Dream Boat or go ASAP?

[FollowingCs]

Originally Posted by tomfl

Perhaps more to the point you may only be a little better off than your wife in terms of showering by jumping in the ocean, climbing on a sugar scoop, soaping up with Dawn, jumping back in the ocean to rinse, and then back on the sugar scoop to rinse off with a pressure spray fresh water bottle. And that's just for starters.

The right boat can make things a lot easier, but things like long hot water showers, AC, and changing into fresh clothes every day are out of a lot of folks price point for a boat.

We've done a bit of research, and we know what to expect. Not exactly sure if we can handle it day in and day out, week in and week out, but we know what we want in a boat, and what we don't need (we don't need AC for example. Our friends just ripped it out of their cat, but they were still living in a marina so the bought a portable unit while connected to shore power, and they will just sell it when they cast off again.)

We basically know what we want in a boat, and the 'minimum' wife-approved boat is the 5 year plan (unless our business picks up significantly, or one of the remaining kids gets some kind of scholarship). We'd upgrade significantly if we waited 5 more years (the 10 year plan), but I'm getting anxious (and nervous) with all the medical issues people I know are dealing with. Not to mention that those 5 years will be peak earning years for me, with a down-sized house and no kids to pay for (in theory). Trade the time for the cash basically, and its sounding like 'time' is winning out.

All the best, FollowingCs

[FollowingCs]

Originally Posted by travellerw

I say your biggest problem is your wife.. You really need to start discussing this with her and make her a part of it. I've been told by countless cruisers that one partner "dragging" the other along is a recipe for disaster.

Oh, she is getting involved for sure. She's been reading up. As I'm researching the technical aspects, she's reading up on the lifestyle, live aboard, travel, etc. She's probably on her 5th e-book so far. She's even read "Get Her On-board" Get Her on Board | Helping you realize The Cruising Dream (it was on the kindle, couldn't really hide it from her.)

She was a travel agent back in the day, and loves to travel. She likes camping and while I tolerate it. We both love the Caribbean, beaches, hiking, etc. I love being in the water, doing anything, her not so much.

She is now a Realtor, and here in Ohio, it has been a painful profession. First the down turn, now the crazy regulations. It takes way too much effort to close a house and get her commission.

She is more and more on board with this idea, and certainly for trying it for a few years.

All the best, FollowingCs

[FollowingCs]

Originally Posted by sweetsailing

I think you need to give us your secret for only aging 3 years in a 5 year time span

Of course, I am only giving you crap. Go now!

LOL, it's a function of the log of the cosine squared. Just take the standard deviation of that... easy....

Obvious engineer flaw, can't add... 47 now, 52 in 5 years, 57 in 10 years. (I used a calculator this time to double check the math.)

All the Best, FollowingCs

[FollowingCs]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Depending on where the kids are in the process, I would say plan on a year (3 is pushing it, get focused and go.

The smaller boat is not only cheaper to buy, it's typically cheaper to maintain, store and operate. Go smaller and you need less.

What got us moving (aside from seeing my Father-in-Law go) is we set up a budget based on selling the house, the cars and most everything else, getting debt free...and suddenly $25-30k/yr buys a very nice lifestyle (admitedly it has shifted a bit since we started but the principal still holds true)

3 years is the absolute fastest, unless I can talk my daughter into completing high school abroad and still manage to get her in to a decent college. Of course, she wants to study international business, so may be the best way is cruising!

We also have the 3 year plan to sell the house and most 'stuff', and a few house fixes that need to happen before we sell. We should be downsized by then though, with most of our possessions sold off.

It's gotta get cheaper to live without the big house full of 3 kids, right?! gesh..

All the best, FollowingCs

[FollowingCs]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

cool classes, get offshore experience, go charter

go anytime.

Some of this I will be doing. We usually take a vacation to the Caribbean almost every year, but this year we got side-tracked with my siblings into Hilton Head. We've been to Roatan the past few years, but in the non-sailing season. My first chance for off shore classes will be next winter/spring 2015.

I'll be taking some sailing classes somewhere, and possible even a diesel engine class here in Ohio.

I also have the possibility to crew a bit, although my friends need help on the much longer passages initially, and I'm not sure how much time off I can get whilst still paying the bills/reducing the bills.

