Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 10-12-2009, 01:37   #1
Registered User
 
Springbok's Avatar

Join Date: May 2008
Location: Aberdeen, South Africa
Boat: r then 33 Y amaha Feb 2014 just bought Alan Pape 43 ketch
Posts: 198
Cruising on $500 / Month

Between 1995-2002 we cruised the Caribbean on the above amount which included boat maintenance/food et al. The boat was well equipped ie solar panels, wind charger etc etc. Can this be done today- always on the hook.
Then the ICW and Cheasepeake Bay on this monthly sum. I pan-fished often to supplement the pot. Would fit into the thread "where has the cruising sub-culture gone?", which I see has today again appeared re discussion.
Clyde

Definetely not an elitist cruiser.
__________________
Springbok
Springbok is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 04:12   #2
Ram
Registered User
 
Ram's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: May 2005
Location: Cruising Greece
Boat: Cat in the med & Trawler in Florida
Posts: 2,323
Images: 27
I THINK it would be hard to cover food and fuel on $500, let alone any unforseen things that always come up- I think those days og $500 a month are gone-
Ram is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 04:30   #3
Registered User
 
Therapy's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: W Florida
Boat: Still have the 33yo Jon boat. But now a CATAMARAN. Nice little 18' Bay Cat.
Posts: 7,086
Images: 4
This might occupy you for a bit.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ing-31575.html
Therapy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 04:31   #4
Long Range Cruiser
 
MarkJ's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Australian living on "Sea Life" currently in England.
Boat: Beneteau 393 "Sea Life"
Posts: 12,822
Images: 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by Springbok View Post
Would fit into the thread "where has the cruising sub-culture gone?", which I see has today again appeared re discussion.
Clyde

Definetely not an elitist cruiser.
One on a strict, strict budget.

Just like many.

I doubt you can do it on $500 per month easily today ubnless the boat was very well set up prior and had a few bags of provisions already on board not counted in the budget.

I just put on 10 cases of beer today. that would have stuffed you for a month or 2


Here it was only $130!
__________________
Notes on a Circumnavigation.
OurLifeAtSea.com

Somalia Pirates and our Convoy
MarkJ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 04:32   #5
Registered User
 
Vasco's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Boat: CS36Merlin, "La Belle Aurore"
Posts: 7,557
Extremely difficult. In 2002 diesel was about $1.20 a gallon. Fuel was not a big part of the budget. Very different today. If you do the ICW, you're motoring most of the time.
__________________
Rick I
Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter.
Vasco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 05:38   #6
Registered User
 
defever's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: wherever the boat is---from central amer to canada....so far...
Boat: defever trawler 41-nomad
Posts: 192
$500 a month??....whoa there, pardner... if ya catch lots of fish, don't have any repairs to do, sail almost all the time, single-hand and DON'T DRINK, you probably could do it. but then, what's the point???
defever is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 07:42   #7
Registered User
 
nautical62's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Live Iowa - Sail mostly Bahamas
Boat: Beneteau 32.5
Posts: 2,307
Images: 12
Does that $500/month include health insurance and boat insurance? Did you ever do any non-boat travel during that time (rent a car, fly home, etc), and if so is that included in this average?

Also is that $500/person or $500/couple?
nautical62 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 08:42   #8
Ram
Registered User
 
Ram's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: May 2005
Location: Cruising Greece
Boat: Cat in the med & Trawler in Florida
Posts: 2,323
Images: 27
I have a very good friend who could do it on $500 a month most months, hes a wonderful guy and quite wealthy- but beleave it or not he gets a large part of his food by going to dumpsters at supermarkets,hes never had a girl friend for more than a month because of his cheapness and yet ive known him 20 years and think hes my best friend- i only found out he had about a million in the bank along with 6 rental houses paid for by chance-- yet he carrys no insurance, and drives a moped because he "cant afford the gas" so if you can live like him $500 will do!
Ram is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 09:09   #9
running down a dream
 
gonesail's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Florida
Boat: cape dory 30 MKII
Posts: 3,112
Images: 7
Send a message via Yahoo to gonesail
it can be done .. homeless people get by on much less than that .. if you stay on the boat and catch a lot of fish to eat and don't need to see a doctor or dentist and don't need to run your engine much and stay out of trouble. one night at a marina with a meal could blow your budget.
__________________
some of the best times of my life were spent on a boat. it just took a long time to realize it.
gonesail is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 09:11   #10
Registered User
 
Therapy's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: W Florida
Boat: Still have the 33yo Jon boat. But now a CATAMARAN. Nice little 18' Bay Cat.
Posts: 7,086
Images: 4
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ram View Post
I have a very good friend who could do it on $500 a month most months, hes a wonderful guy and quite wealthy- but beleave it or not he gets a large part of his food by going to dumpsters at supermarkets,hes never had a girl friend for more than a month because of his cheapness and yet ive known him 20 years and think hes my best friend- i only found out he had about a million in the bank along with 6 rental houses paid for by chance-- yet he carrys no insurance, and drives a moped because he "cant afford the gas" so if you can live like him $500 will do!

One of my BFFs, while not living "that far out" right now has certainly done it in the past. One of the most interesting persons on the planet (mine anyway ) and exceptionally well read and talented.
Therapy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 09:23   #11
Registered User
 
phorvati's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rhode Island
Boat: Tayana FD-12
Posts: 1,182
Images: 6
my wife and i have on about 1000$/month, and it is frugal, but we had lobster, tuna, mahi, snapper, grouper. I ran the engine about an hour per week and that is mostly to make water. We did go grocery shopping about once per month. Try to avoid small island grocery stores as they are expensive. Large chains like the ones in PR or DR are good to stalk up, assuming you have a large fridge and freezer.
phorvati is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 13:50   #12
CLOD
 
sailorboy1's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: being planted in Jacksonville Fl
Boat: none
Posts: 20,364
Sounds like it comes down to what you have to give up compared to what you get. If you are happier cruising on the $500/mo than your other chioces then I bet you find a way. Seems lots of people respond to this question with "if this happens" "if that happens". Appears a little crazy to say it can not be done when Springbok says he did it. Yeah that was in 2002, so at a 5% inflation that's $607 now.
sailorboy1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 14:03   #13
Registered User
 
creakyboy's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: QLD Australia
Boat: Wharram Tiki 31 Slipper
Posts: 96
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkJ View Post
One on a strict, strict budget.

Just like many.

I doubt you can do it on $500 per month easily today ubnless the boat was very well set up prior and had a few bags of provisions already on board not counted in the budget.

I just put on 10 cases of beer today. that would have stuffed you for a month or 2


Here it was only $130!

$13 per slab???!!!...where are You Mark? might have to alter my plans
creakyboy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 14:11   #14
Registered User

Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Blue Hill, Maine
Boat: 32' Bob Baker/Joel White Cutter (One-off wood)
Posts: 159
You can TOTALLY cruise on $500/month just like you did back then! Only your boat will have gotten smaller...
marujo.sortudo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 14:39   #15
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Pickering Ontario
Boat: 1995 hunter 430
Posts: 404
we are talking 2009

are you going to crusie without insurance.....
what about health care...............
and toothpaste and fruit and soap

at 48 years old I will NOT be living on 500-800 dollars per month
unemployment pays me 400 bucks per week
Navicula is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Cruising USVI / BVI Next Month markbeebe Sailor Logs & Cruising Plans 16 12-01-2009 14:10
One more Month.... Islandmike Sailor Logs & Cruising Plans 16 09-05-2008 05:36
Want To Crew The Month Of December CharlesFCook Crew Archives 1 08-11-2007 14:02

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:52.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.