How Much to Liveaboard ?

[jwr]

We are just looking at the expense to liveaboard. We have a csy 44 sailboat. We would love to hear from those that are on a bare bone budget. If we retire we have got a bridge years of 3 to where it needs to be bare bone.................love to hear from those that are on a stict budget. thanks jwr

[skipmac]

Hi JWR and welcome to the forum.

Yours is a frequently discussed and debated question. When you have a couple of hours to spare you might find all the answers in one of these previous threads on the forum.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...nth-40051.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-ii-79067.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...nth-85418.html

If you want the quick and dirty summary, and not being facetious here, it will cost as much as you have, meaning it will depend on what you have to budget and your life style. Like asking how much does a car cost? Well if you are a rich playboy looking for a new Ferrari a car costs several hundred thousand. If you are a poor college student buying a used clunker it could be several hundred.

In boating depends on whether you want to stay in nice marinas in an expensive city, eat out at fancy restaurants, etc OR if you prefer anchoring in a quite harbor, shop at the local market and cook on board. Obviously costs will vary hugely depending on which of these you choose.

[Ballenxj]

Oh, I've GOTTA subscribe to this one. Might be good, and if nothing else, there are already some good links here. Thanks skipmac.
-Bruce

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Ballenxj

Oh, I've GOTTA subscribe to this one. Might be good, and if nothing else, there are already some good links here. Thanks skipmac.
-Bruce

Welcome and enjoy.

By the way, another big impact on liveaboard costs, especially for marinas and boatyards is location.

Examples. I purchased my boat in NY and on Long Island paid almost $1000 for a short haul (Lift the boat, let it hang in the boat lift over the crew's lunch break, drop it back into the water. No moving, blocking bracing involved so an easy job) and quick pressure wash on the bottom. Months later brought the boat to FL to overhaul it and paid $400 to haul, block and brace.

Marina charges. Kept my boat on a mooring in RI for the first year. When ready to head south I thought it might be convenient to dock at a marina for a day or so while loading crew and supplies. Every marina in the area of CT I was in wanted over $100/night just to tie up. North FL, NC, Chesapeake areas can find them for $40.

[Ballenxj]

Originally Posted by skipmac

By the way, another big impact on liveaboard costs, especially for marinas and boatyards is location.

Examples. I purchased my boat in NY and on Long Island paid almost $1000 for a short haul (Lift the boat, let it hang in the boat lift over the crew's lunch break, drop it back into the water. No moving, blocking bracing involved so an easy job) and quick pressure wash on the bottom. Months later brought the boat to FL to overhaul it and paid $400 to haul, block and brace.

I guess shopping around pays off.

Originally Posted by skipmac

Marina charges. Kept my boat on a mooring in RI for the first year. When ready to head south I thought it might be convenient to dock at a marina for a day or so while loading crew and supplies. Every marina in the area of CT I was in wanted over $100/night just to tie up. North FL, NC, Chesapeake areas can find them for $40.

That's CRAZY! $100 a night just to tie up?
You could be in a motel with all the amenity's for that kind of money.
-Bruce

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Ballenxj;

That's CRAZY! $100 a night just to tie up?
You could be in a motel with all the amenity's for that kind of money.
-Bruce

Welcome to marina world! $100 is not crazy, it's the going transient rate in lots of places, and in some it might cost $200! If you intend to live on board in a marina, that will be your major cost.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Ballenxj

I guess shopping around pays off.

Absolutely!

Originally Posted by Ballenxj

That's CRAZY! $100 a night just to tie up?
You could be in a motel with all the amenity's for that kind of money.
-Bruce

Well it was actually $125/night and that's exactly what I said to the owner when he told me the price. I traveled to the area a lot as that was the home base for the company I worked for at the time. I could get a nice hotel room (no it wasn't the Hilton but it was perfectly adequate) with beds, showers, towels, free HBO, kitchenette, heat and AC for about $85 a night. For $200/night I could stay at a resort hotel with Spa, indoor pool, the works.

Told the marina owner I would pay him $85/night for a slip and he turned it down even though half the slips in his marina were empty.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Welcome to marina world! $100 is not crazy, it's the going transient rate in lots of places, and in some it might cost $200! If you intend to live on board in a marina, that will be your major cost.

