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Old 02-01-2011, 19:25   #1
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Freezing Canuck - Had Enough . . . Heading South !

I thought everyone would say we have lost our minds but instead they are all encouraging us to live this dream.

Sooo my wife and I are putting the house up for sale, (Vancouver BC where they do sell fast). We are planning to use part of the money to buy a house near Phoenix Arizona as an investment with rentors/property management.

Coninue to Florida and buy a: Catamaran or b: mono-hull and then after learning to sail, navigate, survive, (two weeks? cross the Gulf Stream and begin a one to five year live-aboard adventure!

We want to operate our business (internet based business directory from the boat. Question: How do you get high-speed Internet on board while sailing the Caribbean?

Where do I start? Do you think we are crazy? Is this idea unreasonably dangerous to life and limb? Will we sink or be attacked by pirates?

Is this not an amazing time to buy a sail-boat? (They are so inexpensive right now, I think there is a good chance the boat its' self will appreciate in value as the ecomomy recovers).

What should I buy in the $40,000 USD range? Cat / Mono? How many feet ... 30'? 40'?

How much money should we expect to need per month while sailing the Caribbean?

After spending some time sailing this site I can see this Forum is an amazing resource and boy do we need your help.

Thanks, Greg

PS: I hope it is OK to post this in the Caribbean Forum as well.
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Old 02-01-2011, 19:39   #2
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Greetings and Welcome...
I'll start your New Year on a downer... forget the 'Cat'... you aint got enough dosh... maybe $100K+ and you'd be in with a shot...
But on the bright side there's a lot of nice sized mono's in your budget.
http://www.bviyachtsales.com/core/li...=bviyachtsales&
http://www.bviyachtsales.com/core/li...=bviyachtsales&
WiFi's available on most of the Islands but I'll leave it to those more upto date than me to fill you in on that side...
Good Luck and have fun...
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Old 02-01-2011, 19:54   #3
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We have done what your planning and I would offer a few suggestions.
When you leave land, have no debts. Obtain a Canadian or U S Captain's License. Charter a catamaran the same size as you charter a mono-hull. The wave action and responses are total opposites (different). Charter each for a week to see if you can live aboard for extended periods of time without massive storage capacity. I have not been watching the market for prices around the 40K mark but I would recommend shaving a bit for customizing whatever you choose. The reason for a license is so you can suppliment your income in places like St. Thomas or the virgin islands. Once you learn the waters where you choose to spend some time the hotels always use small boat charters for guests and the license gets the job. Wifi is vital for internet business which means you will be blocked in areas like the Abacos where they charge you for it. If you don't have sufficient monthly income from pensions or other sources you may be in deep trouble if your business goes bust.All the best,
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Old 02-01-2011, 19:59   #4
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Thank you for your replies ... please keep them coming I need all the info I can get!

What do you think about this Cat?

1990 INTERCAT SAILING CATAMARAN -- THE BEST CAT IN SW FLORIDA FOR UNDER $50k. This is the same cat as the Endeavour 30 or the Americat 3014 very solid - roomy- cruise or live aboard -length 28+ -14ft beam -2ft 10 inch depth - weight 5800 lbs. Cat rigged and all lines run to the coctpit for easy single single handing -Recent survey -all work done -good bottom paint-Prostar Solar controller -AcquaCal 16000 BTU AC- with control unit 30 amp shore power with 50ft cable-Heart Interface inverter-1300 Danforth anchor with 210 chain and rode-extra anchor and rode-full batten main sail excellent -spinnaker with sock- lazy jacks-stack pac-dodger-bimini- all canvas recently restiched- yahama 15 hp 4 stroke- recent 100 hr service-new 28 gal fuel tank -Recent running rigging-new 10/7- 4 blade power prop-Updated CG equipment - CG inspected and certified-New ramarine A60 GPS with interfaced auto pilot-new raymarine chartplotter/fishfinder - Panasonic VHF-2 queen size berths-Heritage2 burner propane stove with oven-Gunter cold plate deep box frig- double stainless sinks- 50 gal H2O six gal 110v hot water system- 12v freshwater pump-extra lagre seperate shower- Jabsco maring head Ritchie compass AudioVox CD/tuner plus a lot of extra stuff! BOAT IS IN SAIL AWAY CONDITION & located in CAPE CORAL, FLORIDA $35,000
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Old 02-01-2011, 20:19   #5
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Be very, very careful when buying a house in the US right now. There are many people finding themselves caught up in lawsuits by people who had their houses wrongfully repossessed (something the brokers don't like to mention). Good luck with your plans.
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Old 02-01-2011, 20:24   #6
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I have been in Phoenix for some time now, and I am not sure whether this is the time to invest in real estate here in the Valley of the Sun. I suppose if you can rent to cover the cost of a mortgage, and you might break even, but I don't think you will make any money in the short term. If you are investing in Phoneix real estate, it needs to be a long term proposition.

