Two landlubbers Elope On A Boat, Around The World Honeymoon? Meow

[2B1S]

Originally Posted by akprb

“It looks like there are two types of cruisers in the community. Those that retired and are doing it full time, and those taking a "break" from work and cruising until funds dry up or they have seen all they wanted to see before returning to the working world.”

I keyed in right here on this assumption. There is a third option that most never contemplate......what if the kitty kept growing while you cruised?

What if you returned after 10 years with more in the kitty than you started with and you cruised with minimal limitations and no financial stress?

What if you focused on maximizing income rather than minimizing expenses?

It can be done ;-)

I think you’ve given me a book idea!

Interesting thought exercise. I guess it's doable, but I'm not sure that at the present time I have a plan that would net me $3k/month+ while on the water. Have plenty of time to think on it though.

Originally Posted by akprb

Fun thread!

We’ve bought and sold RVs five times for five major trips, MADE money on all but one which was close to break even (of course in my great rationalization it was a win as well if you compared it to renting an RV for the same period of time.)

Mindset.

With RVs value is seasonal and regional (similar to boats but much easier to turn).

For the OP I’m encouraging thinking outside the box. Rather than earning, turning.

Not for all but if one has that eye and is a bit of a calculated risk taker (which is a character trait of anyone who goes to sea willingly) lots of ways to earn significant money by adding value and doing so honorably.

Love this topic

This has been my experience with motorcycles. I've purchased and sold 3 over the past 10 years and made money on 2 of those, the other I broke even.

Originally Posted by mayberrybfd

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

I suppose!

Originally Posted by Tessellate

It sounds like you've already thought this out in great detail, and your numbers sound feasible to me. The Europe backpacking with cheap home base sounds awesome.

Only feedback I have is it sounds like you haven't done test runs of any of these things yet (cruising by sail, europe backpacking and RV'ing) and those are a lot of things with some steep learning curves that you're trying to squeeze into a relatively short amount of time.

Without test runs you're just guesstimating - not just the cost, but whether you will actually like it. And after 2 years of traveling, your minds could have changed about sailing. So in my opinion you're actually doing too much planning - stop planning and just start doing some of this awesome stuff on a smaller scale. Ex, before sailing for 3 months I sailed for 1 month, and before that for 1 week, and before that for just a weekend, etc.

I know you're in work + save mode now, but most Americans underutilize their vacation time and don't even know about or consider unpaid personal leave (which some states require by law to be available).

I'm originally from LI too by the way. It's a relatively high cost of living area so good job on the frugal budget.

Thank you for the well thought out response. We definitely plan on sailing, then sailing for a few days, then a few weeks (crewing someone elses boat) to make sure we are enjoying it longer term before moving aboard! Road trips and backpacking are something we have done, especially in and around Poland. Another awesome thing about Poland, I have a cousin who has a sailboat on Lake Solina, so I will get to spend some time sailing whilst there.

Originally Posted by skipmac

Hello 2B1S and welcome to the forum.

I think you have a good start to a plan but from someone that did kind of similar let me throw out some comments and advice.

I managed to drop out and go sailing for a couple of years when I was around 25. Then spent another 10 years cruising off and on and bumming around boats. Big difference, I was single so occasionally had some options that wouldn't be open to a couple.

So in no particular order.

How much will you need or how much will it cost?

Common replies are "how long is a piece of string" and "as much as you have to spend". Both have a lot of truth in them. By the way, this is in the top 5 most frequently asked and answered question this forum. Go play with search function and you will have hours of reading on the subject including what some people have spent cruising, what it cost to buy and fix up a boat, how to cruise on a budget, etc, etc, etc. This previous thread http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-ii-79067.html has almost 1400 comments about cruising on a budget.

Preparation.

