Our Dream of Sailboat Living + Questions

[KingGuppy]

Hello Cruisers,

We're hoping to get some expert advice and help by the cruisers here (you) over the next couple of months as we make way on achieving our dream. We'll use this post to document our journey and fill others in on answers to questions that they may have.

About Us
Let me fill you in on our story before bombarding the questions. My wife and I are 31 years old, live in Florida, and want to attempt to fulfill our dream before that dream becomes unfulfilable. How can we afford full time sailing being so young? We can't... yet. Luckily both of us have a strong work ethic and have worked 2 full time jobs for years.

The Dream
38-45ft Catamaran
Leopard or Lagoon
2005+
Under $300k
1k+ AH Lithium Battery + Solar
Full time livable

Boat Money
Saving money is what we do best, but one of the largest obstacles we're still working at overcoming, is earning an income while sailing. We both run 2 separate marketing businesses (I do web design, digital and print marketing, and she does photography and social media management) that are 95% remote work, but we still need to grow these drastically. Our other jobs are only about 70% remote work and they provide the majority of our income. We may lose these when going sailing, so gaining more marketing clients is a top priority for us.

A few years ago we purchased a home before the market took off and plan to rent it when we go sailing. We'd love to hear others experience who have done this. We bought the worst house in the best neighborhood and remodeled it ourselves. We payed $150k in 2015 and its worth $320k currently. Our home expenses are roughly $996mo and the rental rate is $1800mo. (Mortgage $500, HoA $280, Insurance $75, Property Tax $141). Assuming $300mo of that goes for repairs and management company, that still gives us $500mo income.

YouTube / Vlog / Blog may be a pivot point in the future for sustainability. We both market about $50mil in other peoples businesses, so why not try marketing ourselves? If you're familiar with The Wyns or La Vagabond on YouTube, we'd consider doing the same thing. We've only made a 4 minute video before in 2014 which got us accepted for the show The Amazing Race. We already own the photography equipment and the video editing knowledge, so this seems like the best route.

Why Sailing?
Freedom. We've been drawn to the idea of "vanlifing" for years, but the stigma of living out of your car is not great. We own a great home in a great neighborhood, but the idea of living in an RV and traveling everywhere seems like freedom. I was hooked on this until I realized living in a sailboat full time was even a thing. Being able to sail around the entire planet is true freedom.

Experience
Yeah, we have none. In the past 10 years we've taken maybe 10 cruises and traveled to 20+ countries, including all over Europe. Throughout these adventures, we've had several ocean boating experience, including one in Italy where they let us rent a motor boat to drive around the island of Capri. We almost got stranded in the middle of the ocean and later almost hit rocks. What we learned from all these trips is that we love the water, but would probably not last a day with our current skill set.

We're currently a month deep into reading sailing guides, watching YouTube videos, and playing a Sailing Simulator to learn the ropes before we'd ultimately take the ASA sailing classes next year.

Questions for You
1. Caribbean vs Mediterranean?
Online boat shopping leads us to believe that buying in Greece or Croatia and sticking the Greek islands is a great way to get started, at the cheapest price. It looks like the Mediterranean has better cities to visit, but the Caribbean has better snorkeling. Anyone been to both and can share their experiences of both?

2. Internet Options?
Irridium Go + Cell Phone Data seem to be the go-to option for everyone unless you're paying $1000+ mo. What internet option is everyone else using? What cellphone carrier and what is the coverage like at sea?

3. Financing a Boat?
I haven't been able to find much about this. We'd prefer to finance the boat putting 20% down. What type of requirements is the bank going to need to lend us potentially $240k for a boat (second home!)?

4. Paid vs Listed?
It looks like most boats sell for about 10-20% under the listing price right now. Is this accurate?

5. Do You Ever Get Bored?
We'd likely buy in Florida and sail around the Bahamas and Eastern/Southern Caribbean for a year or two to start. YouTube makes it seem like a dream, but how often are you just bored? I picture sitting anchored in shallow clear water most of the time, with still being in range of some kind of cell phone internet access.

