Is this even a feasible idea? living far away from your boat

[docwood]

I love this forum. So much experience and solid advice (even if its not what you want to hear). I too would love to own a boat on the ocean. A little history preparing for my third bareboat excursion in November. I live in iowa and am a solid 5 years from being able to spend more than 3/4 weeks a year on a boat. As tempting as it is I have already learned through everyone here that even after initial cost of buying I better budget 8-12k a year just to say I own a boat. The one suggestion I might add is try to talk friends into trying a bareboat with you. My wife and I are lucky enough to have travel friends from college that love sailing as much as we do. That means the entire bareboat experience after airfare is split in half. I could charter for 4 weeks before I hit that 12K mar. Charter with the same company and there are discounts for return business. Plus we can charter different locations as we become more experienced. If in 5 years the passion and the health is still there dang right I'm buying. Somy two cents worht. Rent don't buy..yet Until then I'll keep surfing the internet lookingat boats and dreaming

[TideTime]

You have received some very good advice, at least from those recommending you gain additional experience (possibly by chartering) prior to purchasing any sizable sailboat. Yes, there are many boat owners who reside far from where they sail their boat and there are many owners who reside near their boat but seldom use the boat! If you do not think so, just visit any marina on a beautiful summer sailing day and observe the number of boats on their mooring or in a slip. Any boat, the size of which requires you to store and maintain at a boat yard gets expensive real quick. Both of you are still young (I am 78 and do not plan to give up sailing any time soon); I recommend you get sailing, but delay purchasing your own boat until you decide where you may eventually end up - you may wish to retire to a warmer climate.

[Pete7]

Charter, becaase then you aren't even restricted to sailing in US waters.

How about somewhere like this for a change:

https://www.sailionian.com/

[Russ]

I live in Vermont when I bought my boat 20 years ago. It was then and still is in Melbourne,FL.

I used to go down three or so times a year and llve abord and try to take occasional trips.
My caution is as follows:
1) A VERY secure marina ( I've been through many canes and all left me thank God untouched. I am in an excellent hurricane hole.

2) Don't plan on going anywhere far, if you don't have time (days weeks) to wait for the weather you aren't going anywhere.

3) I am 6 hours from an inlet which adds to my safety and adds to difficulty getting to the ocean (I'm off the ICW)

4) NOW I have long-time friends at the marina though even as a newbe folks were nice re-watching the boat.

5) There's a lot of costs to just "keep a boat" don't underestimate the stuff besides insurance, slip fee, bottom paint, haul outs, etc etc

6) Even unused stuff dies in the marine environment.

7) I'm glad I did it especially now that we live 2 miles from the marina.

8) We lived aboard for years after I retired and THEN we got to go cruising. We just bought a house 2 miles from the marina and still have the boat.

Russ

[Augi]

Another option to chartering or ownership is doing a time share with SailTime(see link).

https://sailtime.com

I think the usage rules and length of contract vary by location.

In Southern, California for example it costs approx. $800 a month for a year contract to use a 0-2 year old Beneteau 35 for 1 week every other month and you can use the boat as much as you want if the boat is available and you book inside of 96 hours from when you want to use the boat.

$800 a month is pretty much inclusive including all maintenance/repairs, cost of slip, some fuel, water but not cleaning. I think there is an upfront charge of a couple hundred dollars for training how to clean and organize the boat when you finish, and a couple hundred dollars upfront membership fee.

A slip for a 35 ft monohull in Marina Del Rey will cost approx. 800 dollars a month. So if you plan to sail approx. 6 weeks a year SailTime a fraction of the cost of owning without headaches of doing maintenance and repairs.

Boats are not an investment. Boats are like cars but worse in terms of cost to own: Probably something like exponentially to the third power worse in terms of cost own versus a car.

You need to check if based on the rules for reserving the boat that SailTime imposes work for you.

An Advantage of SailTime is you always sail the exact same boat over the year contract from the same base. The other users and you are trained to leave the boat organized in the same way. So it is closer to owning your own boat versus getting acclimated to a different boat each time you charter.

You may still want to go charter for a week with a skipper to see how you take to sailing or take a live-a-board class to get certified to bare boat charter before committing to a 1 year contract with SailTime.

