Boat-Based Business

[BC Mike]

Stuff happens. You are more likley to be sidelined as a result of an accident under age 40, and as a result of an illness over age 40. If you are in good health over age 50 things should be fairly smooth. There is an insurance product to satisfy most needs, but there is never enough money for a young couple to take care of every possibility. You do the best you can. If you want to leave some money to your wife at your death, over and above all the assetts, you can buy life insurance on yourself. Get a BA 35 calculator from Texas Instruments and figure out your costs. If you want to leave your wife $100,000 at your death calculate the present value of that amount, or calculate the yearly amount required to provide it. Figure out when you are likely to die to get the number of years needed to pay or accumulate the $$. You need to use a realistic after tax rate of return. Compare the cost to what you would pay for a guaranteed Term to 100 insurance policy. You are not gambling with your future like most insurance products, as the end result is known in advance. The only variable is the timing of the event.
Michael

Kinda got off track here. My point is that I want to cruise without dipping into what I have set aside for retirement. I can cruise on 500-1000 per month. I want to earn 500-1000 per month while cruising, without alienating any local officials, or having my boat confiscated, and if possible, without working on other boats.
My savings for retirement is based on retiring at 65, and hopfully living to 85 if I manage it well, and if I stop working in 5 years. The money I make after that point, is money to live on day to day.
No assisted living for me, just pull the plug or toss me from the transom. As for my wife's well being, after I am gone I am worth far more dead than alive.

[sv_makai]

Our goal is not to leave anyone with a nest egg. We have worked our budgets to allow us to write a check on the day we die, somewhere around 90 years old, and have it bounce!

We are living our life, not helping someone else live thiers.

[RandyAbernethy]

I plan to make some spare change while cruising with my laptop and a sat Internet connection (or perhaps the Internet local café/library). You really can do a huge amount of things for profit on a laptop. Writing text and code come to mind. Not everyone is a programmer of course. On the other hand, there are always documentation tasks that need to be done. Manuals for a small company’s electronics or a new software application, etc can easily be managed abroad. I have written manuals and books for products that I could have easily covered from a boat. In fact I might have completed on a shorter timeline without the interruptions. The advent of email and sat/cel phone service creates a tremendous ability to stay connected with home base (perhaps more than you’d like). Worried about the expense of the comm. Stuff? Have the firm you’re working with pay for it. It is amazingly easy to negotiate expense pickups with companies compared to increased income.

The information industry in general offers a multitude of opportunities for the live aboard denizen. The information industry is not only the fastest growing macro sector but it is also one of the more lucrative. The best thing about the information industry is that the products are intangibles that can be shipped home through the airwaves from wherever you are. The list of things that you can do for profit on a laptop is endless. How about a for profit web site selling something you know a lot about online with the vendors drop shipping to your clients. Internet publishing and broadcasting payroll topped $2 trillion in 2002. You might check out the US business census data for some more ideas:

http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/guide/INDRPT51.HTM

[frankdeegan]

Originally Posted by RandyAbernethy

I plan to make some spare change while cruising with my laptop and a sat Internet connection (or perhaps the Internet local café/library). You really can do a huge amount of things for profit on a laptop. Writing text and code come to mind. Not everyone is a programmer of course. On the other hand, there are always documentation tasks that need to be done. Manuals for a small company’s electronics or a new software application, etc can easily be managed abroad. I have written manuals and books for products that I could have easily covered from a boat. In fact I might have completed on a shorter timeline without the interruptions. The advent of email and sat/cel phone service creates a tremendous ability to stay connected with home base (perhaps more than you’d like). Worried about the expense of the comm. Stuff? Have the firm you’re working with pay for it. It is amazingly easy to negotiate expense pickups with companies compared to increased income.

The information industry in general offers a multitude of opportunities for the live aboard denizen. The information industry is not only the fastest growing macro sector but it is also one of the more lucrative. The best thing about the information industry is that the products are intangibles that can be shipped home through the airwaves from wherever you are. The list of things that you can do for profit on a laptop is endless. How about a for profit web site selling something you know a lot about online with the vendors drop shipping to your clients. Internet publishing and broadcasting payroll topped $2 trillion in 2002. You might check out the US business census data for some more ideas:

2002 Economic Census: Industry Series progress report

I have written manuals and books for products that I could have easily covered from a boat.

Hi Randy,
where can I pick up information about producing manuals as I have never read one always learning as I go. dicecting the product.

Frank

[sv_makai]

As stated previously there are many great thoughts on how to make money. It actually isn't much different than working on land.

