Frustrated

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by mcon12000

Missed detail is he’s located in Texas. I’m a sailer from Texas and he would die without air conditioning from July through early November. We often go 45 days above 100 degrees and the areas he can anchor to use the water as a buffer have massive mosquitoes with little breeze. It’s not the Caribbean down there it’s 90% swamp.

To compare south Florida along the coast say West Palm in the dead of summer is pleasant without AC at anchor. Texas however is just like sitting in an oven and basting yourself. That’s one of the many reasons why it’s not a huge cruiser’s destination but plenty of folks are based at a Marina there.

Since OP is on disability, Summer might the time for him to be up North of Texas maybe even up this way.

He wants a sailboat and unlike many cruisers those with tight budgets will use their sails to move their sailboats so the trip shouldn't cost much and he can anchor along the way

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by SofaKingFishy

No fridge, no AC, no hot water, deferred maintenance…sounds like you’ve got a real nice vessel there! I bet you save a lot of money by not going on any dates

Dates!

I have a home and an apartment. (plus my old boat. I'm not the OP)

Dates? I'm going on 70. I dated non-stop for many years after my divorce in the 90's. So been there; done that.

My ex lives at my home. (70 miles away)

I still have no AC on the boat, no hot water, no frig but did just buy a 45 quart RTIC
Cooler.

https://rticoutdoors.com/45-QT-Hard-...45&color=White

Btw, I do maintenance at times.

My $2,000 boat of 11 years in Photo

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by nofacey

To OP……..you can sell everything you presently own to buy a 27-32 ft sailboat that floats. Highly unlikely that it’ll be able to go anywhere other than day trips reliably. To prep it for sea will cost thousands, if not tens of thousands.
- To stay in a marina, you’ll need liability insurance, on top of marina fees.

A big factor is how much do you spend a month on food? Guessing 1/2 your monthly income, what’s left won’t easily sustain a cruising boat.

Liability insurance is about $10.00/month for $500,000

I have put money into my $2,000 cruising boat but none of it was for going to sea improvements although I have sailed in winds to 35 knots

These old for keel boats are overbuilt as is and have small sails and stout rigging.

Also, why would a newbie sailor be "going to sea?"

He could run the coast along the ICW from Texas to Canada for years before needing those type improvements.

Sort of like how Emily of Dinghy Dreams has been doing for many years especially at first on her Pearson Ariel 26 (she's on her 4th boat now which I believe she paid $6,000 for)

Her story in link below. BTW she write for sailing magazines and is a paid Proof Reader now but not when she first sailed away from Canada

She's not disabled and has no pension either. She does appear to be physically strong though so can work in boat yards etc when necessary

As far as her own repairs she says:

I spend more time fixing my **** to be at sea then I do actually at sea. I have to fix boats so often because I don’t have money, so I’m pretty DIY. The trouble is I really don’t trust my work. I rely on people with much more skill than I have to tell me if I’ve done something right. For me, the goal is to make my boat as safe and comfortable as possible on the sea. It’s been and continue to be arduous, refitting old boats to be sustainable in such an inhospitable environment, with little money and no formal training.

Sometimes I envy the other kinds of travelers. The backpackers. The ones who hoof it, bus it, ride planes and hop trains. But that’s not for me. Devoted to the sea. And if I can’t be there, damn it, I’ll be on land just trying to get there… because nothing else matters.

https://www.dinghydreams.com/

[Tetepare]

Insurance. I think Growley mentioned it first, on page 10.

Even if OP were to get a free boat, there's insurance. Oh, wait, let's just skip that so when it sinks you just walk away.

thomm225 may have a nice, inexpensive boat. He's the outlier. Most people who have under $10k income and a boat don't maintain it, don't insure it, and ultimately leave a mess for everyone else.

OP is frustrated that his new dreams don't match reality. If the dream can't be changed, what of reality can be? Telling him it can be done without considering the likelihood that the boat would be neglected and later abandoned in a waterway is irresponsible.

[garyfdl]

Originally Posted by thomm225

He’d have to save up for it and/or sell some stuff.

I'm just guessing but... someone on $900/mo disability probably doesn't have much 'stuff' to sell.

Save up, on $900/mo disability income? Maybe he could quit buying food and instead dumpster dive for it... Oh, but OP is disabled, remember?

Originally Posted by thomm225

why would you buy 5 gallons of gas for the outboard? I have an outboard and have never bought that much at one time over past 11 years yet cover 70-150 plus miles on my weekend cruises. And will sometimes motorsail home 20 miles

OK for the sake of argument cut the gas expense in half (saves $12.50 )

Originally Posted by thomm225

a 10 hp is too big

A CD 25 (the example) weighs at in 2 tons not including people and gear. You want to fight wind/tide with a 5hp? Go ahead.

Originally Posted by thomm225

sails later.

Sails aren't even the original number. He has to dumpster dive another year for them.

Originally Posted by thomm225

paint bottom or hull. Scrap bottom, scrub hull

OP is disabled, remember? (why do I have a sense of deja vu?) And if scraping bottom is not big deal, why do people waste millions (billions?) of $$$ on bottom paint?

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by garyfdl

A CD 25 (the example) weighs at in 2 tons not including people and gear. You want to fight wind/tide with a 5hp? Go ahead.

Yes!

My boat is over 3.5 tons and ....... I have a 5 hp outboard.

