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Old 15-10-2012, 06:25   #1
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Minimalist Sailing . . . the Boat

I thought it would be fun and worthwhile to see if the discussion on sailing on minimal money can be directed to the actual sailboat, instead of the actual money.

In my mind live-a-board on minimal money is . . . well, evidently rather easy, if ALL we talk about is whether to eat in resturants(sp), dock in a marina or do a lot of touristy things.

But what about trying to live on a paid-for sailboat that will nickel and dime your budget?

Given costs of repairs and equipment replacement(especially in the "marine" environ), wouldn't the budget breaker of a frugal sailor almost always be the cost of actually upkeep or repairing the sailboat? After all, these include all those costs that no one wants to, or can realistically pre-plan for.

My thought of a good minimalist sailboat would be a somewhat slow boat . . . something with a relatively short mast(a good mast-boom ratio "used" sail can be had for a song & dance), very hefty full keel and very little extra equipment(what I call carapp), that can go bad.
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Old 15-10-2012, 07:04   #2
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pirate Re: Minimalist sailing . . . the boat

Got to be something like a Tiki 26... or if your into luxury and standing room a Westerly Centaur...
The Tiki is a true minimalist boat... beams are lashed on as are the rudders and rigging... too easy...
Westerly Centaur bilge keels... like the Tiki can be beached for bottom work, simple systems... too easy...
Both can be had for around £6000-£10000.... too easy..
Damn... I'm turning into an Aussie.... no worries mate...
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Old 15-10-2012, 07:12   #3
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Re: Minimalist sailing . . . the boat

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Damn... I'm turning into an Aussie.... no worries mate...


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Old 15-10-2012, 07:15   #4
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Re: Minimalist sailing . . . the boat

Check out James Baldwins Good Old Boat List:

Atom Voyages - Good Old Boats List

Also, he has lots of other tips to share and stories plus sailing links.

I ended up with a Bristol 27 that I paid $2,000.00 for. I probably have about $6,500.00 in it now but I didn't have to buy that new main I bought. And I tried a 2nd Old diesel before I went ahead and bought a 2012 Mercury outboard.

Example: Pearson Triton For sale CL:

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/3250207253.html

looks like she's a little low there in the stern though for some reason.............
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Old 15-10-2012, 08:46   #5
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Re: Minimalist sailing . . . the boat

Following up on what Boatman said, I owned a Centaur for years. When the engine quit on me in the middle of one Bahamas, trip, I simply continued on under sail for the next few weeks. Eventually, I repowered with an outboard. In the U.S. many of these are selling for as little as a few grand.

I think one of the reasons one does not hear more about specific models of boats however, is that it's as much about how you choose to outfit the boat as the boat itself. The more expensive and complex the systems, the more expensive the costs of maintaining those systms are likely to be.

I also think one can't really separate the boat itself from other expenses. My Centaur for example could fit on and had a trailer, allowing cheaper storage options.

Having owned a Centaur, it's a bit smaller than I'd personally want for full time cruising or live aboard, but if you can live with the space, it's a very solidly built and affordable boat with standing headroom. The bilge keels make it a good choice for shallow areas like the keys and Bahamas. Many have crossed oceans and I read about one that circumnavigated 3 times (though it would not be my choice for blue water cruising)

While I think it's a great value, some things to be aware of if considering a Centaur:

It came in three versions. I personally am not a fan of the 2-quarter berth option because that came at the expense of lazarette space, meaning I ended up using a less convenient bunk for storage. The standing headroom comes at the price of shallow bilges. The earlier versions had a side stay attachment point above the side windows, which would break the window seals, causing window leakage. Tall women and most men will likely find the v-birth a bit short. Also because the chain pipe is far forward where the chain locker is shallow, chain doesn't just fall down the pipe into the locker, but must manually be scooped back into the deeper part of the locker - I ended up making a separate chain locker on deck.
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Old 15-10-2012, 09:07   #6
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Re: Minimalist sailing . . . the boat

Bayfield 25 comes to mind. long keel, inboard diesel. One went on Ebay last year for something like $3800 with a trailer! Amazing deal on a little known great boat. If it had been nearby I would have bought it. A trailer for a boat like that is worth about $2000 or more. So that boat cold have been real cheap!

