i'm spending so much money it hurts

[engele]

Don't let it get you down. We did exactly the same thing when we left. It seems to me that fixing everything repeatedly is the way the game is played. Our boat is an older (though heavily refitted) boat, and it costs to run it. We massively blew our budget on the West Coast in fuel alone. It is possible to sail cheaply, but it is a lot harder to do it that way. Just be glad you are not trying to repower in rural Mexico, or buy transmission couplers for a rare transmission in Panama. It sucks to bleed cash, but you will still have a wonderful adventure. Good luck.

[chucklet321]

This may sound a little dumb but what if you were to temporarily charter your boat if you had a crew it would bring in around 5 to 10k a week if you were booked up, that's great money.

BTW it'll be alright and workout, just make a fund for it like a retirement fund and you'll have the money soon enough

[carstenb]

chucklet

issues with that
1- insurance
2- Masters license allowing you to take paying passengers
3- Boat will almost have to be upgraded to meet passenger standards (also legal requirements)

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

as the current monetary system makes it completely unfair from one country to the next. Someone from India or Guatemala or somewhere is going to have to be extremely elite and wealthy to afford aboat for $100,000.

I am sure you do have plenty to share - not everyone on CF is what you perceive as "rich".

But at the risk of going off topic , "fair" and "unfair" does not come into it...........and IMO likely that folks from the countries you mention will be more p#ssed off about someone who has not taken the economic opportunities provided by winning the lottery (of getting born in the right place at the right time - with the right passport) than someone who has spent more money on a boat than they will ever see in a lifetime.

and besides, both of you will be seen as representatives of the same system - the one that helps keep the locals in the financial position they are (I make no criticism of that system - I don't want to make trainers. 24/7 ).

But I make no criticism of your approach (whatever floats yer boat ) - and I can understand why you would wrap neccessity up as a virtue, but not everyone is interested in buying that viewpoint..........

.....every choice has a cost, including your own - just not all costs are measured in money. But in a world based on money (as the medium of exchange - if not the simple pursuit of!) then would seem silly to hamstring self by not playing to some degree.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by geckosenator

Anyone who spends $100,000 on a boat should seriously consider how greedy of a person they are and how much they are taking away from the less fortunate people of the world by doing so. Maybe you should give $99,000 to charity and get a $1000 boat and you would have already started cruising 3 years ago.

I know I'm coming late to the game on this......but it's been chewing on the back of my brain stem for a while now.

In a world where charity's are given $99K, what incentives exist for the recipients to learn a trade and better themselves?

never mind.........this forum is neither the time or place.

[engele]

Originally Posted by geckosenator

I think he missed the gist of my post as I stated I used spectra not mild steel for rigging.. and the irony here is stainless is inferior to other materials for rigging anyway. For example, Galvanized lasts 3x longer if properly sealed, is stronger, doesnt work harden, can be hand spliced, and shows signs of rust before failure. I would value it much more highly than a boat with stainless rig as it only looks shiny but the practical value is much lower.

I initially posted to expose my techniques for cost reduction as this is the whole point of the thread. Maybe you can save on that watermaker by catching rainfall, or consider more used sails especially for long downwind passages and save the good ones from UV damage for when you need to go upwind. I forgot to mention I use a dehumidifier, forward osmosis or solar still for water generation for much less cost than the simplest watermaker. you can use nylon anchor line for sheets. Maybe you can post some more ideas as I am always interested here.

It seems sometimes, the accepted norm, is not always the most efficient, or cost effective, and alternatives should be explored, by everyone. This is especially true of the diesel engine.

Spectra degrades with UV exposure. Great for race rigging that is replaced on a schedule, but not for a cruising boat. Also it is nearly as expensive as stainless wire.

Building a boat into a safe reliable platform to take your family out on is in no way greedy, whether that costs $100k, $800k or a million (not that most of us have any of that).

