Biggest surprises from your first year or two of cruising

[Smallcraftadvis]

Water runs out quickly!

[svmariane]

Originally Posted by Smallcraftadvis

Water runs out quickly!

Can we safely assume that you meant potable water and not what collects/leaks into the bilge through the stuffing box?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Smallcraftadvis

Water runs out quickly!

In actual fact I too was surprised around water usage, but in the opposite direction.

I’ve cruised for years without any water gauge on our tank. It is apparently a 200 gallon tank. We’ve never run out, but without a measure, we we always careful about usage.

This past season I installed a flow meter to measure exactly how much we use (and therefore know how much we have left). I was pleasantly surprised at our low consumption rate: 1 gallon/person/day.

[Hobiehobie]

We bought a boat that was probably bigger than prudent , more complex than our experience should have supported. But we have had a grand time. No regrets and now the boat fits us like a glove. No regrets at all.


But. We did not predict hurricane Irma and Marie hitting us. We did not plan on $$$$ in repairs it took. but after a year of refits we are back on the high seas. Others not so lucky, as faced with such unexpected expenses many have to walk away from their boat and their cruising lifestyle.

[CapnCrunch]

Had to laugh at an earlier poster that said she couldn't imagine what boaters at anchor for several days spent all that time doing.

The obvious answer was: "repairs."

I'm still "at the dock" but can attest to the unreasonable amount of time required to get things done. Who would have thought it would take half a day to replace a hot water hose? Or that NOBODY in a decent size city like Little Rock, Arkansas can/will press a new fitting on the end of a 20' propane gas hose!

Anyway, this has been a great thread! Keep it up guys/gals!