What can I do with 40K?

[appick]

This sounds like a no wrong answers type of question, I like those! As for me, I'm in the go now camp. As far as upgrades that depends on the comforts you feel are necessary. You don't have to have refrigeration to go cruising, but it sure is really nice and makes life a lot easier!

Based on my own experiences and biases this is what I'd do if I wanted to go now, or at least get the boat now. I'd start by working 3-5 jobs for the next 3 months or so and living off of ramen beans and rice ect.

Then to get the utmost bang for you buck in boat purchases 1) Don't fall in love with any boat no matter how beautiful or perfect, and 2) I'd hop a plan train or drive to the Great Lakes. There are some seriously great deals on boats here. Stainless steel doesn't rot and most of the boats aren't used for at least 6 months a year. In your price range don't bother shopping at too many of the brokerages. What you need to do is shop along the back fence of the yards so to speak. You want the forgotten and forlorn boats. Look for the ones that are structurally sound but maybe have moss and dirt covering the topsides and leafs in the scuppers. It doesn't matter if there is a for sale sign. Ask around the yard about the boat, look for a last name painted on the cradle. Then get in touch with your inner stalker and google the crap out of it lol.

Read up on how to survey a boat yourself before paying someone to do it. If you're in the low end price range and you feel comfortable with your powers of observation, it sometimes doesn't make sense to pay for a survey as it might cost 1/5-1/10 the purchase price. Make sure the basics are there, engine runs, sails, interior. It doesn't have to be perfect but you don't want something with no interior either. Don't be too picky on make, model, and designer plenty of cheap roomy and capable Hunters, Catalinas, and oddballs around for great prices. Just know how to tell a good sturdy boat from some flimsy poorly designed and built boats.

I'd personally shoot for a boat in the 29-40ft range. Sailboat listings . com and craigslist will be your friend too. Personally I've gotten great deals on several boats of mine and for friends by using variations of the methods listed above and just asking around.

Anyways hope its not too rambling a response, good luck and happy hunting.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Siberianhusky

Invest it for retirement. That really isn't much money at all by todays standards.

Obviously.

And nobody said retirement needed to wait until extreme age. But for heavens sake, let the money do some work.

I had many adventures when I was younger. But they didn't require dropping out. A youngster can get pretty crazy for 2 weeks.

[Sea Dreaming]

Check out
Orca's Log

Certainly what you are asking for is possible. I don't know how old you are but you won't be able to "retire" on your budget. However, you can, with forethought, set yourself up so that you can minimize land based employment.

Read "Get Real, Get Gone" and "Voyaging on a small income". The latter is a bit dated, but both will give you some good advice for keeping you goals in perspective. Your question isn't about money, but rather your attitude about money.

[masonc]

Originally Posted by ET12

Hi, I need expertise please.

I am person who once lived on a boat for a year in a Hawaii harbor, also a surfer who has traveled the world to surf.

I just inherited money, about $50,000.

I figured instead of buying property (with a location I don't want), why not just sail and surf anywhere in the world.


My destinations in mind are: California, Tahiti, Indonesia, Hawaii, Ireland, Norway, Alaska and more.

What would you recommend I buy, and is it possible to live on a boat work-free with an income of $650 a month?

How old are you? If approaching 60, that'll get you a small operation. If you're in your 20's, buy a boat, fix it, sail the world and enjoy.

[Brooderman]

I'm in the same market as you. I figure I'm looking at 40K asking prices - hoping to buy for 30K, then spend on making the boat safe and "my own". I know I could live on $750 a month, but I'd want to have a 10K reserve in the bank for that big emergency repair or a plane ticket back to home.

You need to know how to fix things, probably more important than knowing how to sail (I'll get blasted for that comment - but both are important) otherwise repairs will beat down your dream.

Keep us posted - I've got personal issues stopping me from going now but I'd like to know how your experience turns out. In the meantime I keep saving for that leap - maybe another year for me.

