How much $$ to cruise for 1 year?

[Cpt. Jon]

There are many possible answers to this, and following Bad Obsessions topic on what boat to buy for $150k, I was wondering something similar. How much money would you have put aside to go cruising for a year or some extended period of time? How do you justify that amount? Don't put in home (house) expenses, we'll just assume that everyone has their mortgage payments and taxes etc for the year already paid for... and the boat mortgage (if you have one) payment is taken care of too.

I am thinking mainly about food and drink, slips and maintenance, and all the other expenses and costs for the time out.

Cheers!

 

[Stu Jackson]

Latitude 38 does this survey on a regular basis

in their Letters to the Editor and Changes in Latitude sections. It varies so much and most has to do with marina hoppers and restaurant eaters vs on-the-hook types that the question has little relevance these days.

Your boat, your choice.

 

[Franklin]

Not including any boat payment and insurance, I am planning on 12k a year up to 5 years with 30k as spare for emergencies and repairs. Boat will also be in top condition (nothing on boat more then 4 years old).

 

[Ross]

I spend about $500 per month for food and wine, about $2000 for dockage and far more than that total for health care and insurance. Boat care is not a high dollar item.

 

[Steve Dion]

http://www.latitude38.com/letters/200902.html

I doubt that you can cruise for less than about $3,000 per month (EVERYTHING included). You increase you maintenance overhead while cruising and not every repair is easy to have done. Medical insurance? Boat insurance (probably 2 x what you now paying).

It depends on where you are going. The Med is very expensive, the Carib. is moderate, Mex is not cheap.

Look at these letters from Lat 38. It is all over the place, but not all expenses are included for some of these sailors.

 

[MoonSailer]

I am hopeing that it can be done for less than $20K . Lifestyle as mentioned and cruising area . Scuba diving can easily cost $150/day/person. Eating at restaurants easily $30/day/person. But on the hook eating simply maybe $5/day/person or less. Snorkling off your own boat..free!!!!

 

[RECESS]

It would be a really good time to know how to fish and how to cook on your boat. I guess it depends if you have sea or wilderness skills. I am sure there is a pampered budget and a campers budget.

 

[Benny]

Steak or Spam? Marina or anchor? Restaurant or Origo? Tourist or recluse? Only you can know the answer to these questions. Do your own calculations based on these;

1) necessities: water, food, clothing, medical care, skin care products, etc.
2) Boat maintenance: Batteries, engine, refrigeration, sails, spare parts, paint, mechanics, etc.
3) Traveling expenses: fuel, dockage, entry fees, charts, tours, taxis, rentals, etc.
4) Communications: Telephone cards, cyber cafes, etc.
5) Entertainment: books, movies, music, beer, restaurants and females.

Calculate your expenses and add a 20% reserve for emergencies and peace of mind. Always have enough so you can dump the boat at some marina or storage and return home to continue at a later date.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Too hard to answer

If we knew your cruising style we might be able to answer authoritivly.
There are books out there that address this in detail. I'd recommend Beth Leonard's "The Voyager's Handbook"

 

[Cpt. Jon]

Benny, you put beer under entertainment, not necessities... oops

That's true about the medical and boat insurance I guess. Good friends of ours went to the Bahamas for 6 months and that's one thing he said. I am certainly more of the on-the-hook type, I've never rented a slip, though we are talking about it this summer for the kids. To be honest, we've never had the opportunity to be out for more than 4 days at a time. I don't think we will have a chance to really take a long trip (Bahamas) for several years realistically, but we do dream about it and talk about putting a little money here and there away. Until then it's weekends on the Chesapeake.

I'll check out that website that was mentioned, I've never heard of it before.

 

[bffatcat]

Question for capn John

If you had to pick between buying beer or buying medical treatment and medicine what would you pick?

 

[Ross]

Dockage and food are the most controllable costs that a cruiser has. Longer boats cost more at the dock and learning to cook well can save greatly compared to restaurants.

