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

[hpeer]

I’ve done it, hell l am doing it. It’s tough.

I lived in Philadelphia and bought a boat in the Canadian Maritimes. What made it work was that I renegotiated my deal with work. I went to a 36 hour week, but worked 40. The extra hours were then taken as vacation time giving me an additional 4 weeks off per year.

Then bought a second boat near home we lived on part time. Now have two boats so I’m always at one and away from one.

It’s not easy but doable.

Key is finding the right storage yard. Needs to be cheap enough and have sufficient resources. WHERE the yard is doesn’t matter much, you are gonna fly anyway.

Maybe think about Rio Dulce or something along those lines. There are reasonable air connections. The storage is reasonable and there are relatively inexpensive craftsmen to assist with the chores. You can sail out and turn left up through the Belize atolls and it might take a couple of years to get tired of that. But by then you will have sorted yourself out and have a better idea of what to do.

There may be two or three more places where something like that would work out.

I’m not gonna try to talk you out of it because I know it can be done. Like most things worthwhile in life it takes some effort, you have to reach outside your comfort zone. But that’s the learning zone, where you learn about yourself. Sometimes you smack your thumb with a hammer in the process, that should not stop the process.

Any way, good luck.

[jmschmidt]

You can hire yacht management firms to look after your boat but it ain't cheap.

[sailorboy1]

Don’t buy a boat unless you are going to use it, not storing it. The boat just falls apart from non use.

[alansmith]

I store my 30 foot trimaran on a trailer down in San Carlos Mexico. All in... pd 22kand costs me 1100 yr for secure hard storage. Sonora Mexico is drop dead gorgeous. Food is unbelievable good. Best steaks I ever ate anywhere. Plenty to good fishing. People are are warm and kind.

Yes, it is a hassle getting down there. Costs me nothing to launch and retrieve since I pay a year at a time. Can live on the boat in the yard for about 100 bucks a month while I work on her.

Don’t have the boat sitting in the brine I can pull the boat behind my diesel to anywhere in North America I less than 3-4 days. Think about that. You want to sail the San Juan’s in June and Channel Island off of LA in July? Then Lake Ontario in August? Store her for 3 months and down to Florida for the season. Only possible with trailerable boats.


Keep your boat simple and on a trailer. Many YouTube articles on it. Look up a guy named Simon Carter trailer sailor. It is the only type of sailing I’m interested in. I can get to any sailing venue in America by car... drop her in... sail to my hearts content ... retrieve.... store.... go.

[zemurray]

I live a 9 hour drive from our boat in Florida. We keep it in the water. Plan on 10-13$ a foot minimum. Perhaps start with a smaller boat? 28-30ft ? That would cut your upfront cost in half, and your storage and maintenance cost buy 1/3rd easy. Deal with that for a few years and then upgraded to a larger boat if necessary. A 30ft boat is plenty big for 2-3 people “commuter cruising”

We drive down every month for a week or so. I can work from the boat, so I’ll work for a few days and sometimes take a couple days off and make a long weekend. Works for us. Boating is expensive. It’s a hobby, most fun hobbies cost a lot of money. None of it makes financial sense. It’s just what are you willing to spend to play? Personally we preferred owning our boat so that we can use it more often and learn a lot for future plans and dreams.

[MicHughV]

...I gotta go with sailorboy here.....something I've learned in the many years of owning a boat.

The simple truth is...if you don't use it, you will loose it !

Stuff on neglected boats will rust, get mildew, mold, leak, break, etc, ad infinitum. A diesel engine that sits for months on end without being turned over is an invitation for trouble, etc, etc, etc.....
Condensation in fuel tanks, etc, etc, etc.....
Same goes for batteries. Batteries die without attention.

A big nightmare for you would be to ensure ALL your bilge pumps are working and the batteries maintained. Just one " tiny" leak somewhere....anywhere.....a porthole, hatch, fitting, etc can grow to be a monumental problem.

Off course, you can have the boat hauled and stored, but I can assure you this is not a cheap option and a " tiny" leak on a hauled boat can also accumulate inside the boat.

Every time you get back on the boat, expect to spend a reasonable amount of time and money to fix, repair or replace stuff.
At age 50, climbing up the mast to fix something becomes a challenge, so you may likely need to hire help.

By your own admittance, your boating experience is practically zero, so you will have to find various and sundry mechanics, electricians, etc, etc to come and fix, repair, maintain, etc..

In the meantime, while you are gone, the bills don't stop...dockage...insurance...utilities...etc..

And finally, yes, your " dream" boat will devalue year after year, to the point where selling it will be a nightmare, living away from the boat you will be entirely at the mercy of the boat broker, yours and the prospective buyer, who will not be motivated to sell it, without you in close attendance to ensure the boat remains in " prime" selling condition.

Check out the internet, there must 100's, probably 1,000's of boats for sale. At one time, these boats were all somebody's " dream". Many of these boats have been "on the market for years".

I can tell you from experience, that I've witnesses countless middle-age people chase the horizon, but one storm can change your tune in a second. If not yours, your wife.

Every year you will have to plan for " hurricane" season....this is a whole chapter on it's own.

Having said all that, if you have the financial ability to have a hired hand check on the boat in addition to all of the above, you could pull it off.

Working or fixing or replacing something on a boat can be viewed as therapeutic by many, so yes, people's reasons for buying a boat can vary.

That is the magic of boating.

Good luck !

