Am I dreaming too big?

[donkey_jaw]

Also just say I anchor in a harbor and decide to take my Dingy to shore. What are the usual costs to keep the dingy there?

[Paul54]

It depends on where you are. Some towns have a free municipal dock where you can tie up your boat for free on a short term basis. Some have free dinghy docks some don't. I suggest you get Active Captain. It is free and has a wealth of information about anchoring, marinas, dinghy docks, etc.

[donkey_jaw]

Thanks Paul. I register this morning and have since been looking at destinations I plan on visiting and all the wealth of information Active Captain provided.

I didn't see anything about dinghy docks though. Am I missing something?

[Paul54]

Not a whole lot of info on dinghy docks specifically, but good info on places to anchor that often includes info about where you can go with a dinghy.

[donkey_jaw]

Being that I will probably leave from NC to the Caribbean, how much fuel do you guys think I"ll use. I prefer a gas engine. Possibly a yamaha. I plan to sail as much as I can but in the ICW I will probably have to motor a lot of the way. Is $1,000 for fuel too small a number or is that reasonable?

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by donkey_jaw

Being that I will probably leave from NC to the Caribbean, how much fuel do you guys think I"ll use. I prefer a gas engine. Possibly a yamaha. I plan to sail as much as I can but in the ICW I will probably have to motor a lot of the way. Is $1,000 for fuel too small a number or is that reasonable?

Given the price range you asked about, you are probably going with the motor the boat came with. Unless it came from the factory outboard powered, I wouldn't plan on just bolting an outboard to the stern of a boat with a bad motor. It will be marginal at best and your trip is likely to have a lot of miles of motoring.

We need more details about the boat and the motor to have any clue how much fuel you will need. We swapped out the original 2 stroke outboard on our boat for a new 4 stroke and went from 3mpg to 6mpg (even more if we go slower), so just saying Yamaha doesn't tell us much without more details.

95% of boats we see on the ICW are motoring. Given your short schedule, I would assume 100% motoring for the ICW portion and treat any sailing miles as a bonus. You can probably do better once in the islands but still figure on some motoring and figure on higher gas prices.

[jheldatksuedu]

I hate to be negative but this is how disasters start, "YES YOU ARE ONLY DREAMING." Get yourself on a boat, buy, rent, crew, etc, and learn the answers to all these questions. We can't help on specifics when nothing is specific, sure we can tell you the fuel price in some far off place, or help with a specific rigging question, but until you learn something on your own, "YES YOU ARE ONLY DREAMING."

[donkey_jaw]

Valhalla, thanks for the input. You're right. I'll just use the motor in the boat but will make sure I do my homework before I buy to make sure its a good motor and the right one for the boat.

jheldatksuedu,

That was very negative. I understand your statement and I am dreaming but what is wrong with asking questions? I know the best answers are through experience.

If one wanted to go sky diving wouldn't you want to inquire about it before jumping out of a plane?

[laika]

Most 25ft+ sailboats come with and most people prefer an inboard diesel. The fuel is a lot less explosive than regular gas and the engines themselves are generally more sturdy and reliable (similarly, most long haul trucks are diesels).

There are some attractive ways to run an outboard as a primary engine tho. Ex: Atom Voyages - Outboard motor well for a Taipan 28 sailboat

[donkey_jaw]

I do prefer an inboard sail boat. Are there many divers here. I would love to dive some wrecks. I am scuba certified but don't have any equipment.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

yep, to me the Bahamas are cruising paradise. For a cruise anywhere from Florida to Trinidad I would choose the Bahamas hands down.

I agree with Cheechako to a degree... but 3 to 6 months seems like an awful short period of time when we have spent two months here in the Abacos alone! We still have not seen everything the Abacos offer.

Besides, it'll take you a "month or two" just to work your way down the ICW and "the thorny path" unless you have offshore experience. By the time you get to the end of the road you'll be out of time... IMO, just go to the Bahamas, you won't be sorry.

Or, don't shy away from that charter boat suggestion. You could rent a month here, a month there, and fly or take ferries between charters. It would certainly be a better way of maximizing your allotted time.

[donkey_jaw]

ZBOSS, I understand the time limit and the more I think about it the more I will be pushing it, but thats the time I have. During this time I will try to have most of my bills prepaid for the months I'm gone but I have a limit to how much I can spend. I agree, from what I hear the Bahamas are some of the best places to sail. I'm an avid Bumfuzzle reader. When they sailed across the world they reported that of all the places they visited, the Bahamas were the best.

The charter boat would probably make the most sense but if I did this it would be my own way. I would want my own boat and sail her where I wanted. I've always been this way. An idea in my head grows and grows and grows until I have to set it free.

I'll have to pick up some Scuba gear sometime before this trip. I can't sail the Caribbean without looking for gold haha

[donkey_jaw]

Ok guys. Its been a while since my last post on this topic but I've been doing research on what I want to do. The plan is the same. Buy a boat somewhere coastal VA/NC and then sail south through the ICW.

The timeline... Not sure. I will be 100% debt free when i take this venture. Possibly using my house as a rental for some income. Now I've been debating on 2 different things.

1. Whether to get a boat that has how water and a shower or not. Is it worth the trouble?

2. Outboard or Inboard....I do believe all in all the Inboard is better for fuel economy and storms/rough seas. The outboard seems better as in access, cost, and simplicity. After thinking the outboard seems better for me (30ft or smaller boat).

Opinions?

[laika]

On the shower/hot water, the crew aboard this 27' have been using a camping style solar water heater w/foot pressure pump and spray nozzle. Take showers in the cockpit. If we're feeling really luxurious, we can heat up some water on the stove and pour it in. The difference between camping and living is being clean!

Same time, I personally can't imagine cruising without a watermaker, especially on a small boat w/o a ton of tankage. It's such a luxury to use water and not worry about planning around the next water fill, or having to ferry endless water jugs back and forth to shore.

Preferences and priorities!

[Juho]

Originally Posted by donkey_jaw

Ok guys. Its been a while since my last post on this topic but I've been doing research on what I want to do. The plan is the same. Buy a boat somewhere coastal VA/NC and then sail south through the ICW.

The timeline... Not sure. I will be 100% debt free when i take this venture. Possibly using my house as a rental for some income. Now I've been debating on 2 different things.

1. Whether to get a boat that has how water and a shower or not. Is it worth the trouble?

2. Outboard or Inboard....I do believe all in all the Inboard is better for fuel economy and storms/rough seas. The outboard seems better as in access, cost, and simplicity. After thinking the outboard seems better for me (30ft or smaller boat).

Opinions?

1. Shower in the cockpit or in a waterproof head is quite cheap and can be easily arranged. In a hot climate some form of flushing the sweat off would be nice.

2. If you plan to travel to the open seas, inboard would be good if you can afford it.