A Rant Against the Gilded Handcuffs

[Me-and-Boo]

Deprivation is not necessary for living on a boat. My level of necessities is not yours or anyone else'. One person's Cleopatra barge may be another's row boat, so basing your life happiness on others judgements is not the best way to go.

[ViribusUnitis]

Originally Posted by Me-and-Boo

Deprivation is not necessary for living on a boat. My level of necessities is not yours or anyone else'. One person's Cleopatra barge may be another's row boat, so basing your life happiness on others judgements is not the best way to go.

I don't completely agree with this. There are specific people who's judgements I value. For example my wife is at the top of the list. I want to make her happy. (It's entirely for selfish reasons. I want to be happy too, and for me to be happy requires her to be present and happy.)

And my dad, all though it's much easier to disagree with him than my wife.

Most of the rest of the world can jump off a cliff.

[bangkaboat]

For what it's worth - In my late 20s I went to Asia for a few years & came back with a wife & about fifteen hundred bucks. Wouldn't trade that time for anything. twenty years later, the wife & I are heading back to Asia, on our boat. As I look around the marina in L.A. where we've been doing our prep, I see a few liveaboards who are stuck here, short of funds. It is nice to be able to just say, "Haul her out!" or "Replace it.", when necessary. So, maybe the next three years is the difference between possible financial stress & peace of mind, in which case, you're a smart couple, imo. Best of luck!

[rebel heart]

Taking longer to leave the dock has worked great for us. We know our boat better, are better sailors, I've gotten to work professionally as a mariner, and we've saved up more money. Get a dinghy and sail the hell out of it in your local waters, or get a cheapo little boat and do the same.

[roverhi]

You can be very comfortable cruising in a 30' boat. The bigger the boat just means more places available to store things. That means more things you have to buy to fill up the space. That means more hours/days/years worked to get the money to fill up the space. Most people spend too much on the boat which makes their cruising experience less enjoyable because they have blown their money on the boat with not enough left over for the cruise.

The bigger the boat, the more the toys and the more they cost. That makes the actual cruising more expensive. Someone just posted that cruising on his 44' boat cost more in a month than cruising on his 28' boat did in a year. Keep that in mind as the boat you think you want gets larger and more expensive. Is the purpose to go cruising or to continue working to buy a humongous boat and probably not ever go?

[Don1500]

When you finally do "pull the trigger" you may find that all that stuff really don't matter. I should have done this years ago with my wife. Now I am doing it alone. Time is the only thing you can't buy more of, and it's the only thing that counts in the end.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by ViribusUnitis

I had a plan. I would work for 3 more years, build up enough cash to buy a 40 foot sailing boat, and then live cheaply on ~1000 a month. I'm now just over 2 years into the 3 year plan. Everyone on the finical side is pretty much on schedule for "the plan".

In discussing it with my wife, we went on a charter, and have been looking at all sorts of vessels. Both online, and whenever we can get down to the Corpus Christi Municipal Marina.

We have determined that our tastes are much higher than we originality thought. (Go figure.) I'm thinking it will take at least another 3 years to get close to have the finances to support the level we would like to be.



And so I feel the need to rail against the power of the gilded handcuffs. Much like a birds gilded cage it becomes hard to leave the shiny things.

Sounds like you need a Catamaran............

At 29 you can p#ss all your money away on an adventure - and still have plenty of time left to make it all back (and then some ).

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by ViribusUnitis

(...)

In discussing it with my wife, we went on a charter, (...)

(...) to get close to have the finances to support the level we would like to be.

If the dream is to sail, most any boat will do.

If the dream is to support levels, few boats will do.

From the deck of a charter boat it looks different than when you sail your own.

b.

[larryb]

I figure that if I do not wait to obtain that ever elusive 'residual income' that needs little or no maintainence, or the questionable existance of social security checks, I will at some time find myself in need of replenishing or rebuilding the cruising kitty. I figure I might as well put it all into a decent sail boat and go now, even if broke. I will learn the nuances of keeping the cruising kitty 'topped up', as well as the requisite sailing skills and sailboat maintainence skills necessary to live a cruising life as I cruise. Just in case anyone is interested, I am nearly double 29 years of age. Tomorrow is promised to no man. Ever take the time to really listen to the lyrics of "Time", by Pink Floyd? Truer words have never been sung.

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by ViribusUnitis

And so I feel the need to rail against the power of the gilded handcuffs. Much like a birds gilded cage it becomes hard to leave the shiny things.

i feel your pain ... another 3 years sounds tough. when you get the boat you may find you really did not need the shiny stuff after all

yes .. time .. one day you find ten years have got behind you.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Nomdaica

PLEASE PLEASE read this book, and have the wife read it as well!!! "Simplicity Sailing: A different approach" Amazon.com: Simply Sailing: A Different Approach to a Life of Adventure eBook: Connie McBride: Kindle Store

GO SMALL AND GO NOW! Anything could change...your health....$$. Remember every dolllar you spend on fancy things is 8 dollars later to fix....and 15 dollars less to cruise on.

This family did it for years with kids...

I agree with that completely.

[spostamento nobile]

I started with a 17' boat to end homelessness. 6 years layer and I had 26' to work with. It was like a palace. It's all how you look at it.
Money you can remake until you run out of time. No amount of money can buy you more time.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

(...) GO SMALL AND GO NOW! (...)

Well, talking from aboard one of the smaller boats, in respect of any extended voyage, I would say it is a bad advice.

'Go now' sounds OK - sometimes one gets hard pressed, emotionally, or otherwise, and waiting stops being an option.

I think today most anybody can afford a 3X+ (feet, and - often - years) boat that can be gotten to seagoing condition with some time and effort.

Maybe a better iteration would be to say "Go simple, go now". (?)

b.

[SabreKai]

Hummm I must be damaged in some way.

I've always been a fan of minimum space housing and the KISS principle. The concept of anything over 30 feet used to boggle my mind and Espie was perfect for me, but for the midget bunks. It was only recently that I ended up with a 38 foot boat. I consider her (Sabre Dance) to be palatial. My equipment is minimalist and I see no need for anything more.

As I said, I must be damaged in some way.

[w1651]

Originally Posted by ViribusUnitis

I had a plan. I would work for 3 more years, build up enough cash to buy a 40 foot sailing boat, and then live cheaply on ~1000 a month. I'm now just over 2 years into the 3 year plan. Everyone on the finical side is pretty much on schedule for "the plan".

In discussing it with my wife, we went on a charter, and have been looking at all sorts of vessels. Both online, and whenever we can get down to the Corpus Christi Municipal Marina.

We have determined that our tastes are much higher than we originality thought. (Go figure.) I'm thinking it will take at least another 3 years to get close to have the finances to support the level we would like to be.



And so I feel the need to rail against the power of the gilded handcuffs. Much like a birds gilded cage it becomes hard to leave the shiny things.

Read this he has sailed all over the world in a 26ft Pearson. It's not the boats length or beam that counts it's the skipper and the sailing prowess he has.

Atom Voyages | Voyages Aboard the Sailboat Atom -* Good Old Boats List - choosing a* small voyaging sailboat

You can find some great deals out there right now. I don't know your mechanical skill level but doing it yourself teaches you to work on and know your boat. I bought a 33ft Contest for 2800 that was donated to a local charity.
A old man lived on it and I am still cleaning it up and getting it to where it should be. But in the meantime I am working building the kitty and getting my boat into shape one major safety feature at a time and I'm on a 5 year plan.
Also
Search for cruising on 500 a month on this site. There are lots of tips and good advice on that thread to bring you into reality.