What is Everyone Doing?

[zeehag]

work hard forever, make sure disability happens, then cruise 3rd world locations until ye can no longer sail......

[GrowleyMonster]

Go to sea. I typically stay on a ship between 2 and 8 months at a time, then take a couple months off and mess about with the boat. Now, I can afford young women and old boats, or I can afford young boats and old women, but can't afford both young boats and young women. However, if I were satisfied with old boats and old women, I would only have to work enough in the year to keep my union medical coverage and continue to make pension days. You can always economize a bit more.

Part of economizing is to start out with that mythical paradox... an old, cheap boat that is cheap to make, and keep, seaworthy. The 70's era mass produced fiberglass boats are a good place to start looking. They were mostly built pretty solid and simple, overbuilt, even. Make sure you aren't gonna have to replace the engine any time soon, cause a new diesel, after you figure all the installation expenses, for a 30 foot boat is gonna cost you around $8000. Oh, but once again, economizing charges to the rescue. A used engine might just be someone else's problem passed on to you, or it might serve you faithfully for the next 30 years with little trouble, and you might pick one up for a few hundred bucks, or even free. Salvaged stuff, even salvaged boats, are an option. I have seen a few boats with no other damage than a big hole stove in the side above the waterline, go for 1/4 of what they are realistically worth. A weekend and a few hundred bucks is enough to make many such boats watertight again, and once you got that, you are in the game.

Economizing... do you really need a house or apartment? If you are paying for a marina slip anyhow, may as well live aboard and let the box go.

Most marinas have one or two resident divers who eke out a living cleaning bottoms. (boat bottoms, that is) $1000 investment would set you up with the basics, especially if you can find a used but serviceable regulator, tank, BC, etc. Get your PADI certification so you can get your tanks filled, or get a hookah rig which I don't really recommend. That is a skill you can carry with you when you cruise, too. Get the word out at any anchorage you stop at.

The military is a good option even though it will be at least 20 years before it pays off for you in your objective. How old are you now? Retiring in your 40's means you will be still a fairly young man who doesn't have to work any more if he doesn't want to, especially if he has learned (here comes that word again) how to economize.

Teach school? You get the summers off, last time I heard. 3 months is long enough for a mini cruise of the caribbean.

Write iphone or droid apps? You can do that from any anchorage. Those 99 cent apps can help buy the beans and bacon if enough people like them.

Basically, DO SOMETHING that people will pay you for, hang on to what you get paid, invest wisely, live cheap, stay single or marry a chick who works and has an income, or marry rich and keep her very very very happy, and get a boat. Start small. 27 to 35 feet. Very likely you will be satisfied with that size for as long as you sail. Learn stuff. Learn to do your own maintenance and modifications. Learn to go for a day sail. Then learn to do an overnighter. Then an inshore cruise, then coastal cruising, then go foreign. The Bahamas is calling your name. Mexico is close, too. Hang out with other boaty people and learn stuff.

FWIW I paid $2000 for my current boat and I doubt if I have put over $4000 into it since then, and I live aboard. Living cheap has got me from over $30,000 in credit card debt to back in the black, and the boat has actually helped me to do that. I might even actually be able to take a nice little cruise this year. It's not a dream anymore when you are living it; just a satisfying life.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by zeehag

work hard forever, make sure disability happens,

How do you do that? Stick your arm in the machinery?

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

How do you do that? Stick your arm in the machinery?

Thats funny

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

Go to sea. I typically stay on a ship between 2 and 8 months at a time, then take a couple months off and mess about with the boat. Now, I can afford young women and old boats, or I can afford young boats and old women, but can't afford both young boats and young women. However, if I were satisfied with old boats and old women, I would only have to work enough in the year to keep my union medical coverage and continue to make pension days. You can always economize a bit more.

Part of economizing is to start out with that mythical paradox... an old, cheap boat that is cheap to make, and keep, seaworthy. The 70's era mass produced fiberglass boats are a good place to start looking. They were mostly built pretty solid and simple, overbuilt, even. Make sure you aren't gonna have to replace the engine any time soon, cause a new diesel, after you figure all the installation expenses, for a 30 foot boat is gonna cost you around $8000. Oh, but once again, economizing charges to the rescue. A used engine might just be someone else's problem passed on to you, or it might serve you faithfully for the next 30 years with little trouble, and you might pick one up for a few hundred bucks, or even free. Salvaged stuff, even salvaged boats, are an option. I have seen a few boats with no other damage than a big hole stove in the side above the waterline, go for 1/4 of what they are realistically worth. A weekend and a few hundred bucks is enough to make many such boats watertight again, and once you got that, you are in the game.

Economizing... do you really need a house or apartment? If you are paying for a marina slip anyhow, may as well live aboard and let the box go.

Most marinas have one or two resident divers who eke out a living cleaning bottoms. (boat bottoms, that is) $1000 investment would set you up with the basics, especially if you can find a used but serviceable regulator, tank, BC, etc. Get your PADI certification so you can get your tanks filled, or get a hookah rig which I don't really recommend. That is a skill you can carry with you when you cruise, too. Get the word out at any anchorage you stop at.

