Sail around the world for 30,000$?

[captainbri]

(QUOTE: I'm not very worried about my safety???????) that is the first thing you should be worried about especially if you have other people with you. you could get hurt and be days from any help. you could be 2000 miles from land. safety should be first. fall overboard and you just might end up as a shark poo.

Good luck.

[GrowleyMonster]

Most boats much under 40' will be a little cramped for more than two persons after a few months. Kinda depends on the people though. Most boats under 32' will feel pretty crowded with just a couple, after a few weeks. Again, depending on your tolerance levels.

$30k will get you around the world, if you already got a boat. You can probably figure on taking a couple years, at least. There will be repairs, groceries, port fees, marina fees, fuel, replacements for stuff that quits on you, including rigging and sails, entertainment expenses, fines and bribes, clothing and personal gear, stuff like that. In addition to your regular budget you also want a reserve amount for in case of catastrophic mishaps like a blown engine, severe grounding, dismasting, etc that you hope to never experience but is always a possibility.

You may get back home after only spending half of that $30k and never touching your catastrophe reserve. Or you might end up begging family and friends to wire you money in Vanuatu or Chittagong or Tripoli. It really depends on you. Party animal? Air conditioning and ice cubes type, or are you more in tune with the backpacker/hippie lifestyle? Good at fixing stuff and making do, or not so good?

Depends on the boat, too. Some boats just seem cursed and stuff is always failing, while an identical boat might never need anything fixed, it seems. Some boats are set up for economical long distance cruising, some aren't.

$10k for purchase and $10k for upgrades is about the lowest realistic budget for the boat itself, and doubling that is much, much better. Yeah you COULD get lucky and find something for $6k that is ready to go RTW, but if you are waiting for that, you are dreaming, not planning. Sometimes dreams come true but mostly dreams are just dreams.

Finding a used boat suitable for circumnavigating with little knowledge of cruising boats and a tight budget is another dream. You need a local mentor to keep you straight. It could happen, but likely won't, without expert help.

You need a good deal of experience before you tackle a circumnavigation. Ideally you would start by going for day sails or crewing for someone in Wednesday evening beer can races, on someone else's boat. You could also take lessons, of course, and self-teaching in a day sailer is do-able. I am self-taught, and taught myself in a boat I built myself, self taught at boatbuilding, too. I can't say it was a smooth or easy road, though. If you opt for learning in your own boat, you really need someone to go along with you the first several outings, to make sure you are perfectly clear on the fundamentals of piloting, Rules Of The Road, important laws and regulations, safety procedures, etc. I didn't have that, but growing up on and around fishing boats of various types helped. From day sailing, work into overnights and inshore cruising, then coastal cruising. Then some nearby foreign destinations like the Bahamas, Caribbean, Central America. Frankly, taking off cold on a circumnavigation with little or no experience, I give you at best a 20% chance of success. Follow a logical learning and experience progression over the course of several years and learn to fix or make do, and learn to just be a good sailor, and they are much, much better. It would be quite realistic to expect to see you sail your boat back home in one piece, if you do things the right way.

Don't push things to the limit. Stretching the envelope too much and it will pop on you. BE PREPARED. With good preparation and a well developed skill set, luck is your enemy, which is how it should be, but it is an enemy that you can generally overcome. For the ill prepared, luck is your friend, one you need and rely upon, but it is a very unfaithful and treacherous friend that lets you down when you need it the most.

[boatman61]

Hi Jaded... Welcome to CF
Yes... you can sail around the world on $30K... I assume its your money and your friends will have theirs... if so no sweat..
As for the boat... I ran into some lads in Panama... all under 30 and living on an old 34ft steel boat two of them had bought in the Carib.. they were headed into the S.Pacific to NZ via the islands... they were happy and having a ball.
A Seafarer 34 would be good.. or something like a Morgan OI... it is a downwind run after all..
Many on here have forgotten what they were willing to put up with.. and laugh... others never had it so tough...
Go for it mate... everything to gain and only $30K to lose... and as a young un its chump change... and well worth the experience

[David_Old_Jersey]

There is no "Best" boat. If you cut off the extremes at each end then pretty much anything will do. The most important thing will be condition. and given your budget will mean you are looking at older then that will be the no.1. challenge to acheive - easy to buy a $30k boat, the trick is buy one without also getting another $30k of bills (or more!).

and for good condition (and equipment / mod cons) you will be trading size.

