Best places for quiet cheap living

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by babyhauler

btw I'm fluent in Spanish.

Then watch the whole series of White Spot Pirates and see what Nike has achieved:


https://www.youtube.com/@WhiteSpotPirates/videos

[babyhauler]

Thanks my list to checkout so far is: Tunisia; Western Caribbean; Luperon, Dominican Republic; Pacific side of Central America; Cartagena, Columbia, Panama (Linton , Portobolle, Bocas); Rio Dulce, Guatemala; Bahamas; some anchorages on US Eastern seaboard; Isla Mujeres Mexico & South Florida. Maybe even SE Asia, eventually.

And I can always head back to my slip in Galveston area. I can reach all the above places from my base. Might be able to rent it out whenever I'm not there.

This is rapidly becoming my favorite website. Great conversations!

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by babyhauler

Thanks my list to checkout so far is: Tunisia; Western Caribbean; Luperon, Dominican Republic; Pacific side of Central America; Cartagena, Columbia, Panama (Linton , Portobolle, Bocas); Rio Dulce Guatemala; Isla Mujeres Mexico & South Florida.

Luperon looks great! I watched the video about it, except my wife and I would be more likely to hang out with locals vs other cruisers.

Also I like what Thom225 is talking about making your own gear. I'm a tech worker.

I was a tech for 20 plus years then a tech manager. (and still a tech manager going on 30 years)

After reading about Sean D' E of boatalexandra building his own chart plotter and being a contributor to the OpenCPN software, it finally hit be to build myself a chart plotter even though I really didn't need one.

When you bring in AIS to the chart plotter though it really helps especially to see the ships that can pop up unexpected at the exact wrong time doing 12 knots plus.

It's quite simple to build your own chart plotter either with a Raspberry Pi or a computer with a Windows OS.

It's also enjoyable. When I did mine in 2019/2020 a Raspberry Pi CanaKit was $99. The RS232/RS422/RS485 adapter for AIS was Between $5 and $20. Monitor $65 and later I bought an HDTV to use as a monitor.

I brought in AIS via the adapter and NMEA 0183 from my Standard Horizon VHF.

https://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspb...Jp_fD_BwE&th=1

Plus little did I know it at the time, I'd soon be required to get certified as a Computer Tech and Mobile Phone Tech with a minimum Comptia A + Cert, and the experience of building the chart plotter helped with that.

Video is of the first chart plotter I build with a Raspberry Pi 4. Late I used a Window's Based Toshiba Laptop for the chart plotter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TOdSCDHb2s

[landsend]

I presume this is based on personal experience.???

I've seen so many small sailboats that are so trashed I have no idea how the people live in them.Not meaning to insult sailboaters.
And two adults living in that space.
Check into rentals.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by landsend

I presume this is based on personal experience.???

I've seen so many small sailboats that are so trashed I have no idea how the people live in them.Not meaning to insult sailboaters.
And two adults living in that space.
Check into rentals.

Trashed or clean and well maintained living on a small sailboat with two people has to be tough unless you are used to living in crowded conditions.

I have enough trouble alone on a 27' Sailboat with an 8' beam at it's maximum width.

Finding a nice spot to anchor though helps.

[redgar]

Originally Posted by leecea

Just rent a cheap place in a small town somewhere that speaks Spanish. You say $1600/month for rent but that's US costs not the cost to rent in other places.

This is so true. I've been living in Costa Rica for 20-ish years now, and if you don't hang out in touristy places or gringo enclaves or with the rich-and-famous, regular living can be pretty economical. In little towns off the beaten path, nice 2-3 bedroom houses rent for the equivalent of $150-$200 USD. Costa Rica is now doing 180 day visas for US citizens meaning doing a border run to Nicaragua or Panama to renew a visa only needs to be done twice a year. If you need to return to the US every once in awhile, it is only a 2.5 hour flight. Plus Starlink is now available in Costa Rica at about half the US rate although in some places you can find cheaper fiber or cable for connectivity.