[Dennis.G]

We live summers in upper peninsula of Michigan and winters on our sailboat in Mexico. We spend about 5 or 6 months a year on the boat. So yes, it is very feasible. That said, if we were spending less than two or three months a year on our boat, with the boat being so far away, we would charter instead. If you feel chartering for a month or more is too expensive compared to remote ownership, I think your estimate of all the expenses involved need to be revisited.

[Imbroglio]

In a perfect world you find a person local to an agreeable area that will live on-board and take care of her as his own. Someone mechanically capable that wants to learn and save for his own boat so he can go see WTF is out there.
Then the boat is being used and ready to sail at all times. Boats work best and longest when used regularly, storage kills quickly.
Panama is about as safe as it gets to stay out of hurricanes.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by waterman46

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.

Your estimate is pretty low...particularly if doing it remotely.

Then you have lost time getting the boat launched, working out the issues that took root while you were gone and then getting back early to have the boat hauled. (or paying a lot for someone else to take care of this for you).

It all gets a lot more expensive when it's remote and you have limited time, that you would rather spend cruising...not repairing.

You can get charters lower than $3k per month. Also, if you are renting repeatedly for a month, you can get long term deals to push the cost of a charter down...but when you show up, the boat is ready to go or the charter company has to sort it out.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Your estimate is pretty low...particularly if doing it remotely.

Then you have lost time getting the boat launched, working out the issues that took root while you were gone and then getting back early to have the boat hauled. (or paying a lot for someone else to take care of this for you).

It all gets a lot more expensive when it's remote and you have limited time, that you would rather spend cruising...not repairing.

You can get charters lower than $3k per month. Also, if you are renting repeatedly for a month, you can get long term deals to push the cost of a charter down...but when you show up, the boat is ready to go or the charter company has to sort it out.

I don't disagree with your point. But charters less than $3k a month? Long term deals? Where do you find these fictional beasts? Did you mean 3k a week—because even that is pushing it for any bot you would want to spend longer than a week on...

I can't remember the exact number, but last time we figured it out it was 5-6 weeks of chartering before you could seriously consider owning. Mind you this was only 800 miles away and not in the Caribbean so your mileage would vary. The big thing in my mind is the time lost to maintenance. That right there is a big reason that a long distance relationship sucks.

[Cheechako]

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

Yes It will work. I have done it short term 2-4 months or so of storage. And probably better out of the water. You need to figure 2-4 days to get the boat ready to use when you go down to visit. Supplies, clean up etc. There are things you need to do to store it well, but once you get used to doing them not a big deal. However, the storage and hauling/launching costs will be more than a 2 week charter every year. If you can store a boat for say $300 a month, that alone is $3300 for 11 months storage. Add bottom painting etc every few years as well as launching and retrieving fees and you are likely looking at $5000 a year in round numbers.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

I don't disagree with your point. But charters less than $3k a month? Long term deals? Where do you find these fictional beasts? Did you mean 3k a week—because even that is pushing it for any bot you would want to spend longer than a week on...

I can't remember the exact number, but last time we figured it out it was 5-6 weeks of chartering before you could seriously consider owning. Mind you this was only 800 miles away and not in the Caribbean so your mileage would vary. The big thing in my mind is the time lost to maintenance. That right there is a big reason that a long distance relationship sucks.

Typo: Week not month.

If the OP is talking about a bigger or newer boat, $3k might be reasonable but then you also have to throw in depreciation which on a newer boat can add $20k/yr to the loss.

That didn't sound like what the OP was after so chartering a brand new 50' cat isn't comparable.

[roverhi]

I commuted 2300 miles to my boat for 4 years. Worked for an airline so airfare was practically zero and could arrange my schedule to get 7-10 days off consecutively. Would have continued with the long distance commuting except my son and family moved out of the area and the airline went bankrupt.

It was not ideal as the first and last day at the boat were typically wasted getting settled, unpacking bicycle and getting set up to work on the boat then undoing it all on the last day. Did set the boat up for a transpac but spent most of my time working on the boat and not sailing. Would have been ideal if I'd had more than 7-10 day periods levery six weeks or so. Amonth at a time on the boat would have been ideal.

Leaving the boat for 3-4 weeks at a time wasn't a problem in Alameda, CA's stable weather. Gulf Coast would be different as you'd have to work out how to protect the boat from tropical storms from June through November. Not an impossible task but would have to leave the boat in a Hurricane hole, hauled out or fly down to take care of the boat when weather threatened.

Don't look at a boat as an investment. It's a toy you get to play with and pay for. The pleasure of owning a boat is hopefully in using NOT in the money you saved. Figure out the cost and determine if you can live with it. Never been a problem for me, always bought the boat.

[Davy J]

Almost four pages in............. The original poster hasn't bothered to check back in.

Seems to be a pattern here on CF....... "hey, I got a question, never sailed before, want to buy a 50' Swan, what do you'all think?

Then all of you responders keep the thread going six or seven days..........

Maybe my tinfoil hat is just too tight.......

[model 10]

[QUOTE=Davy J; Then all of you responders keep the thread going six or seven days..........
Maybe my tinfoil hat is just too tight....... [/QUOTE]


It's Ok.
What I find most surprising is how little value is being placed on hanging out on your boat. Especially when it's in a foreign land. We find being in the USA overwhelming after a bit. It's not the main reason to leave, but what a relief when you're gone. There is no comparison to a charter. We have been at anchor in Belize for weeks and the charter boats come and go for their charter and we are still not quite ready to go yet.
It's worth way more than some of you think.