Best of luck

Élan

[DumnMad]

I expect Dyneema rope is available to yachties because the international fishing companies raping the sea were able to purchase in big enough quantities to justify its development. Use Dyneema by all means but don't forget to thank the fishing companies.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by DumnMad

I expect Dyneema rope is available to yachties because the international fishing companies raping the sea were able to purchase in big enough quantities to justify its development. Use Dyneema by all means but don't forget to thank the fishing companies.

And by all means, don't forget that it's made from petroleum......so when oil runs out, so does the dyneema.

[xymotic]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

And by all means, don't forget that it's made from petroleum......so when oil runs out, so does the dyneema.

And the um... Fiberglass

[JRM]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

And by all means, don't forget that it's made from petroleum......so when oil runs out, so does the dyneema.

Oil won't "run out"; it'll just keep getting more expensive to retrieve. At some point on that trajectory the system will implode, but there will still be plenty of hydrocarbons in the ground. Think oil shale... Now, what happens when we run out of "cheap oil" be scary thoughts indeed.

But I digress.

For the guy who insists that spending $100K on a boat is greedy, and that the money should be given to charity, I counter with a thought... What about your wasted earnings potential? Aren't you being just as greedy by denying your earnings (and thus giving) potential? You could hock that boat and hit the salt mines. With a little hard work you could equal that $99K you insist someone else should donate. Instead you fritter away your time on yourself being totally selfish.

It's all about perspective. You have yours, I have mine, people have theirs. Glass houses and all that.

I've enjoyed this thread. I still think that the time frame for the undertaking makes it difficult to see results here on the forum. It's a marathon not a sprint.

JRM

[Rocketman]

Let's face it, the people that enjoy the big boats have probably given a lot to others, through charity's, or giving others jobs. Simply by having a big boat has given someone in the past a job of building it. In my view, someone who has worked hard to acumalate wealth has had to help many more people than a person who is nothing. I know for myself, I have never gotten a job from a poor person.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by Rocketman

Let's face it, the people that enjoy the big boats have probably given a lot to others, through charity's, or giving others jobs. Simply by having a big boat has given someone in the past a job of building it. In my view, someone who has worked hard to acumalate wealth has had to help many more people than a person who is nothing. I know for myself, I have never gotten a job from a poor person.

1-define big boat.

2-is it you never got a job from a poor person, as you say, or you do not work for low income souls???

there are many who WILL take jobs from those of us with lower income--they are out here cruising and do not lift heads up when the folks come around to check on who is and is not working,,LOL...THESE are the souls i hire. not those who are not "able" to stoop to working for less than in usa.
seems these cruising boat builders are much more efficient than those workers in usa who just sit and accrue time on the clock

[Rocketman]

When I said I have never gotten a job from a poor person, this doen't mean I have never worked for one. I have volunteered countless hours to someone in need, but I never expected to make a decent living working for one.

[Mimsy]

RH, nothing but sympathy for you. I've felt this way for the past 2 years during our refit and we haven't even gotten to fun stuff, like electronics. When I look at what we have spent thus far, I get woozy. When I add the cost of income lost due to taking time off from work to do the refit, my left eye starts twitching funny and I lose the ability to speak. Then again, we are by nature tight wads who don't go out much and live pretty simply so we can afford to do this. But still...I feel ya.

As to Boat_Alexandra's thread drift, make gross generalizations much? Not worth more dialogue than that.

[Dockhead]

Ekh, Rebel Heart, it's the nature of the beast . . .

They are truly holes in the water into which we pour money . . . more expensive than young mistresses . . .

There's nothing to do but manage it as well as you can, make the compromises you have to, set priorities, do without some things, but do the essential things . . . make more money if you can . . . there's nothing else for it.

I'm doing a fairly minor refit of my boat this winter -- mast out, thoroughly go through the standing rigging, new sails, new electronics, overhaul prop, remove and inspect shaft, shaft seal, rudder, steering cables, knock out some of the more stubbornly persistent items on my repair list, polish topsides, repaint boot stripe . . . The budget has grown to $60,000 without contingencies, which means that it could easily end up being double that (please God, not . . . ).

It's an expensive hobby. What do you do? Well, ultimately the only completely satisfactory solution is to earn more money . . .