i hope this hasn't been answered too many times...

[cyrano138]

...but after searching for a while and failing to find it covered, i'd like to throw a wild question out there: just how little can you spend and sail blue water? i can deal with a really small boat, if anyone wants to know (i lived in an 84 Monte Carlo for a year when i was a bit younger).

i ask because i really want to sail abroad, and i have a good job (it doesn't pay much though), but if i were asked to be realistic about how much money i'd ever be able to come up with for a sailboat, i'd have to say 15,000 is a good number.

don't feel like you're being irresponsible by throwing a wild response out there because i'll probably die at sea anyway, either surfing or sailing. just to give you an idea, my friend and i are going to sail from sarasota florida to key west on my hobie16 this winter.

curious to hear your replies,
thanks.

That is a very subjective question. There are certain unavoidable costs such as deposits, insurance and license fees in certain areas. The cost of the boat will depend on your ability to make a deal, and your ability to make the boat what you need it to be. There are lots of free boats out there, that, with some good skills, and a minimum of materials, could be made to go anywhere. Lots of cheap, or free gear, if you have the time to look, and the skills to negotiate it. My opinion, if you are willing to go with the bare minimum, $10k is a good start for the boat and gear. If you plan for $500 per month, you will be able to eat, and cover the bare essentials. If you are able to put together a boat capable of water sailing">blue water sailing for under $10k, you will probably find ways to make a little spending money along the way.
Many have done it for less. Most require much more. Hope this helps.

I should add, the Monte Carlo would not sink and cause you to lose everthing if it leaked a bit, and did not have to operate to be a place to sleep, so the costs are not really comparable.

[cyrano138]

your reply was extremely helpful. thank you!

i only mentioned the monte carlo to demonstrate just how little space i need to live. it seems like some folks are put off at the idea of living on a boat smaller than forty feet, but i've been on a 26' pearson (5k) that was roomy enough to put some of my apartments to shame.

also, i'm not worried about the cost per month once i'm actually on the water. i'll be teaching next year so my summers will be paid even though i won't be working.

just as a 'for example', there's a cheoy lee 27' offshore in this week's sailboat trader for 16,900. i realize you can't say anything without having the boat surveyed, but is it even possible that such an inexpensive boat could be bluewater-worthy?

by the way, i can do fiberglass work, if it matters.

Hopefully snueman will chime in about the boat. I really like the Choey Lee. As for the fiberglass, what you are outlining will require that, and many more skills. You will need to be a fiberglass worker, wood worker, mechanic, rigger, cook, financial planer, painter, nutritionist, chemist, plumber, machinist, electrician, and general inventor.
Keep in mind also, that with the Monte, you could always step outside when it got too small

[cyrano138]

Originally Posted by Kai Nui

...Keep in mind also, that with the Monte, you could always step outside when it got too small

did i mention that i'm a very good swimmer?

We call people like you "Chum"

[cyrano138]

i've heard that joke before...




thought i'd include a couple of photos for a proper introduction. the hobie, to date, is my only boat, but i think it's been a really good place to learn general sailing basics.

[Steve Pope]

Many people have successfully circumnavigated on yachts of around 20 feet, see John Guzwell book about his one on Trekka. I have a friend who sailed a 23 foot Woolacot design all over the South Pacific many years ago. The costs are directly related to your desire to do it and your ability to live as the locals do. Most cruising yachts average between 4.5 and 6.6 knots over any long voyage. Read some of the Pardy's books, lots of good basic cruising tips.
Go for it!.

[Pura Vida]

Take a look at Cruisng on a Small Income by Anne Hill. I think at one point that they were living on about $5 per day, all interest income.

[Ex-Calif]

I think your sense of adventure is to be admired. I would say that if you have built yourself a foundation for your life you should ignore any naysayers and go for it. When I say foundation I mean a set of skills that can carry you through or you can fall back on. Today it seems to be white collar skills but in my day it was hand skills. With a good set of portable skills you can find legal or "marginal" work in many places.

You already know how to live cheap and it seems you are unencumbered with family and commitments. I say go for it as soon as you can. The worst that can happen is you run out of money have to dump the boat in a far off shore for the price of a ticket home. OK - the real worst thing that could happen is you die at sea but who cares? If you worried about that you wouldn't leave the barco lounger.

[Lynx]

Please take a GOOD look at what it cost to fix up a "Fixer Uper" and where you want to go. Even for a Flicka you would need more that $ 30000 USD to get in SAFE shape to go blue water.

As you said that you are going to take a Hobie 16 to the Keys, IF you would stay coastal/Bahamas, you could get a Compac 16 or the like and get it set up. These trips require skill to be successful. You really do not need to be another "lost at sea". Check out what can be gotton as some of the boat donation places for under $ 1000.

There is so many places in the USA to go to via waterways. Why not be safe for a year, then go out and make some more money and then go out to a few more places like the rest of us?

[rtbates]

I believe that you can find a Cape Dory that will fit your bill. Visit the Cape Dory site for info, Cape Dory Boats - IndexCape Dory Boats - Index. I own a 25D that's both trailerable(I have the trailer) and ocean capable (there's one traveling the Pacific as we speak. Read John Vigor's book, "20 small sailboats to take you anywhere": Amazon.com: Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere: Books: John Vigor

The 25D is in there. I bought mine, an 84 in bristol condition, 5 years ago for 20K with the trailer.

Good luck with your search and don't let the naysayers who won't leave shore in anything less than huge distract you. They're a bunch of lightweights, haha.

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by cyrano138

...i'd like to throw a wild question out there: just how little can you spend and sail blue water?

i ask because i really want to sail abroad, and i have a good job (it doesn't pay much though), but if i were asked to be realistic about how much money i'd ever be able to come up with for a sailboat, i'd have to say 15,000 is a good number.

Yo 138,

take a look at the adventures of circumnavigator Captain Fatty Goodlander, and his sailboat "Wild Card", a Hughes 38 which he bought for $1000 (if I remember correctly). He writes for "Cruising World" magazine.

How much you spend has more to do with how much you've got, your skills and determination, and your willingness to make-do. You'd be wise to get some real sailing experience to temper your judgement.

best, andy

cyrano, Some of the books mentioned above I am unfamiliar with, but the ones I have read are old enough that the real costs are a bit out of date. They are still good guides to what can be done, and how to do it, but you will have to do your own research on what the real costs will be. The Pardeys are big advocates of small boats. THeir first boat was a 24' Hess design. They did allot of blue water with two on board in that boat. If i recall, in one of their books, they cite occasions of other sailors trying to redesign small boats for blue water, and the resultant failures. There is allot of skill and knowledge needed to accomplish waht you want to, but it is possible. That said, I also encourage you to go for it. Trust me on this, the old "If I knew then what I know now" thing comes to mind on a daily basis. I really wonder what life would be like had I taken off cruising when I was 18 or 19, and did not have anything to give up.