Family of 6 Looking to Sail

[annsni]

Originally Posted by RedFeather

Nice! Many years ago, I lived 'round the corner from there at Newport. Great way to see the City, though eventually I got tired of taking the Path train to work and moved back into Manhattan. But how'd you do the East River? I've heard currents there are wicked for everything but tug boats and mafia victims, especially between Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.

We have family in West Hampton Bays. When we know we'll be out that way, I'll give you a heads up, maybe I can buy you a cup of coffee. Would love to pick your brain.

LOL about the mafia victims! We were joking around about putting the kids on body watch next time we go (that trip was just hubby and I along with the other boats). We actually timed it so that we got through Hell Gate right at slack water and went down the river with no problem. It was SOOOOO cool!!!! We did the same going back up again - catching the tide. We even sailed back up through Hell Gate (main only).

[RedFeather]

Oh, you came around by City Island. Don't know why, but I imagined you came the other way around, which would be ridiculously long now that I think about it. Hell Gate took two lives this summer, I think. Couple on a jet ski. Terrible.

But getting back to the OPs questions...elireloaded, if you haven't already, check Galaxy Girl's blog, 5 Kids and a Boat. She has a nice list of folks who post their cruising costs.

[scotty c-m]

Apparently the offensive post was taken down. Thank you moderators for doing that. By the way, the pictures (by annsie?) showed a really lovely family. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I just found out tonight that there's a new grandaughter on the way. Oh goody, another baby to take sailing.

[annsni]

Originally Posted by scotty c-m

Apparently the offensive post was taken down. Thank you moderators for doing that. By the way, the pictures (by annsie?) showed a really lovely family. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I just found out tonight that there's a new grandaughter on the way. Oh goody, another baby to take sailing.

Yep - Those were my kiddies and I was trying to get a video link up to show my kids this summer playing 4 way SPIT while cruising but my daughter posted it to Facebook and has it set to private so you wouldn't be able to see. They are 4 kids ages 10 to 23 and get along GREAT.

CONGRATULATIONS on the new grand baby!!! If I were younger, I would have had more kids. They certainly make life interesting and sailing SO much fun!! My son and hubby together are a force to contend with in our club races!

[elireloaded]

Yup. Mod's took my rebuttal down as well. But I appreciate them and their quick action. I perhaps over reacted, but I will not take any crap when it comes to my kids. So thanks for keeping it a clean, respectful community to the mods. I am considering becoming a contributing member as this forum is most helpfull.

[SV THIRD DAY]

All families are of course different, but casting off with Teenagers is much more difficult than with younger kids. We left when our kids were 9 and 10, and now at 16 and 15 living on a small boat is just normal. We saw lots of families with teens cut the cruise short because the kids just couldn't live without their friends, facebook, and phone. The simplier you can make your live before you cast off the easier your kids transition will be.

[RedFeather]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

All families are of course different, but casting off with Teenagers is much more difficult than with younger kids. We left when our kids were 9 and 10, and now at 16 and 15 living on a small boat is just normal. We saw lots of families with teens cut the cruise short because the kids just couldn't live without their friends, facebook, and phone. The simplier you can make your live before you cast off the easier your kids transition will be.

That's why we're hoping to get in right after the teen years for the oldest and before the other two become teens. When our oldest was small, we'd spend two weeks camping in the desert in Coahuilla, Mexico and in far West Texas with nothing but a tent, stove, and food. What great fun! But as she got older, that became impossible, with her attachment to toilets, endless water, and the Internet. We're now hoping to have similar travels with the younger two while they're still small enough to think that digging a hole to pee in is fun.

[robert sailor]

All of our offshore sailing experiences started with dreams. Now bringing that dream to fruition is where the rubber meets the road. If you simply want to liveaboard somewhere warm then that opens up many options but its my sense that you want to go cruising with your family of four. Yes of course it would be nice to plan on buying a 46-50 foot boat but on your budget it is not reasonable. The costs to outfit a boat like that could easily eat of 25-50% of your total budget depending on where you planned on sailing. If your budget is your budget and you are not taking out loans (remember when you take out a boat loan you have to buy a good insurance package to protect the bank) and that takes a big chunk of change out of your cruising kitty. This whole big boat thing was never part of the past years when families went cruising. You got a boat that you could afford and figured out how to make it work. A family of 5 from our home town sailed around the world in a 38 foot boat and had the time of their lives. It was a new boat when they left so well past your budget but the point was "38 feet". I've met 4 people on a 27 footer that sailed all over the place. There are many on this board that might say if I had to live like that then I wouldn't go and of course they wouldn't and don't. I spoke with so many cruising families over the years, some with larger boats and some with smaller ones and the only thing they had in common was they were having the time of their lives and to be honest the ones with smaller boats were probably having just a little more fun as the boats were generally simple and required less maintenance. The family I told you about was the Copeland family out of Vancouver, Canada and the Mother Lisa Copeland has written a couple of succesful books so you might want to read those. Find a boat around 40 feet and expect to be crowded but its only for sleeping as when your in the tropics you spend almost all of your waking moments outside.

