Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[w1651]

Indy, I appreciate your recommendation, I really do; indeed, I often hang on your many words but here I was commenting on post #1316 in this very thread wherein I learned that $500 was equal to $9000. As a micro-budget cruiser, this is of some interest.

All I was saying was at a ratio of 18 to 1 dollar the Rio Dulce is a excellent place to lay over for a while with lots to see. Not to mention at that rate your 500 a month goes a lot farther then it would in the Bahamas. And your still in a tropical paradise in the Caribbean.
Granted there would be a fee for the Bank to exchange the currency but still this is a cheap option because of the exchange rate. Just a way to make that 500 a month go farther.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by w1651

All I was saying was at a ratio of 18 to 1 dollar the Rio Dulce is a excellent place to lay over for a while with lots to see. Not to mention at that rate your 500 a month goes a lot farther then it would in the Bahamas. And your still in a tropical paradise in the Caribbean.
Granted there would be a fee for the Bank to exchange the currency but still this is a cheap option because of the exchange rate. Just a way to make that 500 a month go farther.

Today's exchange rates:

Guatemala Quetzal - 7.66 to $1
Honduran Lempira - 18.87 to $1

Guess you'd better stay in Honduras and out of the Rio Dulce where it will cost you more than twice as much.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by osirissail

You are missing the point of what GoPrisko was talking about. It is not about avoiding paying Florida Sales Taxes. It is about establishing yourself as a business to get "wholesale" prices versus retail prices from suppliers.

- - The whole process is time consuming but you can decide if the amount of money you save by buying wholesale versus retail is worth the time filling out monthly Sales Tax forms and sending in the money. And it has to be done each month or you will be penalized up to $50 for a late form whether you owe Sales Tax or not.

I think I understand most of it.

The "upkeep" of the company is why I think it may still be cost prohibitive as most people can't understand enough of it to remain in compliance.

A friend of mine dissolved a company with all the correct forms etc and three years later the IRS keeps telling him he needs to file. He is bounced from one IRS retard to another even after multiple forms refiled etc.

Me.........I couldn't handle it.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by w1651

All I was saying was at a ratio of 18 to 1 dollar the Rio Dulce is a excellent place to lay over for a while with lots to see. Not to mention at that rate your 500 a month goes a lot farther then it would in the Bahamas. And your still in a tropical paradise in the Caribbean.
Granted there would be a fee for the Bank to exchange the currency but still this is a cheap option because of the exchange rate. Just a way to make that 500 a month go farther.

Yeah, I knew what you meant cap. Apologies for making fun which was all I was doing. Indy missed the joke and not sure he had read your post previously. Had he done so, he would have had something constructive to say about exchange rates. As I write that, I think he has covered all that already. Have you read all 135 pages? Most of it really is clutter and I'm am guilty as charged for my submissals. Plus, I've been reading the sailing literature my whole life so there hasn't been a lot new.

Nobody misses MarkJ's posts more than me. Come back MarK. There's too much seriousness going on.

[Chipg]

Hey guys, I owe this thread an apology for my language in a previous post.

Sorry, my fault. Won't happen again.

Chip

[goprisko]

Not too many go there......

Only a very few guides cover these two countries.....

Calder's Cruising Guide to the NW Caribbean
Stone & Hayes A Cruising Guide to the Caribbean
Wilenski's Guide to the Bay Islands of Honduras

A land of contrasts.... Lush triple canopy jungle at sea level.... Mountain
meadows in the interior above 5000 ft.....

The Rio Dulce now has marinas... though they are as yet unsophisticated...

The Rio Dulce is suitable for leaving the boat to return home to work etc..

The Rio Dulce gives you access to Tikal and the other Mayan Ruins...

The people are wonderful...

Yes, your money goes further... if you don't need to import parts and stuff..

No, the exchange rate does not truly reflect the differences in cost of living...

Don't forget the coast of Mexico, Cuba, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and... Panama.... Colombia is now cruisable... the people are very european... costs are modest...

INDY

[goprisko]

On pp 28-36 we discussed the major aspects of micro-budget cruising.