Personally, I think being up near 30 ft for a minimalist boat is good. You pretty much get everything at 30 feet. (two big berths, a head with shower, storage, nav station, galley etc) and yet the boat is easy to handle and maintain.
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Old 15-10-2012, 10:37   #7
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Re: Minimalist sailing . . . the boat

Concur on a 30' maximum boat for the minimalist. One of the biggest cost items ona boat is the engine. If something serious goes wrong with even a one lounger diesel, you are talking enough money to buy another boat if you had to rebuild it and buy an outboard to rebuild an injector pump. An engine is a nice to have item but necessary. Mites sire sailed his 15 ton boat 1 1/2 times and for 10 years after without an engine and the Pardeys have sailed for 4 decades all over the world without one. Ditching the engine engine opens up a bunch of space that can be used for always needed stowage. I'm talking no engine as even a small outboard needs fuel storage and maintenance. All you need an engine for is getting out of a slip. Back when I had a smaller boat, the outboard moldered in a cockpit locker 'cause I sailed it in and out of the slip, through marinas, in short, everywhere. Have even towed my current boat rowing my dinghy.

A solar panel should keep up with your electrical needs. As far as energy efficiency, 12 volt DC is the way. As much as I love the ambience of kerosene lamps, it can't hold a candle to LED's. A $200 solar panel will get you anywhere in the world, for as long as most of us will want to go.

Still need fossil fuels for cooking. Propane is the most convenient to use but not the most convenient to source or store. Good old kerosene is very efficient, burns hot and yoe can easily store more than a years supply even on a very small boat. The best thing is it's available within walking distance almost everywhere.

It is possible to live way more than a minimalists life on a small boat on social security income and have money left over.
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Old 15-10-2012, 10:54   #8
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Re: Minimalist sailing . . . the boat

Westerly Nomad.

Built like a tank.

Twin keels. 2' 4" draft.

6hp to 10hp outboard...No inboard engine expenses! (Plus lots of storage in the engine compartment!)

6' standing headroom.

Small sailplan...cheap sails!

Mast is about 23' tall...cheap standing rigging, and no problem with bridge clearance.

Tabernacle stepped mast...no climbing hassles!

6'3" V-berth, 6'8" Quarter berth.

Enclosed head (No built-in shower though. Solar shower or bucket!)

Galley with 2 burner stove, sink and ice box.

All storage compartments are separated, and watertight. Good for flotation.

Low surface area for bottom paint. Sits on her keels when the tide goes out, so it's a good time to clean and paint!

Sits on a standard 16' flatbed trailer for transport and storage.

Bought it totally restored for $4000. Had it stolen, and abused.

Now restoring her a second time.

Probably not a good long term liveaboard, but a good low-cost sailer!
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A 14-foot mini-cruiser is minimalist. A 19ft is comfortable, and anything much larger than a 25 borders on ostentatious.
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Old 15-10-2012, 11:19   #9
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Re: Minimalist sailing . . . the boat

You just described our Cape Dory 25D...I can cruise for the rest of my life on what I saved by not buying a "what the Jones" MUST have to cruise...
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Old 15-10-2012, 11:25   #10
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Re: Minimalist sailing . . . the boat

The ideal (for ongoing cheaper maintanence) would be:-

30' (maybe another couple of feet) - for the headroom and living space and less hard work on passage than smaller.
Sloop - less sails and rigging.
Encapsulated Full Keel - if the keel falls off you likely have bigger problems , but in the meantime no keel bolts to worry about and bumping into stuff not such a biggie.
Solid GRP Deck & Hull - more forgiving of numpty PO's, and in the likely age and price range will have had some of those! Wahoo! no wet core .
Tiller Steering - Less to go wrong.

Given the above (and the odds that buying budget would also be limited), then likely looking at older designs.


Reliable and well sorted Diesel Engine (to start with!) - maintenence is easier and cheaper than constant fixing of something enroute to the knackers yard.

Sails - start off with good and then take care of them will last longer than average.....the price of that may be buying yourself , but you avoid the cost of constant repairs and then replacing crap with crap .

Rigging / chainplates - replace at the getgo and will be far less likely to be picking the mast off the deck at an inconveniant time . and cheaper too .

Seacocks / thruhulls - remove (refurb or replace) and then refit means will not need so many buckets . Sinking your boat really makes a dent in the monthly maintanence budget .

Toys - Less is more - but everyone defines what "Toys" are (aka Carapp in OP speak ) differently, from decadent luxury to very important - for the same items!.....but even the hairshirt sailors have some (or soon do - when money permits less "principles" ).....IMO the key is that nothing onboard is absolutely essential or can't be lived without (even if preffered not to).


IMO really no "best" boat (Model / Design) - as the best choice will be from the "best" that is available at the time wanted......and what grabs ya fancy .