What skills do you have that someone wants

Can you sell yourself (permanent interview)

I think if you find it hard to create a good living on the land, cruising will be just as difficult if not harder. There are less opportunites and more counties laws and many people out here doing it too.

That doesn't mean you can't, you just need to find the niche and apply your skills.

First, let me say thanks for the ideas.
Randy, I have been published, and I do have an in for tech manuals. That is a real possiblilty.
Capt Bil, I have no problem marketing myself ashore, but the issue is that my current skill set, and accordingly my interest, lends itself to business that are not easily applied to cruising.
Like most, I have considered writing, but even with the current desktop publishing options, it is really difficult to count on for survival.
Tech writing may just be the answer. As for the communications equipment costs, What I do not already own, is no problem to aquire, and obviously operational costs would be figured into the compensation of any such endeavor.
As for the nest egg thing, I could not agree more, but my wife has a different view, so again, we have compromise. Fortunately, money is not the goal, only realestate, and that is handled.

[sv_makai]

I understand a difficult to apply landbased skillsets. In my former life I did Corprate budget and planning. I didn't think I would have much to offer the cruising world, but have made a few dollars helping people on the finance side of life and suprisingly the computer side.

Because computers were a tool of my trade the things I learned from programming, web development, financial software systems, etc has allowed my to apply a subset of my skills to make a few bucks.

If I was interested in working and crusing I have found that there is a need for people who know how to maintain computer systems. But When I left I never considered the fact I had a skill that could be applied. It was found once we were out here and met many who knew very little about the computers onboard.

There is always something and it may not be obvious, and definately difficult to count on.

HMMMMM? Good point! We will see. In 5 years (or less), I am taking the plunge. I just hope someone fills the pool, or it's going to be a hard landing. I suppose I can get by for a while on cocoanuts and fish, but I figured I would try something completely different, and try to plan ahead

[Matt Hager]

About this making Jewlery stuff. I make Jewlery and thought I might supplement my cruising kitty doing so. However I thought the hosting countries would frown on me taking the needed dollars away from the locals. So how do Jewlery people do it? Is it done under the table?

I heard Jimmy Buffet once say "if play guitar, tend bar or fly an airplane you get work any where in the world".

Matt Hager
sv Vagans

[GordMay]

Broad generalities are always dangerous - but; pretty much anything you do to earn a buck, in a foreign country, will be illegal.
Unlike the USA, there aren’t many “Green Cards” in the rest of the world.
The best sub-rosa jobs are working for other cruisers (repairs etc.).
Writing, and similar occupations, lend themselves to cruising; because you get paid in your home country, and aren't doing a "local" out of a job. Of course, writing doesn't pay very well, for most of us.

[Connemara]

<<Of course, writing doesn't pay very well, for most of us.>>

I've been a freelance journalist for the past decade or so (and a newspaperman before that) and I know there are lot of people for whom writing doesn't pay at all. Usually, it's because they're not very good.

I've made a pretty good living, but when I begin the world cruising thing, I don't expect to be able to stay at the same level, mainly because I currently spend a lot of time gallivanting around the continent covering meetings, often with only a few days (and sometimes hours) notice.

Hard to do that when the nearest airport is 500 very wet miles away.

But I expect to cut my coat to suit my cloth and do other sorts of journo work, while bringing in enough to cover the costs. Just not sure what yet.

Long-winded way of saying I think writing is an option, if you have the skills.

MS

[mohave_steve]

"Yes I am a Pirate, 200 years too late. The cannons don't thunder, theres nothing to plunder......."

I think there my be a little Pirate in all of us on this board. However, after having spent a thankfully short period of time as the guest of a foreign government in a sparcely decorated 8x8 while settling a disagreement over
what one should & should not carry across a certain border I do try to
keep my pirate tendancies under control........

[mohave_steve]

Finally got around to my Open Water scuba cert.

How about "Steve's Underwater PC repair" ?? Just kidding.

Any suggestions for how I could use this to generate income while cruising?

Underwater recovery, repair or maintenance???

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by mohave_steve

Finally got around to my Open Water scuba cert. Any suggestions for how I could use this to generate income while cruising? Underwater recovery, repair or maintenance???

Hull cleaning is certainly a necessary part of boat maintenance (especially in warm climes) but my guess is that "out there" everybody and their brother either has their own dive gear or can borrow it. Maybe you could find enough people who didn't have the inclination to do it themselves to make it pay, but I doubt it.