Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[goprisko]

I am amazed by some of the comments expressed here...

For example a South African was transfixed regarding Martinique as his destination..

BUT...

Most folks from RSA cruise to Mozambique if on vacation, occasionally to Madagascar and the Comorros... The Comorros include Mayotte, which is a French posession, with French medical care..

The wanabe ocean voyagers participate in the annual Governor's Cup race from Cape Town to St. Helena... which arranges back transport for the boats on the RMS St. Helena... many of these boats proceed on to Bahia for carnival,, thence to Rio, and Buenos Aires... the Falklands... Tristan and home... A few take the Beagle Channel into Chile and the Pacific... all these places kinder to a crew spending Rand..

Most folks from the UK begin by cruising the eastern shore with its many inlets and marxhes... a shallow draft boat is excellent for this... those in the channel cruise to Brittany, Hiscock cruised to Skye in his 18 ft Wanderer II, and on to Ireland too..

These places are kind to a crew spending sterling...

Those seeking further adventures pass through the Kiel Canal into the Baltic.. Poland welcomes Brits.. and is Cheap,, ditto for the Baltic States, Finland, Sweden, and Norway..

Annie Hill and her crowd go via Iceland to Greenland.. not many boats there.. no anchoring fees... and you can visit Labrador, too...

None of these places is the Med, all are much closer to home and much cheaper to visit..

INDY

[goprisko]

I've been going over my records from the last two refits, and have a few observations regarding where funds seem to be spent on Pegasus..

Sails... replacing them, by sewing new ones in Hong Kong made a dent in the budget

Bottom Paint.. Pegasus takes 3 gallons for one coat.. makes a big dent

SSB radio... Pegasus has radio e-mail... keeping that rig going makes a BIG dent

Refrigeration.. engine driven refrigeration has caused needless additional expense for belts, alternators, and starters.

Diving gear... we must dive to do our work and the various things we use add to the expense..

Electronic autopilot... virtually every refit, we have something or another that needs fixing..

Hydraulic steering... virtually every refit costs us a $1K for something...

INDY

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by Mariness

Isn't the time a consideration? It's going to take a long time for me to build my own dinghy - time that could be spent doing many other things, including earning money. It seems like the "in 6 months" estimate is going to require full-time and then some boatwork; seems like that might not be the best way to go if you could use at least some of that time to build up your funds. And that's assuming the skills are already here - since most of us have at least a few gaps in our skills, it might be cheaper to hire someone to do some jobs than to take months or years to learn it adequately. Not for routine stuff/repairs but I don't know that it's the best use of my time to do major one-time (or rare) projects myself.

When I was first in the Caribbean, my French cruising friends said "Indy, spend what you have, if you have no money, and lots of time, spend time to save money".

You mention that you are working.. now is the time for you to get your older boat into your back yard and go over it during your spare time.... doing the work yourself, saves you money several ways.. first of all you spend less for the item... secondly you are too busy to go to restaurants, the theatre, cinema, opera, symphony and other expensive places.. so you will save faster...

As for the mention regarding fin keel boats for low cost cruising... that is a definite NO, NO... reasons for which have been discussed earlier...

INDY

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I don't live in a hotel room either. I live at home. In my home I have a kitchen, bathrooms & bedrooms, not a galley, heads and cabins

Maybe the word 'vacation' doesn't fit, but nor does 'way of life' for me. The way I lead my life is my way of life and thats nothing to do with sailing its to do with honesty, integrety, humour, humlity, openess, imagination, inquisitvness and beer. Sailing is just my current way of living that life

And its sure more like a vacation than working!!!!!!!!



Mark

Mark, you seem a little defensive here... Your boat is a french production 39 ft fin keel , spade rudder racer, cruiser... It doesn't have the carrying capacity for sufficient water, sufficient ground tackle, and sufficient stores to qualify as suitable for this kind of cruising..
Then, as you express it... shoreside showers are very high on your priority list... and
that is fine... as long as you can pay for it...

This thread is for those folks who don't have your financial resources, and want to go NOW... not when they are retired at 70.. or so...

We don't begrudge you your floating condo, so why begrudge us our simpler fun??

Makes no sense, UNLESS, you own a marina... do you????

If not, go back to Turkey... a very nice and inexpensive place, by the way.. about which you have shared NOTHING... to help those on a budget cruise more comfortably... and let us get on with it.

INDY

[Eleven]

Stay on thread, please. This is low cost cruising.

Goprisco lists:-
SSB radio. Pegasus has radio e-mail... keeping that rig going makes a BIG dent
Refrigeration. engine driven refrigeration.
Diving gear. we must dive to do our work and the various things we use add to the expense.
Electronic autopilot. virtually every refit.
Hydraulic steering. virtually every refit costs us a $1K for something.

