10 years of cost of cruising data

[Captain Graham]

Chuck thank you very much your info.

Some people say you can live on $1,000 to $2,000 per month cruising on a sailboat.
But most of these people are talking about only the day to day cruising costs and not everything.
Your spreadsheet looks like it included everything.

Your average for the 12 years was $3,500 per month or $42,000 per year.
This in the same ballpark as 2 people living in a single family home if you include everything over 12 years (house maintenance , trips, car expenses, etc.)

I would breakdown the costs into 3 major categories.
1. Cruising Costs - The normal Day to day costs for food, entertainment Etc.
2. Maintained costs - The Costs needed to keep the boat in ship shape.
3. Non-Boat costs - The costs for travel home, hotel, food and other non-boat costs.

I think if I were to start cruising full time I would budget the following
1. $2,000 per month for Cruising Costs - The normal Day to day costs for food, entertainment Etc.
2. $500 per month for Maintained costs - This may seem low for some but I would most likely cruise on a 26ft boat, so the costs would be lower.
3. $1,000 per month for Non-Boat costs - The costs for travel home, hotel, food and other non-boat costs.
The total of $3,500 per month would be a little high but when I estimate costs I always like to estimate on the high side.

Some questions about your maintenance costs.
1. How often do you replace your standing rigging?
2. Are there any other major maintenance issues you will need to do in the next few years?

[Rol1964]

Originally Posted by chuckr

We are in great health and they say red wine is good for your health so what we are trying to experiment with is red wine from one country better for you than another country - need to keep experimenting before any conclusions are reached

Yes. This is sound logic! Please report findings in another 10 years (with associated spread sheet...) so that we can compare perceived health results.
Cheers, Rol1964

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by Captain Graham

Chuck thank you very much your info.

Some people say you can live on $1,000 to $2,000 per month cruising on a sailboat.
But most of these people are talking about only the day to day cruising costs and not everything.
Your spreadsheet looks like it included everything.

Your average for the 12 years was $3,500 per month or $42,000 per year.
This in the same ballpark as 2 people living in a single family home if you include everything over 12 years (house maintenance , trips, car expenses, etc.)

I would breakdown the costs into 3 major categories.
1. Cruising Costs - The normal Day to day costs for food, entertainment Etc.
2. Maintained costs - The Costs needed to keep the boat in ship shape.
3. Non-Boat costs - The costs for travel home, hotel, food and other non-boat costs.

I think if I were to start cruising full time I would budget the following
1. $2,000 per month for Cruising Costs - The normal Day to day costs for food, entertainment Etc.
2. $500 per month for Maintained costs - This may seem low for some but I would most likely cruise on a 26ft boat, so the costs would be lower.
3. $1,000 per month for Non-Boat costs - The costs for travel home, hotel, food and other non-boat costs.
The total of $3,500 per month would be a little high but when I estimate costs I always like to estimate on the high side.

Some questions about your maintenance costs.
1. How often do you replace your standing rigging?
2. Are there any other major maintenance issues you will need to do in the next few years?

We have not replaced all the standing rigging yet. We get it inspected every couple of years and changed out parts that need replaced. We will have a full inspection this year as we plan on crossing the pond and do not need any issues that we can prevent with early pm.

on your second question - actually none. We did a lot of maintenance over the last couple of years so SoulMates is in the best condition she has been in a long long time. We are currently redoing our altenator/regulator and will have to replace batteries next year. We will paint this year when we haul either this month or next - OH and we will replace the forward water tank that leaked and we have not used in a long time - it is already purchased and just waiting on the haul out.

[DonMez]

Great info, thank you Chuck.

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by DonMez

Great info, thank you Chuck.

DonMez - you are welcome -- from Cincinnati I see - I did my grad work at UC - and grew up about 70 miles north. Go Bearcats Go Reds

[RobertAB]

You have pretty stable dockage fees. What percent of time are you renting a slip vs anchor?

Thanks a ton for your post! I'm planning a trip and this kind of information helps immensely. I also hope to compile similar numbers when ever I get away as I have an odd love of Excel spreadsheets...

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by RobertAB

You have pretty stable dockage fees. What percent of time are you renting a slip vs anchor?

Thanks a ton for your post! I'm planning a trip and this kind of information helps immensely. I also hope to compile similar numbers when ever I get away as I have an odd love of Excel spreadsheets...

Robert - it really depends on where we are. In the Med we can anchor sometimes and sometimes not. In the Black Sea we went into harbors and for the most part paid very little to nothing. Along the Turkish coast we paid nothing for some and a little for a few. In the Carib we anchored out most of the time except for hurricane season or when our insurance company said no way.

Say the above in Cartagena Colombia our insurance would not cover us if we anchored off so we took a marina. Half way thru our stay they changed but we stayed put. For hurricane season in the eastern Med we took a marina in Trini for the season. And in the Med we have taken marinas for 5-6 months as we wait out winter.

hope that helps

[CatNewBee]

Hurricane season in the Med? Is there a second Med somewhere?

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by CatNewBee

Hurricane season in the Med? Is there a second Med somewhere?

What I get for a non flawless review of my typing or to much of that grey matter seeped out. Sometimes it is had to remember where we are or where we have been.

BUT as a matter of fact they did have a MEDACANE this past winter. It acted just like a hurricane and looked like it on the wx charts. A lot of folks say it is the first one they have ever seen in the Med. and like a hurricane it took it's own course and the predictions were a bit off on where it was going and strength.

[CatNewBee]

Yes, the Med has sometimes severe storms with vortexes causing local damages, but nothing of the size and energy of a hurricane yet, as far as I know, especially nothing that is predictable and repeating by the seasons.

[Symphony]

thanks for the % format of your data. very kind of you to share.

would you say you stayed in marinas more often in the Med than in the Carib? (which could be because there are more marinas available at reasonable cost in the Med).

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by Symphony

thanks for the % format of your data. very kind of you to share.

would you say you stayed in marinas more often in the Med than in the Carib? (which could be because there are more marinas available at reasonable cost in the Med).

Yes we do. Two reasons. First there are fewer marinas in the Carib but also getting ashore and doing the sightseeing thing is easier. We cruise to see and learn and experience. We do not leaving the boat for 2 weeks in a marina while we take a bus or rent a car or take a train to visit places in and around the country we are in.

Second a lot of the marinas or tie up spots in the Med are simply docks that charge very little so why do I want to drop the hook, launch the dink, put the motor on, go to town then reverse the whole thing when we get back. Lazy? Maybe but gee it is easy to back in tie up and see town for a day two at just a few euro or lira or whatever.

Can you spend 2 weeks on the road seeing some Carib island? We have been to most and seen them. But 2 weeks? We went into Mersin Turkey and drove all over SE Turkey and saw and experienced so much and still missed a lot. But we also knew our boat was safe. OH and now in Israel there is no place to anchor - it is a long flat coast.

[kd410se]

As a “dreamer” (as those of us still in the formative planning stages are called) would the figures on average (+- $3500/mo) represent what most of you who are actually out there cruising/living aboard full time are experiencing?

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by kd410se

As a “dreamer” (as those of us still in the formative planning stages are called) would the figures on average (+- $3500/mo) represent what most of you who are actually out there cruising/living aboard full time are experiencing?

Living aboard sometimes includes years spent still working full time. When there is a good income some of us spend more money.

Racing also costs more money.

So our expenses, since we worked for several years while living aboard in Asia and even now continue to race our boat, are higher than $3500/mo.

I've attached a recap of our expenses since 2004, (I don't have the previous 18 years added up yet) in a similar format to soulmate's

[Pint76]

Thanks for sharing. Very useful info. 👌 ✌