Sailing is sailing. Living a peaceful stress-free quiet life could be something completely different.

~~ Red

[Benz]

I lived with my wife on a 27' Irwin for a while, then on a Cape George 31 with her and 3 kids for five years--eventually the kids outgrew the available space on the boat. But a well-appointed 27-footer can easily be lived aboard by two, with careful management of things and personalities.
"I can just return to my slip in Galveston" is a lot easier to say on the internet than when you're in Cartagena looking at weeks of squally sailing in a small boat to get there--it's a major undertaking; shoot, it's too much of an undertaking for many people to simply get out of the Rio Dulce in Guatemala.
But why not live at your slip in Galveston until you're comfortable going offshore, and you have your work lined up so you're sure you can do it while away (for all we know you're already a successful established writer, and I hope you are), and are sure your wife is going to tolerate living aboard?
If you do venture away from the slip, you'll find a spot that suits your fancy if you search for long enough.

[c.K.]

Originally Posted by babyhauler

Hello my idea is to get a sailboat, live on it. I want time, peace and quiet to write. I want cheap groceries and other supplies. I don't care about nightlife or touring around. I will go on land for some socializing with whoever is there, wherever it is?

Doing this on land in the USA is impossible due to insanity level inflation unless someone wants to give me cheap or free no drama place to crash. Plus food in the USA is very expensive. Plus I just want to try something different. I want to try living on a boat. I have seen lots of sailboats for sale under $20k that look like they could work perfectly for this.

Where are the best places for no drama, peaceful, cheap boat life? And should I be thinking about anchorage or a marina or what? And how cheaply can I do this? The cheaper I can make it the longer I have to write.

Hey Baby hauler
I don't know where I read this , maybe here on the forum; some folks went to the Philippines and bought one of those used fishing trimarans, toured and lived on it
Folks there speak quite often english food lodging etc dirt cheap, thousands of beautifull islands etc
anyways good luck on your adventures

[David Mathis]

Having a nice boat for quiet, comfortable, cheap living is a fantasy on the level of dreaming about becoming an NFL quarterback or maybe a major league pitcher. Occasionally, a homeless person will move aboard one of the derelict boats in Florida but that isn't likely what you meant by quiet and cheap.

[Fore and Aft]

Landsend nothing dirty or smelly about our 32 foot yacht. We're two adults and two teenagers and happily spend every spare moment we get onboard. The wife even suggested last week instead of wasting money on a used car why not go chuck it all in and have a 6 month cruise instead.
Babyhauler what's the end game, are you just after a place to write?
Thom225 you're a legend, talking Raspberry pi and I am thinking that's for cordial and just go buy a plotter.
Cheers

[babyhauler]

Originally Posted by c.K.

Hey Baby hauler
I don't know where I read this , maybe here on the forum; some folks went to the Philippines ...

Yes my wife had already asked me to include Philippines on the list

[babyhauler]

Originally Posted by David Mathis

Having a nice boat for quiet, comfortable, cheap living is a fantasy on the level of dreaming about becoming an NFL quarterback or maybe a major league pitcher. Occasionally, a homeless person will move aboard one of the derelict boats in Florida but that isn't likely what you meant by quiet and cheap.

Yes I was thinking to plan on spending $15-$25k / year to keep up the boat, and/or be continually trading boats

Clearly boat life is not free. Either you pay cash or spend all your labor time on it.

However with land houses, apartments and land in the USA now punitively expensive everywhere, perhaps boat life can be cheaper than living on land, or at least on par costwise with living in a basic condo

[babyhauler]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

...Babyhauler what's the end game, are you just after a place to write?...
Cheers

What's the end game? Flexible. I have lofty plans of financial independence and cruising all over.

