Tips for Keeping to a Low Budget ? (Circumnavigation)

[Anomaly]

And for inspiration: go to the Cape Horn (windvane) website and just peruse the parts about the boat--an Alberg 30, that he deliberately took the ENGINE OUT of-- and the man (Yves). There are clips there from his simply delightful film of the whole trip. If the film doesn't inspire your dream further, don't go

[mtlee]

Oh man, I hadn't even thought about the price of a water maker. I suppose we will have to rig a rain catch, carry a lot of water, and maybe keep a couple(redundant) cheap survival reverse osmosis filters on hand just in case.

[NotQuiteLost]

Water maker is important, but it can be a little hand-pumped deal that you power with the aforementioned rice and beans

Rain catch and big tankage is simplest medium/long-term solution, though. Emphasis on the big tankage. When you actually get into a drip, you'll get more water off your main than you will know what to do with.

When I got into the tropical latitudes, I was probably about a gallon per day just for drinking. I took showers about every two weeks and washed the laundry about the same. I was surprised I didn't stink, but you're just a couple of young guys anyways. Who cares about the smell?

[Tia Bu]

Consider going even cheaper on the boat. I bought a 30' boat for $2000 that is a very capable bluewater design (with circumnavigation history). It needed a lot of work, but I think totally upgraded, with new standing rigging, I won't have $6K in it (although many man-hours of my own time). After several weeks' work, I took it on a long shakedown cruise near shore (1500 miles) to really shake out what else needed to be upgraded. If you think this is extreme, I've got a buddy who bought his 27' boat at auction for $50.

We're in a marina now with a lot of smart people who have been cruising sailboats for a long time. They all seem to have found some really incredible deals on boats that needed some elbow grease and TLC but were very sound, well-constructed boats. With ingenuity, determination, and a willingness to ask others for advice, you may be able to get this done for less than you think on the boat purchase.

Some very good advice is given in the posts above. For navigation, I would suggest OpenCPN software (free), CM93 charts (free if you find someone who has a cd-- lots of cruisers do), and a couple of used, robust laptop computers. You'll need some smaller scale paper charts and a battery-powered GPS as a third level of backup, but look for used and cheap. I love celestial navigation, but it seems to me the battery-powered GPS is a more cost-effective and reliable backup.

For offshore communications, the new Inmarsat Pro satellite phone looks to me like it may be the most cost-effective, and perhaps the most reliable way to go. It's worth looking into, I think.

Swap meets and marine flea markets are a great place to pick up equipment. You can save major bucks on nearly any purchase if you just keep looking and think outside the box. Ebay and Craigslist are excellent resources.

Save the money you can. You'll need it when the diesel engine poops out and you have to call the mechanic. I've done some long-distance cruising, by the way, but have not sailed around the world, so my opinions need to be given with that caveat. Have fun!

[boatman61]

Something like this should do you nicely...
1969 Bristol 30' sailboat for sale in Maine or this

This 1968 Morgan 30 is a good sailing boat, but does need some cosmetics. This is reflected in the asking price. The boat has tiller steering, a 13 hp Yanmar diesel, aprox. 3.5 ft draft, aprox. 42' bridge clearance, and aprox. 6 ft headroom in the main cabin. Sleeps 6 with two full-length quarter berths. The boat "lives" under the bridge in Oriental, NC.
but doubt you'll circumnav in a year... not if you want to do some 'touristy things'... check out the Living on $500/mth and the sail round the world on 15k threads...

[mtlee]

@Tai Bu

Luckily I am the mechanic, I imagine I'll dump my snap on tools into a bag for more ballast just in case that diesel gives me problems. My roommate also suggested I rebuild the engine in the boat before we go. I'm a gasoline automotive mechanic by trade, but I used to drive an old diesel pick up that took a lot of TLC to keep it running.

@boatman

If it takes more than a year, that will be ok... We might just have to stay on our parents couches for a little while when we get back with no money

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Leaving aside whether you ever actually will..........

bare minimum?

