of you guys in the States would not dream of launching some of my boats let alone solo across the Atlantic in one... or the Med come to that...
I deliver what Yacht Masters walk away from... have faith in my knowledge and ability and am comfortable enough to make fun of myself...
And as for the 'A boat of 25ft LWL doing 170 miles/24hr day' and '1200miles in 7 days'... thats a joke... no budget sailors going to abuse his boat like that... and thats the hole in the argument... its all theory... out theres reality mate

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by osirissail

I get the feeling that this thread is under attack by flamers who are trying to destroy any rational discussion of the subject of minimalist budget cruising. Especially since such statements like the above come from a mono-hull owner who does not own a multi-hull by their own admission. I believe that does a serious disservice to folks who are honestly considering how to move from their current land life into a life-style of adventure as a cruiser.
.

No, I'm quite serious. Before buying my current boat I almost bought a Tangaroa and I'm currently looking at moving to a multihull. High on my lists are Wharrams and Searunners, and I've got a set of Wharram study plans sitting on my bookcase as we speak. The Tiki models are quite popular in my area of Thailand with one charter company using them exclusively. Despite what you say about wood/epoxy boats lots have been sailed/cruised around the world. The history of Wharrams and Searunners speak for themselves I think. Some people are scared of them and some swear by them. Others (most non-European) seem to feel the same about alu boats (which I love by the way).

Personally, I would not try to build one from scratch ... too time consuming and expensive. But I would not hesitate to buy a well built and maintained used one.