BTW I say writing, most of ya'll seem to imagine writing books or articles or something. I was thinking more like writing apps or code. Someday I'd like to write fiction too, but first I want to create mobile apps. I have so many apps to create. I have been taking notes for years of what needs to be done with no time to work on them. The idea is to get a little breathing room and do something creative.

The need to work on my own code and apps is also why I'm budgeting my precious resources to have other people work on my boat. I would also consider hiring someone to sail my boat to a place I want to hang out at and flying there to meet my boat so as to not spend all my time sailing and working on the boat.

Some of the commenters seem to imagine that when I say write I would be sitting in an anchorage on my boat all day doing my work. I have been practicing working mobile around the town I live in. I have a tech backpack I can now take it anywhere and be productive. I have laptop plus a tablet to be like a 2nd monitor. I have a huge auxiliary battery pack. I have my stuff in special dry bags and have gone through heavy rain no problem. I have worked in cafes, libraries, parks, my car. I can work several hours anywhere before I need a recharge. Assuming I had a sailboat home, I would go someplace cool and row my kayak to a beach and work there. Or climb a mountain. Or go to a local restaurant. No need to spend every hour on the boat. The boat just gives me a movable home and gradually learning to sail and cruise sounds super fun because I already know I love paddling kayaks and swimming.

I am a tech worker and the big companies I have worked for are very narrow and limited in their interests. Big companies have intense desire to meet quarterly goals and unstable middle management that is infested with sociopaths. Big companies can give a career boost and experience but will require all a person's time and get you trapped living in an expensive zip code, which gets you sucked into working even more hours at the big company. My friends stuck in big company life warn me that boat life is expensive. I listen politely and observe many of them are stuck with mortgages over several hundred thousand dollars, and then they tell me about spending for maintenance & furnishings on their stupid houses. One spent $100k for a new plumbing system, another $35k to rewire the house. To me their life sounds way more expensive than what I'm planning!

And some of the commenters jumped to the conclusion that I would practice some kind of hobo sailing lifestyle. I find this amusing. I have also seen some really tidy and beautiful well kept sailboats that might work for for me selling under $10,000. I'm guessing I'll spend $10k - $20k for first boat. I'm actually trying to figure out if I should spend more and get a trimaran, corsair trimarans look incredible. But I'm almost certain to start cheaper. Less spending = less risk, and easier to pivot. Supposing I buy a $10k boat and end up hating it I can dump it fast for $5k and only lose $5k.

And yes I will practice boat life in Galveston area first on the slip I just bought there.

And I've said enough on this thread. Many of the replies have been awesome! Let's go on to a new conversation!

[wholybee]

Living on a boat is no cheaper than living on land. I believe that is true anywhere. Sure, there a lots of comparisons that would show otherwise, but....

Look at the cost of living in a space where you get only a tiny room, and share a bathroom and shower with the rest of the floor. A place with almost no amenities, poor heating and cooling, no place to park a vehicle, etc. San Francisco is one of the most expensive places to live in the US, and a space on land comparable to a boat is about $700 per month, and my slip space is more than that, not even including any other boat expenses, which are ongoing. When people compare the cost of living on a boat vs land, they are usually comparing a place on land that is ten to fifty time nicer than living on a boat.

And living on a boat doesn't ensure peace or quiet. The places in I have lived with the most disturbances and disruptive and intrusive neighbors have been while on a boat.

If your goal is a quiet cheap place to live, don't look at a boat. If your goal is to be a part of the boating community, cruising, travel, etc. then look at a boat. As to where, what you do for a living doesn't matter much. Your ability to get a visa to stay there for more than a few months does. And a boat capable of getting to or being in many of the places you are talking about is going to be in the $50k to $100k range, not the $10k boats you are looking at.

[Fore and Aft]

Babyhauler one down side of buying a cheap boat is you may put the wife of the whole idea. It's hard to keep the romance up if you have to make the bed before going to the toilet. Or the Mrs can hand you the toilet roll while you're sitting on the can and she's in bed.
You definitely need to involve her in the boat purchase.
Cheers