Sailing a boat in the ocean is a much bigger jump that going from a car to a big RV. Some people start from zero, go sailing and manage to survive the experience but plenty of newbies wreck their boat and a few even don't survive, literally. Be realistic about your skills and the learning curve. This is different for everyone so you'll have to be the judge.

Great points, thank you. We definitely have to learn how to crawl and walk before we can run!

Originally Posted by hamburking

Don't buy a couch:
https://youtu.be/lAye0mf2A8g

Awesome intro to that video. At our age (31/27) we've sill never purchased a piece of new furniture, or cars, etc. Living like we are still on our first salaries out of school is what is making this whole idea possible

Originally Posted by alansmith

Nothing wrong with your plan. I set to retire in 18 months so let me offer u another way to do this. Here is a way:

1. Buy a used diesel truck. They last freaking forever. Can buy with camper on it or pull something modest behind it.
2. When time comes or simultaneously buy a trailerable boat. You have very low costs.

With this set up u can cruise Sea of Cortez for the season. Pull the boat when the weather heats up and head to Alaska or San Juans. Winter closing in drive your rig down to Miami and head east and south. Hurricane season approaches drive your rig up to Chesapeake Bay and head North. Do the Great Lakes thing. Take side trips with the camper to the glorious places.

IMO... there is no compelling reason to own an expensive boat with unbelievable costs and maintenance issues associated with it. With a boat that is not trailerable you are limited by season and distance by what you can see. With trailerable boats you throw her back on the trailer and go upwind at 65 mph. I literally can sail the most beautiful cruising grounds of North America and Mexico in less than 20 hours of driving. I live in San Francisco.

Take a serious look at Corsair trimarans. Even the F31's can be found in 50-60k range. Their resell value holds. They are much easier to resell then many boats. They are wonderful sailing machines. They are minimalist machines. The F27's can be found all day long on Yachtworld in the 30-40k range.

Done with North America? Either freight everything over to Europe or sale everything here and reset in Europe. Do the canals through Europe. SIl the Scandinavian archepeligo. Take the canals to the Med. do the Med.

All the interesting things to see and do are on the coastlines. Buy a coastal cruiser that can be pulled behind a truck. Switch between boat and camper per itinerary. You will see 3-5X more than a boat moving on her own hull. You will save 2-3x the money in expense. To me it is just logical and full of common sense to do it like this. If I get a real knot in my panties to sail in Tahiti then I will crew for someone or I will get together with other couples and charter for a couple of weeks.

Buying a boat is one thing. Maintaining a boat that is being used hard traversing oceans is another. Boats work hard in crossings. Repairs are bloody experiences for the pocket book. Watch the film called 'Chasing Bubbles.' Excellent documentary and very realistic. He bought his boat for 70k and spent another 100k keeping it going over 3 seasons. He was a free spirit of a man and very interesting.

Many threads here about so many ways to do things. My wife and I are conservative and minimalist by nature. Between truck, camper, and boat we can be out and about all year long and where ever we want to be. I can even pull the boat up to Lake Tahoe for a week. Then be up Lake Ontario 3 days later. Sail there for a couple of weeks. Take the canals down to New York "WITH" the mast sitting on top the boat in Certain sections where I can't get under bridges. Or I can drive up to Maine in day and a half and drop her in. Sail Maine for the month till weather changes. Drive south or sail. Sick of the boat? Camper and explore. Museums, historical sites, Been to Daytona Week? Your options are endless with this setup. Your only limitation? Your own imagination.

I defy anyone to match sailing the Delta, Lake Tahoe, Lake Ontario, the loop or at least part of it, and Maine in one full Spring and Summer. Plus all of the side trips like Yellowstone, Rockies, Mt Rushmore, etc etc etc. I am absolutely convinced that it is a very viable way to do traveling.

