Months you spend on boat in a year

[01kiwijohn]

I planned to retire early, and did so. We've spent between 3 1/2 and 5 months (May thru October) per year over the past 11 years cruising the PNW, Alaska and a trip to Hawaii and back.
We bought an old Cascade 36; for the sake of financial prudence, not requiring offshore insurance nor loan payments. Big enough for two but easily sailed by one. Single spreader rig, tiller steering, anchor gear handled by manual windlass, 6 foot max draft, minimal exterior woodwork, hard dodger, no unnecessary complications.
So far, the right decision for us.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by blu3534

you forgot to mention the pollution equivalent of 12 or 13 million cars

(https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2012/0...ollution-laws/, https://www.seattletimes.com/life/tr...aska-sailings/)

Links are from 2012, not sure if it still applies. But with what I read in Covid news it seems that the cruise ships still emitted an awful lot of dirt until very recently. (Wonder why we talk about composting toilets after reading the amount that these dirty ships dump at sea).

Offtopic but mentioned in the hope that you don't get too used to that Princess life (they should get scraped, all of them ). Enjoy your own boat!

Hear! Hear!

[barnakiel]

24 months in a year.


b.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

It's the elephant in the room, I fear. Our cruising took a bad hit with a whamity-blam sequence of injuries, illness, hurricane, and now Covid 19. There is nothing economical about our boat. We still love it, can afford it, and are headed out for a short trip Wednesday.

Just look at a marina - a sea of masts and very few sails on the water.

Normally we spend 5 to 6 months on the boat. It would be much more if we did not also have a nice state-side home and children to be close to. Anyone who loves the cruising life and living aboard their boat should be very thankful if they were able to do that this year. We left our boat in Belize in February one week before news of the pandemic and lockdowns came into general knowledge. Can't get back. It's in a tiny marina but we can't even get reports on its condition. Hope by the time we get back it is not a total loss or worse yet, a liability to dispose of.

Beginning to understand the feelings of those who lost their boats in hurricanes last couple years.

[LoudMusic]

We spend probably 3/4 of the year (~270-280 days) on the boat. Anchored, mooring balls, marina ... All up and down the east coast and to the Bahamas.

But we spend probably less than 50 days per year in motion on the boat, either sailing or motoring. I count so far 34 this year and we're hauling out for winter in a couple weeks.

Everyone's use is different. People need to really take time to evaluate their use before throwing down potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[01kiwijohn]

Originally Posted by taxwizz

I spend July and August on my boat in the Toronto area.
Then in fall / winter I spent 90 days on Princess cruise ships last year. I could easily get used to that. Wonderful food, world travel, and nightly entertainment. Did 37 days Southampton to Singapore on Sapphire Princess, in a window cabin, for $3,167 Canadian per person, plus taxes etc. The food alone was worth more than $87 per day.
I would LIVE on a cruise ship if I could.
I cannot wait to get on a cruise ship again.

SO glad I went to Glacier Bay, ( among other places) Alaska this year then. we had the place almost all to ourselves, with none of this type of "cruiser" to bother us. It was wonderful.

[Wckoek]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

We spend probably 3/4 of the year (~270-280 days) on the boat. Anchored, mooring balls, marina ... All up and down the east coast and to the Bahamas.

But we spend probably less than 50 days per year in motion on the boat, either sailing or motoring. I count so far 34 this year and we're hauling out for winter in a couple weeks.

Everyone's use is different. People need to really take time to evaluate their use before throwing down potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Yeah, I understand other members who live aboard or cruising more than 5-6 months.
Regular folks would be hard to find enough time to use more than 2-3 months a year at most.
I think lower 30 feet or smaller takes a month or less to maintain a year so that is justifiable for my use, a 35-36 or more would take 2 months or more to maintain a year.

[Stu Jackson]

Amount of use has no proportion or relationship to size of boat. I think standing headroom and amenities, shower, hot water, etc., does much more.


Say 150 hours per year motoring, 4 hours out & back, 150/8 = ~20 days plus two to three times that on the boat at anchor, = 40 - 60 days per year.

[Wckoek]

Yes, the amount of people will be accompany/using the boat as well.
Not a lot of people sailing with me, so I can put up with lack of shower etc.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

24 months in a year.


b.

i will see your 24 and raise ye.... 36

[Tomodore]

Covid this year extended our cruising to full time since staying on board and cruising the Sea of Cortez was safer than flying some where as a tourist. Ina typical year we stay aboard for 9 months a year...but in the last 8 years of cruising full time we have only had 2 typical years. Some 12 month some 6 month years, all adventure though.

[Lost Horizons]

I was told a while ago by a Beneteau dealer that there was a research done to better understand customers’ needs, and the conclusion was that the magic number is 8 days in a year. People tend to keep the boats if they spend more than 8 days a year, and sell if less.

I still work full time; spend about half of the weekends (2-3 days long) and two-three vacation weeks on the boat. Seventy days a year, maybe. I don’t think size has anything to do with it. Size may drive a ratio of time spent in a marina vs actually cruising; bigger boats typically go out less frequently than smaller ones.

[Lost Horizons]

Originally Posted by 01kiwijohn

SO glad I went to Glacier Bay, ( among other places) Alaska this year then. we had the place almost all to ourselves, with none of this type of "cruiser" to bother us. It was wonderful.

Did you sail directly west of Vancouver Island or through the Inside Passage?

[gonesail]

on the boat 5 or 6 months per year.

[contrail]

Since early 1982, with the exception of '92-'95, 12 months per year liveaboard (like Barnakiel and ZeeHag, I guess). So, that's about 35 years. Not tired of it, yet, and can't imagine being a dirt dweller.

But, here is the difference: I started young enough that I had no house (and never have had), and had few enough possessions that I didn't have to downsize, the first time I moved aboard. I think these are significant things; "stuff' and houses must be huge impediments to really moving aboard, 100%. I also decided that if I was going to live in a small space, it made no sense unless I actually went sailing, often. So, even when encumbered by demanding jobs, I established an iron clad rule that the boat and I went out at least once a week, plus, of course, weekend and annual cruises. Sometimes the weekly "sail" (I called it "walking the dog") consisted of just motoring around for an hour or so. More often, it was at least half a day or more, sailing the SF Bay and later Southern California. When I started to really cruise, and found myself at a nice town or anchorage, I still went out for a daysail, on a regular basis, rather than staying at anchor for weeks and months. Getting out, once a week, gave me a lot of time on the water, right from the start, and kept the boat ready to go. No plants and bicycles lying around. I could cast off in ten minutes or so, easy. And did. So, for me, there is no house to retreat to, and I continue to move around. But, I never planned to circumnavigate, although I thought I might, and, nowadays, don't spend much time thinking about it, either. But, lots and lots of days spent sailing, and many miles sailed, most of it fun. The philosopher once said, "where there are no choices, there are no problems", and I wonder if having to split time between a land and a sea option makes living aboard more difficult? Don't know, since I have no experience of that.