Life Expectancy

[Belier]

I'm minimum 8 years away from casting off the bowlines, could be as long as 12 years as my youngest navigates jr. high, high school and perhaps college. That said, I am in process of selecting the vessel that I plan on living aboard in the next year and retrofit in anticipation of my journeys.
My question is what is the life expectancy for various cruising equipment?
Sails will need to be replaced most likely over the live-aboard time frame as well as again before casting off. Electronics only as absolutely necessary until just before casting off. But what about the wind-vane, how long will that last? What about standing rigging and running rigging, etc.
I'm looking to compile a comprehensive database of any and all considerations for equipment that I may, or anybody else heading offshore might require, and keep it updated through the years until I cast off.
I don't want to put all retrofit and upgrades off until the year before I cast off and would like to be working on the upgrades through the years with the caveat of not having to redo an expensive upgrade more than once.
For the record I would be sailing for as long as my body is able so 5-10 years is my best guess at this point in life.
So max life expectancy items of 22 years could be refit now if required, etc.
Any and all input is appreciated, and will be compiled into the database.

[thinwater]

Personally, I would follow a financial plan, but planning that far out on a boat seems wrong. First off, there's at least a 50/50 chance you'll decide you want a different boat. Second, practically all gear will be feeling its age in 12+10=22 years. So replace what is needed now and revisit the whole subject in 8 years or so. Unless the boat needs a keel-to-deck refit (which is a bad deal--you're probably better off with a different boat), you really shouldn't need to allow more than 2-3 years for gearing up and breaking it all in.

My suggestion is lots of short cruising with the kids NOW. That will teach you what you think of the boat and cruising. Outfitting is the easy part once you know what you want and need.


I don't think I've ever known and been right about what I would want 15 years in the future. I think you will find the average sailor changes boats about every 10-12 years.

[Tillsbury]

8-12 years is replacement territory for a fair amount of stuff — anything made of rope or Dacron for a start, and most electronics and hoses. Standing rigging and structural elements will need a serious inspection by then.

Go sailing now. Replace things as they are required. Start planning when you’re 2-3 years out at the most, which is about when you will make the call either to fix the remaining parts of the boat or get a new one.

[Marathon1150]

I strongly agree with the above two posts. Sails and rigging seem to have about a 10 or so year usable life span. If you are seeking offshore insurance, we have had two brokers who insisted on new rigging after 10 years or any damage resulting from rigging failure would not be covered.

Electronics, in my view, have a shorter life span if you are keen to have reasonable functionality. There are a few exceptions. Our Icom M-802 seems to have not changed in 15 years though it is likely that firmware upgrades may have been made meaning that our radio looks like new 802's but functionality is not the same. Our radar, about 14 years old is not as good in many ways as newer models. Our AIS system is about 5 years old and can be updated with new firmware if an internet connection can be made.

The above two posts are, in my view, right on, including the notion of sailing now to figure out what you need/like/want. And to confirm that cruising is really something that you want to do. We have met people who spent a lot of time and money upgrading a boat for offshore and extended local cruising who discovered that it wasn't what they thought it would be.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Tillsbury

8-12 years is replacement territory for a fair amount of stuff — anything made of rope or Dacron for a start, and most electronics and hoses. Standing rigging and structural elements will need a serious inspection by then.

Go sailing now. Replace things as they are required. Start planning when you’re 2-3 years out at the most, which is about when you will make the call either to fix the remaining parts of the boat or get a new one.

In the boat yard where I fitted out my first sail boat there was a group who had been building their boats for many years. They were a diverse bunch which included a German school teacher a couple of Polish refugees from the communist dictatorship Poland was at that time and a fifth generation Australian house painter.

The house painter was one of those folks who need to have every detail completed before launching and going cruising. The Poles had taken over a ferro hull which had been abandoned and scrounged stuff from everywhere, (their masts were planed from telegraph poles) and there was a Brit amongst them who built a small Wharam.

The Wharam was a picture of simplicity with a single set of sails, portable gas camping stove and a couple of buckets and no engine. The total of the enclosed living space was a small camping tent.

The house painter finally launched, had a going away party and we waved him goodbye from the dock one sunny morning. He reappeared a week later and when I enquired of the reason was informed that he had found an unpainted cupboard door.

The poles made it about thirty miles north before the telegraph poles broke off and they had to be towed into harbour. They had read in a book that one should be careful not to over tighten the rigging and the Polish interpretation of this was to leave it loose and floppy. The unsupported telegraph poles did not respond well to this. I later heard they replaced them with salvaged galvanized water pipe.

The last I saw of the Brit he was about 1,200 miles up the Western Australian coast and heading off across the Indian Ocean for India. I don't know if he made it back to Britain but I certainly admired his spirit.

We're a diverse community and have diverse approaches as to what is required in order to go cruising.

[Belezar]

A couple of small notes - age isn’t a bad indicator but use and storage can affect how long something lasts significantly. Well covered and cleaned can last significantly longer, and your intended use will change how long a used part might last. Regardless, there is little reason to get anything much earlier than you need it.