Take a few minutes and do yourself s a big favor. Watch this Aussie gent named Simon Carter. He has a trailerable monohull that he sails up in the Whitsundays and Queensland. What is remarkable about his videos? Real life aboard a pocket cruiser. How he cooks with a little bomb propane cooker. His small refridge. Navigation and piloting, fishing, and anchoring. He is very pleasant and humble man. He has given me dozens of ideas of how to do it cheap and it works. You will be missing out on a wealth of information if u neglect to see what this style is all about.

You see a big storm forecast for later in the week? Retrieve truck and load the boat up. Problem with the diesel? Silly, u ain't got one. Your 2000 dollar outboard won't stink of diesel. You can do all the maintenance for a year in 2 hours while parked under a shade tree for a hundred bucks. Change the Out drive lube oil, new engine oil, in line gas filter, change the water/oil seperator filter, check the spark plug, u done baby for the
Year. That 2000 motor will last u 15-20 years if take care of her. Read up on what things happen with diesels. I ain't knocking the engines. But u don't need one in a pocket cruiser. They are expensive and much more labor intensive to maintain. I also hate dragging props through the water. I hate holes in the bottom of my boat to have something go wrong. Exhaust elbows, ropes, fishing lines, sea weed, lobster pots, dinged props, corrosion And electrolysis issues. Heat, diesel fumes, and noise in many boats while motoring or charging up the batteries. It all goes with the in -hull diesel boats.

With trailerables you are minimalist cruisers. Space is tight. Boat is light so affected much more strongly by wave action. I personally like the centerboard boats for shallow water work like creeks, The Keyes, Bahamian banks, and such. My current boat draws 18" with board up. It ain't so easy to cook. I have a compostabke toilet. There literally is no fecal smell on my boat. I have no place to shower. Except in the cockpit with solar shower bags. So, u give up creature comforts on a small boat. The trade offs are tremendous. I could go on for another 10 paragraphs why this is a better modulus for travel then sailing on your own hull from A to B.

Wow Alan, I'm going to PM you to keep this conversation going, hope you don't mind. This is a lot to think about and definitely frames it in a way I hadn't thought of yet.

With this approach we could potentially get started MUCH MUCH sooner too.

[Mike Banks]

It costs approximately 20 grand a year in total expenses to live aboard a vessel in coastal hops. marinas and anchorages. A friend who has done it all his life and lived aboard with kids told me that is what it cost him--(he has a 40 foot plus steel yacht--a monohull-and my own figures over a period of years back this up--taking into account costs and depreciation based on the loss at resale--in my case total since I gave the vessel away rather than wreck her. All I kept was her instruments, engine and hydraulic autopilot and hot water system which was new.

So--whatever you earn above that amount has to cover your living expenses plus fuel, repairs to sails etc is part of the twenty grand allowance. If you can save more on a forty footer--good for you.

Of course--the smaller the vessel the less the costs--but then one has to be comfortable and carry ones tools of trade--whatever they may be. For two people living aboard--the minimum for me would be about ten metres in length. Any fool can be uncomfortable. You need this length to carry sufficient fuel for long passages and long stays, extra gas etc. Some of the work available, if you can get onto the list of useful people, is remote and supplies are not available--you have to bring all you need for the duration.

Those I have encountered sailing full time and making a living while doing so---apart from those sponsored by viewers and builders of yachts--were doctors, architects, authors, computer software whizzes, itinerant mechanics and engineers, anyone with universally marketable skills sets in demand in remote places or places undergoing rapid expansion. Telecommunications skills--electronics and radar etc and remote weather stations etc all need installation, fixing and maintenance. Construction of geodesic storm shelters in such places might be another. One guy I knew had a motor vessel and maintained automatic lighthouses along the coast. Now gone like so many other great folk who served in WW2. The job gave him immense peace and satisfaction.

Solar panels and water making equipment in remote places is another avenue one might pursue. The latest lithium batteries are much lighter and smaller than the heavy lead cells usually employed. Of course one might have to have the materials delivered by an island trader--but the installation is low voltage for the most part and almost any competent sparky could install these survival systems.

