Cost To Live On Board? Poll

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Ours is "all in" as well
Not like we are doing it tough either - we want for nothing.
But I will admit, having lived a fairly frugal lifestyle that allowed retirement in our 40's is a hard habit to break, especially when there are no shops out here to spend money at.

Saying that, steaming back to the mainland now, as I type, 4 cases of Shiraz and 2 cases of bubbles are at the post office waiting
A few kg of prawns, some nice steaks and some fresh veg and we'll be heading back out to the islands by 10am

Living the dream

Good on you . My equivalent is to splurge on a fine craft beer (preferably a high-IBU IPA). My spouse and I live below the legal poverty line here in Canada, but still manage to live well. Although I have to admit that due to Covid, we're more landlubbers than cruisers these days. Hopefully this will change come the Spring.

[PippaB]

We recently spent 3 years on a circumnavigation and another two years of local full-time cruising. Our costs, for a couple, averaged somewhere about $2000/month over 5 years. But, we are now gainfully employed because our sails need replacing. That probably represents another $400-$500/month. Do you include that?

Some people buy a boat and cruise for a few years, then sell. Some of them get away with a fair amount of deferred maintenance. That’s entirely different than someone who budgets for regular replacements, and I think can represent a large part of the variability in numbers.

Because of those considerations I’m not sure where to answer your poll, but you have our costs and their caveats, make of them what you will.

[Fishigan]

I appreciate the input from everyone. I am looking at a cash boat budget up to $150,000, prefer a 38 to 44' Bluewater boat and I have a very short list. After that I would have a very low 6 figure nest egg that I would try not to use unless necessary for say repairs and other travel. Currently we both work. However, I have VA healthcare and a Veteran pension so I have a monthly income to work with when I do stop working. SO.... being 50, and spouse 51 and a decent 401K that we can't touch for 9 years, and that will grow slower if we stop working now. I am trying to determine if I can go within the next year and make it to 59&1/2. Would want to be in Florida/bahamas and move around to Guatemala. We like warm weather and love the Keys and Bahamas. If the average person can do it for under $3,200 then I can do it for sure. I am open to a combination of slip rental, moorings and anchoring. I like the idea of dropping an anchor and not paying anything to chill for a while. Be it a day or week. We both have very stressful jobs and there is more to life than working my as off to pay taxes. To top it off both of our sons are active military and one will be in Germany for the next 3 years. So there is an appeal to make a crossing too. Then there is also a possibility that my wife's job will allow her to work remote but then we would have to be in a location with high speed internet ALL the time. I really appreciate all of the input. It has helped greatly. When we converse I feel like the hardest part is actually giving up the house. Cars, boats, hunting hobbies and whatnot seem to be easy to let go.

[Fishigan]

70% of the participants are doing it for under $3,000 a month averaging $2393.

[BlueH2Obound]

Been living aboard now for 4 months. Also retired military, w/ retirement, and VA for me, Tricare for Wife. Some basic costs below. Not cruising much now, still outfitting for longer range trips.

Moorage: $8.40/ft plus electric, water is included.
Liveaboard fee: $100/mo/person
Electric: Averaging $40/mo, but using a lot of electric right now as it is cold.
Food, is what it is, not sure what your grocery bill is like, ours is probably in the $400/mo range
Insurance: $190/mo
I've not included our automobile costs, as these can vary tremendously.
Location: Pacific Northwest, USA
I've also not included outfitting costs for the changes we're making to make the boat our own.

We haven't had a lot of "repairs" as such as the boat was in really nice shape when we bought her.

I'd REALLY be interested in your "short list" for a blue water cruiser . . . are you talking sail or power? Ours is power, but also blue water capable. . .

[alctel]

Also, be aware that these forums skew higher income as well - I think most of the people here are retirees with property, pensions and whatnot and so tend to have bigger boats and expenses than the average person (there are regularly threads with people asking what boat to get with a budget of several hundred thousand)

A lot of the liveaboards I know in-person have smaller boats and tiny incomes (most are technically under the poverty line but live extremely frugally and have just as much fun as everyone else)

I spent 2 years recently fulltime cruising up to Alaska and then down to Mexico for about 700 - 800 CAD a month - I'd spent a couple of years getting the boat in great condition first though while living aboard and working at my job full-time and so 'frontloaded' a lot of expenses like a ton of canned food, engine parts, nav charts etc.

I met a few people doing it for a lot less than I was, but at that point you have to start getting creative (one person's engine died but he found an old tractor in a field, bought the engine out of it for super cheap and fitted into his boat)

In conclusion:

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

For people who want to know "how much this life costs?", the best thing to do is find people who are living your expected lifestyle, in a similar location, with a similar boat. Otherwise, it's all just data without meaning.

[mvweebles]

I have an older cousin who, with her husband, took off cruising about 20-years ago. NJ to the Caribbean. They ran out of money within a year. They were your standard weekend warrior type sailors who were social creatures and enjoyed their yacht club.

Threads like these are dominated by the anchor-out crowd. Sailors, especially, have often chartered before cruising and have a dream of anchoring out all the time. Sounds idyllic and romantic, but you know what? Humans are often social creatures, especially those who have spent a lifetime adapting to office work. The result can easily be underestimating your costs due to overestimating your tolerance for lifestyle change, which is exactly why my cousin washed out of cruising. I suspect these stories are fairly common but rarely highlighted as the cruiser tucks their tail and returns home.

Sailorboys budget of around $50k/yr strikes a good balance to my eyes. Seems to align nicely to someone who worked a typical job and lived a traditional life with a home, kids, etc. If you gravitate towards solitude, you'll save money. If you skew more towards my cousin, you'll spend a bit more. But SBs budget feels like a good starting point. Especially where OP says he's 50-ish. Not like a 25-yr old couple headed off with a sack of dried beans and another of rice.

