7 years of cost data

[Ruker77]

Solid information. But just like any hobby or sport the true value is what the individual person places on it.
From a 7000.00 bike to a costly aviation flying hobby... It all can be costly

Ryker77

[Big Ben]

Thank you for the Data. It was really interesting and depressing at the same time - I have years and years to go before I can afford it.

[TheThunderbird]

Very pointless, to count the cents, and having to spend 3/5,000 every time the Need, arises.

What for!? Planning!? Naa, c'mon
That's life, we chose nothing, our name first
:-)

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by Big Ben

Thank you for the Data. It was really interesting and depressing at the same time - I have years and years to go before I can afford it.

Big Ben -- we did not have a big kitty when we left -- we do this on our social security only -- we are not married and thus we both get the max - we do have 401k and I do have to start taking it this year but have not used -

We do keep track as some folks really want some info of what it costs out here and we do it to help us keep track of what we are doing -- we have found some surprises on both sides

good luck

[Symphony]

here's a tidbit - -

Sterling Hayden, who famously abandoned Hollywood to sail away in the middle of the night to the South Pacific on board his schooner with creditors and ex-wives hot on his tail. Hayden may have become a Hollywood star back in the day, but at age 19 he had fought his way to the command of one of the last four masted schooners of the age of sail.
“To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea… “cruising” it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.
“I’ve always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can’t afford it.” What these men can’t afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of “security.” And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine – and before we know it our lives are gone.
What does a man need – really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all – in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade.
The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.
Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be – bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?”

[CaptWil]

Thanks for sharing chuckr
Will

[Pelagic]

Great quote.....Sterling Hayden also said....
..."I am probably the only man who has ever bought a 98ft yacht and joined the Communist Party on the same day".

[ReneJK]

fantastic information , thank you for sharing !

did you notice any effects from the currency fluctuations over those years ?
$ vs EU has changed quite a bit over the years so I wonder if you noticed that

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by ReneJK

fantastic information , thank you for sharing !

did you notice any effects from the currency fluctuations over those years ?
$ vs EU has changed quite a bit over the years so I wonder if you noticed that

Oh boy have we experienced currency fluctuations -- the euro is the worse as when we got to the EU it was high and we went to Tunisia that was very favorable and we watched the euro slip then just before we left we watched the euro get strong again then slip again. It does affect our spending a bit such as eating out -- we are in Georgia right now and a meal for 2 plus 2 glasses of wine cost us less than 15 USD and there was more food than we could finish -

Currency fluctuations do affect our discretionary spending - It does not affect the spending to keep the boat in great condition - our little mistress comes first regardless

[Teknishn]

Chuckr, Thank you for the good information! I am in the somewhat early stages of pre-planning for re-patriating to the States after living in Egypt for over 19-years and have recently purchased my little pocket-cruiser as a live aboard when I return as I have no living family and no particular place to go back in the States. So am planning on some coastal cruising for the first 6-months or so until I re-adapt to my home country.

My pre-planning spreadsheet includes boat purchase price, survey costs, and guesstimates of initial outfitting for living aboard, upgrading electronics, batteries, electrical modifications (survey results), taxes, titling, boating safety course, charts, insurance, etc.

Other items, not boat related, also have to be planned for in my situation. Airfare, hotels, transportation, food, clothing, kitchenware, bedding, health insurance etc. (Imagine yourself moving to a new country with nothing more than a suitcase of "stuff" and a semi-healthy bank account).

Am retired USN so am also on a limited budget. Using your format when compared to mine, has helped me identify a few areas where I may be able to reduce some of the initial cost outlays, but may need to budget more in other areas.

For everyone else here, Chuckr's info is good data for THEIR lifestyle aboard, so don't use the data as a hard-and-fast baseline for cruising, as everyone has different needs and wants. Different boats also have different needs as well. As someone previously mentioned, if more cruisers would make their annual expense info available, others could cross-reference between other's budgets which would aid in understanding the costs of not only cruising (coastal or otherwise), but overall costs of boat ownership.

If enough people were to participate and share their own budgets (without being too explicit obviously) maybe CF could start establish a "Cost of Cruising" category. Just a thought....

[Butler]

Always enjoy seeing the Hayden quote. Appropriate when set in context to such an extensive data set; a really valuable one for everyone including those of us trying to make this happen on small budgets. Thanks!

The minute I lost my sailing partner I sold out and downsized so I could better afford the care and feeding of my boat on my little $890.00 per month.

I am a vet so thankfully my health insurance is taken care of for the long term if not available in every place I go.