6. Cost to Maintain + Dock fees?
The internet says 10% a year, but $25k a year just to maintain a 42ft sailboat seems drastic. Is this accurate? If our plane is to use free anchorage whenever possible, i'd suspect this number to be much lower. Also, is it true that some marinas in the Bahamas charge 80% less a month to dock there than in Florida?

7. Boat Name Suggestions?
I've read keep it short and simple. We initially thought one of our business names to maybe drum up business from other sailors at anchorages (photography of their boats to use when they sell), but the business names are our names. Maybe King Guppy?

I think this is all I have for now. If you've read all this, I apologize for wasting your day, but maybe your answers to some of the questions above will help numerous people.

Let me know if you're interested in us keeping this post updated with our progress.

Thank you cruisers!

[rbk]

I had a similar conversation with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while a few weeks back. He had started watching YouTube sailing vlogs and with zero sailing and minimal boat experience, knows exactly which boat he wants and he’s doing it all in the n do three years. You have a decent budget for your cat, but do yourself a favour, learn to sail (by actually sailing) try a few boats out then reevaluate. I can tell you for sure that with your 300k budget for you or boat I could buy a boat, cruise for two years and have money left over and not have to work during that time. As for locations and sailing vlog on YouTube...you’d just be another couple sailing the tropics. There are more added daily and is becoming white noise. You’d need to do something drastically different to really stand out. I don’t really watch any of them but ocasionally in the off season I’ll watch some of the west coast ones cause it’s close to home.

[KingGuppy]

Originally Posted by rbk

I had a similar conversation with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while a few weeks back. He had started watching YouTube sailing vlogs and with zero sailing and minimal boat experience, knows exactly which boat he wants and he’s doing it all in the n do three years. You have a decent budget for your cat, but do yourself a favour, learn to sail (by actually sailing) try a few boats out then reevaluate. I can tell you for sure that with your 300k budget for you or boat I could buy a boat, cruise for two years and have money left over and not have to work during that time. As for locations and sailing vlog on YouTube...you’d just be another couple sailing the tropics. There are more added daily and is becoming white noise. You’d need to do something drastically different to really stand out. I don’t really watch any of them but ocasionally in the off season I’ll watch some of the west coast ones cause it’s close to home.

We're hoping within 2 years it's possible. There are many hurtles to overcome in that time.

Using the magic of Google Satellite view, I've mapped out 4 marinas within 2 hours of our house that have the highest number of catamarans. We're going to drive to these and just walk up and down the docks checking them out. If we get lucky and see an owner, talk to them and look on the inside. We also have plans to go to the Miami boat show in February 2019, and possibly the Ft. Lauderdale one, but im not sure if there are cats there?

We're going to try to find a way to have an overnight catamaran sailing / anchorage experience prior to ASA sailing classes. We just want to see what it's like out there. Hopefully we can find a charter service that offers something like this, or perhaps a cruiser on here that we could pay.

You're right about YouTube, its very crowded. I don't know if we have anything that sets us apart, but the one time we tried making a video, we sent to The Amazing Race casting and had a call asking us to be on within 2 hours of sending it and that show gets thousands of submissions. I figure'd it would be worth a try since we already own all the camera/lighting gear and both of us manage other companies digital presence. The only cost is time.

Thanks for the reply. Appreciate it!

[rbk]

Just don’t limit yourself to what’s popular. Not to rehash the great cat/mono debate but with how green you are, chances are you’ll end up with that cat upside down somewhere. Even seasoned sailors push the limits and turtle. Try some dingy sailing in winds above 15kts to get a feel for how fast things can go wrong. Not that you’ll flip but even a stuck line on a 40’ boat when the winds pick up can be a serious situation.

