cost of insurance for like 60 foot sailboat we love to cruise around the world

[DSDman]

As a former owner of a 60 ft sail boat... The answer is no. You can't do it on 3300 per month. If you do you will live poor or your boat won't last very long.

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[Jim Cate]

If I was in the insurance business, I wouldn't insure this person at any price!

And if you don't understand why, then I wouldn't want to insure you either!

Jim (the old grump)

[Pelagic]

Welcome to CF Tammy!

May I suggest that you and your husband read as many sailboat blogs as possible of real people living on board.

I think CF has a thread listing the best blogs (if anyone can find a link)?

Make this the start of your research.....to help you understand the real world commitment and different skills required to safely go out to sea.

The important priority now is to experience it first by blogs then charter with a good captain a boat for a week, to get a taste of the live aboard life.

The details of boat and insurance can come later once you have a better idea of your dream.

[carstenb]

I'm going to chime in here along with the rest. 60ft is a lotta boat. Both my wife and I are Yachtmaster Ocean and have sailed extensively. We sail a 40 footer, because we've found that the two of us can handle our boat in all kinds of weather and it provides the amount of comfort we need/enjoy.

My neighbor has a 54 footer (with washer dryer). I've sailed with them. It is a BIG boat and despite having electric winches etc, when the weather turns hard - it is a bear to sail unless you are 4 persons. Harbour maneuvers are - entertaining to say the least - when the wind is up.

2 persons sailing a 60 footer requires a lot of skill and stamina (you're apparently like us - not exactly spring chickens anymore). My wife and I might get away with it, but we wouldn't want to.

Think along the lines of a 40-45 footer. You can fit a washer dryer into a 45 footer, although why you want a dryer I don't know. The washing machine I can see (if you're going sailing in high latitudes), but for the dryer - just do what eveyone else does - hang the washing on the railings.

And get some sailing lessons - either through a club or ASA or hire a good skipper for private lessons. And I would suggest you then charter a boat in the Carribean for a week or two. That will give you an idea of what is involved.

$3300 per month is doable in a big boat - assuming either you or your husband (or both of you) are extremely "handy" and can fix virtually anything on the boat yourselves.

[Sondor]

I don't mean to sound harsh, but point blank: If you are worrying about the cost of insurance on a 60 ft. sailboat, then you simply can NOT afford a boat that size.

As others suggested, look at the 40-45 foot range. Lots of room for creature-comforts and they are a reasonable size to handle as a couple.

(I can't believe I'm going to say this, but...) Another option is to look at 40ish foot catamarans if your main goal is "room" and "comfort". For many reasons. Search prior CF threads for details if interested in pros/cons. You could fiscally manage a catamaran of that size if your owned it outright and using your stated budget of $3.3k monthly without compromising your standard of living.

Good luck and enjoy!

PS - The question is purely academic as no insurance company would insure two people with limited experience and no credentials on a 60 foot yacht.

[Tammy44]

again thank you everyone for charming in.....thank you for the advise......when my husband talk about sailing it sounded great....i love to see the world......i love to take pics around the world.....i have canon d7 eos with 24-105 mm and a 70-300mm lenses that are L type .......plus couple of wonderful filters .....plus a nice flash....i cant wait to travel around the world with what .......someday we will travel ....just have to get smaller sail boat....my i ask what do people think is good size to sail around the world please.....and again thank you everyone again for answering my questions honestly

[Hud3]

Hi, Tammy. Hope you find the boat of your dreams. In the meantime, given your interest in digital photography, you might like this thread: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...und-75643.html . Post some of your own photos there for us to enjoy.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Tammy44

my i ask what do people think is good size to sail around the world please.

This will vary a lot from one person to the next. It is like asking what is a good size house for me to buy? Depends on you, your budget, your lifestyle, your family and your personal preferences.

30-40 years ago most long distance cruising couples were in boats around 32-36'. Today it is more common to find couples cruising in boats 40-45'. I once met 2 couples cruising together on a 27' boat but that was certainly extreme and I think they must have all been very close friends.

Also remember that all boats are compromises. A bigger boat gives more room but costs more money. Heavier boat usually more comfortable but usually slower. Almost always to get one thing you will have to give up something else, frequently that's money.

My personal choice is a boat 40-45' more or less. To me this gives a good balance between adequate living space, storage, ease of handling, more choices in where to anchor or dock and overall costs of ownership. Your choices may vary.

The first place to start is budget. I assume you must have some approximate price range in mind. If your boat buying budget is $20,000 then forget buying a decent 60' boat.

[Capt Phil]

Well said, carstenb...+1. Capt Phil

[Tammy44]

thanks everyone

[markpierce]

Don't most boats that size have crew quarters? Isn't that a hint/red flag?

[SimonV]

This is my good friends 60 foot wooden gaffer. He can and does sail it single handed but most time it's him and his wife. I have pocket pain every time he mentions repairs and cost. Can you handle a 60 footer, yes. Can you afford a 60 foot boat, maybe.

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[markpierce]

Originally Posted by SimonV

This is my good friends 60 foot wooden gaffer. ...

Note that sail plan is broken down to five sails.

[DumnMad]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

If I was in the insurance business, I wouldn't insure this person at any price!

And if you don't understand why, then I wouldn't want to insure you either!

Jim (the old grump)

[ohYes]

Tammy, I do understand about having big dreams. I agree though with what everyone is basically saying about the big 46-60' boats.

Here is my 2 cents about insuring a boat. Before purchasing, definitely speak with the insurance companies and find out which of the few boats that you are eventually interested in that they would consider covering you for.

Get a survey done on the boat before you purchase and choose a surveyor that is thorough for your own safety and the safety of your investment. The insurance company will probably want an "out of the water" survey done as was the case with my purchase to help them make a decision on whether or not to insure the boat, especially if the boat was not insured by the previous owner.

Once you start talking to insurance companies, you will quickly find out what it will take to get full coverage insurance. Age and size of the boat is definitely a factor. The larger and the older the boat is, the harder it is to find affordable insurance. You need to do this before you decide on a boat because you may not be able to insure it because it may be bigger than what they think you can safely handle. It's not like a car or a home.The fact that you can buy it doesn't necessarily mean you can insure it. They tend to be very picky and rightly so.

They will expect you to fix every one of the surveyor's recommendations before they will give you insurance, so you might as well price what all that will cost and add it to the price of the boat. If I sound like I'm speaking from experience here, I went through all this a couple of years ago before I participated in this forum, and did it backwards. Finding very affordable full coverage insurance for the boat once I had bought it was not easy. In my case, for a 1973 39' Ketch. Things most insurance companies do not want to hear is: 1. The boat is over 35 feet. 2. The boat is old. 3.The boat is going to be kept on the coast.

Before they will insure you at all, they will want to know what your experience is. I was helped by the fact that I had owned a boat before. They'll want to know if you've captained a boat before how many times and for how long. Most boat insurance companies I spoke with asked a lot of questions. If they like your answers, they'll consider insuring you. I even had to give them a hurricane plan as part of the application that they use to help them decide.

As the size and weight of your boat increases, getting into a slip at a marina filled with very expensive boats becomes exponentially more difficult and nerve wracking.

You are a long way off from being to talk someone into giving you full coverage to take the boat anywhere in the world with just you two on board. The more hours you can log offshore, the better for your future insurablilty (preferably captaining a vessel).

This is where you start. You will never realize how much you don't know until you have a boat. Just keep safely conquering the barriers that stand between you and your goal and you will eventually get there and learn a lot on the way. You can't be in a hurry when it comes to sailing. It will just stress you out.

Sharon