Well it's not crazy in the sense that this is the going rate in some areas but I would certainly call it a crazy amount of money to rent the use of a couple of cleats and access to walk down the pier a few times (water and electric were extra).

Now if this had been in downtown NYC, Miami or LA then even the $200/night might make sense but this was way off the beaten path in eastern CT and a long hike from the nearest, very small town.

My favorite so far is $70/night to tie up to a mooring ball in Nantucket.

[Ballenxj]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Told the marina owner I would pay him $85/night for a slip and he turned it down even though half the slips in his marina were empty.

I don't think we have to ask why his slips were half empty, do we?
-Bruce

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Ballenxj

I don't think we have to ask why his slips were half empty, do we?
-Bruce

Well, until the economy crashed, marinas in New England stayed pretty full and his rates were pretty much in line or even below other marinas New England. And to be fair, the boating industry in the NE has to make their full years income in half the year since 99% of all boats are hauled for storage from Oct to May. Guess that's why they charge twice as much for their services.

But for the time, we are looking at a new economic situation and if they keep trying to charge boom time rates in recession time economy I see more and more of these guys going down.

I rode Amtrak from Boston to CT a couple of years ago in mid summer, when you would expect all the boats to be on the water and cruising, especially considering the short season. From the train window I saw dozens of marinas and boat yards almost all of them still half full of boats on the hard and still covered with winter tarps and shrink wrap. Got to be a lot of boat owners under water that can't pay their bills.

[bobconnie]

Thats why anchors were invented ~!LOL At ieast thats what us bare bones folks think !! The best anchor you can buy will save ya a fortune with the prices for moorings and Marina slips these days !! Get a good one and learn to use it !!after that you will wonder why ya ever went to a marina !! just a Bare Bones cruiseing couple idea of saving money

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

Thats why anchors were invented ~!LOL At ieast thats what us bare bones folks think !! The best anchor you can buy will save ya a fortune with the prices for moorings and Marina slips these days !! Get a good one and learn to use it !!after that you will wonder why ya ever went to a marina !! just a Bare Bones cruiseing couple idea of saving money

Agree. I seldom go to a marina unless I need fuel, water or for pumping the holding tanks. Have to say though, it is a bit of a pain when you're working every day.

[jwr]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Agree. I seldom go to a marina unless I need fuel, water or for pumping the holding tanks. Have to say though, it is a bit of a pain when you're working every day.

Thanks for all the response... Right now, we have a 44 so I was just thinking that if we had a 33-35, then it could be more in our budget. But I guess we could just anchor out with the rest of you guys

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by jwr

Thanks for all the response... Right now, we have a 44 so I was just thinking that if we had a 33-35, then it could be more in our budget. But I guess we could just anchor out with the rest of you guys

I would hate to give up a CSY 44. That was on my short list of boats to buy when I bought the Pearson. Huge room for liveaboard, built like a tank, low maintenance design and all glass, no wood cores to worry about. For a retirement boat it has a lot of pluses.

[Gelfling]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Hi JWR and welcome to the forum.

Yours is a frequently discussed and debated question. When you have a couple of hours to spare you might find all the answers in one of these previous threads on the forum.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...nth-40051.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-ii-79067.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...nth-85418.html

If you want the quick and dirty summary, and not being facetious here, it will cost as much as you have, meaning it will depend on what you have to budget and your life style. Like asking how much does a car cost? Well if you are a rich playboy looking for a new Ferrari a car costs several hundred thousand. If you are a poor college student buying a used clunker it could be several hundred.

In boating depends on whether you want to stay in nice marinas in an expensive city, eat out at fancy restaurants, etc OR if you prefer anchoring in a quite harbor, shop at the local market and cook on board. Obviously costs will vary hugely depending on which of these you choose.

Well put Skip! We are on a shoestring as well. Not because of retirement or expensive mortgage on the boat....but because of one parent working and one kid being home schooled. I could spend a WHOLE lot more while boating....but I am spending enough to enjoy it when we can (most every weekend)

Our costs for marina/haul are a whole lot less than the costs that Skip has offered, but we are in an area where jobs are not that plentiful. So that means that most everyone travels about 1 hour (more for some) to get to their boats. If we could find a job that was a 30 min or less commute, we would move aboard as soon as we got a bigger boat!

I love these types of threads!