 

[MoonSailer]

Two weeks is my limit so far on our boat. After a few days a hot shower and shore meal are great!!!! Staying on our 32' boat is like camping in a camping trailer. After a couple of days the ice is gone and the fresh meat has been eaten. I figure about a week between slips. But the big unknown is how will we adapt to life on the boat?? Over time will shore life seem more attractive or will the chains be broken and shore life look more and more like a prison that sucks the life out of a person?? Will TV be missed or real life replace the flickering tube??? I am such a creature of habit. Work ,home ,walk the dog, eat watch the tube or read a little back in bed and then start over. Every 5 days or so I get to LIVE on the boat for 24-48 hours and then back to work..... Freedom what will I do with it??? These question loom large as I am planning to quit work soon and go sailing. It scares the crap out of me!!!!! A month or so after quiting work will I want my old job back???? Will Florida treat me like a vagrant homeless person and drive me from place to place with no place to rest??? Will I meet great people and get to enjoy life after 37 years of mindless labor??? Mindless labor is better than undesirable vagrant!!!! It is a huge step and once I quit I won't be able to get my old job back...right now I might not be able to find another job at all..

 

[Ross]

In large part how a person deals with being retired/unemployed/on sabbatical/on vacation depends on their long term plans. I have by circumstances of the current economy been periodically "out of work" for a few weeks at a time but repairing houses always finds another home owner in need and I go back to work.
37 years builds a strong work ethic that shouldn't be ignored and the friends and neighbors of long standing are a part of life. severing all of these ties will be very traumatic and may torpedo the best plans. I have friends that lived aboard for 5 years but they maintained contacts with old friends and made new friends wherever they were. They have very diverse work skills and are pleased to learn new skills. Their finances have ranged from fishing for food to avoid starvation to somewhat comfortable. For a time they neglected their dental care and had some catching up to do when they could afford it. They moved ashore about 4 years ago and are still very much involved in all aspects of boating including having a rigging business.

 

[RECESS]

Being a teacher gets you ready for long periods of taking life very slow without spending yourself into doing nothing. I am really looking forward to this summer. My wife is also a teacher which allows for us to dissappear for extended trips. We are looking at 2 months on our ODay 25, it is a real good thing we enjoy each other's company without stepping all over each other.

 

[Stu Jackson]

I hadn't thought about the "retirement heebie-jeebies" in this at all, since I figured if ya wanna go, then that shouldn't be part of the equation, but it is a very valid point. Most boaters are pretty good at self sufficiency, but the camaraderie of cruising with others seems a big part of, say, the Baja HaHa, other group cruises, and simply communities at anchorages. We kinda prefer to be away from it all and think nothing of spending two or more weeks away from it all and others. Call us crazy (please do ), but we don't think we're anti-social, maybe just anti-crowds and crazies, although we've met some great people out there. That "attitude" has a lot to do with costs.

Don't forget to budget for "boat cards" with your name and contact information. Oh, and laundry unless you do it in a bucket on board.

Remember Brian and Steph's blog here a few years ago? They did that Bahamas in a 25. Maybe someone can find it and provide the link.

 

[Ross]

Nancy and I can and do stay at home for days at a time without going off the place. I once told a friend that we hadn't been off the place for a week and he said that he just couldn't do that. He would go into town everyday just to drop in on old friends. He needed the social contacts.

 

[Stu Jackson]

I hear ya, Ross. Once, years ago, when canoeing down the Susquehanna River, we stopped in a town and went shopping. Ran into a guy who was yelling at his wife: "I gotta get outta here, right now! I can't stand all this small town crap, gotta get back to The City!" Takes all kinds.

 

[John]

I hear ya, Ross. Once, years ago, when canoeing down the Susquehanna River, we stopped in a town and went shopping. Ran into a guy who was yelling at his wife: "I gotta get outta here, right now! I can't stand all this small town crap, gotta get back to The City!" Takes all kinds.

I remember taking my son on a three week camping trip up to Seattle, around the Olympic Peninsula and back. He was about ten at the time. We both had a great time, but I still remember when we returned to the Bay Area. It was night and we were driving down into the Pinole area. We could see all the lights of all the houses ahead. As my son looked at this reminder that we were returning to city life, he commented, "Ohhhh, Yessss!"

 

[Ross]

There is a song that goes:
" Close the door, light the lights.
We're staying home tonight
far away from the bustle and the bright city lights.
We'll make a world of our own that no one else can share,
all our troubles we'll leave far behind out there.
And I know that we'll find there will be peace of mind
when we live in a world of our own.