Or take the plunge on a year contract with SailTime and find an instructor that will train you on the SailTime boat you contracted for.

[Augi]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Charter, becaase then you aren't even restricted to sailing in US waters.

How about somewhere like this for a change:

https://www.sailionian.com/

Excluding the travel costs, one of the least expensive places to charter is from a base in Croatia especially in the Spring of Fall avoiding the high season.

A good website to get an idea of prices to charter especially in the Caribbean and Europe(including the Ionian islands) is : https://www.theglobesailor.com

[Davy J]

Here's another option you might not think about. Buy a trailerable cruiser, of course you will need a truck. But both, will probably be less expensive than a larger boat and the related storage fees.

You can then take the boat anywhere you want until it's time to move up.

I chose a Catalina 25, had it for ten years. Cruised all up and down the west coast of Florida. Stayed on it for up to three weeks at a time.

One Canadian member of the Catalina 25 international association spent a few years trailering and traveling all over the U.S.

A pristine model with a trailer can be had for 10-12K, a fixer upper, maybe 3-4K.

When you are ready to pull the trigger on a larger boat, they are fairly easy to sell. You can also do any upgrades or repairs sitting on the trailer somewhere near or at home.

Plus learning to sail on a light weight boat will give you a better understanding of sailing in general.

[Utah1]

I'm considering buying a boat and keeping it in southern California while currently living in the Salt Lake City, Utah area. It won't happen until next year at the earliest though. I do have a little advantage on the travel though as I work for the airlines and can fly for free into LAX, SAN, Long Beach, etc.. My schedule also allows for weeks off at a time as I don't work your typical 8-5 M-F schedule. And I get another 4-5 weeks of vacation a year. My wife and I are former Orange County residents and she wants to move, or at least have a place to stay several nights a month back in socal to visit family.

I'd like to retire in 6-8 years and spend a while cruising the Pacific.

Thanks Augi for bringing up Sailtime. That looks real intriguing for the next several years.

[docwood]

I love this forum. So much experience and solid advice (even if its not what you want to hear). I too would love to own a boat on the ocean. A little history. Preparing for my third bareboat excursion in November. I live in iowa and am a solid 5 years from being able to spend more than 3/4 weeks a year on a boat. As tempting as it is I have already learned through everyone here that even after initial cost of buying I better budget 8-12k a year just to say I own a boat. The one suggestion I might add is try to talk friends into trying a bareboat with you. My wife and I are lucky enough to have travel friends from college that love sailing as much as we do. That means the entire bareboat experience after airfare is split in half. I could charter for 4 weeks before I hit that 12K mar. Charter with the same company and there are discounts for return business. Plus we can charter different locations as we become more experienced. If in 5 years the passion and the health is still there dang right I'm buying. Somy two cents worht. Rent don't buy..yet Until then I'll keep surfing the internet lookingat boats and dreaming

[Augi]

Originally Posted by Debmar

Some info.

My Wife and myself are both going to be 50 in the next year. We have almost no sailing experience. We live far from the ocean, and far enough north that in order to sail in the winter months (which is the only time our schedule allows currently) the boat in question would have to be kept at a warm location far away from where we are.

We would be looking at buying a used but decent seaworthy sailboat in the 35-40 ish foot range we think. (remember, we don't know what we are talking about, but have tried to research this and be grounded in reality in the process)

The question....is it being realistic on our part to think owning a boat in say Florida (or other warm locale) and having it stored out of the water for a significant part of the year could work? without being anywhere near to be able to check on it? without the storage costs being so prohibitive as to make it not worth it. we would hope that each year as our schedule and experience sailing allows the time on the boat would increase (we would initially probably be able to be on her for a month (after fixing her up and getting her in the water) but hopefully that would increase by a couple weeks per year. ) we realize that we have piles to learn, but if this dream is to become reality we have to start somewhere, and sooner the better.

we have looked at charters but that appears to get really costly quickly and although a great experience that $ is just gone.

anyone doing something similar out there with any advice for us as we try to keep a dream alive? We would really appreciate any insight from those who are or who have tried such a thing.

thanks

Checkout the boat ownership plans offered Moorings and Dream Yachts.

Dream Yachts has plan called Dream Easy:

You could do the Dream Easy with the Buy Back option on a monohull.