[KingGuppy]

Originally Posted by rbk

Just don’t limit yourself to what’s popular. Not to rehash the great cat/mono debate but with how green you are, chances are you’ll end up with that cat upside down somewhere. Even seasoned sailors push the limits and turtle. Try some dingy sailing in winds above 15kts to get a feel for how fast things can go wrong. Not that you’ll flip but even a stuck line on a 40’ boat when the winds pick up can be a serious situation.

It'll definitely be a learning curve. We have a lot to learn - pretty much everything.

We were looking at the Leopard and Lagoon cat's because I read they are the easiest / safest for cruisers. I don't think we'd do well with a monohull. We're definitely not locked into either of those brands though. Some of the Fountaine Pajot and Manta boats look great, but seem pricier and more rare.

With the limited experience, we'd invest a lot in all forms of electronic equipment that may make it easier to sail. Most likely an entire electronics upgrade to all Garmin. Like the Garmin GXM 53 weather radar. I know none of this can make up for real experience, but I think it can help a little.

EDIT: Also every possible form of safety equipment incase we did need rescuing.

EDIT 2: Whats the top of line capabilities for auto pilot systems? Is there such a thing that will assist with auto-tacking and jibing?

[dkenny64]

I would guess the 10% maintenance is a little high..
we bought our boat, Irwin 43, a little over 2 years ago...
we've put about $20k into it since..over time..
new roller furling($3500)..yah..ouch..
rebuilt the generator - myself so saved money here
new chart plotter
redid the bottom paint - 1000 in the yard and $600 for the paint on sale


for internet - wifi -

do you 24/7 access to work? or during the day?
what about staying state side for work?? more free wifi places
in 10yrs hits the seas..


just some thoughts..
dkenny64

[KingGuppy]

Originally Posted by dkenny64

I would guess the 10% maintenance is a little high..
we bought our boat, Irwin 43, a little over 2 years ago...
we've put about $20k into it since..over time..
new roller furling($3500)..yah..ouch..
rebuilt the generator - myself so saved money here
new chart plotter
redid the bottom paint - 1000 in the yard and $600 for the paint on sale


for internet - wifi -

do you 24/7 access to work? or during the day?
what about staying state side for work?? more free wifi places
in 10yrs hits the seas..


just some thoughts..
dkenny64

Great info here!

I had to google that boat, but it looks great! What did you pay for it?

We don't need 24/7 internet access, but at least 4 days a week access for a few hours. I can do most my work without internet and then just connect for a few hours to send emails of the work, but my wife needs internet to do her work.

It doesn't need to be blazing fast internet, so we figured using our T-Mobile tethering plan in the Bahamas might work. If not, buying data sim card and hopefully anchoring in places that are in range of a cell tower AND are a bit secluded.

What chart plotter did you go with and why that one?

[sailorboy1]

It’s a journey, have fun doing it. Other than that my iPad finger typing is stayin* out of it.

[KingGuppy]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

It’s a journey, have fun doing it. Other than that my iPad finger typing is stayin* out of it.

lol. Appreciate the reply.

[sailorboy1]

I do have 1 wonder:

Given all the dont knows in the original post/question, how was it determined that a $300k cat is needed?

[KingGuppy]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I do have 1 wonder:

Given all the dont knows in the original post/question, how was it determined that a $300k cat is needed?

We don't know if a $300k is NEEDED, but that would be the high-end of our budget. We're hoping to find a $230kish one and then use some funds to fix it up.

I've been browsing Yachtworld and JustCatamarans listings for awhile and the going rate for the size we want seems to be in the $200-$300k range.

The size we chose based of sailing comfort and room size. I noticed most of the 2003-2008 39ft or less cats have staterooms that are very similar to capsule hotels in Japan, where you climb into this cubby bed. Some 40ft and most 42ft+ cats seem to have a bit of space in the room where you can walk around. We wanted this comfort.

Also, lets say years and years down the line, we try and do some kind of wedding honeymoon photography / bahamas vacation charter package, having the bigger stateroom would help with that.

