Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[downunder]

Sun devil.

You have been told now formally.

[xymotic]

Originally Posted by goprisko

The hidden truth about cats is:

Um, more like "a totally negative slant on cats" than "hidden truth"

A modern cat has two engines. This is either a huge plus or a huge negative, depending on your own personal outlook/situation.

In fact most of your hidden truths contain a similar bias. Yes, they have a weird motion, *for some people* and for plenty of others not fighting heel ALL the time is a blessing.

They ARE two boats in one.

A 32' cat has about the same space as a 60' mono. and no, I guess you can't load it down like you could a mono, but you can load it with as much stuff as you'd put in a 32' mono and still have TWICE the space!

C. Everything can be overwhelmed and turned upside down.

d) They have awesome Flat nearly no motion most of the rest of the time, and again, a lot of people find fighting heel and motion exhausting on a mono.

e is flat false. They have higher costs than a similar LENGTH mono, but a 32 cat and a 64 mono probably have similar maint & mooring costs. And As stated before cats do have advantages over most monos in where they can go and ability to be beached.


I have a mono because of one reason, COST I got a 36' world cruising steel boat for $6500. But I also know some guys that just got a 54' cat project boat for FREE. so it's not all black and white right and wrong

[Ironhorse74]

This all seems kind of catty for a thread about cruising on 500 a month.

[islandplanet]

I disagree that a 32' cat has the equivalent space of a 60' mono. Simply not the case if you're comparing something like a Gemini cat with a 60' cruising boat. The 32' cat certainly has more room than any mono close to it in size. The volume of the hulls on the 32 simply isn't that great. Most 32' cats pale in interior comforts when compared to an old Gulfstar 50 or similar. You need to go larger before the advantages of the cat really add up. And with that increase in size, you have a substantial increase in cost.

The sweet spot with cats seems to be 45-47 feet. That's a good size for cruising taking safety, load carrying, and performance into consideration. We have cruising friends with 38' cats that are perfectly happy with their choice. We know a few people with 50'+ cats. For me that 46 or 47 just feels right if I was going multi-hull. Something like a Schionning Wilderness might push me over the edge in that direction if it was well done.

My experience has been that free and cheap boats are the most expensive of all. Oddly enough, I met a fellow today who got a small tri (under 30) for free. He loves the boat but he's got quite a bit of money and time in it. If you have a lot more time than money, then it's a great way to go, particularly if you're a talented boatworker.

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

How is a twin keel mono different from a bilge keel?
I would have thought they were the same thing.

Bilge Keel has the ballast in the center of the boat, in the bilge, and two non-ballasted keels. twin keels are have the ballast in the two keels.

[blgklr]

I am not saying all but most people who own a 30 foot or better cat would not be limited to cruising on 500. But a lot of people that bought 30 foot monos for less than 10,000 would.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

Bilge Keel has the ballast in the center of the boat, in the bilge, and two non-ballasted keels. twin keels are have the ballast in the two keels.

You learn something every day.
Thanks

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

You learn something every day.
Thanks

Or a triple keel

Ballast in the centre - wing keels either solid, or are the water tanks.....like mine (first time I had ever heard of that idea - didn't seem to catch on ).

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Or a triple keel

Ballast in the centre - wing keels either solid, or are the water tanks.....like mine (first time I had ever heard of that idea - didn't seem to catch on ).

what happens when you run out of water?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

what happens when you run out of water?

errrrr. I fill 'em up.......

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

errrrr. I fill 'em up.......

Well, that makes sense

I guess the tank is big enough that it won't go empty at sea? How much does it affect stability when it runs low/empty?

Just curious.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

Well, that makes sense

I guess the tank is big enough that it won't go empty at sea? How much does it affect stability when it runs low/empty?

Just curious.

Arrrr. the penny drops

The wing keels are both water tanks (main keel is the usual ballast)....when both empty she floats upside down - like a Catamaran

To be honest I haven't noticed any difference in stability - but maybe that as much to do with spending too long tied to the dock .......FWIW their is a balance pipe between the tanks, so water will syphon accross to the leeward tank. The rest of the boat built like a tank and I suspect that each of those wing keels / water tanks are also made out of GRP laid like concrete blocks ....so a little air in the tanks neither here nor there.........

[w1651]

Can we get back to costs and living on 500 a month?

We always go to tri's vs Mono's. Both will work if you keep them within certain lengths.

I'm going under the premise your boat is paid off to begin with. That way you don't have a payment at the end of the month. The rest will be entry fee's, maintenance, food, and entertainment. Pick up a side job here and there and maybe get a little extra money in the kitty. So a job you do cruising would be nice.
But what I really need are a way to buy things on the cheap.
For instance
Is it cheaper to make your own wind vane steering system or buy one ready made? I am thinking a storm sail with pulleys instead of a wind vane on the stern. This to me is the cheapest and best way to go if you can balance the boat.

What about the best place to get a water filter. (Which I need now)

Most durable and cost effective solar system.
etc...

I feel if you leave prepared your costs go down significantly. A few books on French and Spanish won't hurt either.

[wolfenzee]

As this thread is supposed to be on the actual "cruising budget" (not the cost of the vessel), the only reason a multihull owner might have problems sticking to that budget is because someone that can afford the cost of a multihull would be used to a fancier lifestyle.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by w1651

I'm going under the premise your boat is paid off to begin with. That way you don't have a payment at the end of the month. The rest will be entry fee's, maintenance, food, and entertainment. Pick up a side job here and there and maybe get a little extra money in the kitty. So a job you do cruising would be nice.

+1

But what I really need are a way to buy things on the cheap.
For instance
Is it cheaper to make your own wind vane steering system or buy one ready made? I am thinking a storm sail with pulleys instead of a wind vane on the stern. This to me is the cheapest and best way to go if you can balance the boat.

What about the best place to get a water filter. (Which I need now)

Most durable and cost effective solar system.
etc...

Plenty of threads on those. and Mr Google

The approach I have been taking with "The great DOJ refurb project" is to minimise future expense (no idea if I will ever go on any extended cruising - am just tight ):-

a) if it doesn't exist, it can't go wrong
b) if I can't fix it - with a hammer - it don't stay on.


FWIW, today I got the exact bit of wood (thin plywood) I was after to repair some headlining in the aft cabin (not the top of my "To do list" - but a freebie opportunity too good to miss).......the "cost" was that it came as part of a Chest of Drawers and a Dressing table - both in solid pine (looked way tatty though)........spent half the day dissassembling and generally faffing around .

My garage (workshop sounds a bit grander than the reality ) now has a lot more drawer storage ......plus I have some spare solid pine drawers (for a yet unknown project ) and some nice(ish) pine.

If I had been working, the same time spent could have bought me a Chartplotter (a cheap one ).......but where would the fun be in that??!

I mention the above because IME getting things cheap (or free) is largely about being in the right place at the right time - and folk knowing you are a "recycler" helps. Plus knowing what you want well in advance of actually needing.....and having the cash / time to seize the moment.

I feel if you leave prepared your costs go down significantly. A few books on French and Spanish won't hurt either.

Speaking the local lingo will probably save someone more money than anything else - and add to the fun! (BTW me just speaks slowly - in English ).