Looking for tips to liveabord-20 years old

[vjm]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

Do not believe that the OP has stated that he wants to sail around the world.

100% correct. I misread that. Still interested in what experience, if any, OP has.

[TrentePieds]

@LizzyBelle #28

So you did. And we all have a set of assumptions that we hold to be gospel truth until someone puts us wise :-)

TrentePieds costs me five grand a year, say EUR3,300, in moorage, electricity extra. Don't remember how much, since for obvious reasons I refuse to plug in to shore in a marina as tatty as the one I'm in. Parking would be extra if they even allowed live-aboards, which they don't.

So why do I keep her there? Cos the drive twixt home and boat is 90 minutes each way, going most of the way on the TransCanada Highway at 140 clicks. Once I'm there, I'm in open water soon as I'm clear of the fuel dock. Ten minutes, tops.

If I were up the river (The Mighty Muddy Fraser) it would STILL take me an hour and a half to get there, then 2 hours going down the river to the open strait. And coming home!! Six or more hours going up-river against the stream, and then another 90 minutes by car. And I'd STILL be paying 4 grand a year for the slip :-)!

In my little burgh you can rent a bachelor pad for Can$500/month any day of the week. I know cos I do that sort of stuff for people. "Juice" would be C$35/month on the "equal payments" plan. For you, in Rotterdam, so you say, it would be EUR175/month, i.e C$266/month. That holds my shore-side two bedroom apartment in a older, barely insulated building for 6 months. I would think you are paying something like EUR 2.10 for a litre of benzine in Rotterdam, i.e C$3.10. This ayem I filled my tank for C$1.18/L. I tell you, we Canucks live the life of Riley :-)! Food costs don't vary much regardless of whether you are afloat or ashore, though for the staples you do have to acknowledge that milk, say, is C$2.50/L at the "convenience" store next the marina, but C$3.99/GALLON (4 litres, actually) at the supermarket around the corner from my apartment. Flour is C$2.99 for the 1Kg bag, $6.99 for the 10Kg bag.

So quite right - it depends on where you are. Don't think the OP has told us, has he?

All I'm suggesting is that he needs to do a decent budget reflecting his local circumstances so he'll be knowing rather than guessing what it'll cost to do what he wants to do. He should do that BEFORE he spends his hard-earned student bux, because a boat, once part of ones baggage (at least around here and older ones particularly), can be very hard to get rid of. Once you own the boat you are stuck with the cost of moorage or with the cost of assassination and disposal of the corpse unless you luck in, and a benevolent society is willing to take her as a gift. Then the BS pays the moorage until the next budding sailor comes along :-).

TrentePieds

[brianlara 3]

Is Darylats Swedish boat the "SAGA 27 AK motor sailer" ?? A very lightly rigged boat but canoe stern. The north sea has been full of these for decades.
Good luck Mate.

[Mithril Bham]

Get solid Catalina, Pearson or the like between 27 & 30ft. Go to the BVI.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

So quite right - it depends on where you are. Don't think the OP has told us, has he?

Nope. Not where he is, nor where he wants to sail, so very hard to answer any question really as location kinda matters

And of course the size of the boat, and if you own her free and clear or not. Lizzy Belle is only 29' but all mine, so that helps with monthly / yearly costs as well. And again, the location, cos I'm very aware my €2500 a year including even using the washing machines and some services I don't need but want wouldn't get me very far in the US ...

(And to think we're all complaining marina's are too expensive over here. Doh!)

[brianlara 3]

Lizzy belle. If i had money id give lots of it to you. But i suspect youd refuse gifts.
You are such a kind and wise person,lots of heart.
If i wasnt at the end of the world near Sydney id buy a great restaurant meal every month.
In that way i could give you a tiny reward for your help to others who i suspect are inspired by you.
Strangely, people often wont give you personal compliments and ill never understand why.
5% sorry for the thread drift.
Brian.
ps. My eldest grand daughter is aged 22 so you can imagine im not delusional/ no agendas.

[Mithril Bham]

Since you are in the PNW cruise the San Juans to SE Alaska if you can take the winters. You can almost live off the land.
Yes, Albin's are good. Can find one at a good price.
Be sure and spend the money for a good survey. Sometimes seller will pay for that.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by brianlara 3

Lizzy belle. If i had money id give lots of it to you. But i suspect youd refuse gifts.