Teachers and people on term contracts have to live in one spot throughout the duration of the contracts--and in remote places these contracts are hard to find. One place to look is the UN--they have aid packages for some of these places--and a position may be available. Language skills are useful if one has any. They used to be available anyway. Perhaps they still are.

I knew people involved in Pacific radar and weather stations back in the sixties who did this work all of the time and could have done it from a yacht instead of the motor-vessels usually provided to them. It was seasonal work of course--in the hurricane season the islands are not such a great place to be anchored.

Living aboard and earning a living is not easy--it all depends on your skills set and your willingness to be available come what may. If you like kids--try writing and illustrating children's books. There used to be money putting good photographs on picture agencies--although since digital came along that market is a fraction of what it used to be because there are so many more people doing it.

Lotsa luck.

[1Sunseeker]

Alansmith, veellly interesting!

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by alansmith

Nothing wrong with your plan. I set to retire in 18 months so let me offer u another way to do this. Here is a way:

You've thought this through, well done, Alan! Interesting concept and certainly one to consider for the OPs.

[bobfnbw]

Wish we did that when we were younger, and I had a plan to, but life intervened. Never was able to save enough, and even though we are both nurses and could possibly travel and work, just didn't happen. We tried though. Had a Nor'sea 27 in Bradenton on one assignment, but don't kid yourself, 27 feet is TO small to live on. At least for us it was. In order to trailer a boat the beam has to be 8 feet, and that makes for a very tight interior. No room for storage, very small tanks, tight berths and heads. Some can do it but not me. Next boat was 40 feet and that's a good size for 2 with occasionally guests. In your budget check out a Morgan 383-384. One thing you do not want to do is finance anything. If you can't pay for it, you're not ready.
I chose to wait till retirement, and that is just over 800 days left. In fact, if you are able to stick to your time table, we might be heading out around the same time 😀.
The idea of making your money work for you is not a bad one. If you can buy and flip some homes, and then rent them out, it would work. But then you would have to pay someone to manage them. Food for thought.
And while I didn't follow that advice, I second the "don't buy a couch" that sailing Uma espouses.
And while its not in any way easy, people have financed their trip with YouTube. But you can't plan on that. And its a lot of work, more than we realize I expect. Just don't pump you wife like some of them do....
Good luck.

[bobfnbw]

The forum won't let me say p I m p so it changed it to pump... Go figure.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by alansmith

Nothing wrong with your plan. I set to retire in 18 months so let me offer u another way to do this. Here is a way:

1. Buy a used diesel truck. They last freaking forever. Can buy with camper on it or pull something modest behind it.
2. When time comes or simultaneously buy a trailerable boat. You have very low costs.

With this set up u can cruise Sea of Cortez for the season. Pull the boat when the weather heats up and head to Alaska or San Juans. Winter closing in drive your rig down to Miami and head east and south. Hurricane season approaches drive your rig up to Chesapeake Bay and head North. Do the Great Lakes thing. Take side trips with the camper to the glorious places.

IMO... there is no compelling reason to own an expensive boat with unbelievable costs and maintenance issues associated with it. With a boat that is not trailerable you are limited by season and distance by what you can see. With trailerable boats you throw her back on the trailer and go upwind at 65 mph. I literally can sail the most beautiful cruising grounds of North America and Mexico in less than 20 hours of driving. I live in San Francisco.

Take a serious look at Corsair trimarans. Even the F31's can be found in 50-60k range. Their resell value holds. They are much easier to resell then many boats. They are wonderful sailing machines. They are minimalist machines. The F27's can be found all day long on Yachtworld in the 30-40k range.

Done with North America? Either freight everything over to Europe or sale everything here and reset in Europe. Do the canals through Europe. SIl the Scandinavian archepeligo. Take the canals to the Med. do the Med.

