Small Stuff Adds Up!

[brownoarsman]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

He's actually on his way out being 17 and has late stage cat HIV. THEN I can buy those ruby slippers.....

Yeah Right, It will be another cat....

Sorry to hear about your kitty. I'm sure dekat will be missed.

[barnakiel]

Yep.

I calculated our pre-Caribbean fix-me budget as:

boatyard - 750USD,
chainplates - 250USD,
Selden toggle -50USD.

Makes USD 1000,00. I looked at the figure and said "we are the men!"

Now my partner steps in and says something that sounds like "You did not count two dozen of sub-50USD items, did you, you ****!"

I may be wrong on the last part. Maybe she said "you count".

So as per OP's request, small stuff adds up.

Cheers,
b.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

We have gone waaaay past the thread topic, but I'll play as it's that or old Twin Peaks on Netflix.

How are you getting Netflix? I can't get any marina internet to work here, only the clubhouse seems to have it.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Get a low maintenance model.

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Will come when called about the same as the real ones

Now THAT was funny. No offense to cat lovers, of course.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

How are you getting Netflix? I can't get any marina internet to work here, only the clubhouse seems to have it.

I know people

Come to poker at 6:30 and I'll tell you, or not

[sailorboy1]

Hey in 14 days I'll post my month 12 spending. It's going to have a line item for shore power electric. Now that's going to get some people going

[Mirage35]

FWIW, now coming to the end of our first season of boat ownership, local cruising on Lake Ontario ...

We took the empties back today, and it looks like one unexpected cost is increased wine consumption. All of those pleasant evenings at anchor ...

I can live with it.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I know people



Come to poker at 6:30 and I'll tell you, or not

I don't play cards, and I don't need anyone to teach me either

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by AnglaisInHull

FWIW, now coming to the end of our first season of boat ownership, local cruising on Lake Ontario ...

We took the empties back today, and it looks like one unexpected cost is increased wine consumption. All of those pleasant evenings at anchor ...

I can live with it.

Some things are well worth the added expense

[TrentePieds]

We are tooling - on foot- along the high street in a little colonial burgh in temperatures that are twenty yankee degrees above what we normally get, and MB sez "you haven't had any ice cream for ages! Would you like one?" "Good of you to offer", sez i, "two scoops of maple-walnut, please". "That'll be 4.95" sez the ice cream lady

An hour later we are in the super market provisioning. 1 litre of ice cream is $2.95. Assume there are twenty scoops to the litre. Two scoops would cost 15 cents, appr.

Is the difference of $4.80 to be booked as a "boat cost" because pokey little TP doesn't have a freezer so we could go at the litre slowly?

In my experience, vittles are more expensive when living afloat, partly due to limited selection that is available in small places along the shore, and cooky's resultant propensity to substitute, and partly due to the higher prices these stores in such places do, and often must, charge to remain viable.

TP keeps a van wherein to keep her clobber and tools. I don't need a van. TP does, because shore base is a garden variety apartment type condo. I allocate $100/month for costs of OWNING the van. Operating costs and insurance are extra. I wouldn't need to incur those costs except for TP's sake. Are those costs "boat costs"?

I'm back to my refrain: "You should be able to walk away from your "investment" in the boat with a smile on your face. And for the periods you live aboard, cruising episodically as we do, you need to increase your food budget by 30 or 40 percent for the time you cruise.

Then, AFTER that, you can begin to count the bits and pieces for the boat maintenance.

TP

[Jim Cate]

Is the difference of $4.80 to be booked as a "boat cost" because pokey little TP doesn't have a freezer so we could go at the litre slowly?

Or you can do as we did in the Marquesas some years ago when we had nor refrigeration at all: got together with another boat, put spoons in our back packs, walked into Atuona and the Chinese store, bought a liter of ice cream and sat on the curb in front of the store and ate it all.. local kids thought we were nuts!

It was the first ice cream in months... sure tasted good!

Jim

[sailnautilus]

You can always tell a good cruising woman.....she has two spoons and napkins in her backpack....for unplanned ice cream stops at the local market. Saves a ton of money not going to the "ice cream shoppe". The only problem is that the admiral and the captain don't like the same flavors.....so someone has to compromise....

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by thomm225

I still believe you can enjoy owning a boat without spending a lot of money.

I have about $8,500 in my boat which includes a new outboard, new mainsail, 100 Watt Solar Panel, three Solar Controllers, two inverters, autopilot, Compass (one of my old GPS's failed), jackline, harness, and tether

Then I may have spent about $1,500-$2,000 over the past six years for maintenance to include two bottom jobs, one topside paint job, impellers, oils, stanchion (that I still haven't replaced but did epoxy over the mounting holes), one bilge pump, and two replacement batteries.

This money also includes bringing the boat back from being on the hard for 5 years unattended after the PO cruised it from Massachusetts to Florida and the Bahamas.

I have yet to replace the rigging or any of the thruhulls. I'm using all the old instruments that came on the boat and the old anchors (a CQR and a Bruce) and rode. I'm also still using the PO's docklines

At this point I'm sailing/"cruising" the boat within a 100 X 30 mile area on the Chesapeake Bay to see how it performs plus I'm still working

Coming back yesterday there was practically no wind so I motored with the 5hp outboard for about 20 miles at speeds around 5 knots ( I had the tide) and it was a beautiful clear sunny day. A very nice return trip on autopilot!

That's great but if one has money, or more money than you ,whats wrong with them enjoying it? People on big boats with money can also be happy and shouldn't feel like they need to apologize for doing ok. I've been happy with little money and happy with comfortable money, if I have the choice I will choose happinesd with comfortable money everytime.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by daletournier

That's great but if one has money, or more money than you ,whats wrong with them enjoying it? People on big boats with money can also be happy and shouldn't feel like they need to apologize for doing ok. I've been happy with little money and happy with comfortable money, if I have the choice I will choose happinesd with comfortable money everytime.

No one mentioned that those who enjoy spending lots of money on boats, boat maintenance, electronics, etc should apologize.

I'm simply pointing out to those that might like to try cruising that you don't need to spend a lot especially at first. (while you see if you will enjoy it)

While living and sailing in Florida for about 12 years, I saw quite a few couples and single guys sell everything and go off cruising only to return in 6 months to a year and start over. This after spending years and years of savings to do it.

I don't spend a lot on boats because I've had so many of them and can usually get by with something much older and less expensive than most plus I single handed which means my boats don't necessarily have to look perfectly maintained or have all the amenities, etc .............they just have to be built well, have good sails, good engine, working electronics, solar, a few anchors etc

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "and can usually get by with something much older and less expensive"

"Use it up. Make it do. Wear it out!" as the slogan used to have it. Sound counsel - for the individual - at sea as on shore. Only problem is that if we all were to do that (all of us, not just us sailors), it would totally bugger the economy! We NEED the profligate aficionados of conspicuous consumption.

One of my pet peeves is that what is good micro-economically is perdition macro-economically. And vice versa!

Somebody help me fix that, please! I'm already doing my bit :-)

TP