General Info: Am I crazy?! Cruising budget 400, 420 or 440?

[gonesail]

go with a monohull and all your dreams will come true

[Invictus69]

Originally Posted by Trim50

34 and still quoting your gpa? May I recommend returning to finish that dental school...when you're 50 you'll understand why.

Very good thread with lots of real first-hand advice. I probably cannot add anything other that while you prepare for your one-way trip, get that dentist thing completed. That is an universal profession which may become handy at some point if you need to supplement your income.

I wish I had a more geographically flexible profession and not be limited to few large cities in the world.

I hope all works well! Best of luck!

[ClaudiaJ]

Originally Posted by duefocena

After reading the replies here denouncing the quoting of your GPA, trying to talk you into a mono, telling you a 38 is fine regardless of your choices here's my 2 cents.

Yes $2,500 is doable. If you are in a marina deduct $1,000 for the slip. Insurance shouldn't be more than $200 a month. With $500 a month for repairs and maintenance you get $200 a week to live on. If you can camp and are willing to cook your own food you can do it.

Get the 42'-44' over the 38'. Anyone who says they are about the same size hasn't lived on both. Safety, the ability to charter comfortably and the motion in the ocean will make it well worth it.

Don't wait ! And don't count on the $10k a month 20 years from now being enough. Especially from rentals.

Really good advice in living a month with zero eating out, don't drive !!! Walk, bike, mass transit and if you really want to make this work.... don't deviate.

Take the money you would have spent going out to eat as two unmarried millennial's in reasonably expensive area and physically put it in your boat account.

Go charter a cat somewhere at least once and study every diesel repair, glass repair, inflatable repair etc. that you can find. Get on electrics and solar.

My close friend, ( a maxio facial surgeon), constantly tells me that he wishes he would have done what I did. Take a cat in my late 20's and start traveling. Does he have more $ than me? Probably. Would he trade it for my experiences on the water? In a second.

You can't get the time back. At any price. Could you lose some money...? Absolutely ! Will you? Who knows, probably not. Don't wait... don't let mooring sitting neh sayers slow you down. What could you lose $300k? In the grand scheme of things and the insecurity of the global financial status it is a cheap price to pay.

I live 90% on my cat and I spend what I need. You can do this, and on $2,500 a month. What you can't do is buy one day, week month or hour back at any price. PM me if I can be of any help.

You did not include health insurance which for two people is going to be around six hundred a month and if they want a cell phone they are down to 100 dollars per month for food, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. I don't think 2500 sounds like enough.

[duefocena]

Originally Posted by Claudiaandphil

You did not include health insurance which for two people is going to be around six hundred a month and if they want a cell phone they are down to 100 dollars per month for food, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. I don't think 2500 sounds like enough.

No I didn't allow for fine dining or expensive wine or a lot of other things. With an adjusted income of $15,000 per year their insurance on Obama care would be $65 a month each. A cell phone is a luxury and not a necessity and trac phone esque communications are available in most countries. Their question was could they do it, and the answer is yes. These are young people and honestly I didn't have medical insurance until I was in my late 40's. I'd sailed thousands of miles by then. Food aboard can cost almost nill and tooth paste, ( baking soda ) or shampoo ( Dr. Bronner's gentile liquid soap ).. With a catamaran the ability to comfortably take others in trade for necessities so surpasses a mon hull that income will be available most anywhere there is a resort with a bar that overlooks anchored boats. Many people couldn't do it. Not with $2,500 or $3,500 or $5,000 a month. But that's ok. I'd rather they not be out there anyway. They pose a hazard to themselves and the rest of us.

[beauris]

you can definitely do it with 2500$ if you ask cat Impi they do it for less and they ve been at it for quite a while on a 440 lagoon

[John Casey]

Dustin, as Sailorchic34 suggested, charter a boat and get out there to experience it first hand. My wife and I are interested in a L440/450 as a liveaboard so we have chartered one over Christmas. We have mono-sailing experience in the Med, but need some cat time. We're also planning for Strictly Sail Miami as a place to get on as many kinds as possible.


The owners of the charter are very friendly and offered to discuss ownership, running the boat as a business, costs, etc.


You can likely find someone on the forum here that will do the same. Lot's of folks keep very detailed expense sheets.


There are companies out there like Catamaran Company and Catamaran Guru that will work with you about partnerships, leasing, buying, profit sharing etc. Keep in mind they are out to make money, but you can still learn talking to them.


In the end it will come down to what you want. Work from the boat? Just sustain the cruising lifestyle? Trade for services? There are people out there that started with no income, and they are still cruising. Others have unlimited budgets.


Good luck with your plan!