The military is a good option even though it will be at least 20 years before it pays off for you in your objective. How old are you now? Retiring in your 40's means you will be still a fairly young man who doesn't have to work any more if he doesn't want to, especially if he has learned (here comes that word again) how to economize.

Teach school? You get the summers off, last time I heard. 3 months is long enough for a mini cruise of the caribbean.

Write iphone or droid apps? You can do that from any anchorage. Those 99 cent apps can help buy the beans and bacon if enough people like them.

Basically, DO SOMETHING that people will pay you for, hang on to what you get paid, invest wisely, live cheap, stay single or marry a chick who works and has an income, or marry rich and keep her very very very happy, and get a boat. Start small. 27 to 35 feet. Very likely you will be satisfied with that size for as long as you sail. Learn stuff. Learn to do your own maintenance and modifications. Learn to go for a day sail. Then learn to do an overnighter. Then an inshore cruise, then coastal cruising, then go foreign. The Bahamas is calling your name. Mexico is close, too. Hang out with other boaty people and learn stuff.

FWIW I paid $2000 for my current boat and I doubt if I have put over $4000 into it since then, and I live aboard. Living cheap has got me from over $30,000 in credit card debt to back in the black, and the boat has actually helped me to do that. I might even actually be able to take a nice little cruise this year. It's not a dream anymore when you are living it; just a satisfying life.

I have seen a lot of boats since the last hurricane came thru..they are getting cheaper by the month..

[WantoSail]

Thanks Growley. There is a lot of good information in your post. Thats the kind of learning i want to do until i get a chance to take sailing lessons. By the way the military thing has passed me over. Im 33 and more interested in day trading or something along the lines of investments. Though it might be safer to go to war.

[jostalli]

Originally Posted by WantoSail

Thanks Growley. There is a lot of good information in your post. Thats the kind of learning i want to do until i get a chance to take sailing lessons. By the way the military thing has passed me over. Im 33 and more interested in day trading or something along the lines of investments. Though it might be safer to go to war.

In that case read this book written by a cruiser: Live on the Margin

[Vino the Dog]

Grow your hair and quit your job!

[deckofficer]

GrowleyMonster,

When out earning a buck, what kind of ship?

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

GrowleyMonster,

When out earning a buck, what kind of ship?

Box boats, (I am on a container ship now) bulkers, and car barns, mostly. I don't do tankers. There ARE a few things I won't stoop to doing. Done a few MPS ships, TAGOS, spent a few years on the SL-7's, even did a cruise ship and remembered the sage advice I got as a youngster to "never sail on a ship where the cargo can speak". Spent my youth fishing and did some time in the oil patch.

[SimonV]

Work Hard for your community, Military or Law enforcement,could even become an oxygen thief (fire department ) put in the time and earn a pension then enjoy the cruising without a worry.

[SaucySailoress]

We have a few things up our sleeve.

Firstly, I am a primary school teacher with a Bachelor of Education, so I might be able to get some work in ports as a supply teacher or teaching assistant.

Secondly, I have a Master of Arts in Online Education, so I was hoping to be able to pick up online work through one of the many internet home schools. That hasn't proven easy to get into, though. But I am in the process of helping hubby establish an online site/forum to help people navigate financial markets, since that is something he is very good at.

Thirdly, I got myself a TEFL certificate, in the hopes that I can pick up work teaching English in various ports.

Fourthly, we are SCUBA instructors, and so might be able to get some instructing work at various ports. Or even teach crew how to dive and stuff. Who knows.

Either way, we are open minded and willing to be flexible (although I probably won't go as far as selling sex, that doesn't look good on the teaching record, apparently).

[carstenb]

One way is to write and take pictures. Both require some skill and some contacts. Note I did not say you have to be a creative.

Writing sailing articles/books etc can be done by a skilled writer. Creativity is a plus, but not necessary. The same is true for photography.

Start by practicing. write, write, write. take about 5000 pictures. Get someone (who will be brutally honest) to critique.

Once you're past the above, buy every sailing magazine you can, write to them, enclose a sample of your best writing/pics and ask what type of articles they are looking for (some will say this on their website, some not. you should be able to guess by reading the magazine)

now go write the article - and get rejected. this will happen many times, but if you persevere, eventually (assuming you can write), the literary gods of fortune will take pity on you and you will get accepted.

so now you can take the couple of hundred bucks you earned and go buy beer. and start all over again. eventually you will have built up a customer base and you might make a meager living from it.

the alternative is to write the next set of harry potter books.......


just ain't no easy way

[WantoSail]

Thanks carstenb. There is no easy way in life in general to my knowledge. Its not the working hard thats worries me its the thought of no work at all. I gotta think most things at sea are great but ill bet starving isnt one of them

[carstenb]

Yeah, Of course the starving part means you won't have to worry about being overweight..

It ain't easy. If you are good at laying teak decks, you can usually get work (in the larger marinas) repairing this. But you have to be good. And know what you are doing.