Get real. If it's don't go without all this stuff would you still be on the hard?
And if you need that diving rig to 'work' then either it's paying for itself, or it's another luxury. Seriously there is a minimum size of boat that can store transpacific stores, then there's a smaller boat that will allow six weeks stores. Washing in seawater, cooking in mixed water, gathering rainwater (and showering in rain), this is low budget cruising! The way it used to be done. Those stores can replace ballast, their volume has to be kept small (not boxes breakfast cereals) and fishing supplementing the diet.
And boat choice must be suitable to run aground on gravel or sand banks without damage, for cleaning, repairing, and miss-judgement. I'd be happy to cruise my cat on a low budget. Repairs are low cost. The autopilot is not necessary with two on board, just desirable. Sails are the big issue and it's interesting to hear these can be home made at lower cost. There are E-bay deals too. Diesel costs fall away once you anchor, not pontoon. It's finding the place, being sociable with the locals (and living at their level), staying for a few weeks and moving on, not over staying. This isn't being a tourist on a luxury sail boat (usually motored).

[Springbok]

I'm the South African whom you suggest is obsessed with the idea of going to Martinique as a destination. Nowhere did I say this. I was trying to get you to answer the FREE FRENCH MEDICAL and used Martinique as a French island in the Caribbean. We are still waiting for an answer on your French medical ramblings. Obviously once you sit in front of the PC your brain begins its today -journey and we have 3 or 4 extras to the thread as you ramble on.I agree with Elevens that half the equipment you are now discussing re fixing expenses does not even belong on this thread. Enough is enough we have got the gist of your ramblings this thread should be closed.
Clyde

[Ex-Calif]

There are as many opinions on CF as there are options in cruising. As long as we respectfully debate each others choices we can run the thread.

There should be no criticism of personal choice and there should continue to be mature meaningful debate about options.

We all know where criticizing personality and each others boat choices leads.

Lets keep the debate healthy.

PS - If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a break from this thread for a while. I have rarely (never?) seen anyone's fundamental opinion change as a result of an internet debate. The utility of this thread is for those who have not yet formed an opinion and are lurking and reading. They will make their own minds up as well.

[sailorboy1]

Read the first page back when this started and read this page so:

Have we decided that if you are driven to cruise and all you have is $500/month that you will/can do it? I mean there are places that $500/month is a lot of money. Or have we decided that it just can not be done at all?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Have we decided that if you are driven to cruise and all you have is $500/month that you will/can do it? I mean there are places that $500/month is a lot of money. Or have we decided that it just can not be done at all?

I am sure OP will tell us when we have decided correctly


But my take on this thread is that OP has a basic point - the "secret" to living on $500 a month appears to be: spend lots of money in advance on modifications / preventative maintanence.........whilst you are earning and have resources at home to more easily and cheaply sort stuff.

IMO nothing wrong with that (albeit a couple of points I would disagree with - refixing the deck to hull and reattaching the keel?........I'd buy a boat with these already attached. But, as always, opinions vary ), and it does nicely lower the monthly budget, albeit maintanence will not be able to be deffered forever (for a 2 /3 year cruise though quite possible to defer much until a return to the land of earning - if the maintanence gods smile on you .........or until sale to someone looking for a vessel in need of "some" TLC). But on a forever cruise maintenance is going to revert to normal levels sooner or later and will need to be funded.

In practice always a trade off to be made between putting another $10k into a boat, and living with / risking less than perfection. $10k would double your budget to $1k a month - for over 18 months...........depending on where and what you are doing could well (IMO reasonably) decide to live with a less than perfect engine installation or even a few deck leaks or whatever............in exchange for a few more beers onshore

OP I think also touches (briefly) on the other "secret"..........working along the way IMO nothing wrong with that . IMO far far easier to cruise on $500 per month net, than gross .........

My qualifications? I once started a thread titled "Dollar a Day Cruising" (or summit )..........to save anyone bothering to look it up..........the conclusion was not possible as the gross daily expense budget - but perfectly feasible if the dollar was your net daily income...............the secret being "work".

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

I have rarely (never?) seen anyone's fundamental opinion change as a result of an internet debate. .

Thats because I am always right and everyone else is obstinate.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Thats because I am always right and everyone else is obstinate.

Are you sure you're not really a US citizen?

[Mario G]

LOL I read thru most post in this thead and its not that if someone handed me $500 a month I would find a way to live aboard/cruise, It has me wondering what cruising means? I'm one of the smaller guys that could eat $500 in just food a month. But think if your cruising then there could be alot of days that your cost is just the food you eat. It doesn't seem to cost much till you step on land I'm hopeing not to do that very often. I like my C-26 the size seems perfect for low cost maintanance and the 1st mate and I like the living space and most systems should be newer when we set out. And being new to this making it to the Bahamas and around the oil coast our first year is the plan.