In first video just getting by some tankers then I'll fall off and sail again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri0c5GnZ1I8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNl2tPRC-Tw

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by garyfdl

Sails aren't even the original number. He has to dumpster dive another year for them.

OP is disabled, remember? (why do I have a sense of deja vu?) And if scraping bottom is not big deal, why do people waste millions (billions?) of $$$ on bottom paint?

Have you seen some guys doing the bottoms on their boats? Some use upwards of 100 grit sandpaper and the like . You would think they were going to put it on display rather than drop it in the water where you can't see it.

It's like the guy cleaning his brightwork, waxing his boat, or coiling his lines on the dock really nice. To me, it's like why?

I've seen boat's sit at their slips in the marina unused or painted for years. Then a guy buys it, has a diver scrub off a few inches of growth, and sails off. Others I've seen buy and just sail which knocks of much of the growth on the bottom.

Folks sail not stop or so for a year or two and never paint the bottoms of their boats.

As far as the sails, I'm sure the guy pictured paid little for his sail yet it fits the boat perfectly. Looks like a Catalina 270 (or 27) sail on a Bristol 27

[JMaav]

The only place I ever found living on the boat to be less costly than living on land is when I lived aboard my boat on a mooring at City Island, New York, just offshore from New York City! Not sure this is even permitted any more. I used to commute to Manhatten in a 9ft ‘Finback’ Whaler, which I tied up illegally under FDR Drive… those were the days! Ahh youth…
No. You cannot live on a boat in the water for $900 a month. Live with it.
Might be able to do it dry docked…

[Martinini]

Yes you can. In Point Cadet Mississippi 476.15 for a 36ft boat including ele, water, internet when it works.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Paul Annapolis

From the moment I read the Op...I knew what was going to happen--and that he would disappear like a plywood raft into a hurricane. Many people can buy a boat but very few can actually afford to own one....and even fewer actually should buy one and will ever really make the only real investment one can make with a boat--training! Otherwise the problem with experience, as Oscar Wilde said is "the test comes first." Or as Bismarck said "Only a fool learns from experience. The wise learns from the experience of others." And come to think of it, who among us would want a completely inexperienced cheapskate or impoverished or impecunious boater seeking only a cheap existence to be docked near us--or anchored out while slowly decaying and sinking into the mud?

The Horror!

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by JMaav

The only place I ever found living on the boat to be less costly than living on land is when I lived aboard my boat on a mooring at City Island, New York, just offshore from New York City! Not sure this is even permitted any more. I used to commute to Manhatten in a 9ft ‘Finback’ Whaler, which I tied up illegally under FDR Drive… those were the days! Ahh youth…
No. You cannot live on a boat in the water for $900 a month. Live with it.
Might be able to do it dry docked…

Sure you can but maybe not in a city.

I can get a slip here for about $1750/yr

https://www.waterwayguide.com/marina...arine-services

I'm betting you can get a good deal here at the Mobjack Bay Marina also

Slips starting at $115/month

https://mobjackbaymarina.com/covered-open-boat-slips/

[JMaav]

LOL. I guess I read his first thread as ‘live on $900 a month’, and he only covered $350 or so in slip fee plus elec and water, which no way gets you to $900… so I was assuming he’s including provisions, etc.
But, yes… your probably right.. its back to ‘location, location…’.
Nowhere in Texas I know of, that cheap.. but, my knowledge does center around Galveston.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by JMaav

LOL. I guess I read his first thread as ‘live on $900 a month’, and he only covered $350 or so in slip fee plus elec and water, which no way gets you to $900… so I was assuming he’s including provisions, etc.
But, yes… your probably right.. its back to ‘location, location…’.
Nowhere in Texas I know of, that cheap.. but, my knowledge does center around Galveston.

So I'm paying near $10/ft in Norfolk/VA Beach for a $27' boat ($256; non-liveaboard)

15 miles away or so is Belle Isle marina and I can get a slip there for $150/month.

Further out even better.......but you may have to bike or hike 10 miles for supplies which will take care of your exercise requirements for a few days

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by 2935

Thank u for your answer. I phrased it wrong. I was talking about dock slip costs, when I shouldn't have. I want to get a boat and sail it to see things and places and meet folks. The thing is I am disabled and 900 is all I get a month. Can I really live on a boat and sail. I am selling truck, camper, and everything I own. Dont own a house. Didn't mean to appear an idiot. Thank you to all people who helped.

This thread is so off track really. Above is the last post from the OP with to me the important parts.

I say the answer is no. Maybe you start out ok for a while, but once you have you first big maintenance problem you are going to join the live aboards anchored under the bridge etc. as you boat starts its' journey to being a delict.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

This thread is so off track really. Above is the last post from the OP with to me the important parts.

I say the answer is no. Maybe you start out ok for a while, but once you have you first big maintenance problem you are going to join the live aboards anchored under the bridge etc. as you boat starts its' journey to being a delict.

Big maintenance problem?

I think you are thinking the way you "cruise" at your marina and handle your maintenance problems.

Some of us do our own repairs.

My biggest maintenance problems over 11 years have cost me about $3100 on my $2,000 sailboat, but I could have replaced those items ( a diesel inboard and mainsail for much less)

Probably around $900-$1200.

I paid top price though for a new outboard and new 8 oz mainsail.