Real Cost of Live Aboard - Do you know?

[FindingFreedom]

Thanks for the insight and all of the information. It is a great help and exactly what I am looking for. Straight forward, fact based and honest.

Great info much appreciated.

[Augi]

Originally Posted by FindingFreedom

Hi All,

I am just getting into the "Live Aboard" lifestyle and I am trying to figure out what the real costs of the "Cruisers" life is. As I have gone through and tried to make a planned budget for a year I have no idea if it is based in reality or just a false expectation of a "Newbie Know Nothing". So please feel free to comment, correct and or direct me to any areas where I may lack a realistic budget. All cost are for a 1 year period of time and include my areas of assumption;

1) Boat Maintenance & Upgrades - Per Year - $6000
2) Boat Insurance - $1600
3) Marina / Hard Costs - $4500 (Plan to spend majority of time on hook)
4) Provisions - $10,000 (expect between $800 & $850 per month. Will not eat out much or often)
5) Country Entry/Immigration Fees - $3000 (Figured for Caribbean)
6) Fuel (Diesel) - $2500

That brings me to $27,600 annually.

Is that a realistic expectation? Is it low or too high?

Look forward to your responses.

Let the opinions & experience comments begin.

Thank you
Finding Freedom

This might help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TDSDDU-5lg

[Augi]

Originally Posted by FindingFreedom

Thanks for the insight and all of the information. It is a great help and exactly what I am looking for. Straight forward, fact based and honest.

Great info much appreciated.

This might help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TDSDDU-5lg

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by FindingFreedom

Hi All,

I am just getting into the "Live Aboard" lifestyle and I am trying to figure out what the real costs of the "Cruisers" life is. As I have gone through and tried to make a planned budget for a year I have no idea if it is based in reality or just a false expectation of a "Newbie Know Nothing". So please feel free to comment, correct and or direct me to any areas where I may lack a realistic budget. All cost are for a 1 year period of time and include my areas of assumption;

1) Boat Maintenance & Upgrades - Per Year - $6000
2) Boat Insurance - $1600
3) Marina / Hard Costs - $4500 (Plan to spend majority of time on hook)
4) Provisions - $10,000 (expect between $800 & $850 per month. Will not eat out much or often)
5) Country Entry/Immigration Fees - $3000 (Figured for Caribbean)
6) Fuel (Diesel) - $2500

That brings me to $27,600 annually.

Is that a realistic expectation? Is it low or too high?

Look forward to your responses.

Let the opinions & experience comments begin.

Thank you
Finding Freedom

Overall, fairly good. Insurance might be a little low but provisions seems high if you mostly eat onboard. I suspect once you get out there, those will cancel out.

As someone mentioned, health insurance/care doesn't appear to be included.

Assuming you are reasonably handy and the boat isn't a fixer upper....$6k/yr for maintenance seems fairly reasonable but if you don't spend it all one year, save it for future years.

Also, are you planning to do anything beyond sitting on the back deck watching life go by? What about flying home once or twice a year to visit friends & family? Do you want to do any other traveling? This is one reason, we've kind of lost interest in the Caribbean...once you've spent 6 months staring a different beautiful beach each day, does it get old.

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by FindingFreedom

Currently I will be single-handing due to fact that I lost my wife a few years ago, Though I would hope to meet someone interested in the cruising lifestyle that I could live with in such close quarters. (I am sure a few couples out there have considered tossing their partners overboard on 1 or 2 occasions. LOL)

My experience is that there is no limitation on single handing for US Coastal waters -- even for distance coastal sailing. You can single hand from Boston to Key West and my insurance (BoatUS) won't bat an eye (I hope that is correct!). But my insurance won't cover Boston to Bermuda even with a full crew -- it's a coastal policy.


Where the crew limits come into play, if I understand, is offshore policies. And even then, they may not care about crew for coastal passages.


Just guessing. Maybe my single handed weekends have been uninsured....LOL


Harry