We developed a proforma budget as follows:
Our annual cruising budget now is:
Maintenance and Repair_$ 970
Provisions____________$ 2,400 ( diet high in legumes, all meals cooked aboard)
Entry & Clearance Fees_$ 150
Fuel_________________$ 100 ( LPG for galley stove )
Mooring & Marina Fees__$ -0-
Communication________$ 200
Excursions/ Entertainment_$ 800
Navigation____________$ 700
Insurance, Boat_______$ -0-
Insurance Health______$ 240 (money put in rainy day fund)
Souvenirs____________$ 150
Clothing and Sundries__$ 290


TOTAL_____________$ 6,000


We calculated out the costs of outfitting a sample boat between 28-34 ft LOA and
came to the following:


Full suit of sails __________________________________$ 3500
Anchors and gear______________________________________$ 1600
Galley including cooker, sink and hand pump _______________$ 2000
Head including LAVAC, sink, and plumbing _______________$ 1020
Standing Rigging, wire, turnbuckles, sockets________________$ 2116
Running Rigging__________, rope, winches, blocks__________$ 3900
New bottom paint, including haulout______________________$ 1000
LED Lamps, fridge, battery and Distribution Panel____________$ 2500
Dinghy including oars and sailing rig (Danny Green Chameleon)_$1000

TOTAL_____________________________________________ $ 18,316


We recommended that you explore Jim Baldwin's Good Old Boats List:
Atom Voyages | Voyages Aboard the Sailboat Atom -* Good Old Boats List - choosing a* small voyaging sailboat


as a place to begin your search for a suitable boat.


We learned that NGOs often get boat donations and you should explore them as a source for a cheap boat.


Finally, I proposed the 4 year plan to get you cruising by summer 2015, as follows:


Beginning now, save half your income. This discipline will get you in the pattern of making every cent count, and most important will provide financing for what comes later.

Between now and Memorial Day build a sailing dinghy between 10-12 ft LOA.

Sail the dink as often as you can all summer.



If you still want to cruise, build or buy and refurbish a sailing dink between 16-20 ft LOA ( Snipe, Lightning, Rhodes 19, etc.) Get a trailer for it, so you can keep it at home and trailer it to a variety of waters.

Sail this dink as often as you can all summer 2012, including weekend trips and week long trips.

If you still want to cruise by Oct 2012 you will have saved 9 months income, and can spend the winter searching for a boat to refurbish, or building the hull and deck of your new boat.

Build or Refurbish your cruising boat with a planned completion date of 1 Apr 2015.

INDY

[goprisko]

The micro-budget cruiser is quite a character..... No two are alike...

Their commonality is a fierce desire for true independence, which can only come from financial independence.

Some want to see exotic lands, some want the sublime experience of crossing the ocean vastness, some want the solitude of Greenland, South Georgia, Antarctica, others prefer reclining beneath palm trees...

Micro-budget cruising is an exacting discipline.... Its practitioners must substitute ingenuity and seamanship for money, for time they have, and money is always in short supply....

Joshua Slocum's voyage in the Libertade and his circumnavigation in Spray are timeless.

Eric and Susan Hiscock's first two circumnavigations in Wanderer III showed how experts do it.

George Day's book has much to commend it.

Lin and Larry Pardey's voyages in 24' Seraffyn and 30' Taleisin are the most extensive account of young people adventuring on a micro-budget

Annie Hill and her husband, put micro-budget cruising in it's financial perspective.

We are indeed very fortunate to have an experienced cadre of voyagers mentoring this thread. Between the 6 of us, we have circumnavigated twice crossed more than a dozen oceans, explored virtually every body of water explorable, and done it on the cheap.

This experience is available here to help you select, outfit, and cruise your boat, on a budget.

INDY

[wolfenzee]

$500/month (for me) is the most practical amont to shoot for. My income is about $900-$1000mo, my land ties (things that will no longer exist after I leave) acount for about 50% of that with 20%-30% being for my refit. So for me I find $500/mo cruising to be quite "doable". I feasible date for me to takeoff would be spring of 2012. One thing I have noticed and other people around here have comented on is some people just don't know when to leave...they wait and wait until they get their boat *perfect* and never get off.
My refit includes/will include: grind, fill and fair hull (done), epoxy barrier coat (done), anitfouling, sand, fill, fair and paint sides (done), sand, rewire, varnish and paint mast (done)....then most of the summer and next winter finishing cabin and topsides refit, etc.
Later this summer and fall I plan on a shake down cruise and crew search.

[goprisko]

John and his family aboard Naia spent a week in St. Thomas last week. They were reprovisioning after an Atlantic tradewind crossing.

Naia is a steel Colvin 34 Gaff Ketch.

John replated her 13 years ago.

During the past 6 years Naia cruised western europe including:
Norway, Sweden, Germany, Holland, France, UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal,
Italy, Turkey, Malta, Greece. They liked France best and found it cheapest.