FWIW, although at 30' I do "fail" on a few things listed above - but that's boats for ya! Do I care? Do I feck .
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Old 24-10-2012, 20:59   #11
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Check out a video on Vimeo,com called Stand Fast. It is a fun documentary on minimalist sailing.
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Old 24-10-2012, 21:06   #12
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Re: Minimalist sailing . . . the boat

Quote:
Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey View Post
The ideal (for ongoing cheaper maintanence) would be:-

30' (maybe another couple of feet) - for the headroom and living space and less hard work on passage than smaller.
Sloop - less sails and rigging.
Encapsulated Full Keel - if the keel falls off you likely have bigger problems , but in the meantime no keel bolts to worry about and bumping into stuff not such a biggie.
Solid GRP Deck & Hull - more forgiving of numpty PO's, and in the likely age and price range will have had some of those! Wahoo! no wet core .
Tiller Steering - Less to go wrong.

Given the above (and the odds that buying budget would also be limited), then likely looking at older designs.


Reliable and well sorted Diesel Engine (to start with!) - maintenence is easier and cheaper than constant fixing of something enroute to the knackers yard.

Sails - start off with good and then take care of them will last longer than average.....the price of that may be buying yourself , but you avoid the cost of constant repairs and then replacing crap with crap .

Rigging / chainplates - replace at the getgo and will be far less likely to be picking the mast off the deck at an inconveniant time . and cheaper too .

Seacocks / thruhulls - remove (refurb or replace) and then refit means will not need so many buckets . Sinking your boat really makes a dent in the monthly maintanence budget .

Toys - Less is more - but everyone defines what "Toys" are (aka Carapp in OP speak ) differently, from decadent luxury to very important - for the same items!.....but even the hairshirt sailors have some (or soon do - when money permits less "principles" ).....IMO the key is that nothing onboard is absolutely essential or can't be lived without (even if preffered not to).


IMO really no "best" boat (Model / Design) - as the best choice will be from the "best" that is available at the time wanted......and what grabs ya fancy .

FWIW, although at 30' I do "fail" on a few things listed above - but that's boats for ya! Do I care? Do I feck .
I pretty much agree 100%

FRG on the heavier displacement end (heavier construction)

The only thing I would say is that when talking "minimalist" I would consider no engine as an option.

As far as toys? Pretty much none.

- 2 X handheld gps
- Manual watermaker
- Solar power/charging
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Old 24-10-2012, 22:32   #13
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Re: Minimalist sailing . . . the boat

I have put a bid on a 28 ft boat and am thinking about the outfitting thing. I believe in spending money for really good sails, refit the rigging, buy a good sexton, cast my own lead depth sounder with tallow on the bottom to tell what the bottom is like, good compass, LED lights with a solar panel for charging. Self build a windvane steering system, likely rudder trim tab for outboard rudder. I hate the smell of kerosene so I guess I will stick with propane but have a wood fired cabin heater. Spend for the best mattress I can afford for the vee bunk or where the master bunk is. Lots of bookshelf space. I go back and forth about having an engine. The boat currently has one which is not in working order. If I pull it out, that will lighten the boat by 600 pounds, counting getting rid of full fuel tank. I certainly have sailed into and away from docks plenty of times. as far as backing out of a slip, a 5 ton yacht is easy to hand push out of slip. When cruising, what difference does it make if it takes three days to go 100 miles.
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Old 25-10-2012, 00:09   #14
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Interesting thread. Many trailer sailboats are what you might call minimal. They are built to tow easily by reducing weight and size.

I owned a mac 25 for a short time. Fun easy to launch and sail. Just too small for my needs.

Looked around for the largest trailerable sailboat I could find, and found a William Crealock designed Clipper Marine 32 ketch center cockpit aft cabin. There were over 500 of these made around 1976, and a few of them survive today in good shape. These are built to be fair weather coastal cruisers, but they have sailed all around the world and back again. Most have a small yanmar diesel.

I see these usually offered for a middle teens price when in good condition. Often times with a trailer.

I love mine. Wonderful sturdy boats that are light enough to pull with a pickup.

To figure out the size of the boat in the photo, it is being pulled with a Ford F-550 with a 17" lift and 24.5" semi wheels.

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Old 25-10-2012, 00:17   #15
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Re: Minimalist sailing . . . the boat

The first thing I would consider purchasing is a scooter. That's right, a little beat up scooter. Then I would visit enough boat yards and marinas and anchorages to know what a good cheap boat is. I saw an Seawind they were selling off last time I was in Florida. It was a wreck but solid, and ever thing was still on the boat.
If you have the knowledge- get the boat and rebuild her. Then live on her. Use the scooter then for parts retrieval.
See people do it all the time.
See it isn't the boat (as it is said all the time on CF), it's the sailor. Just ask Slocum.
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