All the interesting things to see and do are on the coastlines. Buy a coastal cruiser that can be pulled behind a truck. Switch between boat and camper per itinerary. You will see 3-5X more than a boat moving on her own hull. You will save 2-3x the money in expense. To me it is just logical and full of common sense to do it like this. If I get a real knot in my panties to sail in Tahiti then I will crew for someone or I will get together with other couples and charter for a couple of weeks.

Buying a boat is one thing. Maintaining a boat that is being used hard traversing oceans is another. Boats work hard in crossings. Repairs are bloody experiences for the pocket book. Watch the film called 'Chasing Bubbles.' Excellent documentary and very realistic. He bought his boat for 70k and spent another 100k keeping it going over 3 seasons. He was a free spirit of a man and very interesting.

Many threads here about so many ways to do things. My wife and I are conservative and minimalist by nature. Between truck, camper, and boat we can be out and about all year long and where ever we want to be. I can even pull the boat up to Lake Tahoe for a week. Then be up Lake Ontario 3 days later. Sail there for a couple of weeks. Take the canals down to New York "WITH" the mast sitting on top the boat in Certain sections where I can't get under bridges. Or I can drive up to Maine in day and a half and drop her in. Sail Maine for the month till weather changes. Drive south or sail. Sick of the boat? Camper and explore. Museums, historical sites, Been to Daytona Week? Your options are endless with this setup. Your only limitation? Your own imagination.

I defy anyone to match sailing the Delta, Lake Tahoe, Lake Ontario, the loop or at least part of it, and Maine in one full Spring and Summer. Plus all of the side trips like Yellowstone, Rockies, Mt Rushmore, etc etc etc. I am absolutely convinced that it is a very viable way to do traveling.

Take a few minutes and do yourself s a big favor. Watch this Aussie gent named Simon Carter. He has a trailerable monohull that he sails up in the Whitsundays and Queensland. What is remarkable about his videos? Real life aboard a pocket cruiser. How he cooks with a little bomb propane cooker. His small refridge. Navigation and piloting, fishing, and anchoring. He is very pleasant and humble man. He has given me dozens of ideas of how to do it cheap and it works. You will be missing out on a wealth of information if u neglect to see what this style is all about.

You see a big storm forecast for later in the week? Retrieve truck and load the boat up. Problem with the diesel? Silly, u ain't got one. Your 2000 dollar outboard won't stink of diesel. You can do all the maintenance for a year in 2 hours while parked under a shade tree for a hundred bucks. Change the Out drive lube oil, new engine oil, in line gas filter, change the water/oil seperator filter, check the spark plug, u done baby for the
Year. That 2000 motor will last u 15-20 years if take care of her. Read up on what things happen with diesels. I ain't knocking the engines. But u don't need one in a pocket cruiser. They are expensive and much more labor intensive to maintain. I also hate dragging props through the water. I hate holes in the bottom of my boat to have something go wrong. Exhaust elbows, ropes, fishing lines, sea weed, lobster pots, dinged props, corrosion And electrolysis issues. Heat, diesel fumes, and noise in many boats while motoring or charging up the batteries. It all goes with the in -hull diesel boats.

With trailerables you are minimalist cruisers. Space is tight. Boat is light so affected much more strongly by wave action. I personally like the centerboard boats for shallow water work like creeks, The Keyes, Bahamian banks, and such. My current boat draws 18" with board up. It ain't so easy to cook. I have a compostabke toilet. There literally is no fecal smell on my boat. I have no place to shower. Except in the cockpit with solar shower bags. So, u give up creature comforts on a small boat. The trade offs are tremendous. I could go on for another 10 paragraphs why this is a better modulus for travel then sailing on your own hull from A to B.