Compass
working Engine
GPS (I would be happier with 2. Sextant a nice backup )
Charts. might work out more cost effective to go mainly for a chartplotter, depending on route. but I'd still like enough paper on board to at least find the nearest continent
Solar Power - at least enough to power / charge for the autopilot and nav lights
Autopilot (could do without - but you won't want to)
a couple of hurricane lamps (saves all that electrickery stuff)
A sprayhood / dodger
Stove
A couple of large Anchors. and plenty of chain / rope
A dinghy. and some oars.
Harnesses (am a great beleiver in not falling overboard being the best MOB plan )

Odds are that any boat will have some of the above, plus some "nice to have" stuff maybe even a fridge

What I'd focus the money on:-

New Standing rigging (and fittings)
New Running rigging
New sails
replace / rebed (or seal) the thru' hulls
Additional water tankage (watermaker probably not in budget). ability to catch rain might be useful.
getting the hours in both learning to sail and to skipper and to crew in your locale. and becoming familiar with the boat.
Beer

All presuming the boat is already fundamentally sound. Odds are that the boat will already have all / most of the above in working condition - just on your budget with the word "original" next to them.

BTW I have been RTW. by Jumbo Jet So bear that in mind with the above (which is not meant to be exhaustive). and no doubt I have omitted a couple of fundamentals

Yeah, what DOJ said.

Also check out this post I did for a singlehander looking for a smaller, cheaper ride: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f131/challenge-sail-around-the-world-on-15k-38334-10.html#post463157

As far as boats go I would have several recommendations in the 28-33' range.

Cascade 29 http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_ID=929
Triton (Aeromarine) http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_ID=926
Cal 29. http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_ID=1065
Pearson Vanguard 33 VANGUARD 33 (PEARSON) Sailboat details on sailboatdata.com
Pearson M10 PEARSON 10M Sailboat details on sailboatdata.com
Cal 34 CAL 34 Sailboat details on sailboatdata.com

The Cascade, Triton, Vanguard and Cal34 have been RTW and the Cal29 has been to Tahiti. Couldn't say about the Pearson 10M.

The Vanguard and 10M have tall mast versions that improve light wind performance. Even so loaded these boats may be marginal. There is a way to improve total sail area with out going all out and replacing the mast. In order to increase sail area without a mast replacement you either need a boat with room to spare aft of the boom end (Pearson 10M) or a boat with a balance problem to begin with (Cal34-1 is an example). That way if you move the headsail forward onto a bowsprit you can balance the extra area forward by increasing boom length to add area aft. A side effect of lengthening the boom almost to the backstay is that there is no room for a roach. Taking this a step farther you can hollow the leach slightly (you are getting another main anyway) which allows you to eliminate battens and the maintenance headaches that go with them.

To help me figure out how much improvement is possible I would create a spread sheet, type in the basic boat numbers including rig dimensions, do the formulas to figure out SA/D & SA/D-loaded and play with changing the rig dimensions and boat loads. Using a sewing tape you could scale right off the screen how much you can change boom length. I would use the least distance from gooseneck to backstay (boon angling up 15-25 deg) or maybe 4-6" longer to pick max boom length. During a flying gybe the boom will rise some, if it rises a lot it could strike the backstay going by.

Nigel Calder indicates that a boat at half load should have a SA/D ratio in the 15.0-16.9 range to be decent in light winds.

The later model Cascade's are rigged as cutters and I believe the sail area listed and total displacement is for the earlier sloop model with no sprit. Even using the older sail area the boat looks pretty good for light air. If you wanted to lengthen the boom I am not sure there is enough room to make it worthwhile, 1-2' by my estimation. The boat is kind of narrow, but has OK side deck width, 2 quarter berths, and a reputation as extremely well built. I would not object to the fin keel/spade rudder, but I understand why others might.

If you get a Triton, get the Aeromarine version. See the notes at the bottom of the link for why. Once again I am not sure if there is enough room for boom lengthening to be worthwhile. However the boat starts with a decent amount of sail area for its displacement. The Pearson Triton link (http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_ID=508) has a drawing that you can estimate room from.

The Cal 29 really has no room for extending the boom; however it starts with a decent amount of sail area. The Cal has a lot of room in the main cabin compared to the others. Good for entertaining, but requiring installation of more handholds for sailing.

At the small end I would pick the Cascade29 for:
Reputation, 2x RTW and still in production after 49yr.
2 quarter berths - berths that don't have to be converted daily and can be used for sleeping or storage
SA/D for light air
Price
Total weight is near the low end of the group making anchoring and other handling easier.