Been taking advantage of a recent part time gig that just fell into my lap to take care of the more expensive basics BEFORE I go. If I can avoid the costs of engine parts for my Volvo MD5B, sails, standing rigging components, ground tackle etc etc that should buy me some time to tuck money away for those expenses down the road. So far so good.
I am forsaking refrigeration and keeping electronics as simple as possible with my basic sextant skills as the back up nav option.

Just paid for a years yacht club membership at a nice little casual sort of club I like that offers beer can races, a key for 24 hr access to a big kitchen and nice laundry and bath facilities as well as an address to recieve parts during my season long shakedown.

I have learned how to do so much myself and have come to embrace the maintenance demands and important modifications. I have to modify a sturdy mainsail I got for nothing by cutting away the roach getting rid of the battens and adding reef points. Last year I couldn't have imagined taking that on but now it looks "easy".

When I first started all this cruising stuff just fresh from dingy sailing I was floored by all the work. This because of how lazy and mechanically disinclined I can be BUT after a number of broke-ass years and 3 different boats worth of repairs, modifications, maintenance and heartbreak I have discovered the zen of sailboat "work".

Lawd I used to whine..."why can't I just go sailing!!" Makes me laugh now.

[landlockedsquid]

Well, that hurt my head and eyes. Not only could I barely see it, but it made no sense to me.
Are you living extravagantly? Or are you living simply? How much could you trim from that monthly cost and be comfortable and happy?
I seriously see my dream of sailing the world slipping through my fingers if that is truly the cost of living aboard a boat. It kinda goes opposite of one of the reasons I was wanting to do this.
Heck, thats what life cost me with motorcycle, and car, and cable, and satellite, and internet, and guitars.
Is it really that expensive????????

[chuckr]

squid -- it is what we spend. We do not have a house car ect but we have a boat we keep in great condition - You will to sit with the spreadsheet and see where the money goes. The boat gets a good amount of the money as she is our home and our means of transport and she gets used heavily. We do a lot of pm on her - and we sail to a lot of places and move more than a lot of folks --
It depends on where you want to go and what you want to do. We just sailed into Sochi Russia and the agent is a bit expensive and Georgia was not quite expensive but did cost a bit. Had we stayed in the San Blas we could live down there for a long time on little money.
it really depends on what you plan. But you have to do the work on the spreadsheet and see where you could not spend the money. and remember we do not have a house so when hurricane season comes we go out of the hurricane zone and may take a marina. In the Med we can not sail in the winter and hold up in a marina - we know a couple of people who don't but they live with the cold better than we do
not sure what else I can tell you except spend the time to do the homework.

[mr336]

Thanks for this spending info. OK so you don't own a house. You've been cruising for some years. You guys are over 60 collecting SS. Do you have plans after the gig is up? Sell the boat and buy a home? Sell and rent? Live on her til. . .uh til. . .well you know.

Shirley there are others in the same boat? And stop calling me Shirley.

[TheThunderbird]

Hello chuckr

You made data collection. Let's try to put it in perspective, now.

I think putting figures not alphabetically would provide a benefit!

First, all boat related, as for technical efficiency/works
It is a 15% of average running costs
Plus a 10% annual provision for x-ordinary items, as needs arise :-)

Then, costs related to boat mgmt
Insurance, a healthy 10% (wow! !!??)
Dockage another 15% (portofino, or Palermo? Posh marina, or a funky jetty?)

Thus, we reached 50% of budget to keep your mistress up&running

THEN, the human factor
Food and personal necessities (weekly, periodic...) a low 10%
Transportation, back&forth home base to family ashore (?%)
Extra (alcohol, gadgets, trips ashore...) say 15%

It is 25% for living aboard in a decent way

We are left with a hefty 25% of extra-ordinary items (must have now) like alas medical expenses, and Discretionary Items, like dining out (pizza or *** rest!?) etc.

Wishing the last 25% is for full blown pleasure/hedonism.... I comment this:

1.whatever your sailing area, average annual cost are the same. I feel like you spend 99% of your available pot.... correct?
2.dockage is a problem to any liveaboard. How do you manage it, in summer, and in winter?
3. Insurance costs are so high! Do they include health personal insurance?
4. Which boat have you? Swan65' or Contessa 31' :-) :-)
5.please keep down alcoholic consumption, unless you drink single malt scotch 60eur a bottle (which is my advice, as compared to 5 bottles of commercial blended scotch)
6. Strikingly, sailing all around the world, from Nassau to Sochi.... seems to cost the same... maybe you should account for running costs better on an AREA BASIS, better than annually..

:-) fair winds, gentle costs