Aww, thanks, but I would refuse as you are giving me WAY too much credit, and ... it was my personal choice to quit my job and change my life. More time with my kid (single mom and all that jazz) and all the other things that matter way more then a career or 'stuff'.

I may have very little compared to what I used to have -- but at least I have the time to really enjoy all that I do have. I've seen too many people save their dreams for later ... only they never got their later.

Which brings us back on-topic

The OP is young, and taking time out NOW makes a lot of sense. In a few years, there will be things like older parents / girlfriend / wife / children / career / mortgage etc. etc. to consider, making it much harder to take a few years off.

Go small, embrace the KISS principle and ... GO NOW!

[brianlara 3]

Lizzie, If it appeared that i was bieng charitable then frankly im mortified. Even 15 years bieng with the destitute in India i never felt that i was bieng benevolent. Its just that if really good people have less than i do then i simply want to make their lives easier when i can. Often what i do is done anonomously because i dont need kudos, kudos for me is shameful.
Can you see that i wasnt expressing charity? I can only hope.
And before i even received your reply i wished that id not said what i did.
What i wrote had some 'over the top'.... not an exscuse but probably part of the symptoms of war neurosis.
In full view of man, sorry Lizzie. Id prefer to leave it here if you are happy with that.
Cheers brian.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by brianlara 3

Lizzie, If it appeared that i was bieng charitable then frankly im mortified.

No, don't worry, you didn't, I understood what you meant.
I tend to only accept from others what I can give back in some way - sharing in friendship goes both ways.
Darn, don't know how to explain it in English ...
I'll happily accept an invitation to a nice restaurant for instance, but in return I'll do something for that person (I usually end up fixing computers, haha).

Sorry, hard to explain in another language, just don't worry, I know you didn't mean it as charity

[brianlara 3]

Great Belle.
I can take some pages from your book (despite it bieng double Dutch, joke)...I have no trouble giving ...anything...but at age 69 Ive not yet learned how to receive without feeling weird.
Maybe its because giving is so rewarding. But I must admit...shoot, here goes...in front of the mob,
my GP in New Delhi tells me i have a ...wait... "philanthropic disorder"
Now every bugger knows...Oh Jesus!
Laughing....

[Steve1944]

Originally Posted by wilsontrawick

Hello,
I am a 20 year old college student right now. I have been working hard and saving as much as I can so that after I graduate college, I can buy a sailboat and sail for a year or two before I enter the real world. This has been a huge dream of mine and I have done the research.

I need some help from you experts:

• Advice on picking a boat (What do you wish you knew when you were buying?)
• Advice on privisoning (What are your must haves?)
• Advice on what you didn't expect
• Advice on place I must go see

Or, add anything you think I should know as part of the liveaboard experience that a youngin like me should know. I scour craigslist day and night for boats and search for days for any know how I should know. I am also realistic about it all.

Thank you
Wilson

You must know lots about boats to buy off Craig's list. I recommend finding a broker. My search was limited to wooden boats and I went with Wooden Ships.


One coup was that I asked if they would let me use their insurance, would they continue their coverage. Affirmative and agreed by their carrier, the worst happened. So, covering some initial repairs was an insurance deal. Whew ! But a sweetheart deal to be sure. I was lucky.


Using a reputable broker is a must. And, buying a boat in Northern Europe gives you a prospective of the world unlike any other. It's a small place, this globe Boibie.

[Steve1944]

Sailing across the Atlantic is NOT sailing around the world.

[Cadence]

Sounds like a pipe dream. He should get the education or today a trade then worry about it. If he wants to sail the world a trade maybe a larger asset if he doesn't want to wait?
A piece of wisdom I got when asking where do you want you son to go to college. This saga said," I want him to get a trade, he will always be able to find a job."

[sharkbait]

Originally Posted by wilsontrawick

Hello,
I am a 20 year old college student right now. I have been working hard and saving as much as I can so that after I graduate college, I can buy a sailboat and sail for a year or two before I enter the real world. This has been a huge dream of mine and I have done the research.

I need some help from you experts:

• Advice on picking a boat (What do you wish you knew when you were buying?)
• Advice on privisoning (What are your must haves?)
• Advice on what you didn't expect
• Advice on place I must go see

Or, add anything you think I should know as part of the liveaboard experience that a youngin like me should know. I scour craigslist day and night for boats and search for days for any know how I should know. I am also realistic about it all.

Thank you
Wilson

The best advice I can give is to get a girlfriend before you move aboard