Also there's two different camps on size - some say buy as big as you can and some say buy as small as you can stand. I want to buy big and work on it. Yes costs are greater but big or small you still have a galley, motor, sail plan, standing rigging, ground tackle and more. Do it yourself and manage the costs. There's some great books out there on boat repairs that cover every system. Help me out guys - One is "This old boat" or something like that. I have it somewhere. And I'm sure there's more like that that I haven't seen.

You can do it. Don't listen to the nay sayers. Most everyone you know will say you're nuts - so get ready to act like it - have fun.

[roverhi]

Get a boat around 30' with a good reputation for strong construction, a Yankee 30 comes to mind but there are a bunch of others, for around $10,000. Spend some money buying things like self steering, proper canvas, etc. and be off for less than $20,000, maybe way less. Stay out of marinas unless you are working, they are money pits. Lots of good surfing in little known areas where you can anchor and work with the locals to live off the land and sea to cut your living expenses. Not the 'responsible' thing to do but you aren't getting any younger.

[kclancy]

Originally Posted by DawnTreader

You can buy and refit completely a boat for 40k. You can live on $650 a month. These are similar figures to our budget. Which boats and how to refit can be found at

Atom Voyages - Home

Basically 27-32 ft, fiberglass, and old.

If you want to see what we have done on that budget check out

www.sailingdawntreader.com

We could spend even less, but probably not much less.

Stay away from complicated expensive systems because they cost a lot and are not needed. Instead concentrate on strong and simple.

Brian

What is done when "refitting" a boat? I have heard this said many times, but being new-to-sailing and still learning the ropes (on a small Cat 22), I am not sure what this entails. I am sure it depends on the boat, but is there some standard items that are always included?

What complicated systems are you suggesting to avoid? I really like the idea of keeping it simple too.

Thanks!

[kclancy]

I just saw Uncivilized's post with a link to refitting. Sorry, I should have read through all the posts before posting!

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by ET12

Thanks. What about getting a slip in a harbor, or anchoring. Are these hard to get?

Depends on where you are. For living aboard long term some places it's extremely difficult to get a slip or anchor (California, Hawaii), some places it's easy but expensive for a slip but free to anchor. On your budget plan to anchor out.

Originally Posted by ET12

Is traveling a far distance really that difficult with technology?

Answer is yes or no or depends. How long, where, what time of year, solo or with crew, how much experience and knowledge will you gain before you go?

Originally Posted by ET12

I'm sure I'll still have internet access

Not out in the ocean unless you have thousands of $ to spend. You will be able to get it most places when you get to your destination but again, may be a big hit on your budget in some places.

Originally Posted by ET12

plenty of solar power.

Good plan.

Originally Posted by ET12

Not to mention fishing.

Don't plan on fishing for your primary source of food. Deep ocean you can go days or weeks with no fish. Close to land better chances but again depends on where you are.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by brianlara 3

You mean....buy a state of the art motorised wheel chair.
Wet blanket attitude. Sorry, but don't agree.

I've been calling automobiles motorized wheelchairs for years...I thought I was the only one who used that term....so glad to see there are two of us!

FWIW, sailing is the fountain of youth...it makes you younger...provided your boat is old enough and crappy enough.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by kclancy

What complicated systems are you suggesting to avoid? I really like the idea of keeping it simple too.

Complicated systems:

Refrigeration, water maker, SSB, in-mast furling, radar, air conditioning, hot water, pressure water, propane stove with oven, electric windlass, canting keel, self steering, sat phone.

And...dare I say it....diesel engine...there, I said it! A reliable diesel is great to have, but think about how great life would be without that huge metal monster on your boat...no stinky fuel, no oil/filter changes, no fuel filtering/polishing...ah...life would be good.

Simple systems:

Foot pump for fresh water, bow roller, anchor locker, furling jib, slab reefing main, tiller steering, autohelm on that tiller, origo stove, handheld vhf, handheld gps, navionics on your existing phone, hard dinghy with oars, icebox, 12v fan when its hot, blankets when its cold.