No financing is needed on your side. Dream Easy Buy Back:

1. 35% down payment
2. If you choose not to keep the yacht at the end of the 60 months, we will pay you back 10% of the total sale price as a buy back option.
3. If you choose to keep the yacht, you would have a balance of 25% due.

As long as the market for 5 year old charter boats stays at least OK, you probably will worst case break even ex travel costs, ex the cost of 35% of the cost of the boat being tied up in the boat for 5 years.

If have the total cost of the boat you want available, Moorings and Dream Yachts will pay you Guaranteed Income of 9%-15% with no insurance costs, maintenance, no reapiars, no slip fees, etc. You also get to use your boat or a similar boat for up to 12 weeks a year at any of Moorings or Dream yachts bases for free except for cleaning. .

[Caravela1986]

Yes..........if you follow recommendations of trusted live aboard cruisers...............especially those who are members of Seven Seas Cruising Association or other recognized international group such as this one.

We cruised 14 years in Caribbean Oct to May and left boat in Power boats in Trinidad, Curacao Marine in Curacao, I do not remember where exactly but somewhere in Cartagena, Columbia and in Rio Dulce Guatemala in both haul out facilities : Ram Marina and Abels. we always returned to our home in New Jersey for the summer and hurricane season. We hauled the boat out, did not leave it in water because could never trust others to check &/or change mooring lines.

Without hesitation, I would recommend all except Power Boats in Trinidad.

You need updating, my history is old. Get an updating because things change with time and change in management at each facility.

I never spent time in Florida.

[Augi]

Originally Posted by Utah1

I'm considering buying a boat and keeping it in southern California while currently living in the Salt Lake City, Utah area. It won't happen until next year at the earliest though. I do have a little advantage on the travel though as I work for the airlines and can fly for free into LAX, SAN, Long Beach, etc.. My schedule also allows for weeks off at a time as I don't work your typical 8-5 M-F schedule. And I get another 4-5 weeks of vacation a year. My wife and I are former Orange County residents and she wants to move, or at least have a place to stay several nights a month back in socal to visit family.

I'd like to retire in 6-8 years and spend a while cruising the Pacific.

Thanks Augi for bringing up Sailtime. That looks real intriguing for the next several years.

I have not contracted for a boat with SailTime in SoCal. I have spoken to them in detail a couple of times. I have heard some vague, mixed, reviews about SailTime so check them out carefully before forking over any $$. As always it is caveat emptor

[sailingchiro]

Another reason for chartering is finding out the type of boat you (or wife) wants.
Purchasing a boat with no experience can be very expensive.

I still think purchasing a 30' boat close to home gives ample amount of experience for that big boat purchase later. A 30' close to home will give many more days (even if the season is short) on water and teach the owner how (and cost) to take care of the boat. Sell your 30' boat when able to move to big boat. With alot of experience.

30' boat with diesel, helm steering, roller furling, refrigeration, etc. is a small purchase when compared to a $200k cruising boat. Some can even be trailered.

[BugzyCan]

Why not just pick up a "almost free" boat, fix it up as you go, keep minimal insurance on it if anything. Go cheap, then it won't kill you in costs. You can learn all kinds of stuff, and no worries.



It is like owning a motorcycle, never buy a new bike when your learning, you know you will drop it often, and those dents really hurt, but on a beater bike, nobody would notice.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by gaucho

You call chartering expensive. I think you need to do the math. Thinking about an average 35-40 ft sailboat, in the 60-100k price range for example, you would be talking 300-500 usd a month on storage (and Im going for the lower end here, on St Agustine or the West Coast of FL), plus what, 2k for insurance? And leave the boat in a hurricane prone area like FL, does anybody even insure you anymore if you are not a resident of FL?

I think you need to run the numbers. It all depends on several factors, but me thinks that if you find chartering expensive, you are going to find boat ownership (and in particular REMOTE boat ownership) way more expensive :/

OK, that is 8K per year basic cost.to own that boat. Add 4K more for maintenance and repairs. 12K total. Say you get only 4 months per year use of your boat. A charter for a similar boat probably runs at least 3K per week. Of course that is in a prime location like the Caribbean, but for 4 months charter you would pay an astounding sum, perhaps more than the value of the boat.