Caribe Cruising: AC? Generator? Laundry?

[SailingYoungs]

We are planning a year long cruise in the Caribbean and would like to get some advice on how to outfit our boat.

We are a family of 6 (4 kids from ages 2-8) We are planning on skipping the hurricane season, so will be there from Oct-Jun.

We are looking at 50 foot ex charter sailboats. We have the option of getting a more expensive boat with generator and AC/heat. Or a less expensive boat without these creature comforts.

How important are these? Does it get totally unbearably hot during those months? Is a portable AC unit a good viable alternative?

Also what do folks usually do for laundry with lots of little bodies getting their clothes dirty all the time? Should we plan to install a boat washing machine, or is washing in town no big deal? (we plan to stay months at a time in anchorages, we're not big time ocean crossers).

[MarkJ]

In St Martin at Marigot Marina Fort Louis in April 2008:

Showers were 1.50 Euros

Washing Machine 5 Euros per wash and per dry 3 Euros

Freash water was 22 Euros per 1,000 litres (250 gals)


Galapagos for 10kgs was US$9.50 (but that was washed dry and fold.)


So with 4 kiddly-winks (we don't have any so we dont really know) we would think it would be a good idea to have a watermaker and washing machine.

A 50 foot ex-charter boat would be ideal for a big family!

I dont think you need air conditioning as you will all acclimatise in a few days ... unless you stay at marinas which are hot because the wind doesnt go down the hatches.


Mark
PS Nicolle would like 4 kids! For about a weekend only ....

[Keegan]

We have AC and hardly use it. On occasion we turn it on when the trades are not blowing or we find ourselves in a protected cove with no circulation, i.e. St Georges in Grenada is always HOT HOT HOT. You will be just fine without AC though.

We also have a washer/dryer and use it all the time. This is worth much more than AC to me. That being said, I could get along without it and have a great time too.

[seacap]

You will have to listen to your generator all night long. As long as the boat has some good hatches and you anchor out you will be very comfortable. Some nights the wind dies out completely, but not very often. There are times during the winter months it gets down right chilly!

Not to mention maintenance time/cost....OMG Spend your money on taking the family out to some of the great resturants here in the Caribbean on those warm nights...your cook will thank you!

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

... I dont think you need air conditioning as you will all acclimatise in a few days....

Depending upon where you come from, it could take several months (certainly not days) to acclimatize to tropical weather. Fortunately, you'll not be facing a tropical summer, so should be ok w/out A/C (unless you're highly heat intolerant).

[bmartinsen]

Lots of fans, good hatches and wind scoops while anchored out. AC for marinas. If you can figure out how to keep hatches open in rainy weather, that helps.
Don't know about kids, can't you just throw them overboard with bar of soap?
cheers

[Troutbridge]

Laundry can be horrendously expensive, depending on where you are. Say around 45 EC $ per load (a load is a moving feast, about 5-10kg). These are prices this year.(1US $ will get you about $2.7 EC). I would suggest a generator and a good sized water maker. AC you don't need for reasons others have said.

[Hud3]

Laundry is not as big an issue as you might think--you don't need many clothes at all!

We have no a/c and did not miss it. We installed 10 Hella fans inside the boat to keep the air moving in whichever cabin we're in at the time. It would be smart to have a tarp (or tarps) made to fit over key deck hatches so you can keep them open all night for ventilation, without having to worry about jumping up to shut hatches during the inevitable 3 am rain squall.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Hud3

Laundry is not as big an issue as you might think--you don't need many clothes at all!

.

Yes, but they have kids! "4 kids from ages 2-8" How long do they wear diapers? 5 or 10 years? (longer?) and kids get dirty. I know. I saw one once!

[boatpoker]

4 kids .... how often do you have to wash four t-shirts and four pairs of shorts ?

[Labatt]

We love our air conditioning and are very glad we got it, and I don't feel bad admitting it . Perhaps it has something to do with being from the Northeast US, but the sun down here can get pretty brutal. We use it when at marinas and also sometimes in the afternoons while on the hook. Overnight, as everyone mentions, you can pretty much pop open hatches and get a cool breeze through.

Chris
s/v/ Pelican
s/v Pelican - Following A Dream

[gbanker]

most of our sailing is in the virgin islands. we use our a/c less than 1% of the time as we are not part of the dock crowd (saves a bit of money,that). bathing suits 95% of the time that , i guess, we could wash someday and a couple of t-shirts minimize the laundry. we have a washer/dryer on board but do not use it very often. sheets and towels every other week or so to the local laundry is cheaper than a generator, watermaker, and washer/dryer and a lot less equipment to maintain.

[s/v Jedi]

I would definitely go for a genset, a simple but big AC watermaker and washer drier. I could not do what we like to do without that (stay away from watertaps and laundry service for months, like here in the San Blas). If budget allows, I would pop in that air conditioner too. When it's really hot, we tend to run it for an hour or so before going to bed (hatches closed). This will get rid of humidity and heat. We then sleep with a fan and open the hatch above us when it gets sticky again for cool night air. The fan is the key.

A big advantage of running the airconditioner now and then is that you prevent mildew. It's action to pull humidity down is more important than getting temperature down.

cheers,
Nick.

[Cheechako]

You wont need A/C. The daily breeze is usually enough to stay comfortable, especially in the months you specified. I've found Florida far more uncomfortable.
With that many, you should definitely add a good watermaker though. The clothes you need are minimal, so laundry is much less than house living also. With a good watermaker you could do laundry in a bucket. "everyone does their own agitating"

[SailingYoungs]

Thanks for all the great answers folks! What a great community! The general concensus seems to be no AC is needed if you anchor out and catch the breeze. I was surprised to hear everyone say that a watermaker is really important. Now that I think about it, we'll consume lots of water with showers, cooking, cleaning, laundry (by hand or with a machine). Where we come from, water is in plenty (it rains a lot in Seattle). So, what's the deal with water down there? Are there hoses at marinas where you can fill your water tanks? Do you have to bring water aboard in jugs? Is it free anywhere? How do they charge you for it?

I'm leaning towards not getting a boat with AC (or maybe pick up a portable we could plug in when we are at a marina), so then the question is about power consumption. A generator is a must if you're using AC on the hook, but if you are just powering a water maker, maybe a washing machine once or twice a week, refrigerator, and all the other gadgets everyone has, I suppose I could get away without a generator if I install a bunch of solar and use the engine alternator as a backup. Ooops I'm getting off topic here. I'll read all the other good posts about power consumption
Thanks again!