What items can/should I stockpile?

[MNGator]

On my last thread regarding the question of whether or not to buy my ultimate cruising cat now, or wait until I get closer to departure, I have decided to wait. But that has opened up a new line of thought...

What items can I begin purchasing now that will ultimately be useful in 7-10 years when I buy a 7-10 year old cat? For example, I would think lines, anchor chain, an anchor would be items that stored properly will be pretty standard on the type of boat I will be looking for. I would think solar, electronics and safety equipment would be better waiting as I would want to take advantage of newer technology. Thoughts? What items could be purchased early when I come across great deals?

[goat]

I'd suggest you go the other way. How much stuff can you get rid of (turn into cash) before then? Keep lightening your load until you have the boat. You don't know what size anchor you need, the size of the gypsy on your windlass or what new products will make your stored items obsolete in a decade from now. Can't go wrong with a pile of cash in the bank though.

[SteveInMD]

Save your cash. Go sailing as much as you can. Get on a race boat to fine tune your sailing skills, take some classes, and do more research.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by goat

I'd suggest you go the other way. How much stuff can you get rid of (turn into cash) before then? Keep lightening your load until you have the boat. You don't know what size anchor you need, the size of the gypsy on your windlass or what new products will make your stored items obsolete in a decade from now. Can't go wrong with a pile of cash in the bank though.

Goat
Good point. Add to knowledge, subtract from stuff

[ohdrinkboy]

Goat has it right. I considered the same thing. Lots of things go bad just sitting (rubber). Better to stockpile cash.

[MNGator]

Good points. The de-materializations has already begun! I found moving to Florida from Minnesota how much crap I really had. Outside of my tools, I have the household items down to a small trailer load. I'm moving from a 5 bedroom house to a 2 or 3 bedroom (my ideal would be 1,000 sq ft of house and 10,000 sq ft of garage). My plan and intention is to not fill up the house like I did before. Basic furniture yes, but I am long past the point of needing 'things'.

I am however adept at finding deals and was wondering if there were some items that could be bought earlier, if not so be it. None of it will be at the expense of gaining experience. I have some, both on power and sail, but know I need a lot more so will pursue every opportunity I can until I am ready to depart.

[meatservo]

I would save/invest as much money as possible. Good to have a nice financial cushion behind you when you hit the water full time...

Technology changes so fast that what you buy today will be worthless in a few years time.


meatservo

[Sea Dreaming]

Buy nothing! We bought things here and there in prep for our move aboard. We ended up having to get rid of 1/3 to 1/2 of it because what thought we wanted or needed was just wrong. We ended up with double some tools etc because the boat we bought already had them. Until you get your boat it's all just spinning your wheels and maybe wasting money.

[Scoop Scott B]

Agree---stockpile the cash and then begin thinking about doing a pro forma budget on what you might spend. Since you have some years ahead you might actually, over the course of several years, have a pretty good idea of what you are likely to spend. That will feed straight back to how much dough you have to create that cash flow need.

As for the stuff---the electronics on my boat were upgraded in 2006 which doesn't seem that long ago, does it? They are certainly adequate but nothing like the gear that is available now. Stay away from technologic purchases. It will get better and cheaper as we go.

Invest in some books. I would start with The Cruising Life and Sailing Into Retirement by Jim Trefethen. There are others but this is a really good place to start.

[grantmc]

Invest in your own skills, experience and knowledge as you know they'll definitely be going with you. Practice, practice, practice.

[powsmias]

Originally Posted by goat

I'd suggest you go the other way. How much stuff can you get rid of (turn into cash) before then? Keep lightening your load until you have the boat. You don't know what size anchor you need, the size of the gypsy on your windlass or what new products will make your stored items obsolete in a decade from now. Can't go wrong with a pile of cash in the bank though.

If I were waiting 7-10 yrs I'd put it in physical silver. good luck

[Shrew]

Buy 'things' for the boat you ACTUALLY buy, not the one you THINK you're going to buy.

It makes no sense to purchase anchor, anchor lines, boat/dock lines ahead of time. Those need to be purchased for the boat. Wishes, Desires, & Likes change with time. You might end up with a smaller boat, larger boat, different boat than expected. The anchor and lines might be to oversized or undersized for the boat you actually buy.

Flares and fire extinguishers have expiration dates. Some of the items in a first aid kit even have expiration dates on them.

Often a used boat will end up including a lot of stuff. Much of it will have some useful life in it. This often includes some boat/dock lines, anchor, anchor line, PFD's and extinguishers.

This leaves you with: Dishes, Pots & pans, raingear, cutlery, galley utensils, PFD's, clothes.

[LoudMusic]

My wife and I are into the stages of "we ARE going to be living on a boat", and have begun the process of selling/gifting our possessions that we don't regularly use and won't move to boat life (snow globes and LEGO sets ... ).

We've also made the conscience decision to not purchase anything new that won't move to boat life, or contribute to boat life, because we'd just be hocking it in less than a year and it would take funds away from the boat purchase or cruising kitty.

For example, there have been tools I've wanted to buy but realized they'd be of no use on a boat so I just figure out how to accomplish those tasks now with what I have.

That said, I also see no reason to buy stuff specifically for a boat that I do not own ... yet. There's a lot of time between now and then and something could change and I'd have "boat stuff" to get rid of, and money invested in it that could have been used elsewhere.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by MNGator

I am however adept at finding deals and was wondering if there were some items that could be bought earlier, if not so be it. None of it will be at the expense of gaining experience. I have some, both on power and sail, but know I need a lot more so will pursue every opportunity I can until I am ready to depart.

No.

You won't know what you really need until you're on the boat. First of all, it might come with an inventory, if you buy used. You could accumulate all kinds of stuff you don't even need. Or what you do buy might not be sized correctly, or newer technology may have rendered it obsolete, or something you can buy more cheaply.

And look at it another way, in terms of the cost of capital. You buy a piece of equipment for $600 that normally runs for $1000, and count yourself lucky that you got it at 40% off. Then it sits in the garage for 10 years. If the money you paid for it had sat in a mutual fund for 10 years, you can pretty much guarantee a better outcome.

You're excited about the prospect of buying a boat and want to engage in the outfitting process early based on that excitement. Understandable. But don't do it!

I advise people to not buy any equipment for a boat up until the moment they actually need it. There's an excellent chance that if you buy in anticipation that you'll either discover you didn't really need it, or needed something different. It's almost a truism.

[barnakiel]

None.

imho

b.