Saving to Live Aboard and World Travel

[CaptianCobb]

Hey y'all

My name is will and I'm new to the sailing community and I am in love. Everything that I read and such about sailing and done with sailing has made me want to get a sailboat, live aboard and sail the world. I am a musician recently graduated and going to start working towards saving for a boat to get started on. Me and my girlfriend too are very serious about eachother and about sailing around the world. Not here to set records of sailing the world fast just enjoy life on a boat and play music along the way.

I am an Eagle Scout and lifeguard, background in hiking long distance and I love travel and what there is to see in the world. And sailing around it seems perfect.

My price range for a sailboat is 5-15k not including gagets I'll need and such like radar alert of other boats, radio for communication, some self steering stuff, gps as well as solar and wind power. I don't wanna be too gaget crazy but at the same time if it's just two of us we can't be at the helm 24/7 and we need communication. All in all budget is 25-45k and 4-5 years of saving to do so.

Been looking at sailboats like the hunter 34 with two fair sized births cuz I want fam and friends to visit on occasion.

So I need y'all's help and encouragements:

Whats a good 35 foot range sloop (cutter) in the 5-15k range? Needs; full bathroom (shower), storage for world travel, 2 fair sized berths, kitchen, prefer freezer, prefer no-minimal ducking.

What's some good gagets: I don't want to rely on them but the world is a big and wonderful place.

How much extra capital do I need after main expenditures?

Thanks y'all

[blackswan]

Mate go for it and don't let anyone stop you. You have the ideal long distance cruising crew and mindset. Just remember take it slow and easy, learn as you go and include your partner in everything as the hardest but most rewarding thing is to go together and stay together. Like any life remaining as a couple takes work, perhaps a lot more work if you choose this life.

There's plenty of blogs, sites and threads on the ideal vessel. Have a look through cruiser forum and: Atom Voyages - Good Old Boats List
Mahina Expedition - Selecting A Boat for Offshore Cruising
to start with..

Gadgets you dont need many mate. I'd probably suggest a waterproof handheld GPS that can be dry cell or 12volt powered, a good sounder, and backups for these ie: a lead line and your own knowledge of traditional navigation techniques (as a suggestion).

For extra capitol how are you going to cruise ie: save and then go or work as you go. Either way you will need roughly 10% of your vessels value every year to keep her running well (depends how much work you do yourselves) and food and living costs on top.
How much food and living, well depends on how ya wanna live. Budget, middle of the road or Luxury?

Good luck, go forth with an open mind and good vibes.. The rest is small stuff. Enjoy..

[CaptianCobb]

Originally Posted by blackswan

Mate go for it and don't let anyone stop you. You have the ideal long distance cruising crew and mindset. Just remember take it slow and easy, learn as you go and include your partner in everything as the hardest but most rewarding thing is to go together and stay together. Like any life remaining as a couple takes work, perhaps a lot more work if you choose this life.



There's plenty of blogs, sites and threads on the ideal vessel. Have a look through cruiser forum and: Atom Voyages - Good Old Boats List

Mahina Expedition - Selecting A Boat for Offshore Cruising

to start with..



Gadgets you dont need many mate. I'd probably suggest a waterproof handheld GPS that can be dry cell or 12volt powered, a good sounder, and backups for these ie: a lead line and your own knowledge of traditional navigation techniques (as a suggestion).



For extra capitol how are you going to cruise ie: save and then go or work as you go. Either way you will need roughly 10% of your vessels value every year to keep her running well (depends how much work you do yourselves) and food and living costs on top.

How much food and living, well depends on how ya wanna live. Budget, middle of the road or Luxury?



Good luck, go forth with an open mind and good vibes.. The rest is small stuff. Enjoy..

What a great response my friend thank you!

So a little hand held like hiking gps on a mount would work well? What about overnight stuff like raydar to watch out for other boats while not at the helm? And what about power for things like fridge and lights? What about something like a wind vain? I know they sounds like a lot of gagets but some of them sound nessiaary from an inexperienced sailers mind.

I am really good at living simply from my hiking and college living experiences so I'm good with that kinda stuff. I am really worried about docking and associated fees. Not long term fees if I was living and parked for months but how bad are like day passes around the world and such. It's cool to have a boat and live simply and cheaply but if I have to pay so much money to dock in different places I can't afford it haha.

Also your encouragement is so heart warming. So far I have come across a lot of great sailers like you to give positivity so I'm pumped thank u so much.

Thank you

[sailorchic34]

$5k to $15K is not all that much. Your looking at an older boat 1970's ish. If it was me, I would look out for lein sales at marinas. Berkeley has one coming up AUG 16 with a 1972 30' C&C on the list. A nice boat for coastal cruising.. That's the biggest on this go round. So maybe $3k gets you that boat. But Your going to need at least another $10K or so just fixing it up. That does not include radar, etc, just the basics, rigging,sails etc.

Otherwise a $15K boat will be about 28-30 foot and will still need $5 to 10K to fix it up minimum. None in that price range will be over 30 feet. OK I got mine boat for under $15k, but still no shower stall. Showers start in the 37 foot and up range and $50k and up.

[CaptianCobb]

I have been finding boats around 35 feet under 20k, some are in prety good condition some arnt. I don't mind a few thousand fix up that's understandable. I'm planning on buying the boat a few years before we go and spend time fixing things that I Can myself and other stuff pro fixing. I'm a prety handy guy. Also some of them have showers! Haha since I'm living aboard I know my girlfriend would really want a shower and I would like one too that's an important comfort I want.

Good points though. I have heard that the good boats that are a steal are at the marinas for sale not online. People are just throwing them out. Is this true? Should I your the cost marinas?