All the best, FollowingCs

[tomfl]

Go to any yacht club or marina and you can usually find a white board with posts looking for crew. The crew forum here and several other places also lists boats looking to crew. There are a lot more boats looking for crew than crew looking for boats.

[TDC]

You are getting great advice. As I type this it is 90+ with 90+ humidity and 0 kt breeze. The dismissal of A/C made me laugh. No way I want to deal with the cost/complexity of having one just realize it can be a lot like camping from time to time.

Go with the middle of the road boat. Everything can and will break at some point so having more in the bank allows eliminates a lot of stress. Which is one of the whole reasons to be cruising, right?

I know nothing about boating opportunities in Ohio. If you're not able to start out keeping a 25-30 ish boat locally then spend that money on a class like one of those weeklong, live on the boat, working charter deals. It will help set expectations a lot better than books.

Last thought I had.. As a kid who grew up aboard I don't know if it's a great idea for a high school senior. That's sort of the time you need freedom and personal space. Boats are not exactly known for an abundance of either. That said if there is a local club she could start on dinghies then absolutely see if she's interested. It'll make her a better sailor than most and might generate the interest in a long cruise.

[ksanders]

I bought my retirement boat at 49 years old, so I know exactly where you are coming from.

My advice, buy The boat now. Do not wait. If you have to finance it, do it.

Once have the boat it's not a dream any more, its a real thing.

Once you have the boat you can quit dreaming about the boat and start dreaming about what you are going to do with it.

I bought my boat at 49 on a 10 year loan. My pension is payable at 58. My 401k accounts are payable at 59. My house is paid off and my boat will be paid off at 59 or earlier.

I have a plan. No roadblocks in the way.

You need a real plan. More than a dream, a plan.

Buy the boat now.

[FollowingCs]

Originally Posted by TDC

You are getting great advice. As I type this it is 90+ with 90+ humidity and 0 kt breeze. The dismissal of A/C made me laugh. No way I want to deal with the cost/complexity of having one just realize it can be a lot like camping from time to time.

Go with the middle of the road boat. Everything can and will break at some point so having more in the bank allows eliminates a lot of stress. Which is one of the whole reasons to be cruising, right?

I know nothing about boating opportunities in Ohio. If you're not able to start out keeping a 25-30 ish boat locally then spend that money on a class like one of those weeklong, live on the boat, working charter deals. It will help set expectations a lot better than books.

Last thought I had.. As a kid who grew up aboard I don't know if it's a great idea for a high school senior. That's sort of the time you need freedom and personal space. Boats are not exactly known for an abundance of either. That said if there is a local club she could start on dinghies then absolutely see if she's interested. It'll make her a better sailor than most and might generate the interest in a long cruise.

Yep, a used, middle of the road boat is what I'm looking at.

And for sure, we have to wait until our last remaining high schooler gets in to a college situation. lol.

All the best, FollowingCs

[FollowingCs]

Originally Posted by ksanders

I bought my retirement boat at 49 years old, so I know exactly where you are coming from.

My advice, buy The boat now. Do not wait. If you have to finance it, do it.

Once have the boat it's not a dream any more, its a real thing.

Once you have the boat you can quit dreaming about the boat and start dreaming about what you are going to do with it.

I bought my boat at 49 on a 10 year loan. My pension is payable at 58. My 401k accounts are payable at 59. My house is paid off and my boat will be paid off at 59 or earlier.

I have a plan. No roadblocks in the way.

You need a real plan. More than a dream, a plan.

Buy the boat now.

Oh, I'm all about 'the plan'. I'm an engineer, so I have at least 3 versions of each plan, the low, middle and high version of the 3 year, 5 year and 10 year plans. These are pretty precise on personal finances, investment growth and other opportunities. I'm also a software developer, so there are a few opportunities to buy the boat in 3 years through financing and work off the boat for 2 more years. I'm also a real estate investor, and if the economy ever picks up, my 24 unit apartment will be worth alot more than I paid for it. I'm trying to buy others but I'm a bit picky on price and area. We'd easily be able to manage our properties remotely (as we do now.)

But love the advice from everyone. I figured I'd get a bunch of 'go ASAP' votes, but I did expect 1 or 2 'you should save more because...' replies.