Thanks all I try to take all post in perspective.

[Mambo]

Originally Posted by Mario G

LOL I read thru most post in this thead and its not that if someone handed me $500 a month I would find a way to live aboard/cruise, It has me wondering what cruising means? I'm one of the smaller guys that could eat $500 in just food a month. But think if your cruising then there could be alot of days that your cost is just the food you eat. It doesn't seem to cost much till you step on land I'm hopeing not to do that very often. I like my C-26 the size seems perfect for low cost maintanance and the 1st mate and I like the living space and most systems should be newer when we set out. And being new to this making it to the Bahamas and around the oil coast our first year is the plan.

Thanks all I try to take all post in perspective.

This thread is a mess Mario. There's nothing wrong with that except that it doesn't wind up being particularly useful to folks like you (or me) who are planning cruising budgets. No offense to any of the folks who offered useful suggestions, but the totality of the discussion is . . . lacking.

On the other hand, I have googed "crusing budgets" and found at least a dozen boat which have published pretty comprehensive budgets on their websites. The nice thing about those budgets (which generally are substantially higher than 500 mo) is that you can also see how the people lived on that budget (ie., crusing grounds, the side trips they took, the condition of their boat, time at anchor vs a mooring or marina, etc.). Some of these budgets also lay out the costs month by month so you can see the comparative costs of different cruising grounds (and also the importance of budgeting for expenses that are not monthly but annual or one-time).

Armed with that info, you can begin to budget for your own needs.

[goprisko]

Please examine the attached photos of corrosion of propellor shafts and keel bolts....

INDY

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

I am sure OP will tell us when we have decided correctly


But my take on this thread is that OP has a basic point - the "secret" to living on $500 a month appears to be: spend lots of money in advance on modifications / preventative maintanence.........whilst you are earning and have resources at home to more easily and cheaply sort stuff.

IMO nothing wrong with that (albeit a couple of points I would disagree with - refixing the deck to hull and reattaching the keel?........I'd buy a boat with these already attached. But, as always, opinions vary ), and it does nicely lower the monthly budget, albeit maintanence will not be able to be deffered forever (for a 2 /3 year cruise though quite possible to defer much until a return to the land of earning - if the maintanence gods smile on you .........or until sale to someone looking for a vessel in need of "some" TLC). But on a forever cruise maintenance is going to revert to normal levels sooner or later and will need to be funded.

In practice always a trade off to be made between putting another $10k into a boat, and living with / risking less than perfection. $10k would double your budget to $1k a month - for over 18 months...........depending on where and what you are doing could well (IMO reasonably) decide to live with a less than perfect engine installation or even a few deck leaks or whatever............in exchange for a few more beers onshore

OP I think also touches (briefly) on the other "secret"..........working along the way IMO nothing wrong with that . IMO far far easier to cruise on $500 per month net, than gross .........

My qualifications? I once started a thread titled "Dollar a Day Cruising" (or summit )..........to save anyone bothering to look it up..........the conclusion was not possible as the gross daily expense budget - but perfectly feasible if the dollar was your net daily income...............the secret being "work".

Regarding Old Jersey's observation.. He is getting very close to understanding the points I am making...
A). Old Jersey is spot on when he observes " the "secret" to living on $500 a month appears to be: spend lots of money in advance on modifications / preventative maintanence.........whilst you are earning and have resources at home to more easily and cheaply sort stuff. " EXCEPT... I am not advocating spending "lots of money", I am advocating spending appropriate sums on the basics.. HULL, DECK, RIG.... before funds are spent on anything else..

B) His observation " IMO nothing wrong with that (albeit a couple of points I would disagree with - refixing the deck to hull and reattaching the keel?........I'd buy a boat with these already attached. But, as always, opinions vary ), and it does nicely lower the monthly budget, albeit maintanence will not be able to be deffered forever (for a 2 /3 year cruise though quite possible to defer much until a return to the land of earning - if the maintanence gods smile on you .........or until sale to someone looking for a vessel in need of "some" TLC). But on a forever cruise maintenance is going to revert to normal levels sooner or later and will need to be funded. " has several good points.. 1. it is important to choose your cruising boat wisely.. for example, choose one with its ballast encapsulated in the GRP keel.. thus no keel bolts... and choose one with the hull and deck bonded together with resin and GRP.. hence no bolts.. all very good ideas... 2. However, regarding the remainder. of the fastenings, you will have to pull them to inspect them...3. Regarding the thru hulls and seacocks.. you will have to pull them and inspect them. you can reduce the number of them to the bare minimum however.

Regarding ongoing maintenance, that will be with you as long as you own your boat, regardless of where and when you cruise... however, given you went through the boat at the beginning, you will be able to SCHEDULE maintenance, which means traveling to places where it can be done cheaply, as opposed to being surprised by catastrophic failure.

INDY