INDY

[goprisko]

Originally Posted by wolfenzee

$500/month (for me) is the most practical amont to shoot for. My income is about $900-$1000mo, my land ties (things that will no longer exist after I leave) acount for about 50% of that with 20%-30% being for my refit. So for me I find $500/mo cruising to be quite "doable". I feasible date for me to takeoff would be spring of 2012. One thing I have noticed and other people around here have comented on is some people just don't know when to leave...they wait and wait until they get their boat *perfect* and never get off.
My refit includes/will include: grind, fill and fair hull (done), epoxy barrier coat (done), anitfouling, sand, fill, fair and paint sides (done), sand, rewire, varnish and paint mast (done)....then most of the summer and next winter finishing cabin and topsides refit, etc.
Later this summer and fall I plan on a shake down cruise and crew search.

It is essential that you create deadlines from your project plan. This you have done, excellent!

As you note, leaving for most is critical. This is because many have little sailing experience, and less faith in their boat. From your description, it would seem that you are going over the boat thoroughly. Down load the "Am I Ready CheckList" and cross check what you have done against it.

Yes, it is an excellent idea to go out sailing in the boat as much as possible.

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by goprisko

It is essential that you create deadlines from your project plan. This you have done, excellent!

As you note, leaving for most is critical. This is because many have little sailing experience, and less faith in their boat. From your description, it would seem that you are going over the boat thoroughly. Down load the "Am I Ready CheckList" and cross check what you have done against it.

Yes, it is an excellent idea to go out sailing in the boat as much as possible.

My father was very particular about stuff (of German decent and a retited USN officer to boot)...especially boats and making sure everything was in place, one of the things I picked up from him. My boat is all I own in the world and I am turning her into a comfortable live aboard for two. I have all of my father's dreams I grew up with and what I have been planning for when I might someday get a boat to draw on. Living where I do (Port Townsend, WA) I have input and help from alot of experienced sailors.

[goprisko]

Let's discuss boats to build for a moment.....

Jay Benford's sailing Dories... should be looked at...

www.benford.us/welcome.html

Tom Colvin's Radian, Poor Man's Ocean Cruiser, Gazelle, Sharpies, Saugeen Witch(Naia), Tamarack, Doxy, Sea Hermit, Dunmowen

DESIGNS

Chesapeake Yacht Design Sharpie 36, Trailer Sailer 32, Pilot House Cutter, Bahama Mama, Coaster

Boat Plans and Yacht Designs -- Chesapeake Marine Design

Dudley Dix Yacht Design Pratique 35, Hout bay 33, Hout Bay 30

Stock boat plans and designs by Dudley Dix Yacht Design

And the classics, American Small Sailing Craft by Howard I. Chapelle

Amazon.com: American Small Sailing Craft: Their Design, Development and Construction (9780393031430): Howard I. Chapelle: Books

American Small Sailing Craft by Howard I. Chapelle

Boat Building by Howard I. Chapelle

Boatbuilding - Howard I. Chapelle - Out of Stock

Yacht Designing and Planning by Howard I. Chapelle

Holdings - Yacht Design


Note the books available to borrow from Tom Gilmer and Tom Colvin and John Hanna

I recommend anyone with a keen interest in yachts and their finer aspects read as many of Howard Chapelle's books as he can.

INDY

[wolfenzee]

Anyone who tels me "I want to build a boat"....I tell them get a very basic (if not bare) hull and finish it yourself. You can find bare hulls people build and/or obtained and never finished next to if not nothing.
It seems like a horrible thing to do but...a good bare hull that is someone else's broken dream can be easily found.
But if you want a source of wooden cruising boat designs, http://www.boat-links.com/Atkinco mine is the Captain Cicero

[goprisko]

A source for inboard engine parts

Inboard Hardware-www.boatdesigns.com
Rudder Tiller/Quadrant-www.boatdesigns.com

Designs for cruising sailing craft and dinghies...

Sailboats-www.boatdesigns.com

Fifty Wooden Boats: A Catalog of Building Plans, Volume 1

By Wooden Boat Magazine
Fifty Wooden Boats: A Catalog of ... - Google Books
Thirty wooden boats: a second catalog of building plans

By Woodenboat Magazine
Thirty wooden boats: a second ... - Google Books

Forty Wooden Boats:

A Third Catalog of Building Plans

Forty Wooden Boats: A Third Catalog ... - Google Books

The Rudder Sail Boat Plans

Amazon.com: The Rudder Sail Boat Plan Book: Books

Sail Boat Secrets

Looking For Sailboat Plans? Download Free Sail Boat Plans

DuckWorks

Duckworks Indexes - Bibliography

Free Boat Designs

Free Boat Design Resources - What's New

Bruce Roberts Goodson

steel sailboat plans, sailboat kits, sailboat building, steel boat kits, boat kits

INDY

INDY