[WebWench]

Agree with Robertsailor..... Your budget will be your biggest restricting factor. If you have the desire to do it, it can be done. Do read the blogs that go into detail about what it costs because if you were to need emergency funds for a major repair or medical evacuation....you need to have those available to you.

I also agree with others who say not to finance the boat.... It will restrict the age of the boat as well as the payments reducing your available funds. Buy a solid older boat, get a good survey and live aboard or close by in your motor home while you do repairs or refit. Do lots of reading on boat repairs and the costs associated with them. With boats, bigger is not always better!

Hope you have some great adventures in your future!

[robert sailor]

Just putting some more thought into this, if I were to try and do what you are proposing first I would decide where I wanted to cruise. Your going to be on a tight budget but that's no big deal. You can forget about marinas because you can't afford them plus there is an expensive lifestyle that goes hand in hand with marina living. If you start out at the West Coast then do Mexico, if your on the East Coast then the Caribbean. You won't be crossing oceans, well a little jump from the East Coast so you won't need a bunch of expensive gear. You'll have to keep everything down to minimums which by the way is still way more than we had when we went cruising the first time close to 30 years ago. Forget water makers, radars, wind instruments and below deck autopilots as you don't need them. Electronics should be kept very basic, a decent GPS and a good depth sounder is all you need. Get an autopilot like a CPT wheel pilot, it will do the job plus you have lots of good steerers onboard if need be. Buy an old Singer sewing machine and use it to recover upholstery and make Sunbrella covers etc. Get used to bathing in salt water and do dishes in salt water with light rinses as needed. Maybe even consider dropping the fridge idea as most food don't need refrigeration and it costs a ton of money to set up an electrical system that revolves around the bloody fridge, that's what we did the first time and everything was grand. If you need sails you buy them used and if the boat is not set up with a good furling system do without, it allows you to use almost any damn sail. Forget completely about cosmetics and concentrate on the practical aspects of the boat. OK that leads us to a boat that would work....
If I was on the East Coast I'd shop for an older Morgan 41 cc or something like that. It can get the job done, sleep 6 and while its not a great sailor it is roomy and good enough for anywhere in the Caribbean. Figure on paying $40,000 or so for a decent older one. Plan on spending another 10 large for getting it ready and stick the other 30 grand in the bank for your cruising kitty. You need lots of time to shop and buy right, plan on making several offers before someone grabs your wrist and then allow a good year or more to get all the pieces together. Find out how cruisers sailed years ago and try and use that as a base to your plans because these days people spend big on purchasing and outfitting their boats and they are beyond even thinking in your world.

[elireloaded]

I like all of your great ideas, we are not above any of that. I believe the experience will be more beneficial then having the best looking boat possible.

If we were to leave tomorrow with 80k in our pockets, your proposal sounds very reasonable. I may be able to clear some more cash on hand. One thing I forgot about is that we did some bugeting over the summer and felt that we could clear 20k just with the sell of our possessions. We own two cars completely and a small ski boat that will all be sold. I have sick leave that will also pay out. We plan on being rid of absolutely everything that does not have sentimental value, so there is some* cash there as well . So possibly $100k ( all in all) in the end. Of course that is best case senario, so it's safe to assume $80k. We are also considering that extra $20k however. I think if we keep our base at what you have suggested and it turns out that we have an extra 20k, then that could go to watrmakers and such. I think I will work up an excel sheet of all the possible adds with costs and in order of importance.

If our place sells as quickly as we hope, I may also stay here until mid summer which would build up another 10k or so without an expensive home payment. Ideally, as another user suggested, we would move to an appartment near the coast while we search for our boat. Land a job there, buy a used boat, move it into a yard, work on it and build up additional cash for the trip. There is no reason that the appartment can't be small as our boat will be as well in the end. I would then want to move to a marina while still working and do some trial runs over the weekends until we are ready.

These are all great suggestions. I plan on compiling everything after our Thanksgiving break then adding to the first post as I have read several awesome ideas from everone.

[elireloaded]

Trip lenght may also change. Maybe we shoot for sailing for a year, then move into a marina and liveaboard. Save, upgrade, and repeat.

...there are no bad ideas

[robert sailor]

The big challenge on cruising is if you actually go and spend a year on the hook, sailing and living a minimalist lifestyle with your family always around you the next big challenge will be moving back to society and becoming a dirt dweller again. I figure that after about 2 years cruising you are almost unemployable, LOL because it is such a special lifestyle for those folks that fit in.

[elireloaded]

I like both of these very well...

1992 Carlson Sable Catamaran Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

1973 Scheel Center Cockpit Ketch Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

[geoleo]

WOW your doing some good looking! That Scheel 46 has lotsa class and is well kept and nothings better than Maine workmanship and winters coming fast in Maine might make huge deal!