Thinking about jumping the shark.

[kennyarmes]

I just PM you I am a trucker too call me if you're interested

[alansmith]

Hi Nick, u r going to be alright. When one door closes another will open..or so they say.

PNW is gorgeous...when she ain't raining. For me, being from California would be to drizzly and damp. Keep that in mind if that affects you. Mexico, the Sea of Cortez, is drop dead gorgeous, and very affordable. But it is bloody hot in the Summer. California is perfect climate but the sea can be very rough. It is a big state with many different micro climates. Los Angeles has the Channel Islands and they are very cool places to visit. The ocean is much nicer than northern California.

Nick it is not an easy task to find the boat. It keeps me up late at nights and I sleep fitfully at times. I have now had three boats that I was seriously contemplating disappear right out from under my nose.

So, if you see a boat that you are seriously interested in let me give you some advice...

1. Tie that boat up immediately with an offer contingent upon survey passing and a sea trial. That gives you maneuvering room. No one else can scoop that boat away from you until you okay the deal. Tying the boat up is your way of saying I got the first bid in so I get first chance to accept or reject that boat.
2. You can do a sea trial first or the Survey first. If you don't like one or the other you can reject the boat. No hard feelings on broker or your part. If both pass and you still feel uneasy...walk away...another boat will soon appear. Eventually you will know what it is that meets your eye, pocket book.
3. Educate yourself with viewings of lots of boats north, south, east, and west. Even Great Lakes boats are very nice.

Honestly, Nick, it takes a lot of time to sift the wheat from the chafe. You are a man who has a lot of mechanical appitude. You will due well. Best of luck to you

[lesterbutch]

I live on the east coast of FL and I can tell you, you would be better off here than anywhere else, especially if you come to the Ft. Pierce area. Mid to lower end marinas
are available and the cruising grounds include all of Souh FL and the Bahama's. Huge
numbers of livaboards here!

[rumrunnerdave]

I live on my boat in Seattle, for 15 years now , and the community that is my marina includes some of my closest friends as well as a bunch of really great neighbors.
If you have the chance to check it out there's more than shilshole marina that allows liveaboards , although it does seem to be getting tougher to get that slip . The sailing possibilities are pretty cool with all our islands and anchorages nearby ... Worth a look!

[jpstevens]

Lots of good advise offered. I would agree with a64 that the gulf from Grand isle to Pensacola has many nice marinas with reasonable live-a-board rates.
Kemah, Tx is even more economical. Good luck, we all hope that your decision is the right one for you.

[uncle stinkybob]

Originally Posted by BigNickMontana

5 years, I'm 34 now, I'll be 39 then, I don't want to spend my 40th year figuring it out, I know that much for sure.

Money wise, yeah I could be better off. But I think the experience is more valuable than the money.

Hey Nick!
I waited till 60, wish I had done this when your age but $ and family dictated what I could do. I bought a older 30 footer and am very pleased with it for live aboard. I also took into account that I could easily spend 3-4 thousand more on updating electronics and such, turns out I sould have thought of 5-6 thousand more. Bigger is better....sometimes. Not always for single handing, ease of sailing, cost of slips, they seem to bump up at over 30 foot, maintenance cost's are more.
I'm also a disabled Veteran, 100%. so also on a fixed income. Have you put in for 100%? It might take a little time but worth trying. That would give you a good jump in monthly benefit's and health care is covered 100%, that alone huge for me.
If you make the move to the pacific north west, let me know. I've never said no to the chance of helping another Veteran when he's doing everything he can to help himself. Good luck brother.

[Cadence]

I am sorry. I am not convinced your VA income and cash for a bout,is a good idea?

Boating is not LaLa land it is expensive.

JMHO

[BigNickMontana]

Hey guys don't have enough time to respond to everyone, I will this evening.

I just called the bank and told them I was putting the truck up for sale. It's a done deal, we are working out everything we need to make it happen.

[skwanderer]

"Jumping the shark" is a phrase from a Happy Days tv show when Fonzie was on water skis and literally jumped a shark. Given that ludicrous plot line, it was apparent to everyone that the show had run out of ideas. Kinda similar to passing the sell-by date on food items. Need to finish it and move on.

Thank you for your service, first of all. Much appreciated.

This forum is a great way to start to familiarize notions and concepts about your intended new life. Read it every day over your morning coffee. You'll learn a lot.

Given that you've likely been in ambiguous situations where you had to make decisions on partial data, learn quickly, and make new decisions, I think you'll do fine.

Best of luck in your new adventure!

[wrwakefield]

Hey Nick,

You have received lots of great advice and support in this thread. My intent is to offer more of the same...

I'm [now we...] am on my 5th [and last?] boat, so I have been through this a few times in now my 4th decade boating...