I'd also recommend a Columbia 24 or 26 MK1 if you are looking to go that route, both are small enough to be trailered pretty easily, roomy enough to stand up in (in the 26, less so in the 24 but still close,) strongly built with molded in keels and encapsulated ballast, perform well and have been sailed all around. I'd recommend my 29 too, but the 26MK1 is roomy for its size, has the well for the outboard, and is a ton lighter while still remaining very seaworthy. I had the 24 and I had it out in some pretty rough conditions and had no trouble with it.
COLUMBIA 26 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com
Columbia 26 Specifications
and by way of example there is one near me for sale on Ventura Craigslist though I know nothing about its condition except that I have seen it out sailing. I think he is still asking $2500.

[thruska]

Allansmith has the right idea for you. Like minds , I believe.
I found a damn nice diesel crewcab dually in mid20k, 3 k tires + ac compressor, and new kingpins and tie rod and steer arms. A medium duty truck can shat your budget, but it can also make you some money in the hauling biz.
You can tow your pocket boat and live in the boat like an rv. I can sleep comfortably in my crew cab if need be. I’ve slept in the boat when hauling the Columbia, with a good ladder as cockpit access is near ten feet.
I’d recommend minimal draft for trailerable and a lowboy trailer for ease of launch and more available access to water. If you can’t launch on a ramp you will pay for a lift. Obviously your draft while launching includes your trailer depth.
So your setup includes truck ,boat ,and trailer and all the necessities and accessories.
If you have and open boat you can use a removable camper on the truck provided the truck can handle it. I’ve lived in truck camps on jobs with no problems as a single man.
Now if you have a high maintenance partner, things can and will get difficult, particularly if they be unemployable, go figure huh?
I think you guys are on the right track and you do your homework well in advance.
I don’t know what your skill set is but that ketch for sale in the med for 20k is a hell of a deal !
I certainly wish you the best in your endeavors

[kclancy]

Originally Posted by alansmith

Nothing wrong with your plan. I set to retire in 18 months so let me offer u another way to do this. Here is a way:

1. Buy a used diesel truck. They last freaking forever. Can buy with camper on it or pull something modest behind it.
2. When time comes or simultaneously buy a trailerable boat. You have very low costs.

With this set up u can cruise Sea of Cortez for the season. Pull the boat when the weather heats up and head to Alaska or San Juans. Winter closing in drive your rig down to Miami and head east and south. Hurricane season approaches drive your rig up to Chesapeake Bay and head North. Do the Great Lakes thing. Take side trips with the camper to the glorious places.

IMO... there is no compelling reason to own an expensive boat with unbelievable costs and maintenance issues associated with it. With a boat that is not trailerable you are limited by season and distance by what you can see. With trailerable boats you throw her back on the trailer and go upwind at 65 mph. I literally can sail the most beautiful cruising grounds of North America and Mexico in less than 20 hours of driving. I live in San Francisco.

Take a serious look at Corsair trimarans. Even the F31's can be found in 50-60k range. Their resell value holds. They are much easier to resell then many boats. They are wonderful sailing machines. They are minimalist machines. The F27's can be found all day long on Yachtworld in the 30-40k range.

Done with North America? Either freight everything over to Europe or sale everything here and reset in Europe. Do the canals through Europe. SIl the Scandinavian archepeligo. Take the canals to the Med. do the Med.

All the interesting things to see and do are on the coastlines. Buy a coastal cruiser that can be pulled behind a truck. Switch between boat and camper per itinerary. You will see 3-5X more than a boat moving on her own hull. You will save 2-3x the money in expense. To me it is just logical and full of common sense to do it like this. If I get a real knot in my panties to sail in Tahiti then I will crew for someone or I will get together with other couples and charter for a couple of weeks.

Buying a boat is one thing. Maintaining a boat that is being used hard traversing oceans is another. Boats work hard in crossings. Repairs are bloody experiences for the pocket book. Watch the film called 'Chasing Bubbles.' Excellent documentary and very realistic. He bought his boat for 70k and spent another 100k keeping it going over 3 seasons. He was a free spirit of a man and very interesting.