I would make your plans around 2 people (ideally a couple - they take less space than 2!), and for the extras people onboard accept that they will fit onto any boat, just that until you reach 50. foot plus that you likely won't want 4 adults onboard permanently for space reasons - don;t mean can't have guests, inlcuding for visits measuring in the months but likely by the end of that period will be very glad they are not onboard 24/7 forever!

Ballpark on sizes (plus or minus a couple of feet) I would say 30-33 foot is perfectable fine for solo. for a couple then 35 to 40 foot is ok without going down the living in a closet experiance! (more depending on budget)......could fit a couple of kids in on a boat that size, but likely find that another couple of feet very nice to have.

[boatsail]

Originally Posted by rover88

Start here. Atom Voyages - Home.

the have a book out. can buy it through their website

[sailor1]

I have been single handed for 10 yr now in my 32 footer will be selling her soon found the love of my life and now looking for a bigger boat the H. C 43 for the two of us I have crossed oceans single handed and enjoyed it have been through a gale or 2 my 32 footer never let me down she is ready to go again all the whistles and bells will be sad to see her go but that's life am in the Canaries for now will be until I get the HC so I say do your research and go for it happy days

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Bottom line is, it is very doable if you have the skills. If not you can learn like most of us did along the way during ownership but it may postpone your plans a year or two. For 20K you van get a Pearson Vanguard 32 and 10K will modernize it. Not a rocket ship but not a slug either.

This ^^^

Plan on spending 2/3 on the boat and 1/3 on repairs and outfitting. For a trip around the world you might want to even push that to 50/50. For example, I would not want to set out on a long voyage in an old boat that had old stays and rigging. It's just asking for trouble. That will set you back a couple of grand right there.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Suijin

This ^^^

Plan on spending 2/3 on the boat and 1/3 on repairs and outfitting. For a trip around the world you might want to even push that to 50/50. For example, I would not want to set out on a long voyage in an old boat that had old stays and rigging. It's just asking for trouble. That will set you back a couple of grand right there.

One of the ironies of life is that to save money it is often useful to have money! In the example above, starting off with new stays / rigging (and having a hard look at, if not replacement of, the chainplates) is not only prudent and gives peace of mind it also means that you don't find yourself having to shell out for replacements in places where the cost is higher and / or the fix not ideal. Leaving aside that the cost of a broken stay may also be a broken mast .

Of course, you can't do everything "Just in case" - but nonetheless some thought (with cash!) ahead of time pays dividends later in less expense - especially at unexpected and / or inconveniant times!

[Cacique]

If you are handy, and to do it you will need to be, I would suggest a 30' to 33' boat, try to find one that is basically sound but maybe needs some cosmetic work this way you get a fair bit of boat for your cash but you also learn how everything works etc as you do her up. Cacique circumnavigated 1990 to 1993 I recon the ideal speed although you could take many more years. The best advice I can give is to just do it, especially while you are still young. Aim to go alone or with one sail(soul)mate, and if you want have visitors for different legs, that way they won't get on your nerves too much as you know they will be gone before too long. Try to get good ground tackle (Anchor) etc as anchoring is an essential for long distance cruising and will also help you save a lot.
Just do it and do it NOW!

[Denali2017]

Sounds like a pretty exciting plan. If you succeed in getting the boat and start traveling, keep us posted. Would like to follow a blog or something.

[barnakiel]

Some 40' may be smaller (volume) than other 30'. Look for volume, LWL is one factor, beam is the other (then freeboard and draft perhaps?).

To max out living space, forget nice overhangs.

30k is definitely enough today to buy a rtw capable small boat (30' or less) but you may not be comfortable 4 people in a 30 footer.

30k may be still enough to get a bigger boat (40') comfortable for four, but she is not likely to be 30k once you get there.

Fair winds,
b.

[Jaspell]

Buy Fatty Goodlander's "Buy Outfit and Sail." He has a lot of good pointers and it's an entertaining read. Also read "Confessions of a Long Distance Sailor" * Confessions Online and Kretschmer's "Used Boat Notebook" and "Flirting With Mermaids." Those will all point you in the right direction and give you a sense of what you may encounter.