Looking for a Better Life

[Dockhead]

". . . the demon bubbling below the floppy white things."

The best, the most colorful definition of a sailboat I've ever read. LOL!! I never thought we would scale such literary heights on our humble CF.

[Dave the Canuck]

Hey Dan

Here is one of my favourite quotations. From what you are proposing, this has you written all over it. I hope you enjoy it. It's by Sterling Hayden.

To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with their boats at sea - "cruising," it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.”

Enjoy your voyage and let us know how it goes.

[Randy]

Dave,
that's pretty funny(maybe it wasn't meant to be), I've never quite related to yachting and I think I'd much prefer a simple boat.

[Allan S]

Originally Posted by dnmnsn

A few good people and I are selling a Honda , buying a boat, sailing out of California. We have no real experience except with smaller boats and no huge budget ( only about $2000 after the boat and $200-300 every month). We may be crazy but we are doing it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks ,
Dan

I envy and respect your decision, Hell, its more than envy, it's more like green eyed jealousy.....Allan

[Cyndimarcus]

We too are heading out, and although we are on a tight budget, maybe not QUITE as tight.
We leave Nov. 27th and the list of things to purchase is growing shorter by the day. However, the list shrinks, as we realize we cannot afford to go AND buy X Y or Z.
SO, it comes down to safety, that is the bottom line for us. So far, we have a solid, safe boat, money for a bottom job, new throughhulls, and a dinghy. If I earn more money (real estate sales, pray for me) then I get more "stuff".
Will be doing a season in Mexico, leaving the boat there, then deciding if we sell everything and head out or what.
So for ME, it is making sure we have the safety gear we feel we need, and heading out.
Good luck!

[capta]

Good luck & fair sailing.
In the 70's I circumnavigated on about $100.00 per person per month, all inclusive; including, food, propane, an annual haul-out & most repairs. So figuring inflation.....
I would suggest you consider a Piver or Brown trimaran, they are very cheap to buy & sail as they are light weight so gear is much less expensive. You must keep them light so you can't acquire a lot of "stuff" on board (like scuba gear).
HOWEVER, an old Cape Horner named Spike Africa gave me the best advice of anyone in my 50 years at sea: "any ******* can make a boat go; it takes a sailor to stop one". Don't worry about the "sailing" thing; it's NOT rocket science, but DEFINITELY learn all you can about anchoring and tying a boat to a dock. A good anchor (I like a genuine CQR) of appropriate size, lots of chain & good nylon line & plenty of good (again nylon ONLY) dock lines are a must.
Have fun.

[forsailbyowner]

We save a bunch of money canning onboard. If you run into a school of fish you can can enough to last months. Clams etc also game. Lids are reusable initial investment is low. We keep hundreds of jars of fish, soups,meats, etc that usually run around ten cents or less to make and are easy meal that go well over rice

[BluePeter]

This is really funny: I just sold a Honda and bought an Endeavor 32, so my entry has to fall under the general category of "Anything is possible". Granted, it was a great Honda and a pretty old boat (1979 and butt-ugly colored), but still. I sold the CRV for 4000. As luck would have it, I'd been watching Craigslist for a reasonably priced cruising boat here on the Maine coast (there are hundreds). When I saw an Endeavor 32 drop from 11k to 7k, I went to take a look. I'd been looking at any number of used boats (Cape Dory's, Bristols, Allieds, and so on--my dad owned a Seawind II), and I have to say that the Endeavor was, in contrast, built like the proverbial 'BSH'--nothing fancy but certainly a 'tank' and just what I was looking for--a coastal sailor I could take south, modify without cringing, and not worry over too much. Beautiful woodwork below and roomy. Needs a good cleaning. No crazing or hull problems. Solid as a rock. What a find--she'd been well-cared for, wrapped every winter, and refitted with a new Yanmar MGM30--a diamond-in-the-rough. The first owner (I'm the third) paid 23k for the boat in 2001. Good sails and a dink, to boot. I was psyched. I was even more thrilled when I offered 4k for the boat, which the seller (representing, sadly, the estate of his deceased best friend) took the offer for a variety of reasons--it was off season (November in Maine); he was burned out at closing an old, drawn out affair; the boat was in a remote location which limited the numbers of viewers; this older model boat is no rock star of a cruiser; etc. I got lucky, for sure. And anyone can get lucky with a little work.

Moral of the story--yes it's possible. My theory on finding a boat is that you have to go where there are a lot of boats, first. This may seem obvious, but it is easier to find a deal on the coast than inland. Plus, you can strike quickly, low-ball it, and wait it out. Don't get overzealous and buy the first thing that looks good.

In general, avoid brokered boats--you'll get more latitude with the owner. That's not to say that a search on Yachtworld (for ex., "fiberglass, sail, 1970-85, 10k or less, regional location") won't turn up dozens of interesting hits! I looked at 100 boats or so before buying this one. Compare and become knowledgeable by cross-referencing on Yachtworld.com. Advertise on Craigslist, too. Read up on boats in general, and if you can't afford a surveyor (results and acumen vary, trust me), have a friend who knows a lot more than you do take a look. Show up quickly as good boats will move fast. Your boat is out there.

Then, all ya' have to do is 'do it'.
Regards and good fortune!

Quote
"Date wood, but marry fiberglass"

[Kelldog]

Hello Dan;
I'm jealous too! Some good feedback from other's on your post. What part of CA are you leaving from? I read that you will have $2000 AFTER buying the boat; is that correct? Where are you planning to sail to? Mexico? How many people going?
Alot of questions I know. Just wanted to glean alittle more info on your ideas. I, myself, am looking at making a move over to Florida and have been putting out feelers on various boards. I own a 30 ft Trimaran and if I put my plan together I will be sailing it to Florida by way of Mexico and south through the canal after I get settled over there. A BIG UNDERTAKING/ADVENTURE! Finding work over there will be goal/challenge. I have faith.
Anyway, keep us informed of how your plan works out. Alot of us want to cut the docklines and sail into better adventures. People are doing it; some have a big budget, other's have a small one but they go!

Make it so...
Kelly.

[Nasty]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

That is serious poverty -- Haitian poverty. If something breaks on your boat you will have a significant challenge. There are many, many relatively routine failures on an ocean-going sailboat which cost more than $2,000 to fix. It will be an extremely tricky enterprise to keep people fed and the boat functioning.

But poverty, if experienced in the right way, can exalt the spirit and focus the mind. On passage, you will have to live on caught fish and that big bag of rice someone recommended, and I hope you've all got marketable skills, because you'll all need to be working at something and working hard every time you're in port.

In choosing cruising grounds you've got a little paradox -- go to a cheap place, and labor is cheap there too, including your labor. Unless you've got some unusual skill which is valuable even in a poor country. Go to an expensive place, and you can make decent money even waiting tables. But your outgoings are also much higher.

Think about it.

Now if ya could get a Hatian Sailer those boats are bullett proof! I mean it, We would try to burn them (slow and still the hull floated) Rammed them with 210 Coast Guard Cutter (knocked the mast down) Shot 50 caliber and 20MM rounds and just chipped it up. They will carry over 300 hundred crew, plus ya can build a fire on deck and cook your catch. Home made and damn near last forever. Watched them build em on shore, and sailed the Carib half full of water and coke bottles in the bilges.

Now that would be an adventure on the cheap!