I retire in a few months and will be a part time cruiser. My budget is in the $3500/mo range to start, though after a big refit so first year or two if repairs are prepaid. I'll be headed down Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America so not a lot of options to get stuck in marinas, so maybe actual will be less to start.

Peter

[Fishigan]

Originally Posted by BlueH2Obound

Been living aboard now for 4 months. Also retired military, w/ retirement, and VA for me, Tricare for Wife. Some basic costs below. Not cruising much now, still outfitting for longer range trips.

Moorage: $8.40/ft plus electric, water is included.
Liveaboard fee: $100/mo/person
Electric: Averaging $40/mo, but using a lot of electric right now as it is cold.
Food, is what it is, not sure what your grocery bill is like, ours is probably in the $400/mo range
Insurance: $190/mo
I've not included our automobile costs, as these can vary tremendously.
Location: Pacific Northwest, USA
I've also not included outfitting costs for the changes we're making to make the boat our own.

We haven't had a lot of "repairs" as such as the boat was in really nice shape when we bought her.

I'd REALLY be interested in your "short list" for a blue water cruiser . . . are you talking sail or power? Ours is power, but also blue water capable. . .

Thanks. My wife also has VA so we are both covered there. Both were Combat Medics in DS. The boats are all sail, as we have been on a couple of sailboats before and our sailing lessons are in March, so we won't be doing anything until after that anyway. Looking at boats like the Cambria 40, Sabre 42, Pearson 385, Pearson 424 Cutter, Beneteau Oceanis 40 - 44 CC, Amel Maramu, Beneteau 393, Island Packet 350. Been learning a lot about boats and specific models from John Neal.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Threads like these are dominated by the anchor-out crowd. Sailors, especially, have often chartered before cruising and have a dream of anchoring out all the time. Sounds idyllic and romantic, but you know what? Humans are often social creatures, especially those who have spent a lifetime adapting to office work. The result can easily be underestimating your costs due to overestimating your tolerance for lifestyle change, which is exactly why my cousin washed out of cruising. I suspect these stories are fairly common but rarely highlighted as the cruiser tucks their tail and returns home.

I completely agree. Personally, I think the greatest challenge for prospective cruisers is to know thyself. Cruising has little in common with the idyllic life presented by tuber sailors or glossy magazines. Where and how you cruise will have a huge factor in your budget, which is why I say the first thing to do is get some actual experience.

Don't wait till that magic day when retirement comes around. Start now. The idea that one is going to throw a switch and radically change a lifestyle in retirement is folly. To put it simply, if you've lived a life of caviar, it's very unlikely you're going to switch to canned tuna overnight. So start living your expected lifestyle now.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Fishigan

If the average person can do it for under $3,200 then I can do it for sure.

That should do fine.

The devil is in the details. You are hard pressed to find the low cost "cruisers" to ever provide a breakdown of their costs and just where and how often they "cruise". If you find a cruiser cost breakdown it is easy as determine what your budget most likely be. There are limited places to money:

1 - marinas, yes you can anchor out a lot. But a lot of that also depends on where you cruise and the choices that are available.
2 - dining and eating out is a huge rea of cruiser cost variation
3 - boat costs depend mostly on your use. If you travel you have to maintain your boat a lot differently than if you anchor under a bridge and grown barnacles on the bottom for years
4 - food, are you beans and rice or not?

One area that has little impact, but always gets a big impact answer is ..... boat size. Boat size doesn't impact costs much unless you plan to mostly stay in marinas. Last years I figure, based on real cost tracking, that a 30' boat instead of my 41' boat would have saved only $528 for the year. For the 4 years prior to that I estimated based on review it would have saved 2-3% on total costs.

The best way to estimate cruising overall costs is to search for blogs that have the info. There compare their posts and living/boating style and see how it compare to how you what to do it. If you find one that reads like what you plan/want and it doesn't have cost info, ask they them and hey may provide.

This forum definitely does NOT represent that average cruiser.

[Tayana42]

I haven’t provided cost details. We lived aboard our 42’ sailboat for three years along the pacific coast, about half of the time as transients in marinas and the rest anchoring or on moorings. Our total expenses were about the same as what we spent when we lived in our house. What you spend now is probably your best guide to what you will spend then.

[Manlio Laschena]

I sail Med Sea with HR 40 and I think it's easy to answer this question if you like a very low efficiency from the answer: it's enough to click one amout and that's it. But if you want to use other's experience to improve yours then you don't need an average figure.
Then you ought to rewind your question and give others the possibility to trasfer knowledge and experience. It's up to you.

[Sailor 99]

Originally Posted by Fishigan

Per Month NOT counting health insurance or boat payments. I am wondering what a reasonable budget is for slip fees, mooring fees, fuel, travel etc.

Depends on the month and if your in a marina or a yacht club. In my club year around fees were about 4600 for a 50 foot boat. However in winter we had to heat and pay for electricity. Some weeks we were burning 100 liters a week in diesel fuel to heat the boat in Toronto.

Your in Michigan. If your living there you need to count on heating. Again this is subjective. How warm do you want the boat?

The rest is all location dependent. If I was out cruising it would cost almost nothing because I anchor out. I would come in for supplies only. Food, booze, gas for the dinghy.

How often do you want to go info dinner or lunch?

I know people who winter in the Caribbean on a 49 ft Hylas. They spend $2500 a month. They go out every day for lunch or dinner. This includes the layup for the summer out of the water

[daydreamer]

Our onboard expenses ended up being the same as we spent when we were land-based.

[Doubleplay]

If you get out of US, regardless of where you live you'll be spending between $2.5K -$4K and live very comfortably in a Marina.
However you have to change your mindset and lose the notion of everything is about money.