For the larger boats it's kind of a toss up depending on how you feel about fin keels, price, total displacement, full liners, galley placement, and berthing.

I have found handbooks by the following authors well written and still up-to date:
L&L Pardey
Beth Leonard
Nigel Calder
Annie Hill

I have found the following links informative, especially the first two.
http://www.atomvoyages.com/
http://www.bethandevans.com/
http://www.mariposasailing.com/
http://www.user.dccnet.com/rdarcy/calgear.html

[NotQuiteLost]

Where are you guys located, mtlee?

[mtlee]

Colorado, we need to stay here through the end of our lease and school year, then find our way to either coast and pick up a boat. I like the idea of picking up a very low cost boat, but given that we likely wont have a good place to work on one, nor the experience and knowledge to do a major overhaul in a short time I feel buying something in need of only light repair or neglected maintenance might be our best bet.

The biggest boat I've found that we can charter within 50 miles of us looks like it might be a sunfish :-/

I will probably take advantage of currently having a garage and built my dingy up here. How big should I make it? or would a little hard plastic one do the job?

[seacap]

Referring to the link above (Sail) Cruiser Boats For Sale

The 30' cape Dory looks really nice for 15K, plus it has a recent rebuilt engine and new sails. Both big costs.

Ya...rice and beans. Cheap and good for you. You can't depend on catching fish all the time, but as mentioned above it is a nice addition when you get one. Be careful of ciguatera in the tropics, its a fish poison and can make you VERY sick. Completely stay away from barracuda and amberjack. If you catch reef fish only eat ones under 5 pounds.

A small boat will not carry a lot of fresh water. So build or modify an awning so it can collect rain water.

If you swing through the Caribbean load up on Cruzan Rum. Cheap and very good. Its what all the locals drink
Pick up women with lots of money!

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by mtlee

Hello,

Originally Posted by mtlee

We do have good income at our disposal (70k year combined) so we figure we should be in a position to acquire a boat within the year, and be setting sail for a circumnavigation within two. [The circ taking 1 year]

something like a 29' cal would be adequate.
budget looks like 25k for the boat, and 15k for the year at sea for two of us.

Your figures, to me, don't add up.
Please remember that we have hundreds of similar threads of people trying to do the impossible. Sometimes I get a tad jaded and wonder what information isn't exposed in the post.

You appear to be making $140,000 over the 2 years before sailing and wanting to spend $40,000 on a boat and travel world wide... coming home $50,000 each richer.... (I take it your income cutts off when you leave? Its not like a pension etc?)

A nuclear submarine may well be able to lap the world with little nore than an acquiescant nod to the world outside, but thats just not so with long voyages in a sail boat.
The average yacht out there 'doing it' is probably about 40 feet... certainly not smaller.

The minimum time circumnavigation via the tropics is 18 months. Ours is the next shortes at 2.5 years and way fast...
The southern route around Cape Horne, the 5 capes takes less (within a year) but has anyone survived it in a 29 footer?

Why save so much money if the chances are so high that you will die?

The 5 Capes route isn't tourism - basically you will see a few towns, not explore the world, different cultures and girls, girls, girls.

So there's something amiss. I am not trying to be cynical, just a bit dejected today because of that piracy news

Mark

[sailorboy1]

There you go Mark stepping on dreams!

Not to be discouraging in general, but we have had lots of these threads over the years. I don't really recall where somewhere who started such a thread went and did it.

But if you want to do this I rtecommend you get some books and start doing some serious research.

PS - is there a point to having circumagaited in a small boat in such a short time other than to be able to say you did it? If not wouldn't it be less trouble to climb a mountainor something?

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

There you go Mark stepping on dreams!

Sorry about that. I sincerely don't mean to do that.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Sorry about that. I sincerely don't mean to do that.

It's OK with me. Some dreams need a little stepping on because sometimes it is best to wake up some before it re-awakes the cost of rescue thread.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Not to be discouraging in general, but we have had lots of these threads over the years. I don't really recall where somewhere who started such a thread went and did it.

I thought they were all out there doing it. Hence the silence

But to be fair, part of the learning curve is not only how to, but why they don't want to - and that's less about the technical / finance aspects as realising it would be a bit short of fun

Well, it's why I'm still here