Monthy income to cruise serious inquiry.

[Wind459]

Hello, I just purchased my first sailboat, she isn't a live aboard but she is a great weekend cruiser. There are a ton of boat costs associated with having a boat where I am located (lake Michigan). My game plan is to get comfortable with sailing my own boat, keep my townhome and rent it out, then try to find a job that allows me to cruise. My question is, what is the avg monthy income you need to pull in to live comfortably cruising in say the bahamas or the pacific northwest. (yes I know prices vary a lot , but those are the two places I realistically would check out after the great lakes.) Just to narrow down the variables, lets say I get a Hans Christian 38, and Realistically I have a monthy payment of 500 on it. Get some insurance, and your looking at around 100. I would try to live off the hook as much as possible but, I would figure I would have stop ins in harbors and at the very least have to put the boat on the hard every year for a little bit of time to paint the hull ect. Not to mention boat registration/paperwork and finally a savings account for repairs.

So TLDR: What is a realistic monthy income I should gun for to cruise with piece of mind that I can afford repairs, save for upgrades, and maintance.

[dwedeking2]

Between $500 - $7000 per month (according to the posts on this site). Really it all depends on how much you have to be tied to land for work and your lifestyle.

For me, in northern Florida, I do it at just under $1500 per month. Single guy, living at the dock (have to go into an office M-F). Living on land in a 1 bedroom apt was running me about $2000 a month (as a reference point).

[Kenomac]

Hans Christian, nice boat, tons of woodwork, lots of work requiring mega elbow grease, equals higher maintenance costs.

[sailorboy1]

Well everyone soon will tell you it will cost as much as you have. I've been cruising 5 months now and will say that that's true, as long as it's more than$3k/month

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Well everyone soon will tell you it will cost as much as you have. I've been cruising 5 months now and will say that that's true, as long as it's more than$3k/month

I'm curios to see if your budget will settle down, in particular to see what happens in the Bahamas.
I say that as it seems that we may have similar tastes and interests

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I'm curios to see if your budget will settle down, in particular to see what happens in the Bahamas.
I say that as it seems that we may have similar tastes and interests

I think it is more the continued fit out that is mostly effecting the budget. I have 9 days left in the month and have $1000 of this months budget left. But checking into the Bahamas will take $300 of that.

To the OP the best way to get budget handle for you is to look for blogs for people cruising as you feel you are going to, and then see if they post budget info or to contact them.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I think it is more the continued fit out that is mostly effecting the budget. I have 9 days left in the month and have $1000 of this months budget left. But checking into the Bahamas will take $300 of that.



To the OP the best way to get budget handle for you is to look for blogs for people cruising as you feel you are going to, and then see if they post budget info or to contact them.

Also... you get better at budgeting itself, as well as provisioning. The more places you visit and the more people you meet the better your cruising skills get... you get better at finding bargains, knowing how to find parts cheaply, when to recognize a rip off, when to do without, and so forth.

We are 3+ years in and our budget is finally settling down.

[SV Windrush II]

That is a very broad question. Depends on if you are cruising or staying at the dock most of the time and your location.

You mentioned living on the hook. That may not be possible depending on the location you are at. For example, in the PNW, it is not legal to be anchored any longer than a few days or possibly a week at a time in one location, and in addition to that you will need to purchase a permit from the Park Service to anchor anywhere close to a park.

When we cruise I have a minimum budget of $3,000 per month. if we are anchored or on the dock, that all depends on local charges, and general cost of living. I can tell you that if you are anywhere near Seattle, marina charges and living cost there is going through the roof.

If there is major repair or refit to do, that's in addition to the monthly budget. But last time I hauled out in Puget Sound, did a bottom job, installed a transducer and Raymarine digital sonar, and some general repairs, I splashed after spending $5,000.
I did a similar thing in Hawaii a year later close to the same cost.

Living on a boat will not save you any money compared to renting an apartment, especially if you include the cost of upkeep.

[chuckr]

we will be publishing 8 years of cost data in the next couple of days but here is our 7 years of cost data

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ta-164643.html

[zeehag]

i cruise quite comfortably on 1500 usd monthly.
pick your cruising grounds intelligently and it is easy. manage your maintenance well and it is easy.
and then there are those who cannot manage under 5000 usd monthly.
it is all up to what you enjoy and what you can do to stretch a buck.

[jpstevens]

Thanks to Chuck's compilation, you have just about everything you need to make a useful estimate.

[oregoncycle]

It really boils down to HAVE vs NEED. I have $1500 a month. If I budget a third for the boat and a third for normal provisions, I am left with a third to spend as discretionary funds. Discretionary funds are for example , do I go to a marina or save by staying on the hook. Do I buy good Gin or ?

Learned from some successful Alaskan commercial fishermen that what ever your budget is always reserve and save a third for the boat.