Many threads here about so many ways to do things. My wife and I are conservative and minimalist by nature. Between truck, camper, and boat we can be out and about all year long and where ever we want to be. I can even pull the boat up to Lake Tahoe for a week. Then be up Lake Ontario 3 days later. Sail there for a couple of weeks. Take the canals down to New York "WITH" the mast sitting on top the boat in Certain sections where I can't get under bridges. Or I can drive up to Maine in day and a half and drop her in. Sail Maine for the month till weather changes. Drive south or sail. Sick of the boat? Camper and explore. Museums, historical sites, Been to Daytona Week? Your options are endless with this setup. Your only limitation? Your own imagination.

I defy anyone to match sailing the Delta, Lake Tahoe, Lake Ontario, the loop or at least part of it, and Maine in one full Spring and Summer. Plus all of the side trips like Yellowstone, Rockies, Mt Rushmore, etc etc etc. I am absolutely convinced that it is a very viable way to do traveling.

Take a few minutes and do yourself s a big favor. Watch this Aussie gent named Simon Carter. He has a trailerable monohull that he sails up in the Whitsundays and Queensland. What is remarkable about his videos? Real life aboard a pocket cruiser. How he cooks with a little bomb propane cooker. His small refridge. Navigation and piloting, fishing, and anchoring. He is very pleasant and humble man. He has given me dozens of ideas of how to do it cheap and it works. You will be missing out on a wealth of information if u neglect to see what this style is all about.

You see a big storm forecast for later in the week? Retrieve truck and load the boat up. Problem with the diesel? Silly, u ain't got one. Your 2000 dollar outboard won't stink of diesel. You can do all the maintenance for a year in 2 hours while parked under a shade tree for a hundred bucks. Change the Out drive lube oil, new engine oil, in line gas filter, change the water/oil seperator filter, check the spark plug, u done baby for the
Year. That 2000 motor will last u 15-20 years if take care of her. Read up on what things happen with diesels. I ain't knocking the engines. But u don't need one in a pocket cruiser. They are expensive and much more labor intensive to maintain. I also hate dragging props through the water. I hate holes in the bottom of my boat to have something go wrong. Exhaust elbows, ropes, fishing lines, sea weed, lobster pots, dinged props, corrosion And electrolysis issues. Heat, diesel fumes, and noise in many boats while motoring or charging up the batteries. It all goes with the in -hull diesel boats.

With trailerables you are minimalist cruisers. Space is tight. Boat is light so affected much more strongly by wave action. I personally like the centerboard boats for shallow water work like creeks, The Keyes, Bahamian banks, and such. My current boat draws 18" with board up. It ain't so easy to cook. I have a compostabke toilet. There literally is no fecal smell on my boat. I have no place to shower. Except in the cockpit with solar shower bags. So, u give up creature comforts on a small boat. The trade offs are tremendous. I could go on for another 10 paragraphs why this is a better modulus for travel then sailing on your own hull from A to B.

I came to this same realization this weekend. I have been toying around with the idea of buying a larger boat. Currently I have a very small trailer sailer, a Catalina 22. It is very small for both my girlfriend and I, plus I am over 6'3" tall. This boat was supposed to be for me to learn how to sail and to do repairs/maintenance work, and pride of ownership type projects. It has done all that and more. I am not through with this boat yet.

Sitting in a slip this weekend on the SF Bay, I thought that "this was the life". A short drive from Sacramento, an easy to launch boat, and three nights at the marina only cost me $32. Crazy! That is when I began to give up the ghost of having a bigger boat in a berth full time (at least for now). Realistically, I would probably only be able to use the boat one or two weekends a month. I think financially, it makes more sense to keep a boat on a trailer and avoid the monthly slip costs and additional maintenance that occurs when having a boat in the water full time. I also like the idea of being so free to drive wherever you want to cruise. Down to the Sea of Cortez or up to the San Juans. A lot of fun lies ahead!