Shoestring Sailors (Cruising on $500 per month - part II)

[Azul]

Just to show it really is possible to get a nice 34 foot boat for the price of a family vacation, here are before and after pictures of my 1968 Cal 34. At $4300 it came with a 250 hour Yanmar diesel, new wiring, radar and chartplotter, roller furler, good sails, 16K BTU AC, numerous nice modifications like Edson wheel steering and short boom conversion but was cosmetically a disaster.

After a year of work with advice gained from reading CF, and on the shoestringiest of budgets without any unusual expenses and only a few surprises- just loads of epoxy, paint and sandpaper- I have a boat I would be willing to take anywhere and which routinely goes offshore. Under power it burns 0.5 gal of diesel to go 8 miles. Also it went from being one of the ugliest boats in a 90 slip marina to one of the nicest.

I think my $400 inside and out paint job (RustOleum Marine Gloss) looks pretty decent especially since I painted the hull from a kayak. And since it isn't awlgrip I can repair any dings myself essentially for free. After six coats, it now only takes 4 oz of $12 per quart paint and 4 oz of mineral spirits to roll and tip another coat on.

Total investment: maybe $6000 including a 290 W solar system and new batteries.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Group9

"Man who says something cannot be done, should not interfere with man doing it." Old Chinese Proverb.

"Man who can do something probably not need prior approval of CF - even if a bit of help now and again is appreciated" Old DOJ Proverb

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Azul

Total investment: maybe $6000 including a 290 W solar system and new batteries.

Looking good .



Note to self: get one of those bow sitting things .

[o_q]

How much for the girl?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by o_q

How much for the girl?

I suspect the answer will be somewhere between, "if you need to ask........" and "Priceless" .

[frank_f]

Originally Posted by o_q

How much for the girl?

If you have to ask, you can't afford her.

Sorry DOJ beat me to it.

[o_q]

Originally Posted by frank_f

If you have to ask, you can't afford her.

Hey man, my budget is $500 a month.

[frank_f]

Originally Posted by o_q

Hey man, my budget is $500 a month.

That's the realm of inflatables mate.

[o_q]

Originally Posted by frank_f

That's the realm of inflatables mate.

I don't know what kind of business you're running here, but I am not doing that to a dinghy.

[frank_f]

Originally Posted by o_q

I don't know what kind of business you're running here, but I am not doing that to a dinghy.

Aww c'mon, even dinghies need a loving touch now and then. (Wow, no thread drift here )

[Group9]

Originally Posted by o_q

How much for the girl?

I've learned that if you you can't afford a boat, you can forget about affording a girl.

[o_q]

Originally Posted by Group9

I've learned that if you you can't afford a boat, you can forget about affording a girl.

I've learned that if you believe that, it will most definitely be true.

You could lose all but your life, and what will you have? What kind of man would you be if all there was left was the man?

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by o_q

I've learned that if you believe that, it will most definitely by true.

You could lose all but your life, and what will you have? What kind of man would you be if all there was left was the man?

A man that's happier without all the excess drama!

[captain58sailin]

She looks like a nice young lady.

[atoll]

no way your $500 a month is going to last looking after her,unless she is your sister......in which case can i have her phone number

ps nice job on the refit