[CaptianCobb]

Does anyone know about the hunter 34? It's super cool layout with two berths. It has no shower so that's a bummer but everything else is so good! Anyone know of the company?

[Greenhand]

What instruments/equipment do you plan on having on board? The environment can be rough on most.

Your budget is going to require getting a real deal. You need to keep your eye on the auctions and make friends in the boatyards/marinas who can let you know when someone has a distress sale.

[CaptianCobb]

Most important to me is gps to know where I am. A friend on here says a hand held would work fine and mount it?

I'd like some sort of windvane stearing device for some stuff, and solar and wind power would be nice. My dad does hand radio stuff so I prob have the hook up on a good radio

[Capt Phil]

Some great initial advice, CC... I would add that you need to think about equipping yourself with the skills necessary to undertake an extended offshore passage as well as get some hands on experience for both of you. I would suggest that you start out taking some courses that are available through your local Power Squadron or sailing schools that are ASA certified. Then search out local sailing clubs and volunteer for jobs as 'rail meat' on racing boats. There are many club racers who would love to have willing hands to help get them onto the course who otherwise would be beached for lack of crew. The advantage of this approach is that you will get a variety of sailing vessels to try out, a whole menu of sailing types from idiots to competent skippers happy to teach you both the intracacies of holding course on the wind, sail changes and getting the most out of light air situations.
Once you have some sailing experience to sell, try and get berths aboard a Transpac, ARC or other major offshore race to give you a taste of offshore sailing. Otherwise, haunt crewlist sights of people looking for crew on cruising passages. Remember to not jump at the first opportunity... interview the owners/skippers and partners for compatability. There is nothing worse than being stuck with a boatload of turkeys 2000 miles from your destination with no stops to disembark.
Good luck in your search and following your dream... cheers, Phil

[CaptianCobb]

Thanks phill,

Great words, I am planning on doing something of the sort with our small boat and trying to hop on and make some friends and those are great suggestions thank you!

[CaptianCobb]

Such great words friends

[Mycroft]

My two cents. Save up $10k and start seriously looking for a boat. Line up a good surveyor and be ready to jump. You're not looking for frills. You're looking for a boat with good bones that you can move onto and spend the next 4 years or so learning and working on it, getting her into shape. Way too soon to be worried about electronics, refrigeration, and such.

The important thing is to get onto a boat so you can stop wasting money on landlubber stuff.

[CaptianCobb]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

My two cents. Save up $10k and start seriously looking for a boat. Line up a good surveyor and be ready to jump. You're not looking for frills. You're looking for a boat with good bones that you can move onto and spend the next 4 years or so learning and working on it, getting her into shape. Way too soon to be worried about electronics, refrigeration, and such.

The important thing is to get onto a boat so you can stop wasting money on landlubber stuff.

Haha that is kinda my plan! I really want to do that.

[blackswan]

Originally Posted by CaptianCobb

What a great response my friend thank you!

So a little hand held like hiking gps on a mount would work well? What about overnight stuff like raydar to watch out for other boats while not at the helm? And what about power for things like fridge and lights? What about something like a wind vain? I know they sounds like a lot of gagets but some of them sound nessiaary from an inexperienced sailers mind.

I am really good at living simply from my hiking and college living experiences so I'm good with that kinda stuff. I am really worried about docking and associated fees. Not long term fees if I was living and parked for months but how bad are like day passes around the world and such. It's cool to have a boat and live simply and cheaply but if I have to pay so much money to dock in different places I can't afford it haha.

Also your encouragement is so heart warming. So far I have come across a lot of great sailers like you to give positivity so I'm pumped thank u so much.

Thank you

Will, there is a lot of good advice in these responses from other contributors to your post.
There are also many ways of doing what you are proposing. The two of you will find your path..to answer your specific questions: radar is nice but not essential, yes a windvane is great if you are going to do regular passages over 500nm but none of it is essential especially starting off.

My wife and I started at age 30 in northern europe with no gps, headsail furler, autopilot, windvane, one battery with electric nav lights, some reading lights and no fridge. I had done a little chartering and sailing with mates and my wife had no experience. After 6 years we built an ice box, traded a delivery for a windvane and a couple of years later got a furler. . Our training ground was the med and we navigated tradionally because i wanted us to have those skills first before learning anything else. We still dont have a fridge or radar because generating the power is difficult on a small boat and we have no real need for it although the next boat may have a fridge (and radar if I win the lottery

My point is not for you (or anyone else) to do it my way but that is up to you, your girlfriend, your dream and your resources how you will go about it.
As I said in my first reply take it slow and easy and dont overcapitalise before you need to.

When my wife and I started our only plan was to get to the med and have a go for a season and see what its like.. Accept that your first boat will be more of a compromise but ideal for NOW to get you both out there and having a go.
Dont put ambitions in front of yourself like sailing to another country (or around the world) until you have both developed the core skills to do so and you both feel ready to do it, your first ocean crossing will always be a little frightening but with the right core skill set you know you'll be ok and it is one of the best and most rewarding challenges I know.

Enjoy

The most important thing is to not scare youself or your partner and have fun. Go where the sun is warm and sailing easy and you will be surprised how far you can go..

[CaptianCobb]

I agree with you and thank you so much for the good kind words y'all's. I also wanna make it over to the Mediterranean actually 3 locations particularly Australia, med sea, and Bahamas gulf area. And that's such a good idea to take time.

One thing specifically which id like y'all's comment on is that I'm gonna have a good job that will be good paying before I set of, like making a good salary and rasing a lot of money so buying the expensive stuff while I'm working a real job sounds like a better idea then like living on a boat and coming in and working a small job to pay for little stuff

What do y'all think about these things. Again I know I need to take it slow I just like to plan everything out and have goals. Also let's have a convo rather then an argument thanks guys y'all are killing it