The sailing plan sounds good, but for $50k, you will get a small yacht, or if it is larger, it will be a fixer upper. Any catamaran in that price range would be a money pit and a fixer upper for sure.

You have a good plan, but the devil will be in the details, and I suspect the financial part will be the hardest to achieve if you seriously try to stay in budget.
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Old 02-01-2011, 23:31   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clifford sloan View Post
We have done what your planning and I would offer a few suggestions.
When you leave land, have no debts. Obtain a Canadian or U S Captain's License. ... The reason for a license is so you can suppliment your income in places like St. Thomas or the virgin islands. Once you learn the waters where you choose to spend some time the hotels always use small boat charters for guests and the license gets the job. ...Clif
I am very interested in this idea! Do you have an example of a hotel that I could call and get advise about what they look for in a charter?

Also ... do you think they would prefer a 28' Catamaran or 36' mono-hull?

Thanks!
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Old 03-01-2011, 05:57   #8
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I'm sorry I didn't clarify my statement. There are charter companies that rent out 21 or 23 ft. Makos with outboards. The insurance requires they be operated by a licensed captain so when a hotel guest wants to charter a small boat for a day, the only way they can do it is to use said captain. This means your boat stays moored or anchored and you pick up the Mako, go to the hotel with it and pick up the guests for the day. Another thing to consider is deliveries back to the states. CYO YACHT CHARTERS in St. Thomas is the one to contact.
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Old 03-01-2011, 07:49   #9
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Any vessel powered by an outboard motor needs a power supplier and I see no mention of solar panels or wind generators. Unless you plan to stay in a marina all the electronics he lists will last as long as the batteries. Be sure you and your first mate are comfortable with the sea action of a cat as opposed to a mono hull.
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Old 03-01-2011, 10:13   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clifford sloan View Post
Any vessel powered by an outboard motor needs a power supplier and I see no mention of solar panels or wind generators. Unless you plan to stay in a marina all the electronics he lists will last as long as the batteries. Be sure you and your first mate are comfortable with the sea action of a cat as opposed to a mono hull.

I am wondering what the Slam Factor would be like on a 28 foot Cat. I have read the Intercat (Americat) is a well designed boat.

Also, what is it like finding berth for a cat compared to mono and do they charge more because it is wider?
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Old 03-01-2011, 10:41   #11
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forget the house,,, renting is more of worry when you are sailing,,,put the down payment on a larger sailboat,,, keep doing a google search on sailing related issues,,, it is hard to make money while sailing full time unless you have FULL time internet onboard,,, VERY expensive satellite options, when not close to shore, VERY expensive,,,, who wants the hassle and worries of the rental properties when you are not there to fix the problems,,, property mangers are basically worthless IMO,,,might want to consider a smaller boat and just sail the bahamas for 1 year or so to get a feel of things,,, plenty to see and close to the US if something happens, then head south, plenty of boats to look at in south florida
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only 50 miles to bimini, then head to andros then to the exumas

or cross from palm beach, head to west end, then to abaco, then head south to the exumas,,, you will see plenty and as you mentioned have limited knowledge of sailing,,, you can get a 35 foot monohull, do some work on it, then head to the bahamas from florida,,, do this before heading to the caribbean,, it will build up your confidence, also there are plenty of boaters in the bahamas if you get in trouble

if you want to have the most fun and enjoyment give up as many land ties as you can,,, who needs a cell phone daily when you are in paradise,,,, you will learn to live without it

If you want to go JUST DO IT AND GO,,, to many cruisers spend to much time worring about thing that do not matter
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Old 03-01-2011, 10:57   #12
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I own rental property in Rhode Island. The very LAST THING I can recommend is to become an absentee landlord!!! Think of the very worst that can happen because IT PROBABLY WILL!!!