Any smaller cats you'd recommend we look at?

[Kenomac]

We’ve cruised the east and west coast of the USA and traveled the Caribbean and Mexico, none of these places offer nearly as much to see and do as the Mediterranean. Currently, working hard to get back asap.

[KingGuppy]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

We’ve cruised the east and west coast of the USA and traveled the Caribbean and Mexico, none of these places offer nearly as much to see and do as the Mediterranean. Currently, working hard to get back asap.

How is the water activities in Mediterranean? We've read about much colder water and not as many great areas to go snorkeling or spear fishing.

We did read that the Greek island might offer comparable snorkeling and water to the Caribbean though.

[SV THIRD DAY]

We have lived aboard and cruised now on 10th year and with that experience Im going to give you some advice that you may not want to hear.

I see way too many Cruisers in planning making their cruising plans based on the boat and your desire to have a lithium ion battery Bank on a boat you don't even have yet to me is the completely wrong mindset. Not because a catamaran and the lithium-ion battery Bank isn't good, but because you're defining your dream in the first few paragraphs by the boat and its systems.

I think the higher percentage of successful people that actually pull the dream off do it with minimal debt and on a more modest less expensive boat. (Are you ready for a $1000/mo boat insurance bill?) Facebook and all these cruising chat rooms are filled with people with similar dreams that never get past a dream stage because they can't make it work financially.... don't fall into that trap.

For $100,000 you can have a great cruising boat with all the gear you need and get out there doing it making money remotely building your credibility and experience and then deciding what boat you really want to have longer term if this dream works out to be something you want. And from a marketing perspective there's a lot more people out there that want to see cruising done on a budget on a normal boat that normal people can afford, than want to watch and follow another couple doing something unattainable to them.

I know nobody wants to hear this advice but I stand in the boat show booth year after year talking to some of the same Cruisers in planning that tell me just one more year just one more year just one more year of saving and I'll be able to live my dream. The problem is life gets in the way and the majority of these dreamers never actually make it. Don't let that happen to you unless maybe this lifestyle isn't for you...the preparation phase weeds out a lot of people who really aren't dedicated to the idea and are willing to do what it takes to make it happen. If money and earning it is an issue get rid of that issue by going on a simpler smaller boat. The vast majority of Cruisers are on monos not catamarans simply from a budget standpoint. Get out there sooner than later and start having the time of your lives you can always upgrade to a different boat but you're not going to get your youth back trust me on this. It's a common discussion out here amongst the Cruisers that made it that after they've been out here they wish they would have got out here sooner.....

Great luck on your dream and adventure just don't get trapped in thinking that there's only one way to make the dream happen... and that way costs a lot of money because it doesn't or at least it doesn't have to.

[mark_morwood]

Originally Posted by KingGuppy

Hello Cruisers,
We're hoping to get some expert advice and help by the cruisers here (you) over the next couple of months as we make way on achieving our dream.

Like a couple of other posters above who have cruised, and have talked to many many people who are excited about cruising, but will never leave the dock, my advice is forget about the boat for the moment. Focus more on finding out if you like sailing, and if you do, getting a bit of experience so you can make the right decisions about the right boat, gear and location for you at some point in the future.

There are some advantages to learning to sail a little boat first, but it is a slow path, and not compulsory. The thing I would focus on is getting some time on cruising boats, monohulls and catamarans. Either charter, which is not the same, but still valuable, or even better crew a passage on someone else's boat, or just do some racing locally. Every minute on the water helps.

Try and forget about buying your way to safety with electronics and gear. Yes the right gear helps, but the number one thing for safety is your attitude, skills and experience. Spend your money on building those, rather than getting gear. One approach to that is to buy a learner boat, sail the sails off of that for a couple of years, and then sell it and buy the boat you want to go cruising on. That way you will build the skills and experience to help you get to the dream.

Don't get me wrong - the dream is a good one and achievable. Just focus on yourselves before you focus on the boat and the technology.

Mark