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Old 01-03-2020, 09:45   #61
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

Most any boat can go three years without sinking, that’s not sustainable.

However to make that assumption about Hudson Force because he didn’t quote boats expenses is wrong.
Just because we can’t sit down and show you spread sheets about expenses, doesn’t mean we don’t maintain our boats, it’s just that when something is needed, we buy it. We maintain a fund that is continually replenished for that purpose.
I could sit down and add most of it up, but what’s the point? It costs, what it costs, knowing to the dime doesn’t make it less.

Most of my big ticket items are not going to reoccur while I own the boat, hopefully anyway. There is one that could and I‘m planning on it.
I don’t deceive myself into thing that I will be cruising still in 20 years, some of you may can, I don’t think I will be one of you.
Financial planning wise, the boat isn’t considered into it, if it brings a buck when we sell it great, if it doesn’t then that’s OK too.
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Old 01-03-2020, 10:05   #62
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

Maintenance is a constant feature of this life. It's part of daily activities. Most maintenance items are small, manageable things, with the cost mostly being measured in blood, sweat and tears. In other words, personal labour.

But there are the bigger items too; major repairs or upgrades. These ring in at multiple boat bucks. As I say, we seem to average about one biggie each year. That's based on nearly 10 years of ownership now with this current boat.
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Old 01-03-2020, 10:06   #63
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

Thomm, at least he is “out” there
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Old 01-03-2020, 10:15   #64
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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Originally Posted by Cheechako View Post
A big part of it is how you start out I think. I always seemed to start out with a well rebuilt boat, so maintenence expenses were nil for years. If you start with a needy boat, it could get real expensive fast...
However, I had friends I met in the Caribe that bought a less than aesthetically pleasing boat, with warped teak decks, but a good engine etc. Heavy built. They just ignored the non critical things that many of us would obsess over. They cruised 3 years and only bought a mainsail. (as far as big items) Then returned to Florida and sold the boat "as is" for about what they paid in the first place.

It's all in the accounting. Some pay beforehand; some pay along the way; some pay when they sell.

Everything was checked off our to-do list before we set sail from the US in 2012. We needed very, very little during the first three years of cruising (still somehow averaged $200 a month). During that time we went from the Great Lakes, down the East Coast of the US, through the Caribbean as far East as Guatemala, across the Atlantic twice and back up to Florida..... thousands of miles with no major mechanical issues. And when we listed the boat for sale in the US, we sold it to the first person to come look at it.

We've done pretty much the same thing with out new boat. Everything was replaced before we left and have needed very few things in the past years.

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Old 01-03-2020, 10:28   #65
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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SB... As a matter of interest is life aboard proving cheaper than life on land.. excluding of course the cost of funding your boat before your liveaboard life...
Annual marina fees, haul out, maintenance etc.
Nope! Even before leaving to cruise having and using the boat was pretty much the cost of having and using my house.

But the thread isn't about my costs etc. i have been 100% open about MY costs and where it goes.
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Old 01-03-2020, 10:29   #66
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

I do appreciate SBs candor. Wish there were more like him with objective data. For some reason, this always seem to be a cheaper is better discussion, stay out of marinas, do your own maintenance sort of stuff. Of course that's all true. But objective data on what the actual long term costs are would be immensely helpful. I realize few have that data - I don't normally keep that level of detail. But if there others who have it and are willing to share, I would find it a useful data point for planning purposes.
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Old 01-03-2020, 10:32   #67
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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Most low income people I know are in many ways low income because they aren't good at tracking and handling money. Money seems to flow to those who know how to handle it.
I don't understand.
The low income people I know---Do not make much money----It is not about how they spend it. They just don't make it. Some people with poor lifestyles make money and waste it--- That is not LOW INCOME. That is life style.
As in the professional who made a million plus on one job. And is complaining on being poor a year later. Not low income just stupid--or uneducated.
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Old 01-03-2020, 10:36   #68
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

Btw - if i switched from cruising to just living on my boat here i could drop my costs to $1500-2000/mo and live better fancier life than i have been. That is easy to determine by going to my monthly cost threads and taking out stuff that involves the boat having to, or doing, with moving around.
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Old 01-03-2020, 10:38   #69
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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Originally Posted by mvweebles View Post
I do appreciate SBs candor. Wish there were more like him with objective data. For some reason, this always seem to be a cheaper is better discussion, stay out of marinas, do your own maintenance sort of stuff. Of course that's all true. But objective data on what the actual long term costs are would be immensely helpful. I realize few have that data - I don't normally keep that level of detail. But if there others who have it and are willing to share, I would find it a useful data point for planning purposes.
I posted what I spend each year, as have a few others. I don't track it as SB does -- very few do. But I know how much this life costs for me, and I've repeatedly shared it when asked.
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Old 01-03-2020, 10:52   #70
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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This pretty much hits the nail on the head.