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Old 03-01-2011, 10:58   #13
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there are 1,949 boat from 30-50 feet priced from 10-40k for sale here

(Sail) Boats For Sale



I am sure you can find one that will suit your need,,, fiberglass is easy to repair anywhere,,, you can learn to do it yourself for a quick repair,,,, you do nto need new sails,,, used are fine,,, Sailorman New & Used Marine: The World's Largest and Most Unique New & Used Marine Emporium in fort lauderdale has much to offer in the term of used equipment,,,,,make sure you have high and low bildge alarms,,,, high bildge alarms go off if the water reaches a critical point, good rigging, A SURVEY on the vessel, electrical needs are important, you can change you lifestyle to suit that need, use less electrical power and you need to charge the batteries less,,, KISS, keep it simple stupid, you do not need all the latest electronics,,,, can get buy with a chartplotter and extra GPS,,, if you are not planning on sailing at night forget the radar,,,,I sailed 3 times in the bahamas for a total of 2 years without it, the more you add the more it costs,, it just depends on the comfort level you want,,,I did not have AC on my boat, just lots of opening hatches and fans,,, learn to use paper charts as a backup to the plotter,,, read and practice plotting, not to hard to learn and or take a course in navigation,,, it is very simple to learn the basics

put down on paper what your comfortable living with,,,,there are many people on this forum that do not even use a fridge or freezer, you will learn to live without them, just need to change your comfort level,,,

when you are sailing your lifestyle changes VERY much,,,,think about this,,, if you are at anchor for a week, swimming everyday, no phone calls to bother you, what is going to matter the most in your life and what do you need to feel comfortable??? that is up to you,, get the basics and go from there,, forget about all the foofoo as I call it,,,, KISS and it will cost less,
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Old 03-01-2011, 11:09   #14
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just for safety and security you can file a float plan with the USCg over the radio when doing the crossing to the bahamas,,, tell them you vessel, number onboard, distination, eta and such,,, if you do not arrive they wil come look for you,,, they will also contact you at specified intervals (every 30 minutes) if you request to get a position report,,, this is all free, carry a MOB raft or dingy at the ready for an emergency when doing the crossing, there is No need for a big liferaft if you stay in the bahamas,,,, a good dingy will do at the ready, IN the caribbean that is a different story,,,,stay in the bahams for some time till you are comfortable then decide what you need to upgrade on the boat, then head to the caribbean,,, the bahamas is good for a shakedown cruise,,, close to everything including help,,, at any time there plenty of boaters and aircraft all over the bahamas that can help out in a rescue,,, just plan carefully and file a float plan with someone,,,, get used to the VHF radio and look into an SSB,, not really needed for the bahamas but a must for long distance cruising,

GO SAILING NOW

you can spend years getting, fixing, repairing a boat along with making excuses,,,

like NIKE says just do it

the longer you wait the longer you are wishing you did,,,,

get the basics and go from there,,, you do not need the latest and newest of everything,,,,
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Old 03-01-2011, 11:18   #15
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Abaco Bahamas Cruising Information
The "Cruisers' Net", VHF 68 at 0815.
Cruiser's Net
Bahamas Sailing and Yachting | bahamas-guide.info

check out googleearth the bahamas and look at the exumas

there are over 365 island alone in this group,,,I am sure you can find something interesting to do everyday,,

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i spend 6 months once on a 27 foot stiletto catamaran,, people thought I was nuts but did it safely and had a good time,,,

photo of sister ship,,,
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