Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by Doodles

For $25K, I'd put my money in this and have a better platform for living aboard, especially in the tropics.
Tikaroa - For Sale

I get the feeling that this thread is under attack by flamers who are trying to destroy any rational discussion of the subject of minimalist budget cruising. Especially since such statements like the above come from a mono-hull owner who does not own a multi-hull by their own admission. I believe that does a serious disservice to folks who are honestly considering how to move from their current land life into a life-style of adventure as a cruiser.
- - As I said before folks have crossed oceans in literally anything that floats and even one guy named "Bricka" walked across the Atlantic Ocean on two skinny pontoons (sort of a multi-hull) one on each foot from France to Antigua with a harness attached to a raft of his supplies. You can look it up under the title "One Bricka Short of a Full Load."
- - But the idea of anybody spending US$25K (18K Euro) for a boat built from plywood of any sort, mono or multi for serious minimalist budget cruising falls in the same category as those I would like to sell a certain bridge in Brooklyn to . . .
- - As a real cruiser you are going to hit things and make gouges in your hull(s). Flexing and bashing into seas such as is normal on the Thorny Path to the Caribbean will quickly take a toll on a plywood boat that will not occur in a FRG or even better yet a metal boat. Such gouges from contact with rocks, reefs, and other of Neptune's hazards to mariners will quickly compromise the integrity of the wood and allow all sorts of little critters who love to eat wood infest the boat's hull. I have seen grown men cry in boatyards when their absolutely gorgeous wooden boats are smashed into pieces to fit into the dempsy dumpster because of worm infestations.
- - The minimalist budget cruiser, IMHO, 99 times out of a 100 is going to go mainstream with FRG and if they are lucky and can afford or find a metal boat in good condition really join the mainstream world cruiser community.
- - Time after time in real life I have seen minimalist budget cruiser have to terminate their dream as the cost of repairing their boat exceeds their budget. The boatyards in Trinidad and many other places are full of such boats along with bays and backwater harbors all over the world.
- - So maybe it is time to close this thread . . .