[Greenhand]

It does not make sense at all to me to finance the boat! How are you supposed to build the kitty while paying interest, slip fees, and maintenance? All of that is time away from the dream, not towards it!

Now, if the advice had been to find a boat that you can afford now, I do agree with the idea of getting one, getting familiar with your boat, and learning all of the systems. I think that for my husband, it makes the overtime a bit easier, as well.

[JPA Cate]

Until the boat is paid for, you will have to have it insured. Enquire of insurance companies what educational certifications cause them to offer what kinds of discounts. What you find out may influence your strategies, considerably.

Encourage your wife to get the tickets, as well, but from a different school so that you each have a slightly different, but equally bona fide training to share with each other. The whole deal can go belly up if you both don't feel qualified enough or safe enough.

We knew a couple who were in real estate (commercial, mostly, rather than homes), who circumnavigated in a Valiant 40 and had a super time. They have since sold the boat, but you are going to have a steep learning curve, and you can't start any younger than you are. Having a friend your age die from sudden onset of cancer can be a powerful motivater for "going now".

If you and your wife take to it, going sooner rather than later will give you more years to enjoy your travels.

If it were my 5 yr. plan, I'd forego expensive vacations, and develop skills with my own boat. Skills is what gives you confidence for making the break to a totally different lifestyle. Acquire a useable boat as soon as possible, and find/invent a way to use it often.

Education, boat, then play. ASAP (consistent with getting the last child launched)

Ann

[VirtualVagabond]

I had a 5 year plan, back in my twenties
Some plans take a while (now mid 60s)

From the time we decided to get a boat and go cruising to actually being on board took nearly 3 years. Sandy had almost no sailing experience at all, so I figured the more comfortable our 'home' the better the chances of success. So we went big and old (all we could afford. Actually more than...) But we have 2 heads, more refrigeration than usual, a watermaker, a reasonable shower, tons of storage, a hard dodger, fully enclosable... and it's paid off.

You're obviously used to a decent standard of living, plan to continue that if you want this to work out, but go as soon as is practical.

Someone posted this on another thread and it says it so eloquently:

THE BOAT THAT NEVER SAILED
by Alban Wall

Down in the harbor of Broken Dreams
On the shores of Yesterday,
Her hull half-buried by sands of Time,
A schooner lies rotting away;
And her broken beams are the broken hopes
Of plans that have somehow failed -
And the tide drifts in and the tide drifts out
Past a boat that has never sailed.

Her timbers were made of the finest wood
From the forests of Caribee;
Her sails were like wings of the albatross
That glide o’er the southern sea;
And her decks how they echoed her builder’s song
As he fashioned her, plank and nail -
Now only the seagull’s lonesome cry
Haunts the boat that has never set sail.

She never answered the siren call
Of coaxing wind and tide;
She never breasted the Spanish Main
With the seas coming over her side;
And the pennant that hangs from her broken mast
Never shook in the lashing gale -
For the tides of Destiny waxed too full
And the schooner never set sail.

Somewhere there are men with snow-white hair
Who sit in life’s twilight years,
And often their thoughts drift wistfully back,
And often their eyes fill with tears
As they think of the dreams that have gone astray
And the plans that have somehow failed -
God, heal the hearts of the men who have built
The boats that have never sailed.


Vic

[ksanders]

Originally Posted by Greenhand

It does not make sense at all to me to finance the boat! How are you supposed to build the kitty while paying interest, slip fees, and maintenance? All of that is time away from the dream, not towards it!

Now, if the advice had been to find a boat that you can afford now, I do agree with the idea of getting one, getting familiar with your boat, and learning all of the systems. I think that for my husband, it makes the overtime a bit easier, as well.

I don't know about that.

While paying for my boat.... (Ie still working)

I've made a 1500 nm journey from Washington up the inside passage (actually I've done that run twice including two gulf of Alaska crossings)

Spent something over 60 days last season on the boat taking it out for a few days at a time

In the last 30 days I've spent 6 nights aboard.

I'd say I'm living the dream while paying for it and preparing for longer cruises.

You can either write and talk about boats or actually spend time aboard. Me, I'd rather spend the time aboard as time allows while paying for the boat and building the kitty.

[Jammer Six]

Dream boat.

Buying thing twice to upgrade is for kids who have no money. If you're worried about time, buy the last one first.