SB1 is on a sort of retirement cruising vacation which he seems to enjoy.

He seems to want to compare his expenses with other low cost cruisers, but the problem is many of them are on a cruising adventure not a cruising vacation.

They don't track medical costs, haircuts, alcohol, nor every penny spent on maintenance.

Many vacation cruisers pay top dollar for their boats, refits, boat maintenance, and electronics whereas others with a bit more boating experience can get by with much less

Also the guy that is on a cruising adventure would only want to sit around at a marina or at anchor to rest and resupply otherwise it would get old very quickly unless he/they were exploring the local area on a bike or on foot

Point is that it's hard to make a direct comparison unless the cruisers are doing similar things
Interesting post. Is not in vogue now but when we first started cruising the biggest boat available was a Columbia 50 and we never saw one. If you owned a 40 footer you were probably the largest boat in the anchorages. Very common to cruise in 30 feet or less but the average cruiser was younger then and old farts like more room and more amenities. Mono hulls ruled and no Cats could be seen, the odd trimaran. Back then we all were very active, spearfishing together or hiking or whatever there was always something going on. If someone had a problem we would all join in to solve it, fix it or rebuild it, that was completely normal back then. Helping each other and never having your hand out was just the way it was. Many of us were crossing oceans back then and I can say that if you are coastal cruising or just mucking about an area like say the Bahamas you have no idea of how much maintenance a boat can suck up. If you think you have lots of repairs now and your coastal cruising then times it by at least 3 or more when crossing oceans. As Boatie mentioned you get good at making your own repairs because none of us had the money back then to take our boats into a boatyard for repairs, just wasn't an option. We shared spare parts back then without question if someone was really stuck other cruisers would jump in and do what was needed to be done. Keep in mind though that because there were so many people out there at that time with really deep knowledge it just seemed anything could be fixed and it usually was.
Those days have come and gone and won't be returning. People nowadays have much deeper pockets. Instead of organizing a group activity they are sitting on their boats with a laptop or tablet in front of them...don't ask me, lol. The boats are much larger, more complex and modern electronics have taken the guess work out of everything from navigation to weather. Most cruisers write cheques these days. It's still fun but time moves on, things change.
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Old 01-03-2020, 10:56   #71
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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I posted what I spend each year, as have a few others. I don't track it as SB does -- very few do.
But on this thread you have posted that wife does. So you could post it instead of the blah blah blah.
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Old 01-03-2020, 11:03   #72
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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Thomm, at least he is “out” there
If Beach Cat ever decides to step away from the security blanket of his job and the Chesapeake and actually gets out there full-time (even if it’s “just” cruising the ICW and the Bahamas as he would put it), he may look back at his old posts and realize how foolish they sound to those of us that are actually doing it. Of course I would not place money on that happening.
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Old 01-03-2020, 11:05   #73
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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But on this thread you have posted that wife does. So you could post it instead of the blah blah blah.

She's her own person, and has no interest in your blah, blah, blah. Nor do I.
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Old 01-03-2020, 11:07   #74
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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I'm so sorry to hear this, CTH. Friendships with other cruisers are a very important part of the cruising life for us. I wonder if you are at all proactive socially? When you reach those quieter anchorages, do you wander a bout in the dink and introduce yourselves to the few other boats there? Breaking the ice in this manner is often productive. We will often just invite one or more other crew over for a cuppa... a very non-threatening social situation. No expense to speak of, so no worries about reciprocation, no alcohol involved, daylight hours... pretty benign, and we get a fairly high acceptance rate. If such a meeting shows compatibility then it often expands into further socializing. Or sometimes I'll just go around to ALL the other boats in the quiet anchorage and invite them for a BYO happy hour on Insatiable. We've generated some very enjoyable evenings, often followed by reciprocal invitations from those on board. A bit of overcrowding sometimes erupts, but we've always managed somehow... albeit not with much elbow room.

And sometimes we're just rebuffed (as I mentioned upthread). Oh well, that's life, and not much of an investment lost. But the potential benefits outweigh the occasional disappointments. I do remember one couple in Mexico (some years ago when we were a bit younger and more attractive) who promptly suggested a bit of wife swapping! Shocking, for we hadn't been properly introduced... But mostly it has had good outcomes.

If you haven't given this method a try, do so when you can. It might open up some doors for you.

Jim
Thanks, Jim. I definitely could stand to be more proactive in meeting others, even if it doesn’t come naturally. It’s something I should work on. I appreciate the gentle nudge.
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Old 01-03-2020, 11:13   #75
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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She's her own person, and has no interest in your blah, blah, blah. Nor do I.
Well get off the subject then. Yes i understand you live to blah blah blah . And you most definitely are interested in doing so. You just 100% proved it.

The challenge of the thread is to put up or shut up! It is simple as that.

I personally could care less finding out details of those spending less than me. But there are cruising planners that are.
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