OK...here's your boat, ready to go, needs nothing, and leaves you lots of $ to keep you eating for a long long time:

Pearson 30 sailboat for sale | other | Kingston | Kijiji

Or here's a better plan....get this boat, and find some (3 or 4) crew. You provide the boat, let the crew pay for everything else...win/win:

C&C 40 centerboard model | sailboats | Kitchener / Waterloo | Kijiji

[sailorchic34]

For someone trying to sail on not a lot of money, A smaller 30-34 ish foot boat will do far better then a larger boat. Everything costs more as the boat gets larger. From Rigging, to sails, even slips and bottom jobs are are based on the length of the boat.

To me a simple boat will not have the following:
watermaker, nice to have, but can be temperamental
air conditioning, (nice to have, but you need a genny to run it at anchor, more parts to fail)
Fancy integrated electronics. A $200 tablet and a depth sounder does it proud. You don't need radar or AIS
Hydraulic steering. Hoses and seals leak. wheel is ok, Tiller is better.
electric head (Electric pump and waste, what could go wrong???)
diesel hydronic heaters. Lots O' things to go wrong.
TEAK DECKS. They look lovely when new but are a maintenance nightmare.
WOOD BOATS. Goodlander's dad, who owned a wood boat, made Fatty swear to never buy a wood boat (nuf said).

Ideally a simple fiberglass boat with basic electrical, a small galley, basic plumbing, simple uncomplicated rig and little or no teak on deck. I love the look of teak, but its maintenance heavy. I think an encapsulated lead keel is better, but that's debatable.

The basics when looking at a boat to buy is a good hull and deck (no soft spots), no "big" blisters, good "usable" mast and standing rigging and a good engine. Ideally a solid glass hull. Everything else is a wear item. You'll eventually need new sails, running rigging, and everything else that can and will break.

The fewer and simpler systems the less to break. Larger complex boats have more systems with pumps, electrical, etc,etc and all of it will break.

Now if you have LOT's of $$, then go ahead and get that big boat with the bells and whistles. If I had a ton of cash, I might buy a bigger boat too.

For the low budget sailor and I'm at the low end of budget sailing, simple is FAR better. The less things to break.

Some folks will spend $10K for a new set of sails. Myself I'm more in the $300 used but still has some mileage in it type of sails. Autopilots, I think the older Autohelm 3000/4000 is better (heavier duty) then the newer raymarine wheel pilots that cost 3-4 times more. Plus I've fixed the 3000 with $5 of transistors and capacitors and added a wireless remote for $13. I do have that engineering thingy, so I might not be average.

The other thing with budget sailing is avoid marine stores like the plague. I just put a rubber mat 1x1 foot interlocking squares under my mattress for $4. The marine version costs $144 for the same amount of mat. So careful shopping for both the boat and the ongoing fix'n it up, is key.

Mind you you can't go cheap on everything. Running and standing rigging HAS to be good stuff. Same with ground tackle. Though I have purchased good used chain for $1/foot. I purchased a spool of 1/2" double braid years ago and still have 200 ish feet and redid all the running rigging. Even made my own eye splices. Engine parts need to be good. Though sometimes Ebay has good deals.

You can buy a boat and cruise for a few years with $40K. Or you could buy a money pit that never leaves the dock. Shop wisely.

[Dave22q]

You probably find and refit an older boat for ocean crossing but not unless you have real experts helping you pick the boat. Incredibly easy to buy a wrong boat and have mega dollar surprises.Living on $650 is possible but not easy. For example, the best way to save on food is buy in bulk and freeze most for later. Not easy to run a small freezer on the hook. Necessary repairs and maintenance will also hit your budget.
Living the dream is neither easy nor cheap. Sorry but reality can be a bitch. You might start with a 2-3 k 'project boat'. Spend a few k adding solar, refrigeration and freezer and anything absolutely necessary for living on the hook, not sailing. Then see how you like living aboard on your income. Learn as much as you can including crewing for others. Then in a few years you can consider putting your inheritance into a blue water cruiser.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Siberianhusky

Invest it for retirement. That really isn't much money at all by todays standards.

I was going to say that but you are only young once. I'm old, well enough off to do things and can't physically, so it makes me wonder if being conservative is always the right thing?

[chriscd]

lots of islander 36s available. strong, fast. the freeport is slower.
check the mast step for corrosion. ideally someone will already have dealt with that.