We retired a couple of years ago, so I am also sensitive to your fixed income and initial purchase budget.

The boat selection and purchase is the largest impact item - and the most important decision- impacting your new lifestyle and your future. Like a new job, most of your leverage is in the up front negotiations. There is none after-the-fact...

So, if you could stretch your purchasing budget by another 1/3rd, would you?

Since you mention the PNW, and if I were trying to stretch my budget [as we always are...] I would really concentrate on spending my US dollars in Canada right now if I could find a boat I wanted. [24% exchange rate today, and I have observed as much as 31% in the past few weeks...]

Even if I purchased a boat in WA [and we did in 2014... ] I would head to the more northerly portion of the PNW [Alaska, via beautiful WA and BC] and explore the area. [Document the vessel with an Alaskan home port too... no sales/income taxes here... compared to an average ~10% in WA...] Stay a year [or whatever current rules are...] and become eligible to receive the Permanent Fund Dividend... [Ours was just over US$2k each last year...]

The total budget savings could be ~34% if you purchased a boat today... [24% US-CAN exchange; ~10% ave WA sales tax...]

Disclaimer: I have nothing against paying taxes... I just believe it is prudent to be aware of what those liabilities might be to help me make better decisions... [e.g., What would my donation to WA do for us in Alaska? Note CA is much worse...]

While exploring Alaska, check out some of the small town marinas.

e.g., We keep a 50ft slip for ~$1500/year + electricity in a bomb-proof, newer marina on Wrangell Island [there are 3 marinas totaling 1500 slips...] Our boat is in its slip off-an-on maybe 5 months of the year right now [we are still busy with property elsewhere] but we choose to pay for a full time slip because it costs about the same as 6 months worth of transient docking rates [If you live aboard full time add another $90/month to the cost- in Wrangell; $30 in Ketchikan, but with higher slip fees...]

This is just some first-hand food for thought. It may not be parallel to what you have in mind, but is is a quick [and very legal] way to boost your purchasing budget by about 1/3 and start your new adventures with some real world class cruising.

Best wishes with your impending choices. I look forward to following your adventures.

Cheers!

Bill

PS: No matter where you buy your boat, do pay attention to the local tax ramifications. They can be a nasty gotcha... e.g., Since we bought our current boat in WA in 2014, we had an impending 9.6% sales tax bill if we hadn't left WA waters within 45 days after the purchase... [And there are other ways for cruisers to extend their stay beyond 45 days- all with caveats to be carefully weighed...] And it is worth noting that 45 day countdown timer starts every time our boat re-enters WA waters... [as of 2014 anyway...]

Side Note: In case you didn't already know, boat listings you may see that include the line 'Not for sale in US waters' [in PNW listings anyway...] are non-US registered boats [usually Canadian] currently in US waters; You have to take them out of US waters to complete the sale- a fairly common practice in the PNW... This is often accomplished by going for a day sail with the seller and/or broker and signing paperwork while in international or Canadian waters... [Do seek qualified advice and current information if this is going to apply to you... My goal in mentioning this is just to make you aware...]

[hsi88]

For those that don't know what the term "jump the shark" means.

From Wiki :

"Jumping the shark" is an idiom popularized by Jon Hein that was used to describe the moment in the evolution of a television show when it begins a decline in quality, signaled by a particular scene, episode, or aspect of a show in which the writers use some type of gimmick in an attempt to keep viewers' interest, which is taken as a sign of desperation, and is seen by viewers to be the point at which the show strays from its original formula. The phrase is based on a scene from a fifth-season episode of the sitcom Happy Days when the iconic leather jacket clad "Fonzie" jumps over a shark while on water-skis. Aaay!

[Scout 30]

My In Laws work for Big G Express in Tennessee. They are always looking for drivers & you don't need your own truck.

Driving For Us - Over The Road Trucking Jobs - Big G Express, Inc.

[kennyarmes]

Oregon doesn't have sales tax either

Sent from my VS985 4G using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[EmeraldCoastSailor]

First of all, thank you for your service. Second, I don't think you are jumping the shark (going overboard in a negative or ridiculous manner). I think you are taking a step in a great direction. Lots of good advice here so I'll keep mine short. I am a big fan of FL but the time I spent in in Clear Lake marinas leads me to recommend Kemah, TX as a possible great place to start. Very reasonable costs, lots of boats to select from (not as good as FL but close), the friendliest people anywhere, and good looking women. I think it would good place to learn how to live on a boat while being near the 4th largest US city. Then I'd move to FL once I knew it was the lifestyle I wanted.

[Scout 30]

One thing to remember about living on a boat in FL. It's in the 80's in March. It's in the 90's from May to September & crazy humid. Pretty much the opposite of Montana.